Past News & Events

State of the Prairie - Save the date!

Sheldon Lake State Park Field Trip

• June 4th - Sheldon Lake State Park & Environmental Learning Center
We will be touring the restored prairie at Sheldon Lake State Park & Environmental Learning Center where recently park officials used a prescribed burn to aid in the management of the land.  This field trip will focus on how the prairie plants and animals respond to fire and will include a discussion about and photos taken prior to the burn.  This field trip coincides with the article in the Winter 2010-2011 NPAT newsletter (Vol. 23, No. 4) and is part of a series of field trips demonstrating the methods and techniques used throughout the year for a prairie restoration project.  No park admission fees.  We will meet at the Sheldon Lake Environmental Learning Center near the park headquarters at 10:00 AM and begin the tour shortly thereafter. The address of the state park is 15315 Beaumont Highway (Business 90) @ Park Road 138, Houston, TX 77049 (CLICK HERE FOR MAP).

Eunice Restored Prairie Work Day (Eunice, LA)

Dr. Charles Allen writes:

You and you and you and even you are invited to participate in a work day at the Eunice Restored Prairie on Saturday, June 4th.  We are planning to attempt to control invasives (tallow, privet, mulberry, johnson grass, etc.)  We will also gather seeds for the attached project.  This planting is planned on the Duralde Prairie this November.  Show up as early as 8:00 am and we will work until it is too hot probably about 8:30, no, hopefully until noon or so.  Bring gloves and water for herbicide and for yourself.  We will also make sure that the trails are open and ready for walking

Read about the Duralde Prairie Demonstation HERE.

Seed Collection at Armand Bayou Nature Center - June 3rd

HELP VOLUNTEERS COLLECT MILKWEED AND OTHER NATIVE SEEDS THIS FRIDAY IN PASADENA, TX

What: Seed Collection Field Trip
When: Friday, June 3rd, 8:30am - 11:30am
Where: Armand Bayou Nature Center

Texas Master Naturalist Tom Solomon will lead volunteers on a seed collecting field trip at Armand Bayou Nature Center this Friday, June 3th from 8:30 am - 11:30 am. Tom and his crew will focus on collecting green milkweed seed but will also collect other species. Some of the seed collected on this special trip will be used to grow millkweed plants for local schools.

Click HERE for a map to the nature center.

Clymer Meadow Preserve Field Trip

• May 28st - Clymer Meadow Preserve
Join NPAT and The Nature Conservancy and explore an extremely unique and biodiverse remnant of the Blackland Prairie, the Clymer Meadow Preserve.  The 1068-acre Clymer Meadow Preserve is a preserved remnant of the tallgrass prairies that used to blanket the landscape from the Texas coast to southern Manitoba and is home to huge variety of vegetation and wildlife.  Named for pioneer Jim Clymer, who bought the first tracts in the 1850s, Clymer Meadow serves as a center for study of the Blackland Prairie and has been the site of more than a dozen scientific investigations ranging in scope from inventories of prairie invertebrates to noxious weed control. Universities, private research organizations, and public and private primary and secondary schools have used the meadow as a teaching site. Landowners in the area can view this as a invitation to learn about how to properly conserve and manage their land while prairie enthusiasts will have a chance to visit a very unique location and become acquainted with the local flora and fauna.
The field trip includes a tour of the Clymer Meadow Preserve as well as discussion of vegetation and wildlife found on the preserve.  Discussion of land management practices and unique features and aspects of this preserve will also provide attendees with insight as to how and why these delicate ecosystems are being preserved. No admission fee. The tour will begin at 10am.  Clymer Meadow Preserve is located at 6210 CR 1140, Celeste 75423 (CLICK HERE FOR MAP).

(photo: Jason Spangler 2007)

NPAT Houston Chapter Meeting - May 25th

This month’s meeting for the Houston chapter of NPAT will highlight the chapter’s current efforts in creating a guide detailing prairie remnants in the Houston area with a presentation of some of the locations and pictures collected thus far.  The meeting will also include the approval of the minutes from the previous meeting, the planning of the next 4 HNPAT meetings, and a discussion of the upcoming Prairie Heritage Day event.

