Prairie Day at Dunn Ranch September 20th

The native grasslands in the rolling hills of northwest Missouri are a sample of the prairie ecosystem that once dominated the area. Are you a landowner in northwest Missouri looking to better understand your property’s relationship to the prairie? Do you have a family looking for a fun and educational way to spend your weekend? The Missouri Department of Conservation (MDC) and The Nature Conservancy (TNC) invite the public to a free Prairie Day event from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. on Saturday, Sept. 20, at Dunn Ranch Prairie and Pawnee Prairie near Eagleville.

Before the main event kicks off, MDC, Audubon Society, and Missouri Master Naturalist representatives will lead a guided sunrise birding hike from 7 to 9 a.m. at MDC’s Pawnee Prairie Conservation Area. Interested participants will meet in the parking area on the west side, off gravel road W 140th Ave.

Once the main event begins, visitors can tour exhibits and display tables from a variety of community partners, meet with land conservation experts, take wildflower walks, and ride on a wagon to see bison grazing on the prairie in Harrison County. Exhibits and departure points for both hikes and the bison tour will be located at TNC’s shelter across from the ranch headquarters (16970 W. 150th St. in Hatfield).

This event is free and open to all ages. Lunch concessions will be available onsite. No registration is required.

For any questions about the event, call MDC’s Northwest Regional Office at 816-271-3100. To learn more about prairie in Missouri, visit https://mdc.mo.gov/discover-nature/habitats/grasslands-prairies-savannas/prairies.

 

Prairie Days at Dunn Ranch September 9th

The past and present role of native grasslands in the rolling hills of northwest Missouri will be celebrated at a free Prairie Day event on Saturday, Sept. 9, at Dunn Ranch Prairie and Pawnee Prairie near Eagleville. Visitors can tour exhibits and display tables, take wildflower walks, and ride on a wagon to see bison grazing on prairie in Harrison County. This event is hosted by the Missouri Department of Conservation (MDC), The Nature Conservancy (TNC), and the Loess Hills and Osage Trails Missouri Master Naturalists.

Visitors will get a glimpse of a prairie ecosystem that once dominated northwest Missouri.

“Our increasingly rare prairies harbor dozens of unique plants and animals not regularly encountered,” said Dillon Freiburger, MDC natural history biologist. “Prairie days is an excellent opportunity to view these species and hear stories about them from experts.”

A guided birding hike will be offered from 7 to 9 a.m. at MDC’s Pawnee Prairie Conservation Area northwest of Dunn Ranch. Exhibits, displays, and departure points for hikes and the bison tour will be from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. at TNC’s shelter across from the ranch headquarters, 16970 W. 150th St., Hatfield, Mo. MDC experts will be present to discuss the role of native grasses in cattle forage rotations. Missouri Western State University professors and students will discuss prairie plants and critters. A storyteller will talk about how Native Americans interacted with the wildlife and plants on the prairie.

This program is open to all ages. Lunch concessions will be available onsite. For more information on Prairie Days, call MDC’s Northwest Regional Office at 816-271-3100. To learn more about prairie in Missouri, visit Prairies | Missouri Department of Conservation (mo.gov).

Free Prairie Day at Dunn Ranch September 11th

Northwest Missouri’s rich native grassland heritage will be celebrated at a free Prairie Day event on Saturday, Sept. 11, at Dunn Ranch Prairie and Pawnee Prairie west of Eagleville near Hatfield. Bison tours and grassland conservation exhibits will be among the activities hosted by the Missouri Department of Conservation (MDC), The Nature Conservancy (TNC), and the Loess Hills Missouri Master Naturalists.

Prairie Day celebrates the grazing and wildlife habitat improvements by private landowners and public land managers in the Grand River Grasslands, a cooperative effort with partners in Missouri and Iowa.

“The Grand River Grasslands in Harrison County and neighboring Iowa have important remnant and restored native prairie grasslands,” said TJ Peacher, MDC education district supervisor. “Many people who have lived here for long periods of time may not realize what they have. We hope people come out and visit with us and learn how special this area is.”

Most of northwest Missouri was once covered by tallgrass prairie, interspersed with scattered groves of woodland trees or widely dispersed trees like bur oaks in grassy savannas. This rich ecosystem hosted bison, elk, white-tailed deer, wild turkeys, prairie-chickens and a wide variety of other wildlife and wildflowers. Prairies over centuries formed the rich soils that today supports the state’s ranching and agriculture. As scientists and ranchers learn more about prairie ecology, they are adapting elements to boost livestock forage and profits along with better wildlife habitat.

“Native warm-season grasses such as big bluestem, switchgrass, and Indiangrass provides highly nutritious forage during the summer months,” said Dave Hoover, MDC resource management supervisor. “That improves livestock performance during the traditional ‘summer slump’ of cool-season forages. Along with improved livestock performance, wildlife such as quail, prairie-chickens, wild turkey and countless beneficial pollinating insects benefit as well.”

The event will kickoff at 8 a.m. with a guided birding hike at MDC’s Pawnee Prairie Conservation Area northwest of Dunn Ranch Prairie. Autumn wildflowers will be blooming. Grasses such as big bluestem will be tall. Grassland birds will be feeding on insects and seeds.

Activities at TNC’s Dunn Ranch Prairie picnic shelter will be from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. Wagons pulled by tractors will take visitors for tours of the prairie and to see TNC’s bison herd grazing on the grasses. MDC experts will be on hand to discuss conservation ranching and ways to profitably utilize native warm season grasses in cattle forage rotations. Prairie plant identification, creatures, and streams will be part of walking tours or displays. Visitors will be able to learn how to use prairie plants whether in a farm operation or in a backyard garden to benefit pollinators such as butterflies and bees.

TNC’s Dunn Ranch Prairie shelter and headquarters are located at 16970 W. 150th St., Hatfield, Mo. All ages and families are welcome, no registration is required. Lunch concessions will be available onsite. COVID-19 precautions will be observed. Bring your cameras, binoculars, and curiosity to enjoy a close look at Missouri’s grassland heritage, including bison.

For more information on Prairie Days, call MDC’s Northwest Regional Office at 816-271-3100. To learn more about prairie in Missouri, visit Prairies | Missouri Department of Conservation (mo.gov).

Grassbank Project Launched at Dunn Ranch

This spring, the Nature Conservancy launched its first grassbank project at Dunn Ranch Prairie near Hatfield. Last week, they welcomed the first herd of cattle to the grassbank pastures. Three generations of the Rolling Prairie Ranch family from Hatfield, MO were on-hand as the cattle made their way into the fields.

Grassbanks are a time-tested way to enhance management flexibility, build larger scale collaboration and efficiently support conservation of important lands and waters. Over the next three years, TNC will be partnering with Rolling Prairie Ranch and another local rancher who will bring their cattle to graze on two specific pastures on the prairie. This grassbank project has a very strategic purpose—to increase native habitat across the Grand River Grasslands.

In return, the ranchers will select and implement sustainable grazing practices, such as removing fescue and planting native grasses on their own land. Each herd will consist of 100 head of cattle. They will remain on Dunn Ranch Prairie until mid-June when they will be removed to give the natives and warm season grasses some time to grow. The cattle will then be brought back in mid-August and will remain on the pastures until October.

Grasslands are the least protected habitat on earth. This grassbank gives ranchers the ability and time to adopt and establish sustainable practices on their land, keeping our grasslands ecologically intact and economically productive.