Clovis Prairie

big bluestem © Jim Gindorff

Settlers changed this landscape from a vast, rolling grassland into productive farmland. Many of the seasonal wetlands, which supported millions of waterfowl, were drained in the process.

Clovis Prairie serves as a visual reminder of how this region looked in pre-settlement times and provides a stark contrast to the plowed and grazed lands that now surround it.

Worried about dwindling wildlife numbers in the region, Congress in 1935 created the Sand Lake National Wildlife Refuge, which is a mere three miles distance from Clovis Prairie. This 21,498-acre refuge plays a key role in the national effort to preserve waterfowl. Both lands provide seasonal wetlands for migratory birds to rest and feed.

Location
From Aberdeen on Highway 281, travel 19 miles north. Then turn east onto Brown County Highway 7 for seven miles. The preserve is located on the south side of Highway 7, or three miles west of Sand Lake Refuge. From Columbia, travel eight miles north and three miles west.

Size
157 acres

Plants
From its ephemeral wetlands to its prairies, Clovis supports an abundance of plant life. Because it lies in a transition zone between tallgrass and mixed grass prairie, it sports grasses and wildflowers from each of these two systems  - from big bluestem to green needlegrass.

Animals
Butterflies flutter amid the preserve's many wildflowers, while wetland birds, reptiles and amphibians indulge in its wetlands. The variety of habitats provides home to these animals and the many grassland birds that migrate here.

Coyotes and deer - two mammals found on the preserve -experienced a resurgence in recent years of their population numbers.

Coyotes are the state's dominant predator, with people being its only real enemy. Since the 1980s, they have expanded their range to include the entire state.

Why the Conservancy Selected This Site
Clovis' upland prairie and wetland provides valuable habitat for wildlife, particularly the ducks and grassland birds that spend their summers here. This land also preserves two types of prairie - tallgrass and mixed grass—in one location.

Prairies once made up 95 percent of South Dakota and were found throughout the state, except in the Black Hills region. That number has dwindled to 53 percent, or about 26 million acres.

What the Conservancy Has Done/Is Doing
One of the challenges with any native prairie is keeping out invasive species. Clovis is no exception. In order to maintain the pristine state of this preserve, The Nature Conservancy is working to control Canada thistle, which is invading the preserve's wetland communities, and Smooth brome, an exotic cool season grass.

Invasive species threaten native plants and animals here and throughout the world. They can spread unchecked, disrupt natural cycles and cause property damage and lost economic productivity. To learn more about the Conservancy's work with invasive species, click here.