Prairie Experience — All Day
10 am to 4 pm.  
Take this semi self-guided tour of the Clear Creek Knolls unit, a magnificent example of a restored prairie. For this hike, drive your vehicle 1 mile north on Lowden Road from the festival site and park in the Clear Creek Knolls parking lot. Then you can stroll leisurely along the path, where signs will illustrate key points. Or walk into the prairie to get personal with the 150 or so species growing there.
​Easy

11:30 am to 1:30 pm. Interpreter Stationed
Join Kevin Kaltenbach, a long-time Nachusa steward, for some personal interpretation. He will be on hand to point out special things to see at Clear Creek Knolls.

Hiking Tour Schedule

​Autumn on the Prairie 2023

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10:30 am – 12:30 am.  Make your pictures worth a thousand words.
Visit Nachusa’s Stone Barn Savanna unit, a colorful place on the edge of Nachusa’s territory, where Charles Larry will give tips for the best nature photography.
Easy and Child Friendly

​10:45 am – 12:45 am.  Birding in the grassland.
Dave Brewer will lead you through prairie, woodlands, and wetlands in search of the birds that call Nachusa home. Grassland nesting birds will be a particular target. A few binoculars will be available.
Moderate to Difficult depending on road conditions
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11:00 am – 1:00 pm.  Mammals—other than bison—abound.
Erin Rowland-Schaefer leads a tour at the Hook Larson prairie unit in search of the smaller mammals at Nachusa. See how safe capture and release is done, including a live demonstration.
Moderate

11:30 am – 1:30 pm.  How about those bison!
Volunteering in the bison unit sometimes brings challenges, including surprise encounters with the animals and their “prairie muffins.” Al and Mary Meier will guide you through the surprises while showing how to create a prairie restoration and enjoy late summer blooms.
Moderate

11:45 am – 1:15 pm.  Science in action.
Nachusa research scientist, Dr. Elizabeth Bach, will show examples of the many science projects conducted by researchers from many universities. From bees to understanding the impact of bison, someone is investigating. 
Easy

12 noon – 2:00 pm.  Dragonflies, dragonflies, dragonflies.
The ponds and wetlands at Nachusa make a comfortable home for dragonflies. Find out what makes these fascinating insects special with Joyce Gibbons, who has an extensive career in biology and entomology.
Easy

12:30 pm – 2:30 pm.  Dissecting plant diversity.
Each plant has a unique story. Join Samantha Berk on a fun stroll to how to learn how to identify plant species and how to dissect plant diversity in a restored prairie. Learn how to identify key groups of plants and specific species. Hear stories about their ecological roles.
Easy to Moderate

1:00 pm – 3:00 pm. Lichens and bryophytes (mosses and liverworts).
​Hikers will certainly “lichen” this tour! Experience some of the smallest wonders of Nachusa with two of Chicago’s Field Museum experts, Matt von Konrat and Todd Widhelm. They will introduce you to the micro world of lichens and bryophytes. They have been creating a Nachusa inventory of these often-overlooked species.
Moderate to Difficult

1:30 pm – 3:30 pm.  A walk in the woods.
Oak woodland is an important part of the prairie structure. Austin Webb will take you to a savanna containing stands of oak and hickory, interspersed with patches of prairie and sandstone outcrops.
Moderate to Difficult

2:00 pm – 4:00 pm.  Focus on beauty; wander with purpose.
Amble with Bernie Buchholz across both relic and planted prairie, identifying plants, telling their stories, and answering questions about how such beauty arose from farmland.
Moderate

2 :30 pm – 4:00 pm.  Restoring woodland.
Steward Mike Carr is Nachusa’s closest thing to a tree hugger. He has been restoring our degraded woodlands for years by removing undesirable species and creating space and opportunity for woodland plants to thrive, especially new oak tree expansion and re-emergence of native plants.
Moderate

​2:45 pm – 4:00 pm. The bison roam freely. Or do they?
It’s a strong fence around the bison units, and the corral where they go each fall is a fascinating state-of-the-art mechanism for keeping the animals safe while undergoing veterinary exams. Damian Considine helped build it. Hear his stories.
Easy