Participants help clear plum thickets from a remnant prairie during the 4th Annual Union Slough Prairie Rescue Day, April 19, 2008. Photo by Rebecca Esser

The air was cool and damp on Saturday April 19, as seven people headed to one of Union Slough Refuge’s remnant prairies, Deer Meadow, in dire need of attention.  It was all part of Prairie Rescue Day, a statewide celebration of Iowa’s prairies.  Union Slough was one of about 20 sites across the state that hosted a Prairie Rescue Day Event.  Even though participant turnout was low, a lot was accomplished in a few hours.  Small trees were dropped and plum thickets were cleared, both encroaching in on a remnant prairie that had never been plowed.  A woodcock was even spotted, holding tightly to its spot among the brush.  After the four-hour work period, everyone was treated to a terrific meal, followed by a drive along the auto tour.  The greatest reward was the discovery of several pasque flowers, one of the first blooming wildflowers of the year, just emerging from the cool soil.  Three days following the Prairie Rescue Event, firefighters from the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service conducted a prescribed burn in the Prairie Rescue location.  Hopes are that as a result of the clearing and burning, Deer Meadow will finally look like a prairie again.