Matt Dolkas is a graduate student at the University of Idaho, and is using his final graduate project as an opportunity to educate people on the conservation needs of the Palouse prairie, a vanishing ecosystem with myriad native plant and animal species.
Dolkas’ project, a photography book about the prairie’s conservation, is being released at the Palouse Prairie Foundation fundraiser from 7-9 p.m. Dec. 15 at the 1912 Center. The Palouse Prairie Foundation promotes preservation and restoration of native Palouse Prairie ecosystems in Latah and Whitman Counties, according to their website. Dolkas said the idea isn’t to bore people.
“I kind of wanted to make it more of a party than a fundraiser,” he said.
The fundraiser falls on the closing day of his installation in the Idaho Commons Reflection Gallery that displays photos from the book.
Dolkas said the gallery display is intended to introduce his book and communicate the prairie’s needs to the campus community.
Palouse Prairie is currently segmented by urbanization, agriculture and weeds, and is one of the most endangered ecological areas in the nation. Dolkas said whether people view conservation as a matter of inherent value or economic utility there are plenty of reasons to support the prairie.
Species here help maintain clean air and water and assist crop pollination. Native plants also don’t require significant amounts of fertilizer, water, pesticide or upkeep, and they help prevent soil erosion from water and wind, Dolkas said.
Dolkas said native species might provide medicinal benefits not yet understood. He said it’s important to preserve “our genetic library.”
“You don’t want to throw out books just because you can’t read them,” he said. “You have to save them because one day you might be able to use them.”
David Hall, PPF president, said everything in the ecosystem is connected, and the loss of one species could have significant effects. He said the prairie is also part of “our neighborhood,” and should be preserved. Pitting agriculture against ecological management misses the point of Dolkas’ project, he said.
“It’s not ‘enviros’ against farmers,” he said. “Farmers love their land too … It’s not trying to shut them down at all.”
Dolkas said the primary argument of his book is that ecological and agricultural methods need to work together, and fighting for a single species is near-sighted. Farming is valuable and unavoidable, he said, and he’d like to see people work together with less argument and more efficiency.
Dolkas said photography conveys his message well. Many haven’t seen diminishing prairies, and photos can illuminate the land and its potential.
“(You) can show people places that they otherwise wouldn’t see, and you can do so in a way that’s persuasive,” he said. “You can also show people very familiar things in a way that might change their understanding of them.”
The book, “Finding the Palouse Prairie: Images of a Vanishing Grassland,” can be purchased online at www.dolkas.com, and all proceeds benefit PPF.