Rulo Bluffs

Savannah oak tree © Chris Helzer

Why You Should Visit
Rulo Bluffs is a 444-acre eastern deciduous forest intermingled with loess hill prairie overlooking the Missouri River. On the rugged hills two major ecosystems meet – the cool, shady hardwood forest of the eastern U.S. and with wind-swept, sun-drenched prairie of the Great Plains.

Location
Richardson county

Size
445-acres

How to Prepare for Your Visit
Due to the preserve's fragile habitat and rare species, visitation is limited. For further information, call (402) 342-0282, or e-mail nebraska@tnc.org

What to See:

• Flora basswood
• Sycamore
• Chinkapin oak
• Red oak
• Pawpaw
• Ironwood
• Yellow lady's slipper
• Showy orchid
• Big bluestem
• Blazing star
• Little bluestem

What to See: Fauna

• White-tailed deer
• Red fox
• Five-lined skink
• Timber rattlesnake
• Warblers
• Thrushes
• Orioles
• Grosbeaks

Why the Conservancy Selected This Site
Rulo Bluffs, like most of the hills along the Missouri River, have historically supported woodlands in the shady ravines and prairie on the windy, sunny ridgetops. The lack of fire has allowed the woodlands to overtake the prairie. This shift has diminished the overall biological diversity of the site.

What the Conservancy Has Done/Is Doing
The Conservancy is using fire and manual tree removal to open the prairies and thin the woodland understory to increase the overall diversity of both plant communities.