Plover Prairie

East Unit

Overview
Photos
Slideshows
Videos
Sightings


	About

	Ownership


	Links
	The Nature Conservancy

	Overview


	History
	In October 1985 The Nature Conservancy (TNC) purchased 160 acres of land in northern Lac qui Parle County and designated it Plover Prairie Preserve. In 1986 it added 275 acres adjacent to the original tract. in 1989, it purchased a nearby but non-adjacent 140-acre tract, and this became the West Unit of Plover Prairie. In 1990, 80 acres were added to the East Unit. In 2003, TNC secured an easement on a 240-acre parcel that connects the two units. In 2012, the TNC purchased that parcel. It is treated separately on the TNC Website as Plover Prairie Addition Preserve.

	Management


	Comments


	Location

	Maps


	Printable Map(s) with GPS coordinates
	Complete		East Unit


	Size
	515 acres

	Parking
	The Nature Conservancy Web page for this location does not suggest where to park. The roads bordering this site are very narrow gravel roads with no shoulders. Meeting a vehicle travelling in the opposite direction would be an adventure. There is no room anywhere to park on the shoulder. A visitor has three options for parking: 201st Ave. There is a large, brown, The Nature Conservancy (TNC) sign near 201st Ave., a gravel road with a Dead End sign at the intersection. Next to the TNC sign there is an unmowed (in 2012) field access. Drive across the field access and park next to the sign (see Parking photo below). N45 12.126, W96 14.882 370th St. There is a field access on the north side of 370th St. near the intersection with 201st Ave. at the south boundary of the unit. Park on the field access. N45 11.822, W96 14.887 Pyramid WMA Pyramid Wildlife Management Area (WMA) borders part of the preserve on the north. Follow the dead end road to where it ends. On the right the road is gated and leads to a private farm. On the left is a small, grassy parking lot for the WMA. It may be muddy or have standing water. If it isdry, park here and walk south on the road to the field access mentioned above. N45 12.448, W96 14.886


	Driving Directions
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					Lac qui Parle County
					Southwest Minnesota


	Activities

	Hiking Trails
	No maintained trails

	Hunting
	No hunting


	Ecology

	Ecological Classification
	Ecological Province			Prairie Parkland Province
	Ecological Section			North Central Glaciated Plains
	Ecological Subsection			Minnesota River Prairie
	Land Type Association			Milan Alluvial Plain

	Native Plant Communities*
	Mesic Prairie (Southern)
	* Source: The Minnesota Biological Survey, Minnesota Department of Natural Resources, Division of Ecological Resources

	Natural Features


	Visitor Photos

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	MinnesotaSeasons.com Photos

	Parking (201st. Ave.)


	The Nature Consercancy Signs


	Glacial Eratics


	View from a Knoll


	Mesic Prairie (Southern)

Camera


	Slideshows

slideshow


	Visitor Videos

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	Other Videos

Camcorder

Visitor Sightings

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MinnesotaSeasons.com Sightings


Visits
9/5/2009		7/27/2012

Amphibians

northern leopard frog (Lithobates pipiens)

Birds


Ten bird species with conservation status in Minnesota have been seen on at least one of the units of this preserve:
Endangered	Henslow’s Sparrow (Centronyx henslowii) Loggerhead Shrike (Lanius ludovicianus)
Threatened	Wilson’s Phalarope (Phalaropus tricolor)
Special Concern	American White Pelican (Pelecanus erythrorhynchos) Franklin’s Gull (Leucophaeus pipixcan) Greater Prairie-chicken (Tympanuchus cupido) Marbled Godwit (Limosa fedoa) Nelson’s Sparrow (Ammospiza nelsoni) Peregrine Falcon (Falco peregrinus) Short-eared Owl (Asio flammeus)

eBird Field Checklist – East Unit

eBird Field Checklist – Central Unit

eBird Field Checklist – West Unit

American White Pelican (Pelecanus erythrorhynchos)

Belted Kingfisher (Megaceryle alcyon)

Bonaparte’s Gull (Chroicocephalus philadelphia)

Clay-colored Sparrow (Spizella pallida)

Common Yellowthroat (Geothlypis trichas)

Field Sparrow (Spizella pusilla)

Great Blue Heron (Ardea herodias)

Great Egret (Ardea alba)

Loggerhead Shrike (Lanius ludovicianus)

Killdeer (Charadrius vociferus)

Mourning Dove (Zenaida macroura)

Red-winged Blackbird (Agelaius phoeniceus)

Sedge Wren (Cistothorus platensis)

Fungi and Lichens

Minnesota Biodiversity Atlas Lichens List

Insects and Arachnids

Two insect and arachnid species with conservation status in Minnesota have been seen on at least one of the units of this preserve:

Endangered

Dakota skipper (Hesperia dacotae)

Poweshiek skipperling (Oarisma poweshiek)

Minnesota Biodiversity Atlas Insects List

common green darner (Anax junius)

eastern tent caterpillar moth (Malacosoma americana)

goldenrod bunch gall midge (Rhopalomyia solidaginis)

goldenrod gall fly (Eurosta solidaginis)

monarch (Danaus plexippus)

orange sulphur (Colias eurytheme)

twelve-spotted skimmer (Libellula pulchella)

viceroy (Limenitis archippus)

Mammals

Four mammal species with conservation status in Minnesota have been seen on at least one of the units of this preserve:

Special Concern

northern grasshopper mouse (Onychomys leucogaster)

plains pocket mouse (Perognathus flavescens)

prairie vole (Microtus ochrogaster)

western harvest mouse (Reithrodontomys megalotis)

plains pocket gopher (Geomys bursarius)

whitetail deer (Odocoileus virginianus)

Plants


Seven plant species with conservation status in Minnesota are found on at least one of the units of this preserve:
Threatened	disk water-hyssop (Bacopa rotundifolia)
Special Concern	deer sedge (Carex hallii) flexile milkvetch (Astragalus flexuosus var. flexuosus) Rydberg’s sunflower (Helianthus nuttallii ssp. rydbergii) small white lady’s slipper (Cypripedium candidum) velvety goldenrod (Solidago mollis) water mudwort (Limosella aquatica)