Staffanson Prairie

Staffanson Prairie lies on the western flank of the Alexandria moraine, a region of rolling hills and countless lakes that arcs from Willmar north past Detroit Lakes. Near the center of the preserve is a "prairie pothole", which is a type of wetland created by glacial action thousands of years ago.

Location
Douglas County

Size
95 acres

How to Prepare for Your Visit
For more information on visiting this and other Minnesota preserves, check out our Preserve Visitation Guidelines.

Directions
From Kensington, go north on County Road 1 for approximately 1.5 miles. Turn left onto Wennersburg Road (gravel) and proceed two miles. Turn right on Unity Drive and go north one mile to a partially graveled road. Park by the side of Unity Drive, or drive down the dirt road until you see a Nature Conservancy sign at the northeast corner of the preserve. When parking, do not block the dirt road.

From Hoffman, travel east on Highway 27 for approximately 2.8 miles from Highway 55. Turn south (right) onto Unity Drive (gravel road) and go one mile to gravel access.

Plants
Dominant grasses in the dry prairie include side-oats grama and porcupine grass. Dominants in the wet prairie include prairie cord-grass and blue-joint. Big bluestem, little bluestem, Indian grass, and prairie dropseed are common throughout the prairie. Thickets that are dominated by scattered aspen trees also provide shelter to invasive buckthorn, honeysuckle, and Siberian elm.

Animals
Two of the butterfly species at Staffanson are the Powesheik skipper and regal fritillary, both species of special concern. The pothole, a typical example of the prairie wetlands that produce most of North America's waterfowl, supports breeding mallards and blue-winged teal.

What the Conservancy Has Done/Is Doing
The Nature Conservancy acquired 80 acres in 1972 from the Staffanson family, who had owned the land since 1930. The southern and eastern edges of the property had been cultivated with flax and grains, and the prairie was hayed annually until 1980. Since acquisition, The Nature Conservancy has conducted prescribed burns to maintain the prairie and a variety of management techniques have been used to control invasive and exotic species threatening the diversity of the prairie.