Houston’s Heartland:The Coastal PrairieChallenges and Promise

Jaime González, Community education Manager, KPC

Katy Prairie

Warren Ranch

Jack

Rd.

Sou

th

Jack

Rd.

Nor

th

Warren Ranch So.

Cypress Creek

Preserve

Nelson Farms

Hebert

Mary Manor

NORTH

Other Protected LandsKPC Owned

JACK ROAD

KA

TY-H

OC

KLE

Y R

OA

D

HOUSE & HAHL ROAD

SHARP ROAD

SHARP ROAD

PATT

ISO

N R

OA

D

HEBERT ROAD

MORRISON ROAD

FM 529

FM 3

62

FM 529

FM 2

855

BullerSouth

Buller/Bing

Indi

angr

ass

290

CYPRESS CREEK

Protected Properties on the Katy Prairie

Coastal Prairies: Houston’s Heartlandabout katy prairie conservancy and the katy prairie

3CoastalPrairiePartnership.org

Coastal Prairies: Houston’s Heartlandabout cpp

Which of the following termscan be used to accurately describe prairies?

Circle all words and concepts that apply

DryWetColdHotWarmShrubbyFlatRollingColorful DrabReptiles

WorldwideSunnyShadedTick-freeWindyNot breezyHumidAridVaried MonotonousBirds

Snake infestedSunnyAnt infestedYoung ecosystemAncient ecosystemFire dependentFire independentCommonSquirrelsMiceAmphibians

Activity 1

What is a Prairie?A Landscape Lexicon

5

Where is here?History of the prairie in our area

6

Houston on first impressionVoices from the Past

Forest-Savannah-Prairie GradientsFrom the Tallgrass Restoration Handbook

Where is Here?It’s Part of an Ancient System

The grassland that help win Texas. The tallgrass prairie, which was “as tall as a horse’s belly”, found at San Jacinto allowed the Texians to sneak up on the unsuspecting Mexican Army at San Jacinto

WHERE IS HERE?THE PRAIRIE: SAM HOUSTON’S SECRET

WHERE IS HERE?IT STARTED WITH THE SOIL

WHERE IS HERE?RANCHING THE HEARTLAND

Black cowboys on Galveston Island - 1870s

Warren Ranch - 1920s Pre-Civil War Cattle Trail Post-Civil War Cattle Trail (Chisholm)

WHERE IS HERE?FARMING THE HEARTLAND

Bringing in the Harvest in Wharton County- Early 1900s

Seabrook 1907League City 1920sPearland 1920

WHERE IS HERE?THE WIDESPREAD HEARTLAND

Rice University circa 1916 Tomball at six months

Katy 1912 Tanglewood 1950’s

Arkansas YuccaYucca arkansana Photo by Roseanne Romero

Prairies are DiverseEcology, Geology, and Biodiversity

Long-billed CurlewNumenius americanusPhoto by Greg Lavaty

15

Prairie DistributionA Meteorological Explanation

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Tallgrass Prairies – grows 8 feet ; receive between 28-56”of rain annually

Mixed Grass – grows to be 2 to 3 feet ; receive 20-28” rain annually

Short Grass Prairie – grows up to 2 feet ; receive between 10-20” annually

Prairies are diverseNorth American Prairie Types

Short-grass Prairie - Colorado

Tallgrass Prairie - Kansas Mixed-grass Prairie - Canada

Yellow IndiangrassPhoto by Carolyn Fannon

Little BluestemPhoto by Carolyn FannonSwitchgrass

Photo by Carolyn Fannon

Big BluestemPhoto by Jaime Gonzalez

Prairies are diverse They are Dominated by Grass

Prairies are home to over five hundred different species of wildflowers

The Coastal Prairie is dominated by members of the Sunflower, Pea, Parsley, Families and others.

Swamp SunflowersPhoto by Carolyn Fannon

Rattlesnake MasterPhoto by Larry Allain

Texas ConeflowerPhoto by Lisa Spangler

Indian PlantainPhoto by Carolyn Fannon

Prairies are diverseThey are Showy and Varied

A Tale of Three Flowers

Yellow Star Grass Blooms: SpringHeight: up to 8”

Texas ConeflowerBlooms: SummerHeight: Up to 5’ tall

Swamp SunflowerBlooms: FallHeight: Up to 10’ tall

• Layers– Root zone– Herbaceous Zone– Ground Zone• Seasonality is important to this system

Drawing from www.nativeamericanseed.com Candy Donahue explains roots

prairies are Diverse & Maybe not what you thinkThey are very deep

prairies are Diverse & Maybe not what you thinkThey are Wet!

