Coyne Prairie is part of a complex of extremely diverse MPF-owned prairies in Dade County. Photo: Bruce Schuette

Coyne Prairie

About Coyne Prairie

MPF purchased Coyne Prairie in June 2006. The prairie is named for Patrick Coyne, a Union veteran, who purchased the prairie with his mustering-out payment from the Civil War. The family owned and protected this prairie until MPF purchased it.

Coyne Prairie is an 80-acre original prairie near Lockwood that is part of an MPF complex of prairies including Penn-Sylvannia Prairie one-quarter mile to the south (an 80-acre privately owned, original remnant prairie is directly south of Coyne)—and is adjacent to MPF’s Welsch Tract to the west. This complex lies within the Golden Grasslands Conservation Opportunity Area and the Golden Grasslands Important Bird Area. This prairie also is approximately 0.75 mile southwest from the Missouri Department of Conservation’s/The Nature Conservancy’s Niawathe Prairie Natural Area (320 acres) and less than two miles southeast of MDC’s Stony Point Prairie Conservation Area (960 acres). 

Coyne Prairie is a dry-mesic sandstone/shale prairie natural community and includes a segment of a prairie headwater stream and a rare prairie swale. This prairie supports 174 native plant species with an average CC value of 4.54, and 27 conservative species. Grassland birds including the northern bobwhite and Henslow’s sparrows have been recorded here in the breeding season, as well as Lapland longspurs in winter. 

2020 Floristic Integrity Report: Coyne, Golden, Linden’s, and Rae Letsinger Prairies by the Institute of Botanical Training, LLC.

2020 Missouri River Bird Observatory Breeding Bird Surveys on MPF Properties

2018 Missouri River Bird Observatory Breeding Bird Surveys on MPF Properties (includes Coyne Prairie)

2012 Institute of Botanical Training Coyne Prairie Floristic Integrity Report 

2017 Institute of Botanical Training Floristic Integrity Report (includes Coyne Prairie)

Directions

Coyne Prairie is located in Dade County on Highway E, about 16 miles east of Lamar.  Drive 2 miles west of Highway 97 on Highway E, then south on CR 199.  Parking is available along the gravel road, or drive 0.5 miles to the gate on the west side of CR 199.  By GPS, N37 30.380 W93 59.149 (in decimal degrees, 37.50634 -93.98581).

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For 58 years, the Missouri Prairie Foundation has been conserving Missouri’s prairies and other native grasslands. Donate now to help conserve prairie in Missouri, one of the most imperiled, beautiful, and biologically diverse habitat types on earth. Donate, become a member, and find other ways to support our work.

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