HONEY CREEK, Iowa —

On Thursday night, volunteers gathered in western Iowa to preserve the prairies. Local experts say that Iowa used to be 85% tallgrass prairie, but they say 99.9% of prairies in the state are gone due to development.

Almost all of the remaining 0.1% can be found at Hitchcock Nature Center. That's why people are collecting seeds — to restore the prairies.

Bags in hand, volunteers scoured the prairie in the Loess Hills with one thing in mind: preserving its beauty.

Golden Hills, a nonprofit organization, hosts these events, encouraging anyone interested to get involved.

"You don't need to have any experience. We teach you. We come out here to show you what plants we're looking for — or anything we're not looking for — how to harvest, and how to know if it's ready," sa

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