By Lori Ehde
Touch the Sky Prairie, the 600-acre plot purchased by the Brandenburg Prairie Foundation last year, will be open to hunting this fall.
According to the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, which manages the land five miles northwest of Luverne, hunting is compatible with the purpose for which the area was acquired.
As part of the National Wildlife Refuge System, the primary purpose of Touch the Sky Prairie is to restore and protect a fraction of the original tallgrass prairie.
Native American hunters historically took bison and other game on the land, and hunting will continue to be a part of the land management.
The area is open to hunting deer, rabbits, game birds and other species according to state seasons during the 2002 hunting seasons.
No special permits are required; just a valid state hunting license and necessary stamps. The use of motorized vehicles and lead shot is prohibited.
For information, call 800-577-2875.
Wildlife stewardship
In a separate announcement this week, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service presented the Brandenburg Foundation the Wildlife Stewardship Award.
The award recognizes individuals and organizations for leadership and support of wildlife conservation.
"Working in partnership with local conservation organizations and private individuals is the most effective way to improve our wildlife resource," said Steve Kallin, manager of the Windom Wetland Management District.
Representatives from the Brandenburg Foundation accepted the award Saturday at the Washington Pavilion, Sioux Falls, where Jim Brandenburg's most recent prairie prints are on exhibit.
Restoration started
Touch the Sky Prairie is a large block of unbroken prairie with unique rock outcroppings which have protected much of it from being plowed for cropland.
Restoration and development of the refuge began this spring with the removal of fences, a cattle shed and corals, sealing of old wells, control of noxious weeds, reseeding of 30 acres of native plants and cutting of non-native trees.
A prescribed burn is scheduled for next spring to stimulate the native prairie plants that have been suppressed by decades of cattle grazing.
Luverne native and world-famous nature photographer Jim Brandenburg worked with local officials to establish the Brandenburg Gallery on Main Street Luverne and the Brandenburg Foundation in 1999.
Brandenburg's intent for both the gallery and the foundation is to further the cause of prairie restoration and education in the region.
For more information, call the gallery at 283-1884.