by The Prairie Enthusiasts | Jun 12, 2026
Tour of Cullen Nature Preserve Oak Savanna Restoration with Staff Ecologist Dan Carter
Saturday, July 18 – 2:00 p.m. to 4:00 p.m.
Location: Cullen Nature Preserve in Minnetonka, MN
Join The Prairie Enthusiasts Ecologist Dan Carter for a guided walk through a 10-acre restoration project in Minnetonka. During this tour, participants will explore the site’s history and compare the sections undergoing active management with those that remain unrestored. Dan will share his professional analysis regarding the property’s potential and the specific stewardship actions required to maintain its ecological progress. As the Cullen Nature Preserve currently remains closed to the general public, this event offers a unique chance to experience the site during its restoration phase.
Registration is limited to 25 attendees. To learn more and to register for this free event, CLICK HERE.
by The Prairie Enthusiasts | Jun 12, 2026
Nature Journaling at Holland Sand Prairie
Saturday, June 27 – 10:00 a.m. to Noon
Location: Holland Sand Prairie in Holmen, WI
Come join us to deepen your relationship to the natural world through art and writing! Nature journaling is a grounding practice in paying attention to the close details of the plants, animals, and landscape you observe around you. Max Sorenson and Reid Bartholomew will introduce you to this great way to closely engage with the incredible diversity of life found at Holland Sand Prairie, providing assistance with plant identification and prompts to spur your creativity. Physical activity will entail short walks throughout the site, with some mildly uneven terrain.
This event is free to attend. RSVPs to Max Sorenson at msorenson.9@gmail.com are appreciated for planning purposes.
WHAT TO BRING:
Dress for the weather with appropriate outdoor footwear and long pants. Stay comfortable with a hat, sunglasses, sunscreen, bug spray, and a blanket to sit on if you’re inclined. Be sure to bring water! We recommend bringing writing utensils and a notebook of your choice, but extras will be available if needed. Please note, there are no restrooms at this site.
EVENT LEADERS:
Max Sorenson is an ecological restorationist, artist, and a proud member of the Coulee Region Chapter of The Prairie Enthusiasts. His creative work focuses on providing opportunities for deeper connection with the living world. Max is currently an Environmental Educator at The Nature Place and a volunteer Board Member with Friends of the Blufflands. If you have any questions or would like to RSVP for this event, please reach out to Max at msorenson.9@gmail.com.
Reid Bartholomew brings his lifelong passion for writing to his job as Mission Advancement Coordinator with The Prairie Enthusiasts to share the importance of the precious and threatened ecosystems that make the Upper Midwest unique.
LOCATION:
Directions from La Crosse: Follow Hwy 53 north to CTY Rd MH exit. Turn left on to McHugh road and follow to the trailhead which is just past Beaver Builder Supply. Holland Sand Prairie trailhead pull off is on the left at W7781 Cty Rd MH, Holmen, WI. MAP HERE
by The Prairie Enthusiasts | Jun 9, 2026
Moely Prairie Tour
Saturday, June 27 – 9:00 a.m. to 11:00 a.m.
Location: Moely Prairie in Prairie du Sac, WI
Please join us on Saturday, June 27, 2026 as we tour remnant Moely Prairie, a diverse landscape that promises to be in full bloom. At just 23.5 acres, and surrounded by urban development, this prairie is the largest remaining remnant of the original 14,000-acre Sauk Prairie. Because this site was never plowed, a rich array of native prairie plants persist here. Restoration efforts have been underway for the last nine years and the removal of invasive trees and brush, along with regular controlled burns, are encouraging a wide variety of native prairie species to thrive including thousands of Prairie Smoke plants, Eastern Prickly Pear cactus, Hairy Puccoon, Prairie Blue-eyed Grass, Violet Wood Sorrel, Rough Blazing-star, Dotted Horsemint and Lead-plant.
To see updates on the progress of Moely Prairie’s restoration work, and to learn more about volunteer opportunities, consider following us on Instagram, @moelyprairie.
WHAT TO BRING:
We recommend long pants, sturdy shoes, a hat, water and sunscreen. Bring binoculars if you have them.
FIELD TRIP LEADER:
For questions and to RSVP, contact Paul Anderson at 608-712-9552.
DIRECTIONS:
From Hwy 12, turn east onto Hwy PF. After passing the prairie on your right, take a right onto 21st St., a right onto Fullerton Dr., a left on Billings Ave., and then a right onto Alban La. Park at the dead end and enter the prairie from there. 2200 Fullerton Dr, Prairie du Sac, WI 53578
We will meet at the Alban Lane entrance to the prairie, located within the Westwynde neighborhood in Prairie du Sac. Street parking is allowed near the entrance.
by The Prairie Enthusiasts | Jun 9, 2026
Blazing Stars, Butterflies & Birds at Smith-Reiner Drumlin Prairie
Saturday, August 29 – 10:00 a.m. to Noon
Location: Smith-Reiner Drumlin Prairie in Cambridge, WI
Smith-Reiner Drumlin Prairie is a small parcel owned and managed by The Prairie Enthusiasts and a State Natural Area. It has 13 acres of remnant prairie between the two glacial drumlins. The drumlins will be covered with rough and cylindrical blazing stars and the valleys in between will have gay feather. This should be a monarch and grassland bird hotspot. Gentians and other prairie specialist flowers will also be blooming. This is a trip in conjunction with Southern Wisconsin Butterfly Association and the Southern Wisconsin Bird Alliance.
Registration is limited to 18 people. Registration will open mid-July.
LEARN MORE AND REGISTER HERE
by The Prairie Enthusiasts | Jun 9, 2026
Prairie Hike at Mounds View Grassland
Sunday, July 5 – 9:00 a.m. to Noon
Location: Mounds View Grassland in Barneveld, WI
Come for a morning hike across The Prairie Enthusiast’s 830-acre Mounds View Grassland preserve. We will see the progress being made in bringing back to life degraded remnant prairies, converting non-native cool-season grass to prairie, renovating streams, wetlands, and seeps, and planting agricultural fields to prairie. We will be encountering rich displays of early summer prairie flowers such as pale-purple coneflower, wild quinine, white wild indigo, white prairie clover, leadplant, Coreopsis, and others. Along the way will also have the opportunity to observe many uncommon grassland birds such as bobolinks, meadowlarks, grasshopper sparrows, upland sandpipers, and Henslow’s sparrows, as well as butterflies and bumblebees.
DIFFICULTY: Be prepared for a long hike (some off trail) and occasionally steep slopes.
WHAT TO BRING:
Bring water, hat, sun screen, long pants, and binoculars.
CONTACT:
Rich Henderson, 608-845-7065
DIRECTIONS:
8624 Reilly Rd, Barneveld. From the intersection of US Hwy 18-151 and County F (south of Blue Mounds in western Dane County), take F approximately 5 miles south. Turn right onto Reilly Road, proceed to parking lot and kiosks at the end of the road (past the barn). (Note: A half mile down F from 18-151, pay close attention to the road signs, for F turns to the right & the straight-ahead road becomes County Z. Stay on F.)