Date: May 25th
Time: 6:30pm - 8:30pm
Location: Bayland Community Center, 6400 Bissonnet, Houston, Texas 77074 (CLICK HERE FOR MAP)

Agenda:

I. 6:30 – 7:00 Social

II. 7:00 – 8:00 Program:  “Remnant Prairies in the Houston Area” presented by Glenn and Pat Merkord – This presentation will present through pictures some of the Houston area Native Prairie Remnants and their characteristics.  The presentation will include some public prairie remnants that will be included in the upcoming Houston Remnant Prairie Guide.

III. 8:00 - 8:30 – Business Meeting
A.  Approve Minutes from previous meeting
B.  Discussion of how to proceed on the Prairie Guide and set date for next field trip to view & photograph area remnants
C.  Plan for the next 4 HNPAT meetings
D.  Update on Prairie Heritage Day
E.  Other Business

Maddin Prairie Preserve Breeding Bird Survey and Open Preserve Day

When: Saturday May 21st

Activities: During this open preserve day we will be conducting our annual breeding bird survey as well as finishing the new electric fence for the prairie dog colony and begin the initial steps for building trails around the preserve.  CLICK HERE to see a bird checklist created in 2006.  Let’s try to make some new additions to this list and reconfirm some of our old friends!

Location: Mitchell County, about 7 miles south of Colorado City off of Hwy 208. The 1100-acre Maddin Prairie Preserve is owned by the Native Prairie Association of Texas (NPAT). In addition to the native prairie on the property, NPAT has restored the old cotton fields to diverse grassland and now one can wade through sand bluestem, little bluestem, side oats grama, and purple three-awn stands down to the prairie dog town that was established in the mid 2000’s. CLICK HERE for a map to the preserve.

For more information and to RSVP, please contact Kirsti at 512-296-9160 or .(JavaScript must be enabled to view this email address)

Participants must wear long pants, closed toed shoes or boots for hiking on rugged terrain. Participants should bring their own work gloves and a water bottle to carry with them to work site.

Other Considerations:
* Activity may occur in windy, cloudy or drizzly conditions, but will be cancelled in the event of heavy rain, or lightning.
* Bathroom facilities are both nowhere and all around you.
* Those with allergies to bee stings or fire ants should be prepared as necessary. A first aid kit will be available on site.
* There is the possibility participants may encounter snakes, spiders, scorpions and other wildlife.

Seed Collection Trip at Brazos Bend State Park

Coastal Prairie Partnership presents:

SEED COLLECTING TRIP - BRAZOS BEND STATE PARK W/ SIDE TRIP TO NASH PRAIRIE (Upper Texas Coast)

Tom Solomon has organized what is sure to be an exciting day on the prairie. His first seed collection of the year will be held at Brazos Bend State Park on Tuesday May 24th from 9 to 11 AM. Following the seed collection (targeting Brown Seed Paspalum and Silver Bluestem plus whatever else is available at the time), the group will travel for a brief view of the recently purchased Nash Prairie, hosted by The Conatys, followed by a lunch at the local establishment.  The personnel from the Southeast Houston area will carpool from Home Depot (El Dorado & I-45) departing promptly at 7:30 AM traveling to HEB (Texas 646 and I-45) where we will depart at 7:50 AM.  Park entry fees will only be waived if we enter the park as a group.  Consequently, we will meet at the entry cabin at 9 AM.  Mr. Dennis Jones will lead us to the “secret” park seed source for our collection activities. 

Please contact .(JavaScript must be enabled to view this email address) if you plan to attend so that you can receive a cancellation notice if inclement weather should arrive and so that we will have a tally of participants.  The main purpose of the seed collection is to increase diversity of the plants being returned to the prairie.

NPAT Summer Field Trips

NPAT has several field trips scheduled in May and June in different locations around Texas.  These field trips are a great way to see some of the best preserved prairies in Texas and are a excellent way to introduce children and friends to places that keep prairie enthusiasts visiting time after time.  Check out what’s happening in your area and join us for a day of fun!

