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Loess Hills Prairie Seminar
Monona County Conservation
Loess Hills Prairie Seminar:
Breaking Dormancy
Come explore, learn, and relax in the Heart of the Loess Hills in Monona County, Iowa for the 45th Anniversary of the Loess Hills Prairie Seminar!
Save The Date:
June 3rd-5th, 2022
Friday - 5:00 PM - 10:00 PM
Saturday - 6:00 AM - 10:00 PM
Sunday - 6:00 AM - 12:00 PM
*Primitive camping & car camping on site. No electrical hook ups. No running water. A solar-powered phone charging station will be available.
Links to our scheduled events and activities can be found below.
"Getting people; getting children acquainted with what's out here will make people concerned about what is happening here. If we get acquainted with natural communities we feel at home. Any place we feel at home, we feel like protecting."
~Sylvan Runkel
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We are looking for silent auction items to help generate funds to run the seminar from year to year. If you are planning on attending, just bring the item(s) with you.
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Please Click the Following Links:
The Loess Hills Are One of Iowa's Last Wilderness Areas!
This seminar attempts to connect attendees from all walks of life to this precious wilderness. Plan to enjoy a wonderful weekend in Iowa's Loess Hills!
Weekend Activities:
This seminar was developed to serve students of all ages, educators, families, professionals in the conservation field, and all community members. Each year we see families come back. It has grown to be a multi-generational event.
Please click on the corresponding buttons below to view this year's scheduled events and activities.
Pre-Seminar G.R.A.S.S. Event
Friday Evening Events
Saturday Field Sessions & Events
Sunday Field Sessions & Events
2022 T-Shirts
A variety of t-shirt options featuring this year's theme design are available for purchase. All proceeds support LHPS. Click the button below to view our storefront.
Loess Hills Virtual Seminar 2020
History
Carolyn Benne
Founder of the Loess Hills Prairie Seminar
Larry Benne
Founder of the Loess Hills Prairie Seminar
Dianne Blankenship
Retired Loess Hills Prairie Seminar Coordinator
Andrea Porter
Former Loess Hills Prairie Seminar Coordinator
Tyler Ruge
Current Loess Hills Prairie Seminar Coordinator
The Loess Hills Seminar began in 1977 with a group of approximately 25 people who wanted to study the unique characteristics of this special area. To get an accurate feeling of the “Hills,” and preserve the delicate ecology, the group backpacked into the interior for the first seminar. Since then the increased number of participants has necessitated a more convenient location. The original idea of preserving the “back to nature” concept of the seminar however, is still a major goal of the organizers.
The Loess Hills are a geological formation created thousands of years ago during the glacial periods. The Missouri River Valley flooded every summer with the ice melt from these glaciers. During the cool months, however, the flows declined, creating expansive mud flats. Winds dried and picked up this soil causing huge dust storms. Much of the wind-blown soil or loess was dropped near the mud flats in “dirt drifts” exceeding 200 feet in depth.
There are several reasons why the Loess Hills are unique. The soil itself is composed of “silt-sized” particles. This allows water to rapidly pass, which creates an arid or dry condition. South- and west-facing slopes of the Hills are baked in sunlight, while slopes facing north and east are more shaded. These shaded slopes are often wooded with relatively young stands of Bur Oak.
The sunny, steep slopes have remained in native grasses and flowers, genetically tied to the same vegetation that was here before settlers arrived. The combination and quality of both timber and prairie make this ideal for study.
