Osage Prairie Natural Area
VERNON 6 Osage Prairie
Osage Prairie Natural Area
A 615-acre portion of the 1,466-acre Osage Prairie Conservation Area about five miles south of Nevada, part of Section 4, T34N, R31W, Nevada and Sheldon 7.5 min. topographic maps. Access is by foot from a parking lot on the conservation area. Designated December 20, 1971, August 26, 1975, June 21, 1977 and January 24, 1986.
Natural Features
A large remnant of the tallgrass prairie ecosystem with high plant diversity in the Osage Plains Natural Division. Greater prairie chicken, northern harrier, short-eared owl, upland sandpiper, Henslow's sparrow, white-tailed deer and coyote are animals of this prairie. The soils vary from deep to shallow and are derived from sandstone and shale. Osage Prairie Natural Area is owned by the Department of Conservation. Management consists of alternating treatments of haying, burning and resting of the prairie. For further information contact the Wildlife District Supervisor, Osage District Office, 722 E. Hwy 54, P.O. Box 106, El Dorado Springs, MO 64744, phone 417/876-5226.
