Written descriptions of events will be posted here:
Burn Season April 20-22, 2026
All the stars aligned from April 20-22nd and Prairie Smoke members were able to finish 5 burns.
One burn was finished near St. Charles on Monday, starting the week off on the right foot.
On Tuesday we had a good turnout for our burn near Chatfield, with 13 people including 4 first-timers to help with this tricky burn on 9 sloped acres. The best burns are boring, and this burn mostly required monitoring as the good burn breaks did most of the containment work. Conditions were perfect and we got a very good burn on all but the greenest patches.
After a short break to refuel drip torches, sprayers and bellies, 9 people were able to stay for the afternoon burn at the neighboring property. Conditions dictated that we limit the burn to only one of the 3 targeted fields, and that was finished with only 2 minor (but "exciting") escapes from the burn breaks. Afterwards we enjoyed some relaxing refreshments and conversation to unwind after a successful day.
The following day provided suitable conditions for a burn near Potsdam with 5 volunteers, only 3 miles from where one of the recent tornados had caused some of the damage in Olmsted county. Luckily, this burn was able to proceed in Olmsted county despite fire restrictions in counties to the west. One highlight was watching a pair of Hungarian Partridge flush from the area to be burned and fly to an unburned section of the property. That was a good reminder of the value of doing burns in sections to leave some habitat undisturbed.
Fillmore SWCD Forestry Field Day March 21, 2026
Kvanli family farm
We had a beautiful day to tour the 160 acre Kvanli (pronounced KWANLEE) family farm and learn about how they have implemented the Woodland Stewardship plan written by a local forester. Alex Kvanli gave an excellent presentation and overview of their operation including activities practiced by the entire family (maple syrup and apple cider production, fossil hunting, bowhunting) and the general conservation stewardship of the property that Alex has done almost single-handedly, with of course some help from his family. We had a 2 mile hiking tour of the farm to see the results of his war on invasives, woodland canopy improvements, apple tree planting, food plot and switchgrass screening plantings, and the sugar bush where 120 maples are tapped each spring. The highlight of the tour (for me!) was the stunning view from the top of a sheer 80ft cliff overlooking a bend in Deer Creek. The information shared by Alex, Jen Wahls (a Prairie Smoke member and private forester) and several other participants was really useful and practical, and the results on this beautiful property were truly impressive.
If you are interested in learning more about government conservation programs available to landowners, Pheasants Forever has partnered with Olmsted County to offer a meeting on March 17th where you can find out about a wide range of programs. Note they do request registration for the event to help with planning.
"Your Land, Your Legacy"
Who: Landowners & managers
What: Conservation options for landowners
When: Tuesday March 17th, 2026 8:30-10:30AM
Where: Olmsted County Service Center
1188 50th St SE
Rochester, MN 55904
Donuts & Coffee provided!
Topics include:
CRP Program Basics & Eligibility
CRP Practice Options
NCRS Program Options
Forestry Program Options
Selling Land to Conservation
Please Register at:
Questions?
Contact Allison Papenfuss
507-418-6025