Description
Many visitors come to the Foxhome Prairie Preserve to catch a glimpse of the greater prairie chicken, when the birds' courtship ritual begins during the early spring. Another primary attraction is the small white lady's slipper, which usually grows less than a foot tall and is rarely found on Minnesota's wet prairies.
Why the Conservancy Selected This Site
Foxhome Prairie is just one of several Conservancy preserves in western and northwestern Minnesota devoted to protecting the remaining prairie chicken population. The preserve is a small but vital link in the delicate chain of remnant northern tallgrass prairie parcels in this region of Minnesota, surrounded by agricultural land. As such, Foxhome Prairie provides an important corridor for wildlife and represents a good example of presettlement vegetation.
What the Conservancy Has Done/Is Doing
The Nature Conservancy purchased the land from Clifford Hagstrom in 1973, primarily to protect habitat for the greater prairie chicken. Because of its relatively undisturbed quality, Foxhome Prairie represents one of the few remaining parcels of northern tallgrass prairie. It also provides an educational outdoor laboratory for students and researchers from the surrounding communities.