Description
Why You Should Visit
This preserve is a great place to experience rugged Mississippi River bluffs covered with dry prairies and oak openings. It is home to bald eagles and other raptors, red-headed woodpeckers and migratory songbirds like the cerulean warbler.
Enjoy the beauty of this stunning Mississippi River bluffland preserve.
What TNC Has Done/Is Doing
In May 2012, The Nature Conservancy protected the land formerly owned by Dwight and Aimee Hemion. Dwight Hemion grew up in New York City and Los Angeles but fell in love with the land his grandfather farmed in Nelson on the Mississippi River. He eventually moved to Wisconsin to help his grandfather work the land in Nelson and on the home farm near Alma.
Initial work to protect the land in Buffalo County started in 2009, when the Hemions met with staff of the Mississippi Valley Conservancy (MVC), a land trust dedicated to providing permanent protection for important natural lands in the Mississippi River Valley. Before they could finalize a plan to protect the land, Dwight passed away. Aimee Hemion continued to work with MVC on a conservation plan. After years of work on the project, MVC needed assistance to secure the necessary funding, and TNC stepped in to help.
Now known as Wandering Rock SNA, this property was permanently gifted to Mississippi Valley Conservancy in July 2025. The transfer was the final step in a long-term stewardship plan for the site, marking the culmination of over a decade of planning and collaboration between TNC and MVC. Please visit MVC’s website for current property information and access details.