Braeden Duffee
Heard Natural Science Museum and Wildlife Sanctuary – Nature Preserve Manager
The Heard Natural Science Museum and Wildlife Sanctuary in McKinney, is located in the northern portion of the Blackland Prairie ecoregion; home to rich black soil which facilitates millions of living organisms in its prairies and woodlands. Naturalists often read historical accounts of the approximately 13 million acres of lush prairie habitat with longing, but hope is not yet lost to defend what spaces do remain. Beyond defending the few untouched remnant prairie habitats, to truly sustain the life that depends on Blackland Prairies to thrive, restoration is crucial.
Prairie restoration is a long-term process, which requires individuals involved to consider not only the desired outcomes of next month and next year, but to integrate changes which increase the overall resilience of the habitat indefinitely. Implementing long-term change comes with many challenges which vary depending on location and resources. Lack of space, introduced species, and repressed cyclical seasonal influences are variables that even a project with an abundance of resources will find difficult to combat without proper planning. The ‘West Bullfrog Pond Prairie’, one of several prairie sites at the Heard, is a prime example of a restoration project which will require strategic application over the course of several years.
The West Bullfrog Pond Prairie is approximately 10 acres and is one of the largest continuous prairie sites at the Heard. One of the main benefits of unsegmented prairie sites is the lack of edge habitat, which increases survival rates for organisms that require larger spaces to feed and reproduce, as well as decreases predation rates of many prey species. While the West Bullfrog Pond Prairie has previously undergone restoration work, it has not received something that even hours of love and manpower can compensate for in nearly two decades: fire. The use of prescribed burns for restoration is a beautiful, yet complicated endeavor which requires not only time and money, but large-scale collaboration. Due to these hurdles, this site had not been burned since 2008.
Roughleaf Dogwood (Cornus drummondii) has taken over a majority of the prairie, reducing available resources and increasing edge habitat, thus outcompeting desirable native grasses and forbs. Although Roughleaf Dogwood is a North Texas native, this is an example of a species which has become overrepresented and must be managed to protect the diversity of the site. Invasive plants such as Johnsongrass (Sorghum halepense), Cheatgrass (Bromus tectorum), and Hedge Parsley (Torilis arvensis) have taken the opportunity to establish in this prairie as well, further amplifying these negative impacts. The goals and objectives for this burn were determined with both these ecological influences, as well as safety and applicability in mind. The primary objectives established were to;
- Reduce dead and down fuel (branches and previously cleared Roughleaf Dogwood)
- Aid in the control of invasive plant species
- Improve habitat conditions
- Consume 90% of 1-hour fuels (built-up thatch)
By accomplishing these objectives, resources previously occupied by the dogwood would become accessible to both seeds present in the seedbed, as well as seeds to be introduced post-burn.
The day of the burn, February 24th, 2025, ended up having a high relative humidity (RH), which allowed the Roughleaf Dogwood to resist the fire by holding onto moisture. While the burn itself was safe and successful in burning the sections of the site dominated by grass, the woody plants were not as impacted as anticipated. Despite this, there was just enough of a time window following the burn in order to mow down a majority of the remaining dogwood stand before prime bloom season began. Ideally, a warm season burn would have occurred to further impact the woody growth, but due to a lack of resources, this was not feasible. In the interest of protecting milkweed growth, box turtle migration routes, grassland bird nesting, and fawn resting locations, further mowing will be reserved for the fall 2025 season.
The site was broken up into six sections and seeds were selected and distributed based on soil type, slope / moisture content, sunlight, and present competition.
The first seeds were spread into ash following the burn. The grass-dominant sections burned well, creating ideal conditions for an Ash seeding and promptly facilitated germination in several species. The burn enabled nutrients to be recycled back into the soil and created space for seeds to receive light and make direct soil contact. Rainfall in the days following the burn was an additional benefit to this initial seeding success. The second seeding will occur in fall 2025, after an additional pushback on the Roughleaf Dogwood takes place. One of the continuous challenges with this project is discouraging Dogwood and Johnsongrass growth while encouraging growth of seeded grasses and forbs. Between both seeding events, a total of 232 pounds of mixed native seed will be put in the West Bullfrog Pond Prairie in 2025.
Moving into 2026, management methods will continue to favor Dogwood suppression and prairie plant growth, with a target of 80% native grasses and forbs by the end of 2026. After a significant percentage of native plants are reestablished, further efforts will target an increase in native diversity. The long-term success of this project will further rely on timing, resources, and support.
We are incredibly grateful for the help we have received from Heard volunteers and the McKinney and Plano Wildland Fire crews, as well as financial support from the Prairie and Timbers Audubon Society and the Environmental Fund of Texas for this project in particular. A project this size cannot be accomplished without collaboration, and the Heard’s Sanctuary Team is thrilled to see the continued improvement of the West Bullfrog Pond Prairie due to the efforts of passionate people such as those we are fortunate to work with.
