Prairie Sands Projects Our First Prairie Sands Project Dear Friends and Members of the Prairie Sands Chapter, At our first chapter meeting in March, one of the attendees, Art Pagel, suggested an intriguing opportunity to help inventory, manage and learn about restoration at a DNR-owned site on the Mecan River. A small team visited this prairie a few weeks ago and talked with the site manager, Paul Samerdyke, about the possibilities for our involvement. Located at the Mecan River Discovery Center in northeast Marquette County is this ten-acre prairie which has, among other things, lupine and its associated butterfly, the federally-endangered Karner Blue. The prairie is adjacent to an old CCC camp, built in the 1940’s on the banks of the Mecan River. It’s a charming assemblage of cabins and lodge in various states of repair nestled in a dense pine grove. Several groups use the facility now for various purposes, but it would be our specific goal as a chapter to be an advocate for the prairie and for the prairie only. We would like to inventory the species, help manage invasives such as spotted knapweed and white pine, and re-discover the wonders of this piece of sand prairie. It would teach our new chapter just what it takes to ‘own’ a prairie without having to own it. So we invite you to join us, Saturday, June 7, to begin this discovery. We’re calling the place “Discovery Prairie on the Mecan.” We’ll meet at 9 AM in the lodge for donuts and coffee. Laurel Bennet will lead us in an inventory hike across the prairie, and then we’ll divide our efforts with some members continuing the inventory and others moving on to do invasives management. Bring clippers to chop off small pines, or chainsaws, if you have them, for 3” diameter pines. Bring shovels for digging/pulling sweet clover and knapweed. Or just come along to watch and learn or teach, if you have some special expertise. At noon, we’ll sit on the banks of the Mecan and eat our own bag lunch. Those who want to work in the afternoon are welcome, but those who want to canoe the Mecan can put in upstream or downstream. Here’s how to get there: from Wautoma, take STH 22 south for approximately 10 miles. Turn west on Dixie Avenue. Go approximately 1/4 mile to the Mecan River Discovery Center entrance on the south side of the road just after crossing the Mecan River. Long driveway flanked by stone gates. Lodge at end of the road. Or, from Montello, take STH 22 north approximately 11 miles to Dixie Avenue. We’re excited about claiming this project as our own. If you have questions, please contact either Karen Wollenburg or Shelley Hamel. If you have special expertise you’d like to contribute, please contact one of us.

Map to Discovery Center Marquette County, WI