Neal Smith National Wildlife Refuge
Prairie Learning Center
P.O. Box 399
9981 Pacific Street
Prairie City, Iowa 50228-0399
(515) 994-3400

For General Questions, Please Contact: buffalo@tallgrass.org

Research

One of the main goals of the Refuge is to increase scientific knowledge and understanding of the prairie and savanna through ongoing research.

There are seven active Land Management and Research Demonstration Programs (LMRD) in the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (FWS), each with a specific ecosystem focus. Neal Smith NWR is home is the home Refuge of the Midwest Region's LMRD Program that serves eight states and approximately 50 FWS stations. The LMRD Program focuses on conservation of globally endangered tallgrass prairie and savanna ecosystems, and the species they support through targeted research and development of innovative solutions to ecological restoration challenges.

To read more about these and other research projects at Neal Smith NWR, please refer to the Field Guide to Research at Neal Smith NWR, or browse our research videos.

If you would like to submit a research proposal, please contact the Refuge staff or specific guidelines and evaluation criteria. Researchers typically submit a pre-proposal, not more than two pages, prior to submitting a formal proposal. Proposals are evaluated and ranked by a Research Advisory Committee.