Pin Oak Prairie SNA
About • Location • Activities • Ecology
About |
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Overview |
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This 183-acre SNA lies within the Richard J. Dorer Memorial Hardwood State Forest. Despite its small size, it sits across two ECS subsections and three land type associations (LTAs). The north part of the site, adjacent to the Middle Branch Root River, is a 72-acre lowland with wet meadow on the Alluvial Plain LTA of The Blufflands subsection. This area also contains a sedge meadow native plant community, where there is always at least some standing water. South of the lowland a 108-acre slope climbs 250 feet in elevation on the Elba Slopes LTA of The Blufflands subsection. This slope is mostly wooded but includes a large area of dry prairie. In late summer much of this prairie is dominated by little bluestem. The wooded slope was once a brushland that, through decades of fire suppression, has developed into an oak woodland. The southeast corner of the site is 3 acres of oak woodland on the Stewartville Plain LTA of the Rochester Plateau subsection. Wild Turkeys nest in the wet meadow and Northern Bald Eagles have been seen circling above the SNA. |
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History |
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Management |
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Comments |
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Location |
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Maps |
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Printable Map(s) with GPS coordinates |
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Size |
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183 acres |
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Parking |
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SNA Sign (sun) Root River, Middle Branch (shade) |
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Driving Directions |
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| Fillmore County | ||||||
| Southeast Minnesota | ||||||
Activities |
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Hiking Trails |
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No maintained trails |
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Hunting |
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No hunting |
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Ecology |
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Ecological Classification |
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| Ecological Province | Eastern Broadleaf Forest Province |
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| Ecological Section | Paleozoic Plateau |
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| Ecological Subsection | The Blufflands |
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| Land Type Association | Alluvial Plain Elba Slopes Stewartville Plain |
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Native Plant Communities* |
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Dry Barrens Prairie (Southern) Oak - Shagbark Hickory Woodland Sedge Meadow |
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| * Source: The Minnesota Biological Survey, Minnesota Department of Natural Resources, Division of Ecological Resources | |||||||
Natural Features |
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Visitor Photos |
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MinnesotaSeasons.com Photos |
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Parking (SNA Sign) |
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Parking (River) |
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Wood Routed Sign |
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Middle Branch Root River |
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Shallow Lake |
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Dry Sand - Gravel Prairie (Southern) |
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Oak - Shagbark Hickory Woodland |
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Other Prairie |
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Pond |
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Slideshows |
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| Pin Oak Prairie minnesota_snas |
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About
Visit online at www.mndnr.gov/snas/sna02021 |
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| Pin Oak Prairie Scientific and Natural Area Brian |
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About
Pin Oak Prairie Scientific and Natural Area is located in Fillmore County in the driftless area of southeastern Minnesota. It contains a variety of ecosystems, including sand prairie, oak savanna, and wetlands. |
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Visitor Videos |
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Other Videos |
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_01.jpg "prairie fleabane (var. strigosus)")
_11.jpg "prairie ironweed")
Nesting Turkeys
Wild Turkeys nest here. In 2014, there was a flock of at least 23 birds on the prairie.
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