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What's left of the American prairie?

WBUR | By Chris Bentley

Published September 1, 2025 at 11:55 AM EDT

Click here for the original audio and to read a book excerpt.

The North American prairie rivals the Amazon rainforest in its biological diversity, and it’s disappearing even faster. “Sea of Grass: The Conquest, Ruin, and Redemption of Nature on the American Prairie” documents the destruction of this natural wonder and introduces us to some of the people trying to save it.

Authors Dave Hage and Josephine Marcotty met up with Here & Now’s Chris Bentley in Illinois’ Midewin National Tallgrass Prairie to talk about it.

This article was originally published on WBUR.org.

Chris Bentley