In 1879, Charles Darwin wrote to his good friend and fellow botanist Joseph D Hooker that "the rapid development as far as we can judge of all the higher plants within geologic times is an abominable mystery". In this famous quote, Darwin was referring to the flowering plants or angiosperms and was perplexed and mystified about their rapid appearance in the fossil record which seemed to upset his theory of evolution occurring slowly and incrementally over long periods of time

Friends of the Blufflands is pleased to introduce our newest board member, Nine Dodge. Nine encountered one of our board members while hiking the Birch Point Trail in the summer of 2025 and visiting Zoerb Prairie. This meeting ignited her interest, and she soon became a frequent volunteer during work days. Friends was impressed by her commitment and leadership skills when working alongside other volunteers, including students from UWL, and ultimately invited her to join the b

Many remnant prairies that survive today are gradually being overtaken by trees and brush. Friends of the Blufflands, in collaboration with the Coulee Region Chapter of The Prairie Enthusiasts, has led the effort to restore several of these prairies in and around Hixon Forest. This has included hiring contractors and leading work parties to clear brush and trees from the remnant and clearing an area around the remnant into which it can expand. This cleared area is referred to

Recently, Friends of the Blufflands added three new members to its board: Scott Cooper - A full professor of biology at UWL where he began teaching and doing research in 1995. Scott is also the secretary of the board of the Outdoor Recreation Alliance and is active in maintaining trails in lower Hixon and grooming cross country ski trails. He is an accomplished athlete having qualified for the elite wave in the Birkebeiner cross country ski race and for the Ironman in Kona, H