5]

REBUILD HOUSTON’S HEARTLANDH O U S T O N U R B A N P R A I R I E I N I T I A T I V E

Cibalo Prairies on Buffalo Bayou Houston’s Largest Urban Prairie Takes Shape Near Downtown

SEED COLLECTING WINDOW: Summer 2012 through early fall 2013.

PROJECT DESCRIPTION: Through the establishment of a strong public‐private partnership led by the Buffalo Bayou Partnership (BBP), the City of Houston and Harris County Flood Control District, with catalyst funding from Houston’s

Kinder Foundation, a major enhancement project is underway to improve aesthetic and recreational opportunities along the Shepherd to Sabine segment of Buffalo Bayou while simultaneously regaining the waterway’s flood conveyance capacity and environmental qualities. 

One key feature of this transformation will be the creation of the Cibalo Prairies totaling 11+ acres. These plantings, formally known as meadows, will be a string of pocket prairies showcasing coastal prairie species and will greatly increase the general public’s access to native grasslands in the urban context.

This will be the largest urban prairie planting inside the 610 Loop - creating wonderful wild bird and butterfly habitat, giving Houstonians a link to their history, and providing a rich aesthetic tapestry along the banks of Houston’s signature waterway.

INITIATIVE BENEFICIARIES

FOOD FACTORY

Common Night Hawks and Brazilian Free-tail Bats, from the Waugh Street bat colony, will likely use these prairies as prime hunting grounds each summer.

Common NighthawkPhoto by Greg Lavaty

Brazilian Free-tailed BatPhoto by Merlin Tuttle

6]

REBUILD HOUSTON’S HEARTLANDH O U S T O N U R B A N P R A I R I E I N I T I A T I V E

M.D. Anderson PrairieHeal the People. Heal the Land.

SEED COLLECTING WINDOW: May 2012 through December 2013.

PROJECT DESCRIPTION: M.D. Anderson is planting two acres of prairie at the corner of Holcombe and Fannin in the heart of the world-famous Texas Medical Center. This planting will stand in the site of a recently demolished building for 3-5 years, educating people from around the world about our prairie. Before rebuilding on the site, plants will be redistributed to local public and private schools and City of Houston parks.

Signage at this site will be delivered in many languages to connect with the highly diverse population that visits, works, and are undergoes treatment at M.D. Anderson, one of the world’s premier cancer hospitals.

INITIATIVE BENEFICIARIES

+ Schools and Local Parks

SEED SEEKERS

Expect to see birds like this American Goldfinch visiting this new prairie in search of seeds from swamp sunflowers and other plants each winter.

American GoldfinchPhoto by Greg Lavaty

[7]

WANT TO SAVE THE PLANET? START AT HOME!A KPC citizen-conservation project for schools, scouts, garden clubs, churches, families, and individuals.

Why is the Great Grow Out needed?Animals need plants - but not just any plants. Our native wildlife does best when given plants that they’ve been in partnerships with for thousands of years - native plants. The best way of helping wildlife then is to make sure that there are plenty of native grasses, wildflowers, trees, and shrubs around for them to eat, get much needed water, and find shelter.

Unfortunately, few native plants are sold at local home improvement stores and that’s where you come in! Great Grow Out volunteers grow and nurture native plants at their homes so that they can be used in restoration projects on the Katy Prairie, at local pocket prariies, and even at schools who are enrolled in our Prairie Builders School initiative. You decide which location you want to grow for.

Volunteers are also highly encouraged to keep some plants for their own use - hey, it's part of the fun!

KPC provides volunteers with the seeds and the know how; volunteer growers

provide the water, soil, pots, and time.

How can you get involved?(1) Volunteers first visit the Great Grow Out page and select which seeds they would like to grow based on the appearance of the plant and which animal(s) uses the plant. (2) Seeds are sent to

growers by Jaime Gonzålez(3) Volunteers use online instructions to

grow out the plants(4) Several months later plants are returned

to KPC for planting.

A KPC citizen-conservation project for schools, scouts, garden clubs, churches, families, and individuals.

HOME ON THE RANGEAt one time the majority of the Greater Houston-Galveston area was blanketed by the prairie. The Katy Prairie was a wonderful diverse part of this grassland wilderness.

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

+ Public & Private Schools

INITIATIVE BENEFICIARIES

[8]

Collect SeedsVolunteers collect seeds in late summer

through fall at local prairies.

Seed Packing Pizza PartiesKPC organizes a series of seed packing pizza parties (gotta

have food!) where we typically pack 2,000 seed packets per party.

