Prairie Point
Prairie Point brings you close to the plants that made up the Great Plains. “Iowa’s Rain Forest,” the prairie, is an ecosystem mostly of grasses and forbs (flowering plants). It is an intricate web, with more of its living mass deep below ground with roots up to 29 feet. These tall grasses provide cover for wildlife and their deep roots help stop erosion.
Fire is the preferred method of managing natural prairie. Over thousands of years, the continuous cycle of life and death of plants on the prairie built the rich, black soils of Iowa – some of the richest soil in the world. Two-thirds of Iowa was once native prairie. Today, less than one tenth of one percent remains.
Interested in volunteering? Contact: parksoffice@muscatineiowa.gov