Why is That Bluffside Black?

Have you ever headed up La Crosse's Bliss Road towards Grandad's Bluff and glimpsed a blackened bluffside across the valley to your left? 

Hixon Forest's Zoerb Prairie after late January 2025 prescribed burn
Image - Jonathan Rigdon

If you have, then you've been seeing one part of the dedicated work of the Friends of the Blufflands and Coulee Region Chapter of The Prairie Enthusiasts burn crews and volunteers in Hixon Forest. Members of these two groups of volunteers are responsible for the cleared and healthy prairie remnants that these blackened areas represent. 

Our Driftless areas have many small remnant prairies dotted here and there. 

Prairies need fire to do well. Without them, woody invasives easily take over. The deep-rooted prairie plants can't compete with taller plants and some of the seeds need the fire for germination as well. A prairie that is regularly burned during a prescribed burn is healthier.

Zoerb prairie burn in progress
Image - Justin Nooker

It takes a burn crew to do this work of a prescribed burn. A recent Friends of the Blufflands blog post by Jonathan Rigdon, Anatomy of a Prairie Burn, has a great explanation about how these burns are conducted. 

The results of a burn are nothing short of extraordinary. As spring begins, the flowers and grasses return and within a few weeks, you can't even tell an area was burned. When you see these beautiful prairies in their warm weather glory, it's easy to take for granted their flower and grass-filled vistas. 

A healthy prairie at Hixon
Image - Marge Loch-Wouters

Beyond fires, it takes real and consistent prairie management by dedicated Friends of the Blufflands/The Prairie Enthusiasts volunteers to keep the Hixon Forest (and other nearby) bluff prairies open and healthy. Their work includes removing woody invasives (trees and brush), gathering and broadcasting seed, grant writing, collaboration with surrounding communities and organizations and monitoring a host of Driftless prairies. 

This recent Friends of the Blufflands blog post Restoration Begins on Birch Point Prairie! discussing the work on the Birch Prairie restoration project gives a great peek into the work involved, the history and importance of our prairies and how many prairies these groups maintain.

When you take a hike sometime in upper Hixon Forest's Bicentennial trail (across the road from the weatherball) onto the Birch Trail and then on to Vista, you can see the changes coming and in progress on the Birch, Zoerb and Lookout prairies. I blogged about this three prairies hike here.

While you may not be able to participate in the preparation work, you can still support these two organizations through your memberships or donations at The Prairie Enthusiasts and Friends of the Blufflands.

Great work, my friends.