Rulo Bluffs
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 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:
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Flora basswood
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Sycamore
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Chinkapin oak
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Red oak
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Pawpaw
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Ironwood
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Yellow lady's slipper
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Showy orchid
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Big bluestem
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Blazing star
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Little bluestem
What to See: Fauna
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White-tailed deer
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Red fox
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Five-lined skink
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Timber rattlesnake
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Warblers
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Thrushes
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Orioles
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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. |