Clay County

1,310 acres

Map with GPS coordinates

North Parking
N46 51.313, W96 28.405

Southeast Parking
N46 49.984 W96 27.149

None

Hunting by permit only on specific tracts within preserve. Contact Bluestem Prairie Office (218) 498-2679 for more information.

Province

Prairie Parkland Province

Section

Red River Valley

Subsection(s)

Red River Prairie

Land Type Association(s)

Felton Lake Plain
Barnesville Beach Complex

Minnesota Department of Natural Resources

The Nature Conservancy

Minnesota DNR

The Nature Conservancy

Most of this SNA is part ofthe much larger Bluestem Prairie Preserve, a Nature Conservancy preserve. The upper half of the northern section of the SNA is part of Buffalo River State Park.

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

Endangered – Henslow’s Sparrow (Ammodramus henslowii)

Threatened – Loggerhead Shrike (Lanius ludovicianus)

Special concern – Marbled Godwit (Limosa fedoa), Greater Prairie-chicken (Tympanuchus cupido)

Other birds commonly seen on this site include Upland Sandpiper (Bartramia longicauda), Sandhill Crane (Grus canadensis), Western Meadowlark (Sturnella neglecta), Le Conte’s Sparrow (Ammodramus leconteii), Common Yellowthroat (Geothlypis trichas), Northern Harrier (Circus cyaneus), and Wilson’s Snipe (Gallinago delicata).

Minnesota DNR Bird checkist

Three insect species with protected status in Minnesota are found here:

Threatened – Dakota skipper (Hesperia dacotae)

Special concern – Powesheik skipperling (Oarisma powesheik), regal fritillary (Speyeria idalia)

Melissa blue (Plebejus melissa melissa) has also been seen on this site.

Two mammal species with protected status in Minnesota are found here:

Special concern – prairie vole (Microtus ochrogaster), plains pocket mouse (Perognathus flavescens)

The northern grasshopper mouse (Onychomys leucogaster) has also been seen on this site.

Nine plant species with protected status in Minnesota are found here:

Threatened – western prairie fringed orchid (Platanthera praeclara), nodding wild onion (Allium cernuum var. cernuum)

Special concern – plains reed grass (Calamagrostis montanensis), northern singlespike sedge (Carex scirpoidea ssp. scirpoidea), small white lady’s slipper (Cypripedium candidum), blanket flower (Gaillardia aristata), pleated gentian (Gentiana affinis), spikeoat (Helictotrichon hookeri), four-flowered yellow loosestrife (Lysimachia quadriflora)

Minnesota DNR Plant List

Plants frequently found in:

Dry Sand - Gravel Prairie (Northern) UPn12b

Green Ash - Bur Oak - Elm Forest MHw36a

Mesic Prairie (Northern) UPn23b

Wet Prairie (Northern) WPn53b

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

Special concern – western hognose snake (Heterodon nasicus)