Thomas Tract
This site is 190 acres of native prairie and agricultural land. Once common in southern Wisconsin, prairies are very rare today. The 95,000-acre Military Ridge Prairie Heritage Area in Dane and Iowa counties contains one of the highest concentrations of native grasslands in the Midwest. It provides important habitat for plants and animals like meadowlarks and other grassland birds, which have disappeared in more developed parts of the region. The federally-endangered prairie bush clover occurs on The Nature Conservancy’s (TNC) land to the south. Because there is similar habitat on The Prairie Enthusiasts’ land, the population of this rare plant is expected to expand as restoration progresses. The adjacent land owned by TNC also has a population of the State Endangered regal fritillary butterfly, we expect it to move on to this portion of land as well, especially as restoration proceeds.
Usage Policies
Allowed:
- Hiking
- Hunting (for all species, no permit or reservation required)
Not Allowed:
Management
The primary goal is to restore the Thomas land back to its original open prairie, which is important for declining grassland birds and other wildlife. This will be a volunteer effort for the most part, and we welcome new volunteers. In the future, we hope to work with the community and our partners to form a “Friends of the Thomas Stone Barn” group to contribute the knowledge and expertise with historic buildings that we lack, and help make the barn a place where people can gather and experience our prairie and agricultural heritage.