2008-present: The Engeseth-Rinde Site
Motivation for Conservation
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What happens to a farm when there is no one left in the family willing to farm it? Many farms in Rice County are facing this question. Once the answer would have been to sell or rent the land to another farmer. But increasingly farm families are considering preserving their legacy through conservation. That was Don Nelson's decision.
Through his early years of contact, Don Nelson formed an attachment to the land and a deep desire for the property to be protected. This desire led him to place it in conservation when no one in the family was in a position to take care of the farm.
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From Farm to Prairie
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First, Don put in place conservation easements on the property to block future development. In 2015, he donated the land to Northfield Shares, with the understanding that they would sell it to the Minnesota Department of Natural Resources (DNR). The site was added to the Prairie Creek WMA in 2015.
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Don Nelson has also donated two other properties to the DNR, which have become the Spring Creek and Rock Dell WMAs.
The Future of Engeseth-Rinde
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Currently most of the land is rented out to a local farmer and will be restored to native habitat over a period of around ten years. Work is already in progress to open up the property for public use. Over the coming years, the current crops and woods will gradually return to prairie, wetland and oak savanna.
Explore the prairie history by navigating the different periods of the site using the table of contents below.