Austin Peay’s SGI staff featured in Emmy Award-winning documentary “The Prairie Preacher”

By: Eleanor Lopez June 27, 2025

In a still from “The Prairie Preacher,” APSU’s Dr. Dwayne Estes stands with a eulogy for grasslands in hand, captured in black and white.

CLARKSVILLE, Tenn. – “The Prairie Preacher,” a PBS Appalachia Virginia documentary produced in partnership with the Southeastern Grasslands Institute at Austin Peay State University, recently won an Emmy Award at the 2025 Emmys National Capital Region awards.

The 27-minute film features Dr. Dwayne Estes, a botanist who earned his nickname for his passionate advocacy of grassland conservation. Once a child who found solace in nature, Estes now dedicates his life to saving America’s most endangered ecosystem — southeastern grasslands. Through the Southeastern Grasslands Institute (SGI), he works tirelessly to protect and restore these vital landscapes.

In a still from “The Prairie Preacher,” SGI’s Central Appalachian Grasslands Coordinator/Ecologist Alaina Krakowiak talks about her career path.

Also appearing in the documentary is SGI’s Central Appalachian Grasslands Coordinator/Ecologist Alaina Krakowiak, who is based out of Roanoke, Virginia. Krakowiak speaks about the importance of protecting and restoring small, remnant grasslands, such as Orchard Knob in Chattanooga, Tennessee.

The Southeastern Grasslands Institute is grateful to Josh Deel, Jacob Dellinger, Sara Muncy and all of the crew at PBS Appalachia Virginia for bringing to life the story about the organization’s work.

SGI also extends gratitude to Tracy Roberts Frist and former Sen. Bill Frist for playing key support roles in the film and allowing the crew to film much of the documentary on their farm, and to Nick Lapham with the BAND Foundation for joining the production to communicate the history, ecological importance, and urgency of protecting southeastern grasslands. The full documentary is available on YouTube.