Saturday, January 28, 2017

Shea Prairie Preserve

Shea Prairie Preserve

I had a free hour today so I jumped in the Jeep and meandered to the SW of our home. As I wound around through the little valleys I happened upon a large flock of turkeys. There had to have been at least 40 all together. I rolled down my window and was able to snap a couple of shots, though not perfectly sharp I liked this photo. It was at this time I also discovered I was at another isolated pocket of prairie land. This time it was Shea Prairie I'm adding to my list of places to explore in more detail.

The 62 acre Shea Prairie Preserve is located within the dissected, un-glaciated landscape of southwest WI. It lies within what was once a large prairie that extended north to the Military Ridge, covering many thousands of acres. The prerserve is within the 50,000-acre Military Ridge Prairie Heritage Area (MRPHA). The MRPHA has been identified as one of the best opportunities in Wisconsin for prairie/grassland conservation on a landscape scale. In addition to grassland bird use of the area, there are three state-listed plant species at the site: prairie turnip, Richardson’s sedge, and Hill's thistle.

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