Best Preserve

Black Mesa Preserve is a nature reserve located in the Oklahoma panhandle, managed by The Nature Conservancy. The preserve protects a basalt mesa formed by ancient lava flows and contains the highest point in the state of Oklahoma at 4,973 feet. The area is ecologically significant for its mix of sh...

Four Canyon Preserve is a protected natural area situated in northwestern Oklahoma, managed by The Nature Conservancy. The preserve safeguards a diverse landscape encompassing mixed-grass prairie, cross timbers forests, and rugged canyon topography along the Canadian River. It provides an important...

The Manitoba Tall Grass Prairie Preserve is a protected conservation area located in the southeastern region of Manitoba, Canada, near the town of Tolstoi. It safeguards one of the largest remaining fragments of untouched tallgrass prairie in North America, an ecosystem that has been reduced to less...

The Samuel H. Ordway Jr. Memorial Prairie is a 7,800-acre nature preserve located in South Dakota. Managed by The Nature Conservancy, the site is dedicated to the restoration and maintenance of mixed-grass prairie ecosystems. It provides a protected habitat for native wildlife, including grassland b...

The Joseph H. Williams Tallgrass Prairie Preserve protects a significant portion of the remaining North American tallgrass prairie ecosystem. Located in Oklahoma, it encompasses nearly 17,000 acres and supports a substantial bison herd vital for grassland biodiversity conservation. This preserve is...

The Kitty Todd Nature Preserve is a protected natural area located in the Oak Openings region of northwest Ohio. Managed by The Nature Conservancy, it safeguards a globally rare ecosystem characterized by oak savannas, wet prairies, and sandy soil deposits left by ancient glaciers. The preserve serv...

Managed by The Nature Conservancy in Wisconsin, Spring Green Preserve is an arid sand prairie and oak savanna ecosystem. The preserve is distinguished by its sandy soil and dry conditions, which create a unique habitat for desert-adapted species. It is often referred to as the Wisconsin Desert due t...

Hole-in-the-Mountain Prairie Preserve is a tallgrass prairie reserve in southwestern Minnesota, United States, managed by The Nature Conservancy. It protects a tract of native grassland along the Buffalo Ridge in Lincoln County, supporting populations of prairie-dependent plants and grassland birds....

Ordway Prairie is a nature preserve located in Minnesota's glacial ridge region. Protected by The Nature Conservancy, it consists of mesic tallgrass prairie habitat, one of the most threatened ecosystems in North America. The preserve serves as a sanctuary for native prairie flora and fauna, includi...

The Kissimmee Prairie Preserve State Park safeguards a significant portion of Florida’s native dry prairie ecosystem. This expansive preserve represents one of the largest remaining examples of this habitat in the United States. Its designation as an International Dark Sky Park highlights exceptiona...

Glacial Heritage Preserve is a prairie reserve in Washington, notable for its ecological restoration efforts and its vital role in conserving the endangered Taylor's checkerspot butterfly.

Located entirely within Winnipeg, Manitoba, the Living Prairie Museum is a 12-hectare nature reserve established in 1971 to protect a rare, undisturbed remnant of native tallgrass prairie.

Kingston Prairie Preserve is a natural area in Oregon managed by the Nature Conservancy, notable for preserving one of the best remaining remnants of native Willamette Valley grassland.

Zumwalt Prairie is a high-elevation grassland located in the Wallowa Mountains of northeastern Oregon. It is the largest remaining tract of native bunchgrass prairie in North America. The Nature Conservancy has protected significant portions of the prairie to conserve its ecosystem. The area support...

Dancing Prairie Preserve is a Nature Conservancy protected area in Montana known for its fescue grasslands and population of Columbian sharp-tailed grouse.

The Sand Prairie Natural History Reservation in Kansas is an ecological reserve managed by Fort Hays State University to protect a unique sand prairie habitat for native flora and fauna.

Dunn Ranch Prairie is a large nature preserve located in Harrison County, Missouri, owned and managed by The Nature Conservancy. As part of the larger Grand River Grasslands conservation area, the site is dedicated to the restoration and preservation of native tallgrass prairie ecosystems. It is eco...

The Katy Prairie Preserve is an expansive grassland conservation area located in southeastern Texas, just west of Houston. The land is actively managed by the nonprofit Katy Prairie Conservancy to protect and restore vital coastal prairie and wetland habitats. This preserved ecosystem serves as a cr...

Camas Swale Prairie is a historical wet prairie landscape in Oregon's Willamette Valley, notable for its dense growths of blue camas plants historically harvested by the Kalapuya people.

Located in Hunt County, Texas, Clymer Meadow Preserve is a 1,400-acre protected area managed by the Nature Conservancy. It safeguards one of the largest remaining remnants of the Blackland Prairie ecosystem in North America. The preserve is characterized by its dense, tall grasses and rich soils, pr...

Big Basin Prairie Preserve is an 1,800-acre geological and biological reserve located in Clark County, Kansas. The preserve is named for the large sinkhole, Big Basin, and features St. Jacob's Well, a notable spring-fed pool of water in the center of the basin. It serves as a protected area for nati...

The Gensburg-Markham Prairie is a high-quality tallgrass prairie remnant located in the village of Markham, Illinois. Spanning roughly 100 acres, it was designated a National Natural Landmark in 1984 due to its high ecological value. The site is owned and managed by the Nature Conservancy, which wor...

Sioux Prairie Preserve is a protected area in South Dakota that conserves native tallgrass prairie habitats and supports regional grassland bird populations.

Texas City Prairie Preserve is a coastal prairie reserve located in Galveston County, Texas, owned and managed by The Nature Conservancy. Established in 1995, the preserve spans roughly 2,300 acres of coastal tallgrass prairie and wetland habitats. Its primary conservation focus is protecting the cr...

The James Woodworth Prairie Preserve is a roughly five-acre remnant of black-soil tallgrass prairie managed by the University of Illinois Chicago in the Chicago metropolitan area. It protects native prairie vegetation within a heavily developed region and serves as a site for ecological research, te...

Hempstead Plains Preserve protects part of the remaining Hempstead Plains grassland on Long Island, New York. The original plains formed Long Island's only naturally occurring tallgrass prairie ecosystem, but development reduced the habitat to small remnants. The preserve supports native grasses, wi...

Linden's Prairie is a protected tallgrass prairie in Barton County, Missouri, notable for its native biodiversity and conservation management.

The Ivan Boyd Prairie Preserve is a protected tallgrass prairie remnant located in Douglas County, Kansas, near Baldwin City. Managed by the Kansas Land Trust, the preserve protects a historically significant section of unplowed prairie ecosystem. It serves as a habitat for native grasses, forbs, an...

The Edgar W. Schmidt Sand Prairie is a protected natural area in Missouri managed by the Missouri Prairie Foundation. It preserves a remnant sand prairie ecosystem, a habitat characterized by sandy soils and drought-tolerant plant species adapted to dry conditions. Such remnants are ecologically sig...