Event information
Date and time
Location
Ney Nature Center
28238 Nature Center Lane
Henderson,
MN
56044
Contact
Liz Sheppard, [email protected] or 612-802-2181
Minnesota Master Naturalist: Prairies and Potholes
Ney Nature Center
Learn about the Prairies and Potholes biome at Ney Nature Center. In late summer, a variety of native plants in bloom, the monarch migration will be happening, and there will be plenty of opportunities to get out and explore this biome.
The class will cover geology, plant communities, wildlife, ecology, aquatic systems, human impacts, and more of the prairie pothole region of western Minnesota.
Audience
Potential and current Master Naturalist volunteers.
Cost
$295. Includes manuals and supplies.
If you would like to receive a scholarship, do not register now. Instead, complete this scholarship form and wait to be contacted before enrolling.
Registration
Cancelation requests received more than two weeks before the start of class are refunded minus a $20 processing fee. Cancellation requests received less than two weeks before the start of class are refunded minus $50.
Accommodations
University of Minnesota Extension is committed to providing equal opportunity for participation in all programs, services and activities. To request accommodations for persons with disabilities, reach out to the event contact two weeks before the start of the event. Requests received after this date will be honored whenever possible.
Language
This offering is delivered in English. Interpreter services may be available with an advance request.
About the Prairies and Potholes course
The official name for the ecological province called the Prairies and Potholes by the Minnesota Master Naturalist Program is the Prairie Parkland Province. This biome was historically composed mainly of tallgrass prairie. Today it is used for agricultural purposes. The glaciers deposited between 100 and 600 feet of drift over the entire region. The Prairies and Potholes biome covers just over 16 million acres on the western edge of the state.
The biome is a hot and dry place, where evapotranspiration is annually higher than precipitation. In the northern portions of the biome, glacial kettles have filled with water and form the "potholes" that dot the landscape. These bodies of water are important for migratory waterfowl, and waterfowl production. The Minnesota River now flows through the old channel carved by Glacial River Warren, an outlet for Glacial Lake Agassiz.
Participants must complete the full 40 hours of training to become a certified Minnesota Master Naturalist Volunteer.
Each participant must complete a group capstone project. Participants will choose a capstone that they can complete before finishing the course.