Ever wonder how private landowners can be part of successful conservation? Or how to get started with your own backyard native garden? Your curiosity can be answered this summer during free conservation tours led by community members who are sharing their beautiful natural spaces with us!

Below are the dates and locations of prairie tours for the summer of 2024. You are welcome to choose one or all. It is free, but space is limited! Please sign up only for what you can attend.

Karen Mencel Home Prairie Garden June 28, 6-8 PM
My garden today is a work in progress as all gardens truly are. I have over 32 native plants interspersed with heritage plants, fruits, vegetables, my favorite flowers, and those plants I have received as gifts. They are mostly perennials, but a few colorful annuals are always added to this eclectic garden. I love to share how you can bring birds, bees, and others of nature to a relatively small space. See how you can bring the prairie to town.

Brent Fowler Prairie Wagon Tour, July 13, 9-11 AM
My father, son, and I along with my wife and brother-in-law farm around 3500 acres of mostly corn and soybeans. I have a love for native plants and wildlife in general and specifically enjoy creating wildlife habitat on unfarmable and/or unprofitable acres with a focus on bobwhite quail. I have planted around 135 acres of prairie/pollinator habitat through CRP and CSP programs, but also manage a lot of timber to field edge where I try to propagate native plants while battling invasive species. This past fall we saw 7 different coveys of quail across our farms which is the most we’ve seen since I was in college and I’m 47!

Gerald White Prairie Tour, July 26, 5:30-7:30 PM & July 27, 9-11 AM

After nearly 20 years of prairie reconstruction work, the White Family Prairie is a diverse ecosystem of plants, drawing numerous types of wildlife. At 11 acres this prairie has undergone years of controlled burns to control invasive species and promote native plants. A recent survey by a field botanist has helped identify many common and uncommon species of plants that we will show our visitors during our two tour dates.

Owsley Prairie & Wetland Tour, August 10, 9-11 AM
Owsley Wild Land consists of 38 acres of diverse habitat managed to minimize invasive species. With several hundred different native plants,  something is blooming from early spring through hard frost. It is breathtaking to see fields of flowers taking turns showing off their finest colors. These native plants are essentially an enormous buffet for hundreds of native insects, birds, and animals.  Whether you are a farmer wanting to know what the Conservation Reserve Program looks like for a homeowner hoping to convert some lawn to flowers or an apartment dweller willing to water a few pots of native plants,  this is a great place to nurture your inner eco-steward. Come and take a nature hike with Cindy and find out why she's spent nearly 20 years converting a cornfield into native habitat.

Alice Henry & Prairie Land Conservancy Tour at Thistle Hills, August 23, 4:30-6:30 PM
Thistle Hills, so named after the many native thistles that grow there, contains hill prairies, prairies, and oak savannas. Come explore these different types of grasslands and various restoration efforts with Kirsten Boesen, stewardship coordinator, from Prairie Land Conservancy.

Where's the tour address? Registered attendees will be sent the address of the tour locations via email.