• May 7th - Marysee Prairie Preserve
Marysee Prairie Preserve is a remnant prairie protected and managed by the Texas Land Conservancy since 1991.  This preserve was previously managed by the Nature Conservancy, beginning in 1973.  This preserve is the only preserved prairie remnant in the Big Thicket area and is considered a crossroads for native coastal prairie, tall grasses, and short grass savannas.  A wide variety of vegetation and wildlife habitats thrive on this property.  Mima mounds, or pimple mounds, found on the preserve also indicate the presence of prairie in recent history and help show how the local ecosystems have changed over the last several thousand years.
Join NPAT and the Texas Land Conservancy on Saturday, May 7th at 10:00am as we tour this outstanding remnant of native prairie, located in the Big Thicket area northeast of Houston.  The field trip will include a guided tour of the property as well as a discussion of the previous restoration and land management efforts made by the Texas Land Conservancy.  This is a great opportunity to enjoy a beautiful remnant of the past while still being a short distance from the Houston area. No admission fee. CLICK HERE FOR A MAP.

• May 14th - NPAT Easements and Property in Falls County
In the heart of Texas, just east of Temple is the location of several conservation easements and properties managed or owned by NPAT.  Come join several representatives of NPAT as we tour the Nelson L. Wieting Prairie, Lehmann Prairie, and Riesel Prairie.  These remnants of Blackland Prairie are are located on private property and are generally unavailable for people to tour.  This is an excellent opportunity to walk through prairies similar to what the pioneers found in central Texas over 200 years ago!
We will meet at 10am on May 14th in the parking lot of Dairy Queen at the intersection of Live Oak St (Hwy. 7) and Hwy. 6 in Marlin, TX (CLICK HERE FOR MAP).  We will then travel to each easement or property and take a tour of each.  Admission is free for NPAT members and $10 for non-members.  Parking is limited at each location so carpool with your friends and family.  Contact .(JavaScript must be enabled to view this email address) with any questions or to RSVP (not required).

• May 28st - Clymer Meadow Preserve
Join NPAT and The Nature Conservancy and explore an extremely unique and biodiverse remnant of the Blackland Prairie, the Clymer Meadow Preserve.  The 1068-acre Clymer Meadow Preserve is a preserved remnant of the tallgrass prairies that used to blanket the landscape from the Texas coast to southern Manitoba and is home to huge variety of vegetation and wildlife.  Named for pioneer Jim Clymer, who bought the first tracts in the 1850s, Clymer Meadow serves as a center for study of the Blackland Prairie and has been the site of more than a dozen scientific investigations ranging in scope from inventories of prairie invertebrates to noxious weed control. Universities, private research organizations, and public and private primary and secondary schools have used the meadow as a teaching site. Landowners in the area can view this as a invitation to learn about how to properly conserve and manage their land while prairie enthusiasts will have a chance to visit a very unique location and become acquainted with the local flora and fauna.
The field trip includes a tour of the Clymer Meadow Preserve as well as discussion of vegetation and wildlife found on the preserve.  Discussion of land management practices and unique features and aspects of this preserve will also provide attendees with insight as to how and why these delicate ecosystems are being preserved. No admission fee. The tour will begin at 10am.  Clymer Meadow Preserve is located at 6210 CR 1140, Celeste 75423 (CLICK HERE FOR MAP).

• June 4th - Sheldon Lake State Park & Environmental Learning Center
We will be touring the restored prairie at Sheldon Lake State Park & Environmental Learning Center where recently park officials used a controlled burn to aid in the management of the land.  This field trip will focus on how the prairie plants and animals respond to fire and will include a discussion about and photos taken prior to the burn.  This field trip coincides with the article in the Winter 2010-2011 NPAT newsletter (Vol. 23, No. 4) and is part of a series of field trips demonstrating the methods and techniques used throughout the year for a prairie restoration project.  More information concerning this field trip will be available soon.

6th Annual Fort Worth Prairie Fest

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