The public is invited to take part in a dedication of the Missouri Prairie Foundation’s Goodnight-Henry Prairie, a 40-acre original, unplowed prairie south of Sedalia on Saturday, October 1. This free event includes guided hikes, member election of board members, complimentary social hour, silent auction, and optional barbecue dinner (for purchase). Tent camping will be available Saturday evening. Please RSVP here.
“We look forward to sharing Missouri’s prairie legacy with visitors as we formally dedicate Goodnight-Henry Prairie,” said MPF Board President David Young. In 2021, the Missouri Chapter of The Nature Conservancy (TNC) donated three properties to MPF, including this 40-acre prairie in Pettis County. The other two TNC-donated properties are Shelton L. Cook Meadow Memorial Meadow in Barton County and Rockhill Prairie in Benton County.
Goodnight-Henry Prairie honors the last names of two female family members of Mrs. Franklin, the donor of the land to TNC in 1991. Goodnight-Henry Prairie is within a Missouri Conservation Opportunity Area and an Audubon Important Bird Area—a key region for landscape-scale prairie and native grassland conservation. This 40-acre, unplowed, gently rolling dry-mesic chert prairie has a prairie swale and more than 200 documented plant species, with at least 28 that are dependent on prairie. Recent surveys have also documented populations of the state-listed regal fritillary butterfly. This site provides important habitat for these butterflies, which aso travel to other protected prairies in the area, including MPF’s Friendly Prairie, Drovers’ Prairie, and Lordi Marker Prairie. Another animal of conservation concern—the northern crawfish frog—has been recorded here as well.
The October 1 event schedule:
2:00 p.m.-2:45 p.m. & 3:00 p.m.-3:45 p.m. Guided hikes with Missouri Prairie Foundation Vice President of Science & Management Bruce Schuette and Director of Prairie Management Jerod Huebner
4:00 p.m. Dedication of Goodnight-Henry Prairie (under an open-air tent)
4:45 p.m.-5:00 p.m. Annual Member meeting: MPF members vote for director nominees
5:00 p.m. Social hour with complimentary wine, beer, and soft drinks
6:00 p.m. Optional, ticketed barbecue dinner: Pulled pork, brisket, potato casserole, coleslaw, baked beans, dessert. MPF lifetime members: Free. Members: $20 (12 & under: $15); Non-members: $25. Entree salad with plant-based protein available upon request for $18. This is to be a zero-waste event, with compostable and/or recyclable dinnerware.
MPF is grateful to the Patterson Family Foundation and Randy Washburn for their support of this event.
Please RSVP here. Directions to Goodnight-Henry Prairie: The prairie is located along Rt. U, just south of the intersection with Rt. V, east of Hwy. 65 and approximately 6 miles south of Sedalia, in Pettis County, MO.
To learn more about MPF’s fundraising efforts for long-term stewardship of Goodnight-Henry Prairie, Shelton L. Cook Memorial Meadow, and Rockhill Prairie, and to make a tax-deductible donation, visit https://moprairie.org/2022/07/01/2022-mpf-marker-match/.
