South Puget Sound Prairies - Restoring Washington’s Rarest Habitat

 

South Puget Sound Prairies location map 

Prairie Appreciation Day Claytonia Lanceolata

Prairie Appreciation Day is May 9!Don’t miss the annual Prairie Appreciation Day on May 9 – a hit with the whole family.

Download this Butterfly Guide so you can spot the lovely butterflies of the Mima Mounds Natural Area Preserve!

Go Deeper

Science
Conservation Action Planning

Fact Sheet
Read about the South Puget Sound Prairies:
South Sound Puget Prairies Fact Sheet [pdf, 226 kb]

Prescribed Burns Bring Wildflowers
Read a spotlight feature on the Conservancy's prescribed burns at Fort Lewis, an effort to bring more native wildflowers back to the prairies.

Preserve Visitation Guidelines
The Nature Conservancy's preserves are private properties, managed to protect native species and ecosystems. Please review these guidelines before your visit.

Help protect your Washington

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The success of The Nature Conservancy in Washington relies on the support of people like you.

The prairies and oak woodlands that were once common in South Puget Sound are now almost gone. The Nature Conservancy works with many partners to protect and restore these irreplaceable treasures for the colorful wildlflowers, butterflies, and birds that call them home—and for the people who treasure them.

Today, only three percent of our native prairies remain. Grasslands are among the least protected and most threatened habitat types on Earth. Like grasslands around the world, the South Sound Prairies have supported human life for countless generations, while also providing critical habitat for multitudes of plants and animals.

Conservation Actions

  • The Nature Conservancy is working with public and private partners to establish a network of parks and preserves that will safeguard this irreplaceable natural treasure. Through the partnership, the Conservancy will add an additional 7,000 acres, doubling the prairie and oak woodlands currently dedicated for conservation.
     
  • The Conservancy and its partners have an active prescribed fire program on the prairies. The program was recently selected as a demonstration site for the national Fire Learning Network.
     
  • Conservancy professionals, aided by dozens of volunteers, are working tirelessly to restore the historic prairies. Every week volunteers meet to collect seeds, remove Scotch broom and conifers, and propagate native plants. People of all ages have contributed thousands of hours and planted more than a million native plants, restoring and enhancing several thousand acres.
     
  • Along with its partners, the Conservancy continues to advocate for funding to protect more prairie lands. Each year a little more prairie is reclaimed, and public appreciation for this imperiled landscape continues to deepen.
     

Visiting the prairies:

Washington state manages two large prairie remnants in the South Sound that are open to the public:

Mima Mounds Natural Area Preserve: To visit this 637-acre natural area, take the I-5 exit for Littlerock (south of Olympia). Drive west through the town of Littlerock and continue on 128th Avenue SW until it ends at an intersection with Waddell Creek Road. Turn right on Waddell Creek Road. The Mima Mounds entrance will be on the left.

Scatter Creek Wildlife Area: To get to this 1,200-acre preserve, take the I-5 exit for Littlerock (south of Olympia). Drive west one block, then turn south on Case Road. Turn right on 180th Street, which leads to the wildlife area parking lot.

Don’t miss the annual Prairie Appreciation Day in early May – a hit with the whole family.

The South Sound Prairie Working Group offers a wealth of information online, including photos and directions. And don't forget to check out the Mima Mounds Natural Area Preserve Butterfly Guide for a sneak peek of the butterflies in the region.