Marietta Sand Prairie

The original 17-acre Marietta Sand Prairie site was purchased in June 1983 and dedicated as a State Preserve September 6, 1984. Funds for this purchase were made available through a generous donation from Janet Paterson. An addition in 2006 of 212-acres to Marietta Sand Prairie was made possible by partnering with Iowa Natural Heritage Foundation, Martha-Ellen Tye Foundation, Pheasants Forever, REAP, Iowa Prairie Network, and donations from many others. This unique property contains nearly 56 acres of sand prairie remnant. Sand prairie is among the rarest of prairie types and comprises only a few hundred acres of Iowa’s 35 million acres. Moreover, it contains small fens, which are a rare, spring-fed type of wetland with saturated soil. Of the more than 200 plant species found in fens, about five percent are listed as threatened or endangered.