Find a Prairie
It is estimated that less than 0.1% of Iowa's original prairie remains. A majority of Iowa was once covered with prairie. The few scattered remnants left are often overlooked in the vast sea of row crops and non-native species that have been planted everywhere. Some remnants exist in pastures that have never been plowed, some in road ditches, and some in pioneer cemeteries. Work is ongoing to identify, and hopefully protect, those few remnants that remain.
This site is offered to help people get in touch with their environment. In order for people to care about preserving what's left, they must first know what they have. If people are to care about the plight of the prairie, they must be able to see, and if not understand it, at least revel in its' beauty.
Remember to ask permission if a remnant is on private land. Prairie plants are wonderful to view in the wild. Removing them from their native habitat robs all of us of their beauty and our natural heritage. They are also hard to transplant, and most often die. Therefore, they are best left in their native state for all to enjoy, so please don't remove any plants from a remnant.
Do you own, or have located a prairie remnant? Would like to showcase that special place to the people of Iowa? Contact us and we will add it here.
Iowa Prairies by Agency or Organization
Not all of these areas are prairies, but all harbor some of Iowa's rarest plants and ecosystems.
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Iowa County Conservation Boards - All 99 counties have a CCB, many of which have prairies.
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Iowa State Preserves – Managed by the Iowa Department of Natural Resources
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National Wildlife Refuges in Iowa – Managed by the US Fish and Wildlife Service
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Iowa Wildlife Management Areas - Iowa DNR
Prairies Listed by Iowa County
This is a list of prairies that have a webpage.
Adair County
Adams County
Allamakee County
Appanoose County
Audubon County
Benton County:
Black Hawk County
Boone County
Bremer County
Buchanan County
Buena Vista County
Butler County
Calhoun County
Carroll County
Cass County
Cedar County
Cerro Gordo
Cherokee County
Chickasaw County
Clarke County
Clay County
Clayton County
Clinton County
Crawford County
Dallas County
Davis County
Decatur County
Delaware County
Des Moines County
Dickinson County
Dubuque County
Emmet County
Fayette County
Floyd County
Franklin County
Fremont County
Greene County
Grundy County
Guthrie County
Hamilton County
Hancock County
Hardin County
Harrison County
Henry County
Howard County
Humboldt County
Ida County
Iowa County
Jackson County
Jasper County
Jefferson County
Johnson County
Jones County
Keokuk County
Kossuth County
Lee County
Linn County
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Chain Lakes Natural Area
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Hitaga Sand Ridge Prairie Preserve
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Matsell Bridge Natural Area
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Wickiup Hill Learning Center
Louisa County
Lucas County
Lyon County
Madison County
Mahaska County
Marion County
Marshall County
Mills County
Mitchell County
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Nelson Paradise Wildlife Area
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New Haven Potholes
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Oak Lane Cemetery
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Otranto Wildlife Area
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Pinicon Alders Wildlife Area
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Rock Creek Wildlife Area
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Schwab Wildlife Area
Monona County
Monroe County
Montgomery County
Muscatine County
O'Brien County
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Prairie Heritage Center
Osceola County
Page County
Palo Alto County
Plymouth County
Pocahontas County
Polk County
Pottawatamie County
Poweshiek County
Ringgold County
Sac County
Scott County
Shelby County
Sioux County
Story County
Tama County
Taylor County
Union County
Van Buren County
Wapello County
Warren County
Washington County
Wayne County
Webster County
Winnebago County
Winnshiek County
Woodbury County
Worth County
Wright County