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[Update #2: Texas lost a great man when Bob passed away in April 2009.  He is buried on the prairie.]

Bob and Mickey Burleson are two of my prairie heroes.  Decades ago, when few people talked about tallgrass prairie conservation and restoration, they went and did it: they purchased worn our crop land and an overgrazed prairie remnant in Bell County and spent many years restoring over two hundred and fifty acres of highly diverse, native tallgrass Blackland Prairie through collection and planting of local ecotype native seed from area hay meadow prairie remnants, invasive plant removal, prescribed burning, haying, and other management practices.

The Burlesons collected local ecotype seed from native prairie hay meadows in the area, many of which no longer exist due to being destroyed by plowing or development. Their prairie is an invaluable source of locally adapted native plant genetics and seed, and they have provided prairie seed and seed hay for use in other restorations.

[Update: A Texas Legacy Project interview with Mickey and a joint interview with Bob and Mickey (requires RealPlayer)] (more…)

Jackie sent this prairie quote along our way…  I like it, though native bees and other pollinators are definitely needed!

“To make a prairie it takes a clover and one bee.  One clover, and a bee.  And revery.  The reverie alone will do, if bees are few.” – Emily Dickinson

Native prairie grasses are visible in several photos released by the White House of the Jenna Bush wedding held at Prairie Chapel Ranch near Crawford, TX.

Notice the Little Bluestem in the background, and the Buffalograss growing on the ground the bride is standing upon.  Both plants are important native prairie grasses, and Little Bluestem was the dominant plant of the tallgrass prairies of North America.

The tan and copper color of the Little Bluestem is last fall’s growth weathered through the winter and spring.  Buffalograss is a terrific and beautiful native grass that makes a great drought tolerant lawn grass that rarely needs mown.

The prairie grasses can be seen in the background of the following photos by Shealah Craighead : 1, 2, 3

CNN also reports that "the decor and the wedding party — known in Texas as the "house party" — were dressed in colors that reflected the hues of the landscape, including native Texas wildflowers: greens, blues, yellows and lavenders, the White House said."

Native Prairies Association of Texas (NPAT) member Mike Williams planted the native prairie restoration at Prairie Chapel Ranch using seed collected from the NPAT-protected Simpson Prairie.

Tallgrass prairie is the most endangered large ecosystem in North America, with less than 1% of Texas’ original 20 million acres estimated remaining.  In addition to beautiful prairie flowers and lush native grasses, our prairies are habitat for grassland birds, the most declining group of birds in North America, butterflies and other pollinators, and other prairie wildlife.  We must protect these special places to save Texas’ prairie heritage.

Tallgrass prairies also sequester large amounts of carbon, so tallgrass prairie restorations could be used to help fight global warming.  In addition, native grasslands increase water quality and quantity, a vital issue for our growing state.  Tallgrass prairie plantings on marginal cropland have been identified as the best source of low-input cellulosic biofuel that would not impact our food supply.

From the Quad City Times:

Just before daybreak last Sunday, I found myself huddled in a wood trailer atop a grassy knoll in northwest Missouri, squinting through a small window and waiting.

Also in the trailer were a dozen other bundled-up nature lovers who had driven from across Iowa to this remote, windswept spot to witness a wonder of the animal kingdom: the spectacular courtship dance of the male greater prairie chicken.

As we peered out the windows facing the dancing ground called a lek, the chickens appeared, seemingly out of nowhere, and began their show.

It was amazing.

Read the full article here.

Come see spring prairie flowers, native grasses, grassland birds, butterflies, and other prairie wildlife on a native prairie field trip!

1. Meador Prairie Field Trip – April 19th (Sat.), Saint Jo (Cooke/Montague County west of Fort Worth)
2. Fort Worth Prairie Fest – April 26th (Sat.), Fort Worth (Tandy Hills Natural Area)
3. Simpson Prairie Field Trip – May 3rd (Sat.), Crawford (McLennan County, south of Waco)
4. Maddin Prairie Preserve Breeding Bird Survey– May 10th-11th (Sat.-Sun.), Colorado City (Mitchell County, west of Abilene)
5. Nash Prairie Field Trip – May 17th (Sat.), West Columbia (Brazoria County, south of Houston)
6. Clymer Meadow Field Trip (TNC) – May 17th (Sat.), Celeste (Hunt County, NE of Dallas)

Tallgrass prairie is the most endangered large ecosystem in North America, with less than 1% estimated to remain in Texas.  In addition to beautiful prairie flowers and lush native grasses, our prairies are habitat for grassland birds, the most declining group of birds in North America, butterflies and other pollinators, and other prairie wildlife.  We must protect these special places to save Texas’ prairie heritage.

Tallgrass prairies also sequester large amounts of carbon, so tallgrass prairie restorations could be used to help fight global warming.  Tallgrass prairie plantings on marginal cropland have been identified as the best source of low-input cellulosic biofuel that would not impact our food supply.

Check out NPAT’s web page for an up-to-date listing of events.

From the story, "On a Holland ranch, vestiges of a sea of grass," in the Temple Daily Telegram:

In about 1859, an awestruck New York journalist got his first look at the prairie grass that once blanketed much of Central Texas.

“We came out suddenly, as if a curtain had risen, upon a broad prairie, reaching in swells like the ocean after a great storm,” wrote Frederick Law Olmsted (who would later design New York City’s Central Park).

Remnants of this legendary sea of grass that covered Central Texas several millennia before Europeans arrived with their steel tools, turning the soil, and later fencing the prairie, can still be found in parts of Bell County today.

You just have to know where to look.

During fall and winter, a bunch grass commonly called little bluestem is easily identified – even to city folk.  ….

Read the full story at the Temple Daily Telegram.

In today’s Dallas Morning News Community Opinion section article, "Your very own big give," Todd White wish he had the money to protect Wallace Prairie, the well known prairie remnant in Rockwall County.

"If I had a spare $10 million, I would buy the Rockwall County land known as the Wallace Prairie (if they’d sell it to me) and dedicate it as a conservation preserve forever, thus keeping an area of unbroken blackland prairie intact for future generations to enjoy.

Todd W. White, Rockwall"

If anyone knows Todd, let him know about the Native Prairies Association of Texas (NPAT)!  He should be a member!  🙂

The Ecological Society of America (ESA) released a policy statement that advocates we consider the ecosystem services and ecological sustainability of biofuel sources, and highlights native prairie and native plants as an example:

"CONSERVATION OF ECOSYSTEM SERVICES. A focus on ecosystem services will provide the foundation necessary for win-win scenarios. It is easy to design systems for maximum crop yields; over a century of agronomic research has shown that this can be done very successfully. Managing for other ecosystem services also provided by agricultural landscapes is less common but equally necessary.  Lower yields from an unfertilized native prairie, for example, may be acceptable in light of the other benefits provided by native plants in an agricultural landscape. These include:

• A complete and closed cycling of nutrients;
• Minimized flooding and increased groundwater recharge;
• Enhanced  carbon sequestration in the soil because tilling would be unnecessary;
• Fewer pests because habitat for insects and birds that prey on them is left intact;
• Genetic diversity;
• Reduced nitrogen and phosphorus runoff because no fertilizer is needed;
• Reduced soil erosion due to continuous soil cover;
• Reduced nitrous oxide production; and
• Pollinator habitat and resources."

Read the full article, "Biofuel Sustainability", on the Ecological Society of America’s web site.