Bison Return to the Belwin Conservancy
Bison Return to the Belwin Conservancy Afton, Minnesota—June 9, 2009— On Saturday, June 13th, the Belwin Conservancy will release a herd of bison at its nature preserve located in Afton, Minnesota. As they did last year, the bison will spend the summer adding to the diversity of the nonprofit organization's restored prairies. The public is invited to attend the release on Saturday, where the Belwin Conservancy will also be opening a 20-foot tall observation tower.
The Belwin Conservancy first hosted a herd of bison on its prairie in 2008. After months of preparation, the bison were released before a crowd of 300 people and members of the media who had gathered to watch as these animals were returned to this area for the first time in over 150 years.
This year as the bison are being welcomed back for another summer, the Belwin Conservancy will be opening a new observation tower giving visitors a panoramic view of the prairie. Constructed with Support from Kowalski’s Markets, the James Ford Bell Foundation, the Ten by Ten Foundation and the Members of the Belwin Conservancy, the 20-foot tall tower provides a view of the bison wherever they roam on the 150-acre prairie located off of Division Street in Afton.
“Ever since we released the bison last sumer, folks have been coming here to see them. When they left for the winter, we were bombarded with questions about when they were coming back,” said Steve Hobbs the Belwin Conservancy’s Executive Director. “People really connected with the bison and the prairie in a way that we really didn’t expect, so it was very important to us that we do something to focus that interest this year. The tower gives us an opportunity to explain why the bison are here at all, what they do for the prairie and the part they play in a new sustainable kind of agriculture.”
The bison housed at the Belwin Conservancy are part of a unique partnership with NorthStar Bison—a family owned ranch based in Rice Lake, Wisconsin—who owns the animals and sells their products at Kowalski’s Markets locations throughout the Twin Cities. The prairies of the Belwin Conservancy provide NorthStar Bison’s growing herd with prairie grass and helps to fulfill their commitment to keeping their bison 100% grass-fed. The Belwin Conservancy is in turn using the bison as a potent prairie restoration tool.
“The bison we hosted last summer had a definite impact on the prairie,” said Tara Kelly, the Belwin Conservancy’s Director of Ecological Restoration. “This year we have begun using a new technique for our prescribed burning, ‘patch burning,’ that we hope along with the bison will make the prairie both healthier and more diverse than it already is.” The bison will again spend the summer at the Belwin Conservancy and leave before winter. While they are at the nature preserve in Afton, the observation tower will be open during daylight hours. Steve Hobbs is hoping that people will take the opportunity to visit the tower several times over the course of the summer, “the bison and the prairie change each other and it’s fun to watch it happen in person. We are so fortunate to have them here again.”
Event Information The bison event will start at 11 a.m. on Saturday, June 13th. Parking will be located at the Lucy Winton Bell Athletic Fields located at 15601 Hudson Road in Lakeland, Minnesota. There is a short 5-minute walk to the release location or the Belwin Conservancy will be offering tractor rides through the prairie. The observation tower dedication and bison release will occur around noon, with the tower remaining open afterwards. More information about this event and the Belwin Conservancy can be found on their website: http://www.belwin.org/. The Belwin Conservancy has been a leader in conservation and environmental education in Washington County, Minnesota for nearly 40 years. The Belwin Conservancy owns more than 1,300 acres of land on the bluffs of the Saint Croix River and in the watershed of Valley Creek — one of Minnesota’s premier trout streams. In protecting and restoring land, Belwin hopes to be an inspiration for others to do the same. Since its inception, the Belwin Conservancy has hosted the Saint Paul Public Schools on its property, which brings over 10,000 students to the Belwin Conservancy every year. The Belwin Conservancy owns and operates the Lucy Winton Bell Athletic Fields. This premier youth athletic complex receives over 70,000 visits annually. In the spring of 2008, the Belwin Conservancy ignited imaginations by releasing a herd of bison on its property to help restore the prairie. The Belwin Conservancy is a nonprofit organization. For more information, please visit their website: belwin.org.