Sat, Jun 12
|La Crosse
Soils and Geology Hike at Hixon Forest
Click RSVP to register at the Prairie Enthusiasts website.
Time & Location
Jun 12, 2021, 10:00 AM – 12:00 PM
La Crosse, N2788 County Rd FA, La Crosse, WI 54601, USA
About the Event
Register Here: Soils and Geology Hike at Hixon Forest - The Prairie Enthusiasts
On this walk to Zoerb and Lookout Prairies we will examine the soils of bluff prairies and other spots of interest along the way. We will look at the loamy-skeletal soils of the upper bluff prairie associated with the Oneota Dolostone and the sandy-skeletal soils of the lower bluff prairie associated with the Jordan Sandstone. Although these two forms of bluff prairies have some similar plant species, the loamy-skeletal and sandy-skeletal soils support distinct plant communities.
Peter Hartman is the hike leader. Peter is a retired NRCS soil scientist that was one of the authors of two publications describing the ecological site descriptions of bluff prairies. The publications can be found here: Ecological Site Description: Sandstone Colluvium Bluff Prairie (usda.gov) and Ecological Site Description: Dolomite Colluvium Bluff Prairie (usda.gov).
Meet at the NWS station on Hwy FA. From there it is a short fairly level walk to the prairie. If you choose to, there are steep hills to walk once we get there!