It's easy to fall in love with the landscape of northeast Iowa, especially as a biologist.

Color map of 5-mile campus natural areas loop trail

Description and black & white map of 5-mile campus natural areas loop trail

Because Luther College sits at the border between the eastern forests and tallgrass prairies, the area immediately around campus supports diverse biological communities. The most recent glaciers missed our part of Iowa, so the topography here is rugged with deep river valleys, limestone bluffs, and steep hillside prairies.

Luther students can observe rates of beetle colonization of restored prairies, analyze the effects of land use on macro-invertebrate communities of the Upper Iowa river, or study the effect of herbivores on spring wildflowers in oak-hickory forests--all while still on the 800-acre campus.

Anderson Prairie is a 25 acre reconstructed tallgrass prairie located immediately across College Drive from the biology department near Baker Village. 

Hickory Ridge Woods is an oak-hickory forest located NE of Anderson Prairie.

Roslien Woodlands is used for field studies and recreational activities such as hiking, cross-country skiing, and horseback riding.  Luther College dedicated Roslien Woodlands, a 105-acre hillside tract, for outdoor education, recreation, and biological research.  Named for David Roslien, Vice President Emeritus for College Advancement, Dave was a long-time Luther professor of biology.

Lindeman Pond (shown at top of page) is a small man-made pond located at the bottom of the hill near the Luther soccer pitch.  Used by the microbiology and invertebrate zoology courses, this pond has nice populations of painted turtles, spring peepers, and bluegill.

Upper Iowa River runs through the Luther College property and Decorah and is responsible for the beautiful Oneota Valley we enjoy.  This river is a popular location for canoeing, kayaking, tubing, and fishing.  Classes such as invertebrate zoology monitor benthic macroinvertebrates within the river.

Gateway Prairie is a 39 acre reconstructed prairie established on the Upper Iowa River floodplain in 2005 to help reduce soil erosion and increase water retention during flood events. This prairie also contains over one mile of cross country trails, and is used for research by Luther students studying prairie ecology. 

Lionberger Environmental Preserve--located approximately five miles west of Luther on the south side of Poleline Road, this 183-acre tract includes upland oak-hickory forest, Ten Mile Creek, a spring-fed pond, flood-plain forest, and several open grassland areas.  This site was a gift from Paul ('49) and Justine (Holum) Lionberger ('50) of Decorah.

Freeport Marsh is a 7-acre site located on the east side of Decorah adjacent to the Upper Iowa River and includes a spring-fed cattail marsh and skunk cabbage.