About this Project
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We are working with many local partners and volunteers to harvest local ecotype prairie seed. Volunteers will visit local prairie remnants and learn how to identify which plants are available for seed collection. The hand-collected seed will then be used for local prairie restoration and reconstruction projects.
No experience is necessary, and volunteers will be taught how to identify targeted species. Most events include walking on steep, rugged terrain. Bug spray is encouraged for ticks and mosquitoes. Project goals: We have several goals for harvesting prairie seed*:
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*please note that any seed picked on Iowa DNR (state) lands cannot be taken off-site and must be donated to DNR. All of our seed harvesting will be done with permission from landowners/managers and only used as permitted.
Upcoming 2026 Events
Loess Hills Prairie Seed Harvest
Wednesday, September 9, 2026
6:00-7:30pm
Hitchcock Nature Center
27792 Ski Hill Loop
Honey Creek, IA 51542
No experience necessary, but prepare for a short hike on rugged terrain.
Meet outside the Loess Hills Lodge at 6:00pm.
Park entrance fee is waived for volunteers.
Email [email protected] with questions.
Funding provided by Pottawattamie Conservation Foundation.
Wednesday, September 9, 2026
6:00-7:30pm
Hitchcock Nature Center
27792 Ski Hill Loop
Honey Creek, IA 51542
No experience necessary, but prepare for a short hike on rugged terrain.
Meet outside the Loess Hills Lodge at 6:00pm.
Park entrance fee is waived for volunteers.
Email [email protected] with questions.
Funding provided by Pottawattamie Conservation Foundation.
Loess Hills Prairie Seed Harvest
Sunday, September 20, 2026
6:00-7:30pm
Hitchcock Nature Center
27792 Ski Hill Loop
Honey Creek, IA 51542
No experience necessary, but prepare for a short hike on rugged terrain.
Meet outside the Loess Hills Lodge at 6:00pm.
Park entrance fee is waived for volunteers.
Email [email protected] with questions.
Funding provided by Pottawattamie Conservation Foundation.
Sunday, September 20, 2026
6:00-7:30pm
Hitchcock Nature Center
27792 Ski Hill Loop
Honey Creek, IA 51542
No experience necessary, but prepare for a short hike on rugged terrain.
Meet outside the Loess Hills Lodge at 6:00pm.
Park entrance fee is waived for volunteers.
Email [email protected] with questions.
Funding provided by Pottawattamie Conservation Foundation.
Loess Hills Prairie Seed Harvest
Tuesday, September 22, 2026
5:30-7:00pm
Turin Wildlife Management Area
Turin, IA
Meet along Oak Avenue, about 1.5 miles northeast of Turin.
Click here for a Google map pin.
No experience necessary, but prepare for a short hike on rugged terrain.
Email [email protected] with questions.
Tuesday, September 22, 2026
5:30-7:00pm
Turin Wildlife Management Area
Turin, IA
Meet along Oak Avenue, about 1.5 miles northeast of Turin.
Click here for a Google map pin.
No experience necessary, but prepare for a short hike on rugged terrain.
Email [email protected] with questions.
Loess Hills Prairie Seed Harvest
Wednesday, October 14, 2026
5:30-7:00pm
Dorothy Pecaut Nature Center
4500 Sioux River Rd,
Sioux City, IA 51109
No experience necessary, but prepare for a short hike on rugged terrain.
Partnership with Woodbury County Conservation Board.
Email [email protected] with questions.
Wednesday, October 14, 2026
5:30-7:00pm
Dorothy Pecaut Nature Center
4500 Sioux River Rd,
Sioux City, IA 51109
No experience necessary, but prepare for a short hike on rugged terrain.
Partnership with Woodbury County Conservation Board.
Email [email protected] with questions.
Loess Hills Prairie Seed Harvest
Tuesday, October 20, 2026
5:30-6:30pm
O'Brien Prairie - Plymouth County
Southeast of Le Mars on Noble Ave. & 260th Street
Click here for a Google map pin.
in partnership with Plymouth County Conservation Board and Iowa Prairie Network.
No experience necessary, but prepare for a short hike on rugged terrain.
Information about the prairie: This 40-acre black soil virgin prairie is situated in the heart of the farming region of Plymouth County. These native tall grasses and flowers survived through the efforts of Erma O’Brien. Her heirs, in order to protect the prairie and make a lasting memorial, donated the prairie to the Plymouth County Conservation Board. The prairie is open to hiking, hunting and enjoyment of wildflowers. It is a great place for photographers and native prairie enthusiasts. O’Brien Prairie was donated to Plymouth County in 1988, when Wayne Simington inherited the land from the Erma O’Brien estate. The land originally came into the O’Brien family sometime between the Civil War and World War I. If you take a walk through to the prairie, it is likely that you could see between 50 and 100 different species of forbs (wildflowers) and grasses.
Email [email protected] with questions.
Tuesday, October 20, 2026
5:30-6:30pm
O'Brien Prairie - Plymouth County
Southeast of Le Mars on Noble Ave. & 260th Street
Click here for a Google map pin.
in partnership with Plymouth County Conservation Board and Iowa Prairie Network.
