Goat Prairie Overlooking Root River Protected

The Land Trust has completed the protection of a 11-acre tract in Houston County that is dominated by a steep, dry bluff prairie rising nearly 300 feet above the Root River.  Located on Highway 16, an Historic Bluff Country Scenic Byway that runs through Lanesboro east to the Mississippi River, the tract lies within an area where much of the prairie bluffs have reverted to forest and very little of the native habitat remains.  The property is clearly visible from the Root River and is only two miles from both the Chisholm Valley Wildlife Management Area and the Vinegar Ridge Recreation Area.  An equestrian trail lies just north andClassic, south-facing rock outcroppings provide perfect habitat for timber rattlesnakes west of the property.

Protecting the tract protects important habitat for several rare species including timber rattlesnakes, the six-lined racerunner lizard and a number of native prairie plants.  The landowner is actively restoring the property by removing the cedars and other woody plants that have overrun the steep slopes.