The Chippewa Prairie is a northern tallgrass prairie located on glacial outwash in southwestern Minnesota. The glacier left many boulders on the soil, making it too rocky to farm. The land was used for hay and grazing. The Chippewa Prairie is managed with patch burn grazing for improved rangeland health, wildlife habitat, and species diversity. Plant communities, invertebrates, birds, and herptofauna are monitored. The site is jointly managed by The Nature Conservancy and the Minnesota Department of Natural Resources.
Photo Gallery
Photos provided by the following:
Joe Blastick-TNC, Dave Trauba MN DNR, Ben Gery
Fencing & Gates Grazing System Prescribed Burning Tree Clearing Water Development Wildlife
Why We Prescribed Burn.
Fire is an essential part of grassland management in the Great Plains. The deliberate use of fire to achieve management goals, called prescribed burning, is used by grassland managers from Montana to Texas. How does fire fit into management plans? What results are being achieved? Is cattle grazing compatible with prescribed fire and healthy grasslands? Visit these demonstration sites to see the challenges managers are facing, what choices they are making, and how the grasslands are responding.