Join us on October 18th at Prairie Crossing Park, a City of Rochester neighborhood park where the Minnesota Driftless Chapter of The Prairie Enthusiasts has helped with restoration of the park’s oak savanna. Jeff Feece, a City of Rochester Park Planner, will be with us during the field trip to provide background about the original conceptualization of what was possible at the park, as well as the progress that has occurred since then.

Angela Smith, the Minnesota Driftless Chapter’s vice-president, has been the lead Minnesota Driftless point of contact and coordinator for the restoration work done by the chapter. Some of the earliest restoration work included removal of extensive thickets of buckthorn and other invasive shrubs, as well as thinning of some sub-canopy and canopy trees. Herbaceous understory plants have been reintroduced by spreading seeds and planting plugs. Continuing restoration and maintenance activities include prescribed burns, as well as ongoing buckthorn and garlic mustard control.

FIELD TRIP LEADER AND RSVP:

If you’re interested in joining the field trip, please send your RSVP email to Steve Winter (WinterSL8944@gmail.com). Send Steve general questions as well. If the event needs to be cancelled or rescheduled for a reason such as bad weather, Steve will notify people who have RSVPd.

ADDITIONAL INFORMATION:

If you’re interested in more information about Prairie Crossing Park, its restoration story, and contributions of the Minnesota Driftless Chapter to the restoration, you may enjoy the following links:

Article: Park Gone Wild

Article and Video: Why the Rochester Fire Department Started Park Fires

Video: Prairie Crossing Park