I am fascinated by how plant communities recover from disturbance, in particular from human disturbance. As a result I have become interested in the restoration and reconstruction of badly damaged plant communities. Tallgrass prairies are one of the most badly disturbed ecosystems in the world. About 99.9% of the original tallgrass prairie in Illinois has been lost. The only way we will ever have more tallgrass prairie is if we grow it. I am currently studying the reconstructed prairies at Green Oaks, Knox's biological field station. The prairie reconstructions were initiated by the late Paul Shepard in 1954 and continued by Peter Schramm. My prairie research is mostly dedicated to studying and monitoring changes in the prairies at Green Oaks. I have also developed a long-term study examining the demography of tree species at Green Oaks. I am also fascinated by the ethics of ecological restoration and have been trying to develop an ethical system that permits restoration while still respecting the natural world. Developing that ethical system is proving to be surprisingly difficult to do.