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Our Prairie

Prairies Save Water and Mitigate Flooding

If you drive by the Middle or High School, you’ll notice pockets of prairie grass and wildflowers growing around the buildings in the spring and summer. 

The prairie around the two buildings helps replace the green space that the high school was built on, but it also plays a big part in stormwater management for the schools.

 

Prairies, thanks to their deep root systems, are thirsty. Some plants can extend their roots 14 feet underground! 

Those deep roots create wells that hold rainwater and then slowly release it. The effect is that it absorbs and filters rainwater and helps reduce erosion, runoff, and flooding. 

Prairies are also drought-resistant. The plants dry out more slowly in dry spells and are less combustible compared to other plants, providing some fire security to areas where they are planted. 

Previous Burns

Intense flames engulf a parking lot, with the fire raging against a backdrop of a dark, forested area.
The image depicts a scene of a controlled burn or prescribed fire in a wooded area, with flames and smoke visible in the foreground and people in the background.
The image depicts a scene of a controlled burn or prescribed fire in a wooded area, with flames and smoke visible in the foreground and people in the background.
A vast expanse of smoke and flames engulfs the landscape, with trees and a parking lot visible in the foreground.
A paved parking lot with yellow lines and markings, surrounded by trees, with a fire burning in the distance.
Two individuals in yellow safety vests stand in front of a brick wall with a bare tree in the background.
A paved walkway leads through a wooded area, with smoke or mist rising from the ground in the background.
A dirt path winds through a field of tall, dry grass, with a grassy area visible in the background.
A foggy, rural landscape with a dirt road winding through a grassy field, surrounded by bare trees in the background.
A dirt road winds through a wooded area, with fallen branches and debris lining the edges of the path.
A dirt road winds through a wooded area, with steam or mist rising from the ground in the foreground.
Two firefighters in protective gear are using a tool to burn dry vegetation along the sidewalk in front of a building.
A brick building with large windows stands in the background, surrounded by a grassy area and a set of stairs leading up to the entrance.
A grassy area with freshly turned soil in the foreground, surrounded by bare trees and a brick building in the background under a clear blue sky.

Controlled Burns Help Prairies Thrive

Prairies are fire-dependent ecosystems that rely on regular controlled burns to continue to thrive. In addition, the burns remove invasive plants from the beds and allow new seed to be spread.

For each burn, the District hires a licensed vendor and coordinates dates and emergency plans with the police and fire departments. 

The short burns produce bursts of thick black smoke as they remove biomass from the prairie.

If you have any questions or concerns, please email info@sdsm.k12.wi.us or call 414-766-5000.

Location of SDSM Prairie Land and Burn Map

burn map