Taberville Prairie Conservation Area

Taberville Prairie Conservation Area
IUCN category V (protected landscape/seascape)[1]
Map showing the location of Taberville Prairie Conservation Area
Map showing the location of Taberville Prairie Conservation Area
Location within Missouri
Map showing the location of Taberville Prairie Conservation Area
Map showing the location of Taberville Prairie Conservation Area
Location within United States
LocationSt. Clair County, Missouri
Nearest cityRockville, Missouri
Coordinates38°02′21″N 93°58′35″W / 38.0393°N 93.9763°W / 38.0393; -93.9763
Area1,680 acres (6.8 km2)
Established1971
Governing bodyMissouri Department of Conservation

The Taberville Prairie Conservation Area is a 1,680-acre (685-hectare) unit, including a 1,360-acre tallgrass prairie which is a natural area located in St. Clair County in the U.S. state of Missouri.[2] The conservation area is characterized by rolling tallgrass prairie, with outcrops of sandstone.[3] The Taberville Prairie, located within the conservation area, is a National Natural Landmark.[4]

The Taberville Prairie Conservation Area is maintained under the jurisdiction of the Missouri Department of Conservation (MDOC). MDOC maintains the property parcels that make up the conservation area for outdoor enjoyments, hiking, shotgun hunting, and deer hunting.[2] The Conservation Area was created by law in 1975, by which time less than one percent of the original prairie land of Missouri remained to be preserved.[4] Endangered species, including species that are critically endangered in Missouri, associated with Taberville Prairie include the greater prairie chicken.[5]

References

  1. ^ Protected Area Profile for Taberville Prairie Conservation Area from the World Database on Protected Areas. Retrieved May 10 2023.
  2. ^ a b "Taberville Prairie Conservation Area". mdc.mo.gov. Missouri Department of Conservation. Retrieved May 9, 2023.
  3. ^ Winckler, Suzanne (1997). The Smithsonian Guides to Natural America: The Heartland - Illinois, Iowa, Nebraska, Kansas, and Missouri. p. 241. ISBN 0-679-76481-X.
  4. ^ a b "Taberville Prairie". mdc.mo.gov. Missouri Department of Conservation. Retrieved May 9, 2023.
  5. ^ Younker, Emily (May 2, 2019). "Prairie chickens disappearing from Southwest Missouri". Joplin Globe. Joplin, Mo. Retrieved May 9, 2023.