Prairie Creek WMA

Koester Prairie Unit

Overview
Photos
Slideshows
Videos
Sightings


	About

	Ownership


	Links
	Minnesota DNR Friends of Prairie Creek

	Overview


	History
	On June 28, 2014, a 460-acre tract in Rice County was dedicated as the Prairie Creek Wildlife Management Area (WMA). On June 1, 2019, a nearby 161-acre tract was added and became the Engeseth-Rinde Unit of the Prairie Creek WMA. The original tract became the Koester Prairie Unit.

	Management


	Comments


	Location

	Maps


	Printable Map(s) with GPS coordinates


	Size
	459.89 acres

	Parking
	There is a parking lot on the east side of Lamb Ave. near the north boundary. N44 23.655, W93 3.612


	Driving Directions
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					Rice County
					Southeast Minnesota


	Activities

	Hiking Trails
	No maintained trails

	Hunting
	Deer, Small Game, Forest Upland Birds, Pheasants, Turkey, Doves. See Hunting and Trapping Regulations (MN DNR) for details.


	Ecology

	Ecological Classification
	Ecological Province			Eastern Broadleaf Forest Province
	Ecological Section			Minnesota & NE Iowa Morainal
	Ecological Subsection			Oak Savanna
	Land Type Association			Hayfield Till Plain

	Native Plant Communities*
	Sugar Maple Forest (Big Woods)
	* 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 lot




	WMA sign


	Oak forest


	Sugar Maple Forest (Big Woods) There is a small section of high-quality maple-basswood forest at the western boundary of the unit. It is separated from the oak forest by a farm road not visible on the map. Though out of the way, it should not be missed.



	Smooth Brome dominated grassland


	Dry prairie


	Medium-tall grassland



	Mesic brush-prairie This small hill (#6 on the Landcover map) was apparently untouched by the plow. It is by far the highest quality dry prairie on the site.

	Medium-tall grassland - planted local genotype native grasses


	Planted grasses and forbs - hayﬁeld on upland soils


	Cliffs with sparse vegetation


	The prairie in the spring





	Mowed Trail In the spring of 2020 there was a 2-mile long mowed trail that loops south from the parking area.

	It was not mowed in the summer.

Camera


	Slideshows

slideshow


	Visitor Videos

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	Other Videos


	Prairie Creek WMA Interactive Map Walk-Through ENTS Map Group

	About Jun 2, 2015

Camcorder

Visitor Sightings

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MinnesotaSeasons.com Sightings


Visits
4/22/2020		8/4/2020

Amphibians

boreal chorus frog (Pseudacris maculata)

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 WMA::
Endangered	Henslow’s Sparrow (Centronyx henslowii) Loggerhead Shrike (Lanius ludovicianus)
Special Concern	American White Pelican (Pelecanus erythrorhynchos) Bell’s Vireo (Vireo bellii) Franklin’s Gull (Leucophaeus pipixcan) Lark Sparrow (Chondestes grammacus) Nelson’s Sparrow (Ammospiza nelsoni) Peregrine Falcon (Falco peregrinus) Short-eared Owl (Asio flammeus) Trumpeter Swan (Cygnus buccinator)

eBird Bird checklist

American Crow (Corvus brachyrhynchos)

American Goldfinch (Spinus tristis)

American Robin (Turdus migratorius)

Black-capped Chickadee (Poecile atricapillus)

Blue Jay (Cyanocitta cristata)

Clay-colored Sparrow (Spizella pallida)

Cliff Swallow (Petrochelidon pyrrhonota)

Common Yellowthroat (Geothlypis trichas)

Field Sparrow (Spizella pusilla)

Gray Catbird (Dumetella carolinensis)

Killdeer (Charadrius vociferus)

Mourning Dove (Zenaida macroura)

Northern Cardinal (Cardinalis cardinalis)

Northern Flicker (Colaptes auratus)

Pileated Woodpecker (Dryocopus pileatus)

Red-bellied Woodpecker (Melanerpes carolinus)

Red-winged Blackbird (Agelaius phoeniceus)

Ring-necked Pheasant (Phasianus colchicus)

Sedge Wren (Cistothorus platensis)

Song Sparrow (Melospiza melodia)

Turkey Vulture (Cathartes aura)

White-breasted Nuthatch (Sitta carolinensis)

Fungi and Lichens

Black Knot (Apiosporina morbosa)

Milk-white Toothed Polypore (Irpex lacteus)

Smooth Patch (Aleurodiscus oakesii)

Insects and Arachnids

American sand wasp (Bembix americana)

band-winged meadowhawk (Sympetrum semicinctum)

black saddlebags (Tramea lacerata)

black swallowtail (Papilio polyxenes)

cabbage white (Pieris rapae)

Carolina grasshopper (Dissosteira carolina)

common buckeye (Junonia coenia)

common eastern bumble bee (Bombus impatiens)

common green darner (Anax junius)

dogbane saucrobotys moth (Saucrobotys futilalis)

eastern tailed-blue (Cupido comyntas)

goldenrod bunch gall midge (Rhopalomyia solidaginis)

goldenrod gall fly (Eurosta solidaginis)

goldenrod soldier beetle (Chauliognathus pennsylvanicus)

great black digger wasp (Sphex pensylvanicus)

great spangled fritillary (Argynnis cybele)

monarch (Danaus plexippus)

northern crescent (Phyciodes cocyta)

orange sulphur (Colias eurytheme)

twelve-spotted skimmer (Libellula pulchella)

viceroy (Limenitis archippus)

Mammals

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

Special Concern

prairie vole (Microtus ochrogaster)

western harvest mouse (Reithrodontomys megalotis)

American red squirrel (Tamiasciurus hudsonicus)

eastern gray squirrel (Sciurus carolinensis)

plains pocket gopher (Geomys bursarius)

whitetail deer (Odocoileus virginianus)

Plants


One plant species with conservation status in Minnesota is found on at least one of the units of this WMA::
Threatened	prairie bush clover (Lespedeza leptostachya)