Jackson County

148 acres

Map with GPS coordinates

There is a small parking lot near the gate that blocks the access road:
N43 45.226, W95 4.199

None. The access road continues beyond a gate at the parking area southwest to the western edge of the SNA.

No hunting

Province

Prairie Parkland Province

Section

North Central Glaciated Plains

Subsection(s)

Coteau Moraines

Land Type Association(s)

Minnesota DNR

An unmarked, minimum-maintenance road leads west ¾ mile from County Road 19 (510^th Ave.) to this site. In the spring this road may be washed out in spots—be prepared to walk unless you have a vehicle with high clearance and four-wheel drive. In the summer the road is passable. Navigation software and devices do not include this road. The access road begins at N43 45.235, W95 3.291.

In the spring bring a headnet or a bandana to cover your nose and mouth. The gnats can get thick here in late May, making breathing an adventure. The gnats are gone by July.

Click on a visitor name below (if any) to view that visitor’s observations.

Click on the button to share your own observations.

There is a small track across a raised former roadway that appears to be where frogs cross from the pond (pictured below) to a smaller cattail marsh.

Three bird species with protected status in Minnesota have been seen here:

Endangered – Henslow’s Sparrow (Ammodramus henslowii)

Special concern – American White Pelican (Pelecanus erythrorhynchos), Bald Eagle (Haliaeetus leucocephalus)

Other birds commonly seen on this site, along with those listed below, include Least Flycatcher (Empidonax minimus), Eastern Phoebe (Sayornis phoebe), Horned Lark (Eremophila alpestris), Ruby-crowned Kinglet (Regulus calendula), Indigo Bunting (Passerina cyanea), and Orchard Oriole (Icterus spurius).

Minnesota DNR Bird checklist

One plant species with protected status in Minnesota is found here:

Threatened – prairie bush clover (Lespedeza leptostachya), hair-like beak-rush (Rhynchospora capillacea)

University of Minnesota Herbarium Plant List

Plants frequently found in:

Calcareous Fen (Southwestern) OPp93b

Dry Hill Prairie (Southern) UPs13d

Southern Seepage Meadow/Carr WMs83