Pawnee Prairie

The catalog name refers to the shortgrass prairie landscape associated with Pawnee National Grassland in northeastern Colorado. The best-known landform in the grassland is Pawnee Buttes. [US Forest Service](https://www.fs.usda.gov/sites/nfs/files/legacy-media/arp/Pawnee%20National%20Grassland%20History.pdf)

Drought and plowing exposed the prairie soil to severe wind erosion during the Dust Bowl. Federal land-utilization projects later bought eroded land, replanted grass, and restored some plowed areas, with planted grasses reportedly revegetating them within two years. [US Forest Service](https://www.fs.usda.gov/sites/nfs/files/legacy-media/arp/Pawnee%20National%20Grassland%20History.pdf)

Eastern Colorado is part of the dry Great Plains shortgrass steppe, where low grasses are adapted to limited rainfall, wind, and grazing. Pawnee National Grassland is a major Colorado example of this ecosystem, with Pawnee Buttes as a visible landmark. [Colorado Native Plant Society](https://conps.org/project/plains-shortgrass-prairie/)

Visitors can hike, watch birds, and explore the open grassland around Pawnee Buttes. Recreation.gov describes a 21-mile Pawnee Bird Tour through the area. [Recreation.gov](https://www.recreation.gov/articles/list/get-to-know-your-national-grasslands/1194)