Calendar of Events

May

Friday, May 30, 2025
Prairie Walks and Talks, Brandon

Join Buchanan County Conservation Director Ben Bonar at Bearbower Sand Prairie. Participants can expect to see numerous prairie plants in bloom including Hoary Puccoon, Large Flowered Beardtongue and Pasture Rose. This is the first in a three-part summer/fall series. Other walks will be held at Crumbacher Wildlife Area and Rowley Fen.

Friday, May 30, 2025
G.R.A.S.S. Volunteer Workday, Monona County

Join the Iowa DNR, INHF, The Nature Conservancy, County Conservation Boards from Monona, Woodbury, Harrison, and Pottawattamie counties, and many other organizations for the Great Race Against Shrubs and Shade (G.R.A.S.S.) — one of Iowa’s largest land restoration events! This year’s workday will take place at the Turin Wildlife Management Area, where volunteers and partner organizations will work together to remove invasive cedar trees and help preserve the health and vitality of the Loess Hills' hillside prairies.

Friday to Sunday, May 30 - June 1, 2025
Loess Hills Prairie Seminar, Monona County

Explore, learn and relax in the heart of the Loess Hills for the 49th annual Loess Hills Prairie Seminar.

June

Thursday, June 12, 2025
Stewards of the Beautiful Land – Introduction to Prairie, Lewis

Join Cass County Conservationist Laura Kanning at Cold Springs County Park for an evening exploring one of Cass County's largest prairies.

Wednesday, June 18, 2025
Breen Prairie Workday, Monticello

Join Iowa Natural Heritage Foundation to remove unwanted sweet clover and brush from our gorgeous Breen Prairie Farm property to help the native prairie thrive! 

Friday, June 20, 2025
Tallgrass Prairie Center Summer Open House, Cedar Falls

Explore the TPC and celebrate the prairie! More information to come. 

Sunday, June 22, 2025
Loess Hills Private Prairie Tour, near Pisgah

Join the Iowa Prairie Network for a road trip to Patrick Swanson's restored prairie. Expect to see spectacular views, trees in full splendor, and the prairie(s) popping with mid-spring flowers! Click the link for all the details.

Saturday, June 28, 2025
Iowa Native Plant Society Field Trip, Keokuk County

Explore summer flora in a prairie remnant at Lafayette Cemetery and an adjacent prairie planting. Then see a prairie remnant in the Center Ridge Cemetery. Field trip leaders are Eric D. Adam, District Conservationist for the NRCS in Muscatine County (and groundskeeper for the Lafayette Cemetery) and Mark J. Leoschke, botanist for the Wildlife Bureau of the Iowa.

Saturday, June 28, 2025
Codfish Hollow Prairie Walk, Jackson County

Join Ray Hamilton, Jackson County Conservation Ecologist Tony Vorwald, and the Iowa Prairie Network to experience Hamilton (Codfish Hollow) Prairie. Ray and Tony will share their knowledge of prairie ecology on a guided hike through the prairie. This area has been managed as a local biological preserve for 37 years and is home to a unique and diverse set of native plants.

Sunday, June 29, 2025
Paint Rock Goat Prairie Hike, Harpers Ferry

Join Naturalist Erin Cubbon for a morning hike to the Paint Rock Overlook. Expect to see a variety of goat prairie flowers in bloom ... and maybe timber rattlesnakes! The hike is approximately 2.5 miles round trip, and is fairly steep.

July

Thursday, July 10, 2025
Stewards of the Beautiful Land – Butterfly Tagging and Prairies, Lewis

Join Cass County Conservationist Laura Kanning at Cold Springs County Park. Learn about butterfly tagging, prairie maintenance, development of small prairie plantings, and prairie species identification.

Monday, July 14, 2025
Heritage Valley Summer Seed Harvest, Waukon

You're invited to Heritage Valley, a 1,200-acre nature area near Decorah, for a summer prairie seed harvest! Together, we'll hand-harvest native seed from Heritage Valley's hillside prairies. Seed collected will be used to diversify and expand the prairie. We'll kick the day off with conversation and a bit of background about Heritage Valley before heading out into the prairie. 

Tuesday, July 15, 2025
Evening Walks on the Prairie, Story County

Join Dr. Tom Rosburg for a walk at Doolittle Prairie, Story County’s largest prairie remnant. Walks will take place the third Tuesday of July, August and September. These walks are free and no registration is required.

Tuesday, July 29. 2025
Stewards of the Beautiful Land - Roadsides at Work, online webinar

Learn from Marshall County Natural Resource Manager Ty Renze what a roadside manager does and how he advocates for native plantings on roadsides.

August

Tuesday, August 5, 2025 (rain date: Tuesday, August 19, 2025)
Cedar Falls Community Nature Quest at Irvine Prairie, Dysart

Join the Cedar Falls Public Library, the Hearst Center for the Arts and the TPC's Justin Meissen for an evening at Irvine Prairie. This event is a part of a year long collaboration encouraging creative engagement with our outdoor spaces!

Thursday, August 14, 2025
Stewards of the Beautiful Land – Prairie Planting and Maintenance, Massena

Join the Audubon County roadside manager for a large-scale planting.

Wednesday, August 20, 2025
Stewards of the Beautiful Land – Summer Prairie Hike, Marietta

Join Marshall County Naturalist Emma Bruck and Natural Resource Manager Tyler Renze for a hike at Marietta Sand Prairie. See what's blooming, learn how to identify prairie flora, and find out about management techniques.