Washington County secured funding through the Outdoor Heritage Fund to restore and improve 166 acres of prairie and oak savanna at Lake Elmo Park Reserve around Eagle Point Lake and in the north end of the park.
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All articles filed in prairie
Gophers and muskrats, oh why?
In a native planting or restored prairie, however, gophers should be considered a friend. Yes, the prairie will be bumpy instead of flat, but nature tends to be that way.
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Give me a home where the butterflies roam
On May 11, 1858, the United States of America welcomed its 32nd state to the union – 18 million acres of prairie, 21 million acres of wetlands, 31.5 million acres of forests, and 11,842 lakes, now lovingly known as Minnesota. Over the years, Minnesota has grown and prospered. Settlers drained wetlands to make way for…
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Putting Down Roots in the Prairie
The roots of the leadplant chart a course toward the center of the earth. Thirsty and longing for stability, they branch, spread and burrow further and further into the soil. Encountering a rock or a flat pan of clay, they will pause, turn, and then continue their travels laterally. In sandy soils, where rainwater is…
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Training the next generation to be “Keepers of the Trees”
The sun shines on a May morning and 23 tiny children gather round, faces up-turned, smiling and eager to begin the day. Kim Lawler, a team leader with Tree Trust, and Joan Nichols, a Master Water Steward in-training, stand before the children with a young white oak that the students will soon plant in a…
Read MoreBringing Nature Home
The Rambosek’s bought their home in 1980 when most of Woodbury was still corn fields and open space. Today, their prairie is an oasis of color and life.
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Creating a Legacy of Landscape Restoration in Washington County – Guided Prairie Tour Near Withrow, Aug. 16
When Jyneen Thatcher decided to make a mid-life career change, she wasn’t quite sure where her new path would lead her. She enrolled in the landscape architecture program at the University of Minnesota, with an interest in natural resources restoration. “Most of the other students in the program were designing artistic features for urban landscapes,”…
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Students Plant 10 Acres of Prairie at St. Croix Prep
Already, the teachers are coming up with creating ways to teach about biology, ecology, math, technology and art in the prairie.
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Two Llamas and a Prairie
“For our 25th anniversary – the silver anniversary – we got a doe with silver ears and two baby goats.” Becky Vierling smiles as she talks about the small farm in Denmark Township that she and her husband Philip bought in 2003. When the Vierlings took on a more than 100-year old farm house with…
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Maintaining Your New Native Planting
Planting in groups versus scattering the plants throughout your garden also makes it easier to keep track of them in early years.
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