Join us for a unique opportunity to harvest native prairie seed from Steenbock Preserve, an Ice Age Trail Alliance-owned property along the Gibraltar Rock Segment, Columbia County.

Walk through flowing grasses—big blue stem—and exuberant stands of wildflowers, picking seed from pale purple cone flower, culver’s root, wild bergamot, and more! Alliance staff and expert volunteers will be on hand to guide you through the process, ensuring you know what and where to pick. (The Alliance will also provide clippers for snipping seed heads and collection buckets or bags.)

This fun, easy, casual event allows volunteers of all ages and abilities to participate in an essential aspect of habitat restoration—seed collection.

Later, the collected seed is cleaned at the Alliance’s “Seed Shed” before it is spread, in late winter, across other Alliance-owned preserves to increase plant diversity for struggling pollinators.

Come any time between 1:00 p.m. and 4:00 p.m. (open-house-style) to help with this crucial habitat improvement task.

Event Details: 

• Where: Steenbock Preserve, Gibraltar Rock Segment, Columbia County
• When: Thursday, September 5, 2024
• Time: Open-house-style, 1:00 p.m. to 4:00 p.m.
• Parking: Merrimac Ferry parking lot adjacent the Merrimac Scoop (N2499 WI-188, Lodi, WI 53555). Follow the yellow blazes from the parking lot, paralleling STH-113 for about a quarter-mile. Cross STH-113, climb the hill (steep), and follow the ridgeline to the work site.
• Terrain: Expect a nearly 1-mile walk to the Preserve and a steep climb with switchbacks up to the prairie.

What to Bring:

• Gardening gloves
• Close-toed shoes
• Sun hat/sunscreen
• Bug spray
• Long pants, long-sleeve shirt (we will be in tall grass)
• Personal drinking water and container
• Raingear – we will work in light rain, please check the forecast