MINNESOTA DRIFTLESS WORK PARTY
Brush Cutting Work Day in Red Wing Billings-Tomfohr Conservation Area
Thursday, July 31 – 6:00 p.m. to 8:00 p.m.
Location: Billings-Tomfohr Conservation Area in Red Wing, MN
The Prairie Enthusiasts have received a $45,000 Conservation Partners Legacy Grant (CPL) from the Minnesota Department of Natural Resources for prairie and savanna restoration work on the Billings-Tomfohr Conservation Area in Red Wing.
This 167-acre site is a natural area owned by the City of Red Wing and the Red Wing School District. The conservation area rises approximately 200 feet above the Twin Bluffs Middle School and is protected by a conservation easement. Hiking trails loop the property allowing outdoor recreational activities that can be easily accessed from three points.
The conservation area and associated bluffs contain an excellent example of dry bedrock bluff prairie as well as degraded savanna and hardwood forest. Several species of greatest conservation need have been documented at Billings-Tomfohr including:
- Leonard’s skipper (Hesperia leonardus; a butterfly) – MN Species of Special Concern
- Bladderpod (Physaria ludoviciana; a plant) – MN Endangered
- Narrow-leaved milkweed (Asclepius stenophylla; a plant) – MN Species of Special Concern
- Goat’s rue (Tephrosia virginiana; a plant) – MN Species of Special Concern
The focus of the CPL Grant is invasive species removal using Conservation Corps Minnesota (CCM) crews on high priority remnant bluff prairie as well as restoration work of the degraded savanna. Project work began at the end of June and is expected to continue until the end of September.
Additional work is needed on those portions of the area that the CCM crews are unlikely to reach with existing grant dollars. Volunteer workdays are being planned in cooperation with the Red Wing Friends of the Bluffs, with a goal of decreasing the isolation and fragmentation of existing remnant prairies across the bluffs by increasing their connectivity with one another, and to prepare the site for future prescribed fires.
The first workday is scheduled for July 31, 2025, and will consist of two separate work sessions:
- 8:30 am to approximately 10:30 am.
- 6:00 pm to approximately 8:00 pm.
The work will include cutting stems of sumac, buckthorn, and bittersweet, treating the cut stems with herbicide, and piling the cut stems.
WHAT TO BRING:
Volunteers are asked to bring their own water, snacks, gloves, and eye protection. Sturdy work boots, sunscreen, and insect repellent are advised. If volunteers can bring their own loppers and brush saws, that would be helpful.
WORK PARTY LEADER AND DIRECTIONS:
Questions about the workday, and RSVPs for those who would like to help, should be directed to the Minnesota Driftless The Prairie Enthusiasts’ Project Manager, Jeff Lightfoot (lightfoot.jeff56@gmail.com).
Those who RSVP will receive directions to the workday parking area as well as additional helpful information, and they will be notified by Jeff if weather or other factors necessitate a rescheduling of the workday.