Dragonfly nymph: Tiny terrorfarm2.static.flickr.com

Copepods: Eggs are easy to seewww.daphnia.webplatez.com

The term "pothole" is used up and down the coast to refer rather loosely to any freshwater depression. The difference between a pothole and a marsh is mostly size - marshes occur in larger and generally less well-defined depressions than potholes.

Cajun Chorus FrogUSGS Photo

prairies are Diverse & Maybe not what you thinkThey are Wet!

22

The term "pimple mound" is used to refer to small circular, sandy mounds that are from 2m-20 m in size. They are home to some of the most endangered and plants of the Coastal Prairie.

Camphor Daisywww.nbii.gov

Texas Windmill GrassCenter for Plant Conservation

prairies are Diverse & Maybe not what you thinkThey are not completely Flat

23Wesley Newman, KPC

prairies are Diverse & Maybe not what you thinkThey sometimes have odd geology

Natural fires were often started by lightening strikes. Many were set by American Indians

Red Buffalo: Fire is essential

Prescribed burns mimic nature fires

prairies are Diverse & Maybe not what you thinkThey depend on fire!

Medium and Small Grazing Animals

Invertebrates can have a profound effect

Vertebrates are sometimes opportunistic, sometimes

omnipresent

prairies are Diverse & Maybe not what you think...and Grazers

Activity 2

Prairie Nutrient CyclesThe Grazing Cycle

prairies are for the Birds { & butterflies, frogs,...}Bursting with sound

28

NorthernBobwhite

The Giving GrassThe Prairie’s Ecosystem services

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★ Passive recreation like birdwatching, horseback riding, etc.

★ Hunting - waterfowl, upland game birds

★ Ranching & Farming

★ Carbon sequestration

★ Biofuels of the future?

The Giving GrassWhat coastal prairies still do for us today

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The Historic Boundaries of the Katy Prairie

Water filtered by prairies result in rivers with a 90% reduction in bacteria!

The Giving GrassWhat coastal prairies still do for us today

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Monarch Butterfly

Paradise lost?Decline of the Houston’s Heartland

PARADISE LOST?OUR VANISHING HEARTLAND

★Habitat Conversion★Invasive Species★Urban Sprawl★Loss of Genetic Diversity

Dr. Evan Siemann, Rice University

Paradise Lost?Chines Tallow | Prairie Scourge

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FM

FM

Proposed

FM

ADDICKSRESERVOIR

BARKERRESERVOIR

HARRIS COUNTY

WALLER COUNTY

KATY

HOUSTON

Historic Limits of the Katy Prairie

Protected Properties

Public Ownership

Developed Area

2010

Pickerelweed

Paradise Lost?Our vanishing heartland

WHERE IS HERE?THE VANISHING HEARTLAND

Where is here?Ghosts of the Prairie

Many grassland birds are in steep decline

71%

77%

82%

Paradise Lost?Prairie birds take a dive

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return of the nativesTexans working to restore the prairie

Challenges in conservation

What we are doing★ Purchasing land

★ Plant rescues

★ Joint nursery initiatives

★ Exotic species control

Barrens SilkyAster

Return of the NativesTexans conserving & restoring their heartland

Project Blazing StarLooking across the flat prairie, Mrs. Palmer Hutcheson chose the lot on North Boulevard that had a single huiscahe tree growing on it. This huisache tree had always been used to tie up horses by the young men riding out from town to shoot prairie chickens.

-Marguerite JohnstonFrom Houston: The Unknown City - 1836 - 1946

Return of the NativesNEW TOOLS: HIGHLY VISIBLE PRAIRIE RESTORATION SITES

Return of the NativesTexans conserving & restoring their heartland

Return of the NativesHIGHLY VISIBLE PRAIRIE RESTORATION SITES

Knot-root BristlegrassSetaria geniculataPhoto by Carolyn Fannon

Return of the NativesHIGHLY VISIBLE PRAIRIE RESTORATION SITES

The HandbookIn 2010 we launched this new online resource for volunteer seed growers. Videos feature Tom Solomon.

Return of the NativesINFORMATIONAL RESOURCES

ABOUT PRAIRIE BLAZING STAR OR LIATRISFlying takes a lot of energy! Whether you are a monarch, a swallowtail butterfly, a bee, or a hummingbird you need flowers that provide high amounts of sugars.

