Join the Southern Plains Land Trust (SPLT) for a two-day field event including a restoration tour and rare plant bioblitz at SPLT preserves in Southeast Colorado! SPLT is a grassland conservation nonprofit whose mission is to create and rewild a network of shortgrass prairie preserves across the Southern Plains. SPLT protects more than 60,000 acres and has rewilded bison, prairie dogs, and black-footed ferrets to their preserves.

SPLT also conducts comprehensive ecological restoration, which will be the partial focus of this field tour. Attendees will spend one day touring and discussing example restoration projects across two SPLT preserves (Heartland Ranch and Raven’s Nest), including willow/cottonwood revegetation, low-tech process-based restoration (LTPBR), fence removal and replacement with wildlife-friendly fencing, native re-seeding and pollinator restoration plots, and much more!

On day 2, attendees will participate in a rare plant bioblitz, with a particular focus on rocky outcrop microhabitats and the incredibly rare and poorly understood Dwarf Milkweed (Asclepias uncialis). Our rare plant work contributes to the Statewide Natural Heritage Survey, a community science initiative to support the Colorado Conservation Data Explorer (CODEX)

Logistics: Maximum attendance = 15. Participants are welcome to come for one day or stay for both. Camping accommodations are available at Heartland Ranch and include access to the internet, cooking equipment, a refrigerator for food storage, and a portable toilet. Visitors are required to bring their own lunches: breakfast and dinner will be provided by SPLT. Once attendance is confirmed, SPLT staff will reach out with more detailed information and a visitation waiver.

Event details will be sent when registration is confirmed! 

Join or donate to the Colorado Native Plant Society today!