Joseph A. Tauer Prairie SNA

80 Acres Located from New Ulm, 8 miles S on Co Rd 13, then 2 miles W of the junction of Co Rds 13 and 22, SNA is on the N side of the road. Park on the township road on the west side. Brown County Twp 109N Rng 31W Sec 35 Type: Prairie Grasslands ECS Subsection: Minnesota River Prairie

Description:

This prairie was owned by Joseph A. Tauer, whose "eccentric" farming practices preserved the virgin prairie portions of this SNA. Tauer used only horses to farm until the 1980s, and he refused to drain the low portions of his land. He restricted his farming to the high, dry uplands of the several hundred acres of his holdings. When Tauer retired to a nursing home, he continued to protect his land through a Prairie Bank easement, thus funding his expenses. Just as Tauer protected his prairie land, the land in turn protected him. Upon his death, fee title for the remaining property was gifted to the state of Minnesota, leaving us the prairie we see today. The farmed, upland portions are now being restored. The undisturbed mesic to wet mesic prairie supports two rare species--tuberous Indian plantain and rattlesnake master--found here at the western limits of their ranges. Prairie clover, gray coneflower, star toadflax, tall blazing star, sneezeweed, wood betony, northern bedstraw, and other flowers bloom among the prairie grasses on this exceptionally rich, fertile soil.

Bird List

Plant List