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Places We Protect

Seven Sisters Prairie

Minnesota

View of a hilly prairie landscape with bunches of trees beside a lake.
Seven Sisters Prairie TNC's Seven Sisters Prairie preserve in Minnesota. © MinnesotaSeasons.com

“The mountain” of Seven Sisters Prairie rises 190 feet above Lake Christina.

Overview

Description

"The mountain" of Seven Sisters Prairie rises 190 feet above Lake Christina. It offers visitors a panoramic view of the surrounding countryside and of Lake Christina—an important stop for many species of waterfowl during migration—and of the rolling topography of the Alexandria moraine (including the Seven Knolls, or the "Sisters").

Why TNC Selected This Site

This acquisition was made to protect the gravel prairie that occurs on this site.

What TNC Has Done/Is Doing

The Nature Conservancy purchased the land from the Richard A. Trow estate in July 1978 to protect the gravel prairie. A wildfire burned the entire preserve in 1980, and a second wildfire burned part of it in 1982. Grazing ended and fire was reintroduced as a management tool at the preserve when TNC acquired it. Controlled fires reduce plant debris accumulated from previous growing seasons and suppress invasion by woody species.

Measures to control invasive European buckthorn and prickly ash are especially important to the health of the preserve. Erosion threatens a population of broom-rape which grows in and around the gully. The rim of the gravel pit is especially vulnerable to human erosion and visitors are asked to avoid this area.

Access

OPEN TO THE PUBLIC

Size

136 acres

Explore our work in this region

What to See: Plants

The unusual plants of Seven Sisters Prairie have attracted botanists since 1893, when the first collections were made. The dry and wet environments support a variety of plants, including a dozen plants at the eastern edge of their ranges, more commonly found in the Dakotas. All three grama grasses can be found at Seven Sisters: sideoats grama, blue grama, and hairy grama. Prairie June grass, needle-and-thread grass, and thread-leaved sedge are also found at the site.

What to See: Animals

Lake Christina's average water depth of four feet allows a profusion of water plants to grow, and these nourish large flocks of canvasback ducks. Other bird species that inhabit the preserve include the Baltimore oriole and the larksparrow.

For more information on visiting this and other Minnesota preserves, check out our Preserve Visitation Guidelines.

Nearby Preserves

of a regal fritillary.

Staffanson Prairie

Near the center of this preserve is a "prairie pothole," which is a type of wetland created by glacial action thousands of years ago.

of a regal fritillary.

Miller Prairie

Located in Minnesota's Traverse County, Miller Prairie preserves two remnants of native tallgrass prairie, which is considered by many scientists to be the world's most imperiled type of grassland. In this county alone, less than 1 percent of its lands contain intact natural plant communities.

Greater Prairie chicken

Foxhome Prairie

Many visitors come here to catch a glimpse of the greater prairie chicken, when the birds' courtship ritual begins during the early spring. Another primary attraction is the small white lady's slipper, which usually grows less than a foot tall and is rarely found on Minnesota's wet prairies.

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