Fortunately blazing stars (also known as Liatris) provide rich nectar which is high in sugar. The beautiful purple flowers make this prairie native easy to spot for prairie insects and make a very enjoyable flower for gardens and as cut flowers.

Phot

os b

y C

arol

yn F

anno

n

I’m a Monarch...

...and I need Prairie Blazing Star!

AMAZING MIGRATORMonarch butterflies are amazing animals. Each year they travel (migrate), over several generations, thousands of miles between their winter home in Mexico and their summer homes in the United States and Canada.

Along the way they stop to feed on the nectar of flowers and lay eggs on milkweed plants.

Their bright orange color warns birds and other predators that they are poisonous!

SEEDS

45

What is the Great Grow Out?The Great Grow Out is a citizen-conservation program that relies on garden clubs, Texas Master Naturalists, Scouts, civic organizations, schools and other citizens to grow out prairie plants for prairie restoration

2010 results★ Over 300 volunteer growers for KPC / Hermann Park

★ Approximately 4000 plants grown

★ Over 2000 plants planted already

2011 Goals★ Over 400 volunteer growers for KPC / Hermann Park

★ Approximately 6000 plants to be grown

★ 8 public and private schools to participate

★ Even more involvement from garden clubs

Rough Coneflower

Return of the NativesA Growing Movement

Return of the NativesFINDING PROPERTY & SEED SOURCES

Coastal Prairie 101 has launched!

★ Place-based prairie lessons needed for both formal and informal educators

★ Must use technology smartly!★ Teacher workshops begin September 10

★ We need to develop historical-cultural-biological storyline(s) to “justify” the prairie

HeartlandH o u s t o n ’ sPrairie

C o a s t a l

Return of the NativesTEACHING THE PRAIRIE

3rdANNUAL

The Garden Club of Houston

Workshops, lectures, and field experiences for ranchers, restorationists, educators, and individuals working to build prairies for wildlife, cattle, ecotourism, and urban and suburban environments.

State of THE Prairie

C O N F E R E N C EC O N F E R E N C EC O N F E R E N C E N O V . 1 8 - 1 9 , 2 0 1 1 • H O U S T O N , T E X A S N O V . 1 8 - 1 9 , 2 0 1 1 • H O U S T O N , T E X A S N O V . 1 8 - 1 9 , 2 0 1 1 • H O U S T O N , T E X A S N O V . 1 8 - 1 9 , 2 0 1 1 • H O U S T O N , T E X A S

3rdANNUAL

GENEROUSLY SPONSORED BY

Bluestem Environmental Consultants

Generous IndividualSupporters

SPEAKERS

! Doug Ladd, Nature Conservancy of Missouri - National prairie expert

! Bill Neiman, Owner -Native American Seed Company

! Emily Manderson, LBJ Wildflower Center - Urban landscaping with prairie grasses and wildflowers

! Miles Phillips, Texas A&M - Ecotourism opportunities for prairie owners

! Clifford Carter, Ranching consultant - Prairies and cattle production

! Greg Green, Ducks Unlimited - Building prairie wetlands for waterfowl and wildlife

! and many more great speakers...

BUILDING PRAIRIES:FROM YOUR BACKYARD TO THE BACK 40

CO-HOSTED BY

Registration and Full Conference Details @ www.CoastalPrairiePartnership.org

This Year’s Speakers

PARTICIPATING INSTITUTIONS

Return of the NativesTexans conserving & restoring their heartland

Please put on your 3D glasses

Return of the Nativesseeing the prairie in new ways

★ Attend this year’s prairie conference or go to the website

★ Grow plants for the Great Grow Out

★ Donate to a local prairie group

★ Tell folks about the prairie Big Bluestem

Andropogon gerardii

Photo by Carolyn Fannon

HELPING THE HEARTLAND

WHAT YOU CAN DO

Which of the following termscan be used to accurately describe prairies?

Circle all words and concepts that apply

DryWetColdHotWarmShrubbyFlatRollingColorful DrabReptiles

WorldwideSunnyShadedTick-freeWindyNot breezyHumidAridVaried MonotonousBirds

Snake infestedSunnyAnt infestedYoung ecosystemAncient ecosystemFire dependentFire independentCommonSquirrelsMiceAmphibians

Activity 1

What is a Prairie?A Landscape Lexicon