Prairie Smoke News and Events
Landowner Workshop: Managing Your Land for Wildlife
Carleton College Cowling Arboretum and the Minnesota Department of Natural Resources are sponsoring a wildlife habitat workshop for private landowners on Saturday, March 20, 2010 at the Carleton College campus in Northfield, MN. Registration begins at 8:30 a.m. Sessions will run from 9:00 a.m.-3:30 p.m.
This workshop will provide ideas, techniques, and advice for landowners to improve wildlife habitat on their land. Speakers will cover topics including restoration and management of wetlands, woodlands, grasslands, lakeshores, and savannas as well as invasive species management. Furthermore, landowners will learn about technical and financial assistance programs and how to draft a management plan.
Speakers include representatives from the US Fish & Wildlife Service, The Nature Conservancy, Carleton College, and the Minnesota Department of Natural Resources.
The workshop is limited to the first 75 registrants. Cost of the workshop is $10 per person and includes lunch. Pre-registration is required by March 10, 2010. Registration materials are available at the Carleton College website: http://go.carleton.edu/fed
Questions about the workshop should be directed to Emily Hutchins, MN DNR, at (507) 455-4841 or emily.hutchins@state.mn.us.
The workshop was funded in part through a grant from the Xcel Energy Foundation.
Sand Dunes of Minnesota Symposium - March 27, 2010
22nd North American Prairie Conference, Cedar Falls, IA, August 1-5, 2010
The 22nd North American Prairie Conference will be held at the University of Northern Iowa from August 1-5, 2010. We invite you to experience the Iowa prairies, the Cedar Falls metro area, University of Northern Iowa and the Tallgrass Prairie Center. In keeping with the conference theme, "Restoring a National Treasure," there will be various opportunities to observe prairie restorations and reconstructions. Participants will be able to discuss the latest prairie research, explore remnant and restored prairies on field trips, and view local and national exhibits. We anticipate a large gathering of prairie enthusiasts and hope you will be among them. Feel free to check the web site http://www.northamericanprairieconference.org often as we finalize plans and provide updates. We are currently accepting abstracts for poster and paper presentations until May 14, 2010. There are also numerous sponsorship, vendor, and exhibit opportunities for those who are interested. For questions or more information feel free to contact us.
Summer 2010 Field Trips
Iron Horse Prairie SNA – Prairie Walk (Dodge County), Tuesday, June 1, 2010, 6pm
This rich mesic prairie is a gem. Most mesic prairie was plowed and converted to cropland. Iron Horse was protected by surrounding railbeds, until acquisition by MN DNR. Recent brushcutting has allowed rare flowers to thrive again. We will especially be looking for small white ladyslipper in bloom; some years we find hundreds. Directions: From Hayfield go 2 miles S on MN Hwy 56, then 0.5 miles E on Co Rd M to the old railroad grade. Questions: call Joel Dunnette at 507-269-7064
Chester Woods – Prairie Walk (Olmsted County), Sunday, June 13, 2010, 3pm
This park has several types of prairie, and active management is improving the outlook for prairie plants and animals. See bluff prairie in early summer splendor, and hear how further brush clearing will allow more bluff prairie to thrive in the sun. The park charges admission. You may want to consider a swim, picnic, or boat ride while you are there. Directions: meet at the boat landing at Olmsted County's Chester Woods park. We will walk the mile or so to the main bluff prairie. Questions: call Joel Dunnette at 507-269-7064
Mound Prairie – Field Trip (Houston County), Saturday, June 19, 2010, 10am - noon.
Hike leader: Jaime Edwards. We will hike on a series of three large bluff prairies at Mound Prairie Scientific and Natural Area located in Houston County, MN, just west of Hokah. These goat prairies support a wide diversity of native prairie plants, including white wild indigo, goat's rue, jeweled shooting star, Ohio spiderwort, and the narrow-leaved milkweed. The hike will be on steep, unstable ground, so wear boots and bring drinking water with you. For more information about Mound Prairie SNA, go web link http://www.dnr.state.mn.us/snas/sna01059/index.html. Directions: Meet at 10am on Hwy 16 by Mound Prairie Sign, park on the road shoulder. Questions: contact Jaime Edwards at jaimelaff@yahoo.com
Weaver Dunes (TNC) Prairie Walk (Wabasha County), Sunday, July 11, 2010, 2pm
Join us to tour this large sand prairie; to enjoy the diverse and distinctive plant and animal life; to climb the dunes and enjoy the vistas. Hear how the sand prairie benefits wildlife from the nearby backwaters of the Mississippi River. We may even see some elusive Fameflower in bloom. Directions: Weaver Dunes is on Wabasha County 84, about 1 mile north of the intersection with US 61 just north of Weaver, MN. Meet at the maintenance building area, down the driveway from the sign on 84. Questions: call Joel Dunnette at 507-269-7064 .
Opportunity for Restoration Work
There is a possible opportunity to get some prairie and savanna restoration work done on your property if your land is permanently protected with an easement. This is not a guarantee, but we are trying to gather information on properties that have prairie or savanna under permanent protection. The sales tax money that Minnesotan's voted for is out for proposal, but that money can only be spent on public land or land permanently protected by an easement. We want to make sure if your land is protected and you are interested in getting restoration work done, that your property is on the radar. If your land is permanently protected and you would like to be on the radar for potential money to conduct restoration work, please let us know. Please know that your information will be shared with the Prairie Smoke Board, as well as other groups applying for money to do prairie and savanna restoration, including the MN DNR. The reason this info will be shared is so that whoever ends up with money, they will know that your land is eligible for restoration.
The info needed is as follows:
1. Landowner name
2. Property location including County and the Township, Range and Section Approximate acreage
3. Is it Prairie or Savanna or Both
4. What type of easement you have (Minnesota Land Trust, Reinvest in Minnesota, Prairie Bank Easement, or other permanent easement)
Please send this info back to Dave Edwards as soon as possible. The grant deadline is Nov 2nd, but much work has to be done to complete an application prior to that. This is not a commitment on your part, nor it is a guarantee that your land will be included, but it will help give an idea where permanentlly protected prairie and savanna is located. Thank you.
Top 10 Tallgrass Prairie Facts:
Jeff Nielsen of BWSR sends in the following facts on tallgrass prairie, compiled by Minnesota DNR:
1. Native tallgrass is the MOST ENDANGERED ecosystem in North America and the foundation of PERENNIAL POLYCULTURE. – Kansas University
2. Native prairie root systems are the BEST natural soil anchors on earth.
3. In one acre of established prairie there is 24,000 pounds of roots. – Iowa State University
4. One acre of established prairie can ABSORB 9 inches of rainfall per hour before runoff occurs. – University of Northern Iowa
5. One acre of established prairie will INTERCEPT as much as 53 tons of water during a one inch per hour rain event. – University of Nebraska, Lincoln
6. Prairie foliage represents a surface area of 5 to 20 times larger than the soil area beneath it. – University of Nebraska, Lincoln
7. Prairie planted in roadside ditches makes highways safer by INCREASING the holding capacity for snow in the ditch provided the shoulder is mowed. – MDOT.
8. Natural competition of prairie plants REDUCES the occurrence of weeds in an area. – Iowa State University
9. Greater prairie diversity, creates biotic barriers to PREVENT weed invasion. – University of Minnesota
10. One acre of reconstructed prairie can produce more bioenergy than land used to grow corn for ethanol. – University of Minnesota
