The Coteau and its people
One of the loveliest places on the prairie lies just southeast of Steele on the Kidder and Stutsman County line. In 1977 the Central Grasslands Research Extension Center (CGREC) was built 6 1/2 miles northwest of Streeter. It serves 18 counties in what is known as the Missouri Coteau region, an area bound by the Missouri River on the west and the James River on the east. This is a land of rolling hills and shallow wetlands. Hence the name so familiar to birders “the Prairie Pothole region”.
Although I was swamped with things to do last Thursday I decided to attended the Grasslands annual field tour and I came away with a much deeper appreciation for the land and it people.
I love the prairie with its changing seasons. Spring always brings the birding migration of literally hundreds of birds. When I tell you I need a check list to just to keep track of how many different species I see while birding I am not kidding. Summer brings the smell of clover and alfalfa being made into hay under the blazing prairie sun and clear blue sky. Sometimes the heat is so intense that just for a split second it takes your breath away. Then fall comes and trees shimmer with gold, red, and green leaves as the migrating birds say good by and make the long trek to warmer lands in the south. And who can not love winter? The howling winds, the dark nights snuggled under a quilt drinking hot chocolate and watching all the movies you didn’t have time to catch in the summer.
Perhaps living here I may miss out on some “cultural” opportunities that large cities offer but my life is rich and full.
Bill Well from Medina summed up my feelings with this quote, “I came to Medina to teach Vocational Agriculture in 1956 and I’m still here. The Coteau is where my wife Janet and I built our homestead and raised our family. The Coteau offers such a variety of opportunities to raise crops and livestock that is almost unequaled. The wildlife and migratory bird populations on the Coteau has been a definite influence on our family as they grew and started careers in agriculture and education here in North Dakota on the Coteau. I wouldn’t have traded my life and my experiences on the Coteau for anything.”