Holland Sand Prairie

State Natural Area (No. 553)

Location: La Crosse County. T17N-R8W, Section 11. 61 acres.

Access: From the intersection of County DH (Main St) and E McHugh Court (County MH) on the northside of Holmen, go west on County MH 1.5 miles to a parking area south of the road.

Description: Situated on an expansive, gently-rolling Mississippi River sand terrace, Holland Sand Prairie protects the last sizable sand prairie remnant remaining between Trempealeau and Prairie du Chien. The prairie is diverse with nearly 150 native plant species identified to date. Large patches of uncommon plants such as prairie smoke, silky prairie clover, and sand dropseed are scattered throughout the site. Other species include little bluestem, side-oats grama, June grass, clasping milkweed, silky aster, prairie coreopsis, rough blazing-star, hairy puccoon, purple prairie clover, and goat’s-rue. Of note is the presence of the state-threatened Hill’s thistle (Cirsium hillii). The landscape also contains large vegetated “dunes” that are an extremely rare geological landform in the area, which were created thousands of years ago by wind-swept sands on the Mississippi River Terrace. The prairie has been heavily studied and used over the years by area students, teachers, and researchers. Very few comparable sites remain on the Wisconsin side of the Mississippi and most occur within railroad rights-of-way. Numerous individuals and groups collaborated to permanently protect this site including the citizens of Holland Township, Mississippi Valley Conservancy, and the Wisconsin DNR. Holland Sand Prairie is owned by Mississippi Valley Conservancy and was designated a State Natural Area in 2007.