Dana says another fascinating feature of Rothsay is salt grass, a plant rarely found in the Midwest but common on the East and West coasts. Because the area lacks enough rainfall to wash salts deep into the ground, the salts build up and create saline soil. Plants must either adapt to these harsh conditions or die. Running roughly 9 miles from north to south, Rothsay contains approximately 15 square miles of prairie and fen. It's big, flat country where you can see long distances.
Human visitors are perhaps the rarest species of all.
On the map, Dana points out that few roads run near Rothsay. The first moose I ever saw was in Rothsay. He suspects the big mammals follow beach ridges south from wild lands in Clay and Norman counties. Sandhill cranes also use the wet prairie during their fall and spring migrations. The Rothsay area is famous for its prairie chickens.