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Native Plant Society of Texas

Saved!

NPSOT Archive

**ARCHIVED POST **

If conservationists can’t raise the money to buy the College Park Prairie by the end of the month, it will be lost to development.

Photo by Don Verser
Photo by Don Verser
Bayou Land Conservancy is trying to raise $4 million by August 20 to conserve a pristine piece of coastal prairie east of Houston. If they do not succeed it will soon be all gone, replaced by 250 new houses.

Want to try and do something? I’m trying to encourage as many people and their friends as possible to go to youtube and watch the “Deer Park Prairie” video. Maybe if we can help the video to “go viral” we will get additional media attention that may reach the one person or group that has the money to save it.

Learn more at savecollegeparkprairie.ning.com/

Flo Hannah wrote about the prairie on this site last year.

 

Update:

Saved! The Bayou Land Conservancy announced on September 10 that they had raised all of the $4 million needed to purchase the Deer Park Prairie, thanks to thousands of small gifts raised through Facebook and Internet appeals, in addition to large gifts. The 50-acre prairie will be managed by the Native Prairie Association of Texas.

**ARCHIVED POST**

**ARCHIVED POST LINKS & PICTURES MAY NOT WORK**

**ARCHIVED POST AUTHOR: Bill Hopkins

About the Region

Fall Symposium 2025 Logo - Teach for the Future

Salado, the location of our Fall 2025 Symposium, lies at the intersection of two ecoregions: the Edwards Plateau (Limestone Cut Plain) and Blackland Prairie (Northern Blackland Prairie).

The Edwards Plateau area is also called the Hill Country; however, this general term covers a much larger area extending farther north. Spring-fed creeks are found throughout the region; deep limestone canyons, rivers, and lakes (reservoirs) are common. Ashe juniper is perhaps the most common woody species found throughout the region. Additional woody species include various species of oak, with live oak (Quercus fusiformis) being the most common. Sycamores (Platanus occidentalis) and bald cypress (Taxodium distichum) border waterways. This area is well known for its spring wildflower displays, though they may be viewed in spring, late summer, and fall, as well. According to Texas Parks and Wildlife, average annual rainfall in the Edwards Plateau ranges from 15 to 34 inches.

The Blackland Prairie extends from the Red River south to San Antonio, bordered on the west by the Edwards Plateau and the Cross Timbers, and on the east by the Post Oak Savannah. Annual rainfall averages 30 to 40 inches, with higher averages to the east. This region is dominated by prairie species. The most common grass species include little bluestem (Schizachyrium scoparium) and Indian grass (Sorghastrum nutans) in the uplands and switchgrass (Panicum virgatum) in the riparian areas and drainages. Common herbaceous flowering plants include salvias, penstemons, and silphiums. This area has suffered greatly from overgrazing and agricultural use. Few intact areas remain, though many of the plants can be found along county roadsides throughout the region.

Our fall Symposium host chapter, the Tonkawa Chapter, includes both of these ecoregions.

Source: Wildflowers of Texas by Michael Eason