Friends of the Blufflands

06/07/2026

Friends of the Blufflands will be having their monthly Second Saturday Hike on Saturday, June 13 at the Mathy Quarry Blufflands tract starting at 9 AM. The hike will be "A Tale of Two Prairies" - featuring a hike around the planted prairie in the quarry and then a hike to the Mathy Bluff Prairie. The Mathy Bluff Prairie is one of La Crosse's precious remnant prairies and is being restored by Friends of the Blufflands. Mike O'Brien will lead this hike. Meet at the parking lot area at the end of county FA. Wear comfortable hiking shoes and bring water. The hike will be on trails with moderate uphill and downhill sections. Come see the progress that has been made restoring this site. From this, to this:

06/04/2026

Here's a plant that we have been seeing blooming recently as we restore the bluff prairies, usually along the edges of the prairies or even on the trails leading to the prairies- Veiny Pea or Lathyrus venosus. The one shown is growing in the dappled shade of the wooded area on the top of Mathy Bluff Prairie to the right as you come into the prairie. The common name refers to its prominent veins. The "papilionaceous" bloom is a nice mixture of pink-magenta of the upper petals to a white to pale violet on the lower. Remember the movie "Papillon" with Steve McQueen and a tattoo of a butterfly on his chest? Well, papilionaceous flowers have an unusual butterfly-like corolla hence the name. It's a vine with curly tendrils that can look a little like the invasive crown vetch, but veiny pea is a native plant with a coefficient of conservation of 6 growing throughout most of Wisconsin.

06/01/2026

Friends of the Blufflands is doing some bat monitoring on the bluff prairies under the guidance of the Wisconsin DNR to find out what bat species are using them. We will be placing monitors on some of the prairies for four nights, then moving them to new locations throughout the coming months. Here is a photo of Brian Burns next to one of the monitors. We hope to record several species of the eight bats that live in Wisconsin. As many know, the bat population in Wisconsin and throughout the U.S. has significantly declined over the last few decades due to white nose syndrome. Maybe we will pick up the echo signatures of the rare tricolored or northern long-eared bat!

05/21/2026

Good Morning Volunteers,

Here is an upcoming work party on Saturday, May 23:

Location: Lookout Prairie/Savanna
Date/Time: Saturday, May 23 8:00-noon- meet at the Lower Hixon Parking Lot.
Work: Cutting and treating on the lower west prairie and pulling smaller buckthorn by hand and/or with a w**d wrench on the upper savanna.
Difficulty: The top of the savanna is moderately sloped, the lower prairie is a little more sloped.
What to bring: Gloves, eyewear, sturdy footwear, water and a snack. If you have a favorite pair of hand pruners, bring them.

RSVPs to Jon Rigden at [email protected] are appreciated for planning purposes.

And, of course, you can arrive later and leave earlier if needed on either day.

Thanks for considering!

Jon Rigden

05/21/2026

Check out the latest blog post on the Friends of the Blufflands website:

Let's say a new guy arrives in town from Hungary and joins Friends of the Blufflands which by this time has grown significantly and has expanded throughout the Upper Midwest. He calls himself Pólya. He is a rather odd fellow who is obsessed with numbers but is a hard, steady worker and falls in lov...

05/16/2026

Dan Carter, ecologist from The Prairie Enthusiasts, visited three bluff prairies on May 15 that Friends of the Blufflands and the Coulee Region Chapter of TPE have been actively restoring. This was supported by the Paul E Stry Foundation. During the visit he assessed the current status of Lookout Prairie and Savanna, Zoerb Prairie, and Mathy Bluff Prairie and he will be developing detailed management plans for each. These assessments and plans will be very helpful in charting the progress of our restoration efforts while guiding future activities. Thank you Dan and a big thank you to the Stry Foundation!

05/11/2026

Good Morning Volunteers,

Please join Friends of the Blufflands on Wednesday, May 13 at 8:00 am at Lower Hixon parking lot for work on the lower part of Lookout Prairie. We will be carefully cutting and treating a section just outside the recently burned unit. Will plan to work until noon, but you can, of course, arrive and leave at any time.

Wear sturdy shoes, long pants, and otherwise dress for the weather. Bring water and snacks as needed. If you have a favorite pair of hand pruners or loppers, bring them, otherwise we will supply the equipment.

Please RSVP to [email protected] for planning purposes. This is encouraged, but not required- just show up if that is preferred.

Thanks for considering!

Jon Rigden

05/10/2026

A group of 28 came out for the Second Saturday Hike at Eureka Maple Woods State Natural Area yesterday, on May 9. Everyone enjoyed the spectacular array of spring ephemerals carpeting the north facing slope of forest, and especially seeing the Twinleaf and Goldenseal which required a trek up the steep slope to where they hide. Much worth the effort! Stayed tuned for the next hike on June 13.

05/05/2026

A reminder that the second Friends of the Blufflands "Second Saturday Hikes" will take place at Eureka Maple Woods State Natural Area on May 9th. The plan is to meet at 6603 Oboe Avenue where Jon Rigden owns land with a cabin which can easily be seen from the road. Drive back, cross a very shallow creek (I drive my Prius across with no problem), park somewhere near the cabin, have a cup of coffee with a cookie during a short discussion about the SNA, then walk or carpool a half mile or so east on Oboe to the trail leading to Eureka where there is limited parking. Here we will find a gorgeous array of spring ephemerals, as well as some state special concern plants like Goldenseal and Twinleaf. Hope to see you there!

04/25/2026

As we work on the bluff prairies we see that they continue to come out in splendor, especially those that have been burned. Here are some photos.