South Dakota’s Prairie Fest 2026

If you spend a day on the South Dakota prairie with its rustling grasses, bright blooms, open skies, and rich wildlife, then it’s easy to understand why so many people are passionate about conserving it. Grasslands are vibrant natural landscapes with great ecological, cultural, and economic importance. South Dakota was once almost entirely covered by grasslands and native prairie. Today, less than half of this original ecosystem remains.

At Good Earth State Park southeast of Sioux Falls, the South Dakota Grasslands Coalition hosted a free, all-ages event to celebrate grasslands last August. The public was invited to explore, learn, and celebrate together with many conservation partners as we acknowledged that this rich native landscape provides benefits that touch the lives of every South Dakotan.

Prairie Fest started with “early bird” activities including a bird walk, bird banding demonstration, and prairie tour. Audubon Great Plains’ own Jason “the Birdnerd” St. Sauver helped lead the birding walk while sharing about the importance of grasslands. The group found the on-site feeders busy with Ruby-throated Hummingbirds and American Goldfinches before walking the prairie trails to find several migrating warbler species, Baltimore Orioles, and even a female Northern Cardinal being removed from a mist net and then banded.

Later, the Birdnerd presented on the concerning decline of grassland birds and how everyone can help by encouraging the use of native plants, supporting groups like Audubon and the SD Grasslands Coalition, and also by being aware of local, state, and federal programs supporting healthy grasslands across the Great Plains.

Audubon Great Plains’ Director of Conservation, Joshua Lefers, and Coordinator of Outreach, Kelly Tebben, were at the event to engage attendees in conversations about grassland birds with a variety of topics: habitat, diet, migration, rangeland programs, and more. Participants were also able to interact with the world of birds at the Audubon Great Plains booth by competing in the Bird Olympics (How many times can you flap your arms in 10 seconds?) or trying to “fill the bill” with a Bird Beak Adaptations activity (How do birds crack open seeds or get worms out of the dirt with just their beaks?).

Why did attendees specifically come to the event? Perhaps to explore the beautiful prairie? Participate in fun hands-on activities? Learn amazing facts about birds? Toe-tap to live music while eating tasty local foods? Win cool prizes? We can’t be sure! However, one thing we are confident about is that Prairie Fest was a huge success in bringing together the community and engaging all attendees in promoting a passion for grasslands across the Great Plains.