The area preserves one of the first major Civil War battlefields and the site of the first Union general killed in the war. A management goal of the battlefield is to restore the area's vegetation to its 1861 condition, and to keep historic fields open. Currently, about 400 of the proposed 1,000 acres have been restored to a level that can be maintained by the periodic use of prescribed fire or mowing. The additional 600 acres will be restored as funding allows. The battlefield features driving, hiking, biking and horse trails.
Prairie plants are ideal for low maintenance landscaping.
They are naturally adapted to survive local climate, rainfall and insect and other herbivores of Missouri. Using prairie plants in landscaping also is energy-efficient, since water, chemical and mowing needs are reduced or eliminated. Homeowners, businesses, highway departments and even airports are enjoying the benefits of landscaping with prairie plants. Conservation Nature Centers feature prairie plants in landscaping, and the Missouri Botanical Garden in St. Louis, the Shaw Arboretum in Gray Summit and Powell Gardens in Kansas City maintain prairie gardens. Prairie Landscaping Missouri Department of Conservation, Natural History Section, P.O. Box 180, Jefferson City, MO 65101.