The Sand Coulee is a rare example of dry prairie in Minnesota’s Dakota County. At the time of a biological survey in 1992-1994, only about 550 acres of prairie still remained in the county, with the Sand Coulee, located near Hastings, containing the largest prairie remnant.

With assistance from Friends of the Mississippi River and the Dakota County Farmland and Natural Areas Program, the Minnesota Department of Natural Resources recently acquired 76 acres of the Sand Coulee, which forms the state’s newest Scientific and Natural Area.

Friends of the Mississippi River will continue to work with the DNR to carry out natural resources management and restoration on the SNA.

Read more about the story behind the Sand Coulee Scientific and Natural Area.