No experience necessary, but prepare for a short hike on rugged terrain.
Information about the prairie: This 40-acre black soil virgin prairie is situated in the heart of the farming region of Plymouth County. These native tall grasses and flowers survived through the efforts of Erma O’Brien. Her heirs, in order to protect the prairie and make a lasting memorial, donated the prairie to the Plymouth County Conservation Board. The prairie is open to hiking, hunting and enjoyment of wildflowers. It is a great place for photographers and native prairie enthusiasts. O’Brien Prairie was donated to Plymouth County in 1988, when Wayne Simington inherited the land from the Erma O’Brien estate. The land originally came into the O’Brien family sometime between the Civil War and World War I. If you take a walk through to the prairie, it is likely that you could see between 50 and 100 different species of forbs (wildflowers) and grasses.
Email [email protected] with questions.
Previous 2026 Events
Loess Hills Prairie Seed Harvest
Thursday, August 27, 2026
6:30-8:00pm
Murray Hill Scenic Overlook
1634 Co Rd F20
Little Sioux, IA 51545
No experience necessary, but prepare for a short hike on rugged terrain.
Meet in the parking lot at 6:30pm.
Thank you to Harrison County Conservation Board for partnering on this seed harvest!
Email [email protected] with questions.
Loess Hills Prairie Seed Harvest
Thursday, August 6, 2026
6:30-8:00pm
Hitchcock Nature Center
27792 Ski Hill Loop
Honey Creek, IA 51542
No experience necessary, but prepare for a short hike on rugged terrain. Wear bug spray, as it's prime tick season!
Meet outside the Loess Hills Lodge at 6:30pm.
Park entrance fee is waived for volunteers.
Email [email protected] with questions.
Funding provided by Pottawattamie Conservation Foundation.
Thursday, August 6, 2026
6:30-8:00pm
Hitchcock Nature Center
27792 Ski Hill Loop
Honey Creek, IA 51542
No experience necessary, but prepare for a short hike on rugged terrain. Wear bug spray, as it's prime tick season!
Meet outside the Loess Hills Lodge at 6:30pm.
Park entrance fee is waived for volunteers.
Email [email protected] with questions.
Funding provided by Pottawattamie Conservation Foundation.
Loess Hills Prairie Seed Harvest
Tuesday, July 7, 2026
6:30-8:00pm
Hitchcock Nature Center
27792 Ski Hill Loop
Honey Creek, IA 51542
We'll be targeting early-blooming prairie species such as June grass and sedges.
No experience necessary, but prepare for a short hike on rugged terrain. Wear bug spray, as it's prime tick season!
Meet outside the Loess Hills Lodge at 6:30pm.
Park entrance fee is waived for volunteers.
Email [email protected] with questions.
Funding provided by Pottawattamie Conservation Foundation.
Tuesday, July 7, 2026
6:30-8:00pm
Hitchcock Nature Center
27792 Ski Hill Loop
Honey Creek, IA 51542
We'll be targeting early-blooming prairie species such as June grass and sedges.
No experience necessary, but prepare for a short hike on rugged terrain. Wear bug spray, as it's prime tick season!
Meet outside the Loess Hills Lodge at 6:30pm.
Park entrance fee is waived for volunteers.
Email [email protected] with questions.
Funding provided by Pottawattamie Conservation Foundation.
Join Golden Hills for our first seed harvest of 2026!
Wednesday, May 27
6:00-7:30pm
Hitchcock Nature Center
27792 Ski Hill Loop
Honey Creek, IA 51542
We'll be collecting early-blooming prairie and woodland species.
No experience necessary, but prepare for a short hike on rugged terrain. Wear bug spray, as it's prime tick season!
Meet outside the Loess Hills Lodge at 6:0pm.
Park entrance fee is waived for volunteers.
Email [email protected] with questions.
Funding provided by Pottawattamie Conservation Foundation.
Wednesday, May 27
6:00-7:30pm
Hitchcock Nature Center
27792 Ski Hill Loop
Honey Creek, IA 51542
We'll be collecting early-blooming prairie and woodland species.
No experience necessary, but prepare for a short hike on rugged terrain. Wear bug spray, as it's prime tick season!
Meet outside the Loess Hills Lodge at 6:0pm.
Park entrance fee is waived for volunteers.
Email [email protected] with questions.
Funding provided by Pottawattamie Conservation Foundation.
Previous 2026 Events
2025 Events
Seed Harvest Summary for Volunteers
The list below includes a summary of some of the targeted species we are seeking in 2022. Pottawattamie Conservation staff helped make this list, which includes species with a Coefficient of Conservatism score of 4 or higher, and those documented at Hitchcock Nature Center. Click the image for the interactive spreadsheet, or download a pdf of it here.
View the full Loess Hills plants database here.
This includes all species documented through several inventories in the Loess Hills region, including native and non-native. It has information about where species grow, when they bloom, and much more.