Free Parklands walk will spotlight native prairie plants

Native prairie plants at Jasper Parklands will take center stage Tuesday evening as the Invasive Species Awareness Coalition of Dubois County and the City of Jasper Parks Department host a free Parklands Prairie Walk. The two-hour program runs from 6:30 p.m. to 8:30 p.m. at Jasper Parklands, 800 W. 15th St., and is built to show residents what prairie restoration looks like on the ground in Jasper.

The walk is expected to give people a close look at the native prairie plants growing at the park and the history of how a former golf course was turned into a rich ecological landscape. That setting matters in Dubois County, where the Parklands has become a visible example of how public land can be used for recreation, education and conservation at the same time. Instead of a classroom lecture, the on-site format lets visitors see the plantings, the habitat work and the changing landscape for themselves.

The prairie walk has also become a recurring draw. Dubois County Free Press previously reported a Parklands Prairie Walk on July 9, 2025, and another in an earlier year on July 26, showing the event has settled into the park’s conservation calendar. That same coverage said the walk usually attracts more than 50 people, while a separate report said the program grew from 40 to 60 participants and expanded from one hour to two hours because of strong community response.

The Parklands is also part of a broader restoration effort that has included prescribed burns intended to help native wildflowers thrive and remove invasive species. After successful burns in 2024, Jasper Park and Recreation expanded the program in 2025 to help native species thrive in the city’s largest park. Those burns, along with public programs like the prairie walk, reflect a practical approach to conservation that pairs habitat management with public education.

ISAC’s statewide cooperative invasives-management listing says the coalition focuses on identification, public awareness, mapping and eradication of invasive species in Dubois County, and lists its operating location as the Dubois County Soil and Water Conservation District office in Jasper. With the June 30 walk, that work will be brought out into the open, where residents can see how prairie restoration, invasive species control and public green space connect across Jasper and Dubois County.