Council staff and contractors remove vegetation encroaching on prairie sites. In the absence of widespread seasonal burning, trees like Douglas firs will encroach on prairie and savannah sites. Tall, non-native grasses and shrubs crowd out the nectar-rich, native wildflowers favored by listed butterflies, and those are controlled by mowing and judicious use of herbicides. We work with local landowners to re-introduce important nectar species like Kincaid’s lupine.

Prairie restoration and protection helps reduce butterfly habitat isolation and fragmentation. The Watershed Council works with private landowners to build prairie corridors that link conservation sites, providing an avenue for isolated populations of prairie dependent species to thrive.

Working with the US Fish & Wildlife Service Partners for Fish & Wildlife Program, we support private landowners in expanding and maintaining prairie habitats for the threatened Fender’s blue and Taylor’s checkerspot butterflies in our Wren Prairie Restoration Area.