Native Prairie Seed Collection 

Join The Prairie Enthusiasts on Saturday, October 10, from 1:00 to 4:00 PM at Franconia Sculpture Park for a hands-on native flower and native grass seed collection event. Participants will gather high-quality seeds to help restore and preserve vital local prairie habitats while enjoying the beautiful outdoor art landscape. It’s a wonderful opportunity to support regional conservation efforts and connect with fellow nature enthusiasts in our community! Open to all ages.

Registration is encouraged but not required. Drop in attendees are welcome!

Rain Date: Sunday, October 11

The Prairie Enthusiasts

The Prairie Enthusiasts seek to ensure the perpetuation and recovery of prairie, oak savanna, and other associated ecosystems of the Upper Midwest through protection, management, restoration, and education.

Prairie Enthusiasts work with landowners, farmers, and other organizations to save these prairie and oak savanna remnants which have persisted on the land since before European settlement. They focus on remnants because they harbor nearly all of the components (including life-forms such a microbes and insects) that make up a prairie community. TPE grassroots volunteers also recreate habitat by establishing and maintaining native plantings, sharing their knowledge, labor and love of the land.

The Land

Franconia Sculpture Park is located in East Central Minnesota, 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. What was originally an oak forest, then an organic vegetable farm, was re-seeded as a prairie in 2016. 

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. 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 this spring’s prescribed burn. Seeds collected in October will be used to seed even more land at Franconia and expand the prairie to the front half of the park.