President
608-637-3753
Welcome to the web site of the Coulee Region Chapter of The Prairie Enthusiasts!
Our Mission Statement: The Coulee Region chapter of The Prairie Enthusiasts was created to protect prairie and related oak ecosystem remnants through acquisition, management and distribution of educational material.
Events
| Event: | Chapter Meeting, Potluck, Hike at Juniper Estates |
| Date: | May 9, 2009 |
| Time: | 10:00 a.m. |
| Location: | Myrick Hixon Ecopark, La Crosse (near UW-L) |
| Directions: | Myrick Park is on La Crosse Street near Losey Boulevard. The building is in the back of Myrick Park, next to the marsh. |
| Details: | A general membership meeting will be followed by a chance to see the progress on the new Ecopark building. A potluck will follow, and then we will go to the south side of La Crosse for a hike on MVC's Juniper Estates property. Our chapter has joined MVC in the management of the hill prairie on the top of the property |
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Spring workparties | |
| Link to prescribed burn plans. | |
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Local field trips | |
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April 26 (Sunday) La Crosse River State Trail’s Rockland Prairie May 9 (Saturday) Juniper Partners hill prairie in La Crosse May 16 (Saturday) Scattered small remnants near Rockland May 17 (Sunday) La Crosse River State Trail’s Rockland Prairie June 6 (Saturday) State Trail Railroad Prairie in Sparta June 7 (Sunday) La Crosse River State Trail’s Rockland Prairie June 13 (Saturday) Holland Sand Prairie near Holmen June 21 (Sunday) Coulee Point Oak Savanna near Rush Creek June 28 (Sunday) La Crosse River State Trail’s Rockland Prairie Details can be found in the TPE field trip flier. | |
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Educational materials | |
| The Coulee Region Chapter has developed some educational materials for use with landowners. These materials are the very basic information that would be of interest to landowners with goat prairie remnants. Link to materials. | |
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Newsletters | |
| See Coulee Region newsletters for information on what we do. | |
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Prairies we manage | |
Sugar Creek Bible Camp | |
| The Sugar Creek Bible Camp Prairie-Savanna-Woodland Complex contains six acres of this rare dry-prairie and fourteen acres of the globally imperiled oak savanna. Over 140 plant species were recorded on the bluff prairie. Reptiles including the bull snake, blue racer, and six-lined racerunner were also recorded. In 2000, TPE entered into a 10-year agreement to manage this prairie-savanna-woodland complex. Restoration methods of controlled burning, understory thinning, and exotic species removal have provided opportunities for hands on restoration, education, increased biodiversity, and above all maintaining these ecologically important communities for present and future generations to enjoy. TPE last burned the site in 2005. | |
Kickapoo Reserve Prairie | |
| In the late winter of 2001, the Coulee Region chapter seeded forty-six forbs and several grass species (nearly 28lbs.) into a four-acre area near the old dam site along the Kickapoo River in the reserve boundary. This was after we attempted a burn the fall before with some brush cutting involved. The area is for all intents and purposes a pilot project to see how well prairie seeds take over on land that has only mechanical weed control allowed. We've aggressively burned and interseeded in recent years. | |
Decorah Mound | |
| The Decorah Mound, near Galesville, contains remnant oak-savanna that transitions to a dry-prairie on the "mound". TPE has recently entered into a management agreement with The Nature Conservancy, owners of the property, to establish and execute a management plan for oak-savanna and dry-prairie restoration. Work will likely include prescribed burning and invasive plant removal. TPE performed a 5-acre burn in 2007. | |
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