MPF purchased two tracts of original prairie in 1970 and 1974 totaling 320 acres, naming it Golden Prairie in recognition of its proximity to Golden City. This prairie had been owned for decades by the family of the late MPF Emeritus Board Member Lowell Pugh. Photo: Bruce Schuette

Golden Prairie

About Golden Prairie

MPF purchased two tracts of original prairie in 1970 and 1974 totalling 320 acres, naming it Golden Prairie in recognition of its proximity to Golden City. This prairie had been owned for decades by the family of the late MPF Emeritus Board Member Lowell Pugh.

In May 1975, Golden Prairie was declared a National Natural Landmark by the National Park Service. In 2002, MPF purchased two adjacent tracts totaling 310 acres and they are being restored. In 2015, the original 320-acre portion of Golden Prairie was designated the Golden Prairie Natural Area and is included in the Missouri Natural Areas program, a designation reserved for only the highest quality natural landscapes. A history of Golden Prairie was published in the summer 2015 issue of the Missouri Prairie Journal (Vol. 36, No. 2). 

The entire 630 acres of Golden Prairie is within the Golden Grasslands Conservation Opportunity Area and the Golden Grasslands Important Bird Area

Golden Prairie is a dry-mesic sandstone/shale prairie natural community and includes rare prairie swales and a segment of a prairie headwater stream. Golden Prairie supports 320 native plant species with an average CC value of 4.06, and 35 conservative species

Species of conservation concern here include the regal fritillary butterfly, prairie mole cricket, rattlesnake master stem borer moth, and Arkansas darter. Grassland birds including the northern bobwhite and Henslow’s sparrow nest here, and short-eared owls frequently use Golden in winter. In addition, notable native bees that are specialists on poppy mallow (the Callirhoe bee, Melissodes intorta), and blue sage bee (Tetraloniella cressoniana), have been documented at Golden in 2014, only the second time these species had been found in Missouri. In addition, Tetraloniella spissa, related to the blue sage bee, was found for the first time in Missouri at Golden in 2014. 

2021 Breeding Bird Surveys on Missouri Prairie Foundation Properties by the Missouri River Bird Observatory

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

2014 Institute for Botanical Training Golden Prairie Floristic Integrity Report (includes Golden Prairie)

2013 & 2017 Missouri River Bird Observatory Surveys Report for Golden 

2019 Missouri River Bird Observatory Breeding Bird Surveys on MPF Properties (includes Golden Prairie)

Report on bees found at Golden and Stilwell Prairies

Herpetofaunal Survey: Reptiles and Amphibians at Golden Prairie

Audio file: Spring peepers, boreal chorus frogs calling at Golden Prairie, and southern leopard frogs and American toads calling nearby, recorded by MPF Board Member Brian Edmond.

Downloadable Golden Prairie Brochure

Printable Tri-Fold Brochure for Golden Prairie

Directions

Golden Prairie is in Barton County on SE 90th Road, about 2 miles south of Golden City. Traveling north on I-49, take exit 66, turn east onto State Highway K, and drive about 8.5 miles.  Turn left onto SE 90th Lane, drive 2 miles north, turn left onto SE 90th Road, then drive about 1/2 mile west. Traveling south on I-49, take exit 70, turn east onto Missouri 126, and drive about 6 miles.  Turn right onto State Highway T, drive 2 miles south, turn left onto SE 90th Road, then drive about 2 1/2 miles east. The prairie is on the south side of the road.  Two gravel parking areas are available.

To visit the sandstone prairie on the east side of the property, use GPS N37 21.918 W94 8.745 (in decimal degrees, 37.365300, -094.145750). To visit the limestone prairie on the west side of the property, use GPS N37 21.929 W94 9.285 (in decimal degrees, 37.365483, -94.154750).

More Ways to Give

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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