Flora and Fauna
European settlers had cleared much of the land for farming, but this led to significant erosion on the steep slopes. The state forestry division had been planting nonnative as well as native trees to curtail the erosion and produce harvestable timber. Under the Division of Parks and Recreation, the plantations of nonnatives like red pine went against the policy of restoring a natural habitat. As a compromise, the nonnative trees are being harvested as they reach maturity and are being replaced with more appropriate vegetation.
High up on the sides of several bluffs are rare habitats called goat prairies by locals, because they are so steep it would seem only goats could graze on them. These patches of prairie grow only on slopes between 40 and 50 degrees which face south to southwest. This orientation catches prodigious amounts of sunlight, which in winter means the ground thaws daily and freezes nightly, retarding the establishment of any woody plants.
The park also contains an isolated stand of northern white cedar on Queen's Bluff, well south of its normal distribution. It arose during glacial periods and survived the subsequent warming of the local climate.
Read more about this topic: Great River Bluffs State Park
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