A conservation goal for the 48,000-acre Military Ridge Prairie Heritage Area (MRPHA) is to establish and restore at least three core grassland/savanna areas with a minimum size of 2,000 acres each. Within one of these core areas is the 498-acre Mounds View Grassland Complex (Iowa County, Brigham Township, T6N R5E Sections 25& 26; 35 & 36), which is owned and managed by The Prairie Enthusiasts, Inc. (TPE). The Mounds View Grassland Complex is a mosaic of three land segments: Shea Prairie, Schurch-Thompson Prairie, and the A to Z property (refer to maps). Collectively, these sites support 31 at-risk species. Detailed management plans and species inventories are available and can be obtained via inquiry with The Prairie Enthusiasts Empire-Sauk Chapter. The Mounds View Grassland Complex is located within a larger complex of more than 1,480 acres of permanently-protected land, including The Nature Conservancy’s Thompson and Barneveld Prairies, and the Underwood prairie remnant. Due to its wetland habitat acreage, the Mounds View Grassland Complex is a significant component of the MRPHA that provides both wetland habitat and a wetland-to-upland transitional coenocline to the generally dry MRPHA landscape. These wetlands also provide refugia to at-risk upland species such as regal fritillary butterflies (Speyeria idalia) during drought years. The Mounds View Grassland Complex is open to the general public for recreation, education, hiking, and fishing, but access is limited to foot travel only.

annual reports and final report