Prairie Burn Update
In the middle of April, Franconia was on fire.
While that might sound startling, in fact, the fire in April was a prescribed prairie burn on Franconia’s 43 acres of restored native prairie. We burn our prairie every few years to encourage new growth and keep the whole ecosystem healthy and thriving.
For ages, fire has been an important part of our natural landscape in Minnesota, minimizing invasive plants and giving native perennials the chance to take up more space. Native prairies have evolved over millennia in our area, and their protection and cultivation are important if we hope to preserve what’s left of our wild lands. The Minnesota Department of Natural Resources offers information on why prairie is important, sharing benefits that include biodiversity, clean water, habitat for wildlife, and more.
In keeping with these benefits and their alignment with Franconia’s values around land stewardship, Franconia tapped The Prairie Enthusiasts to share their knowledge and expertise to carry out last spring’s prescribed burn. The Prairie Enthusiasts mission is “to ensure the perpetuation and recovery of prairie, oak savanna, and other associated ecosystems of the Upper Midwest through protection, management, restoration, and education.”
Franconia Sculpture Park is located in East Central Minnesota, in the Saint Croix River Valley, and the St. Croix Valley chapter of Prairie Enthusiasts has been active for 30 years. Franconia sits amidst the boundary of deciduous and coniferous forests, on a cultivated prairie grassland built upon the unceded land of the Wahpekute, part of the Dakota Oyate, whose shared territory stretches across much of the middle of the North American continent.
We invite you to stop by the park to see the result of the prairie burn: what in April was freshly burned patches of blackened earth is now—and well into the fall—a vibrant display of native plants teeming with creatures you will love to see!