Planting Day!Volunteers are invited to participate in a big planting day on a KPC preserve, public park, or local school.

Distribute Seeds

Volunteer growers request seeds for growing

at home by contacting Jaime Gonzålez. Seeds are distributed from March - September.

DID YOU KNOW?The Katy Prairie Conservancy has protected nearly 18,000 acres of prairie lands since 1996!

Return PlantsVolunteers return plants to KPC once the roots of their plants are starting to poke out of their 4” pots or 1 gallon pots.

Grow Seeds at Home or SchoolVolunteers grow plants at home or at school for several months using online instructions.

1

3

4

2

5

6

katyprairie.org/GGO.html

Gulf Fritillary on PassionflowerPhoto by Wally Ward

DID YOU KNOW THAT THE GREAT GROW OUT IS A YEAR-ROUND ACTIVITY?

[9]

Collect SeedsVolunteers join a seed collecting team and collect seeds late spring through fall at local wild prairies.

Clean + Dry SeedsVolunteers take seeds home, remove rough debris and chaff, and dry seed for 3 days on pieces of newspaper that have been laid flat on the floor

Pack in Paper SacksSeed collector labels paper sacks with the following four pieces of information:1. Collection date2. Collection location3. Species name4. Collector’s nameSeed collect fills seeds into appropriately labeled paper sack

COLLECTING + PREPARING SEEDS ALL PROJECTS EXCEPT COASTAL PRAIRIE SEED INCREASE PROJECTS

Return to KPC Home OfficeTeam leader or individual delivers or mails seed to Katy Prairie Conservancy Home Office:Katy Prairie Conservancy3015 Richmond Ave., Suite 230Houston, TX 77025

1

3

2

4

Green Treefrog on Rough ConeflowerPhoto by Carolyn Fannon

[10]

REBUILD HOUSTON’S HEARTLANDC O A S T A L P R A I R I E S E E D I N C R E A S E P R O J E C T

Coastal Prairie Seed Increase ProgramIt’s Time to Think Big!

SEED COLLECTING WINDOW: Summer 2012 through December 2013.

PROJECT DESCRIPTION: The most pressing challenge for restoring large tracts of coastal prairie in Houston and its environs is the availability of locally adapted seeds which can be grown in large quantities.

An effort is underway to collect 15 species from all of the counties of the upper Texas coast.

Seeds will be scientifically assessed for grow out potential and will eventually be released to commercial growers who will provide seeds to conservation groups and ranchers.

We will collect a mixture of late succession species like Little Bluestem, and early successional species like Lovegrass. This will ensure that feature restoration will be able to follow a normal process of succession and will immediately see some measure of visual success.

By early summer 2012, the entire upper Texas coast collecting area will be parceled up to specific groups. Volunteers will be asked to collect the 15 candidate species in one of those areas.

We are also asking folks collecting for this effort to collect for the Urban Prairie Initiative and Great Grow Out while they are out in the field.

INITIATIVE BENEFICIARIES

+ Private Landowners

[11]

Collect SeedsVolunteers join a seed collecting team and collect seeds late spring through fall at local wild prairies.

Clean + Dry SeedsVolunteers take seeds home, remove rough debris and chaff, and dry seed for 3 days on pieces of newspaper that have been laid flat on the floor.

Mail to NRCS in KingsvilleVolunteers fill out all appropriate information on NRCS envelope, pack seeds, and mail to Kika de la Garza Plant Materials Center, 3409 N FM 1355, Kingsville, TX 78363-2704

1

3 2

o.m.rd f/bchri.ha E@

FF

^Y-

M..ul-lurdbv

lll opsnn ENvsLopE doxpcxY

I | | zoe rro*,9 tttivt . hopk'^B.lrtN 553)s

9oiolific NamcAciliqnNumbi

LolNumb{-Dd.

-

For PltC U.. OnlY

Smplc W.ighl

g.9t!Eb+

=ge6't>d9o-o

SdolSANr Nollc:|l.|oc o33sac!Arcs uoll€Al4uoc tatrnotsH teJnllH

erngnclt6Y 1o lueuudeg 'S'n

:?E.B-ao!

E.ET

ET9r

rAEE

bib5€:

:E

Eastern MeadowlarkPhoto by Mark Shufelt

COLLECTING + PREPARING SEEDS COASTAL PRAIRIE SEED INCREASE PROJECT ONLY

REBUILD HOUSTON’S HEARTLANDC O A S T A L P R A I R I E S E E D I N C R E A S E P R O J E C T