Autumn On The Prairie

15 th Annual Celebration of the Prairie

Franklin Grove , Illinois — The Nature Conservancy's Nachusa Grasslands preserve presents the 15th AUTUMN ON THE PRAIRIE festival on the third Saturday of September, September 18, 2004, from 10 a.m. till 5 p.m.

AUTUMN ON THE PRAIRIE showcases the results 18 years of restoration and conservation of Nachusa Grasslands.

Join a guided tour of prairie, wetlands and savannas starting every 20 minutes.

Or, take a self –guided tour to learn prairie plants at your leisure.

Share the experience of our ancestors by riding through the prairie on a horse-drawn wagon.

Other activities include live music, local artists at work, and a children's tent

Special features for this year:

•  Hike with the author of the book, Geology Underfoot in Illinois , Ray Wiggers. –

His book as well as many others will be available for sale on-site by Books on First (or at the store at 202 West First Street in Downtown Dixon – 815-285-2665)

•  Live raptor display.

•  Pottery demonstration of the techniques used 1,000 years ago by scientist Kelvin Sampson.

•  Demonstration of bird taxidermy, while you watch, with Barbara Williams.

•  Atl-atl spear throwing with Don Asp.

Open to the public. Donations are appreciated. Lunch and refreshments will be available for purchase. There is no rain date.

Nachusa Grasslands preserve is owned and operated by The Nature Conservancy, located at 8772 South Louden Road , 3 miles northwest of Franklin Grove, between Naylor and Stone Barn Roads.

For more information, call Bill Kleiman, Project Director, at 815-456-2340 or visit our web site at www.nature.org

The Nature Conservancy is a leading international, nonprofit organization that preserves plants, animals and natural communities representing the diversity of life on Earth by protecting the lands and waters they need to survive. To date, the Conservancy and its more than one million members have been responsible for the protection of more than 14 million acres in the United States and have helped preserve more than 83 million acres in Latin America, the Caribbean, Asia and the Pacific. Visit us on the Web at nature.org/illinois.