Tallgrass Prairie Facts
Prairie arose in the rain shadow of the Rocky Mountains, and once covered 400 million acres over the center of the U.S. from Saskatchewan to Texas. Prairies are diverse communities dominated by grasses and wildflowers.
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Tallgrass prairie, with three-fourths
of its biomass underground, created
some of the most productive soils in the world. Prairie thrives amid drought, fire, and grazing due to root systems up to 15 feet deep.
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Only 1% of the native tallgrass prairie remains today due to fire suppression and intensive crop production, making it a globally endangered ecosystem. Remaining prairies now include the Flint Hills of Kansas and Oklahoma and small remnant prairies, such as The Prairie Center in Olathe, Kansas and GHF's Snyder Prairie, Leadplant Prairie, and Roulund-Wagner Prairie.
Only 1% of the native tallgrass prairie remains today. . .
News
​Read about upcoming plant sales, new GHF board members, and learn about GHF-funded prairie research and educational activities in the latest issue of the GHF Newsletter.
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GHF's Spring 2026 Prairie Presentations speaker was world-renowned earthworks artist Stan Herd, who shared his inspirations, memorable works, and upcoming plans.
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The Fall 2025 installment of GHF's Prairie Presentations Series featured a talk by KU mycologist Dr. Liz Koziol, who shared her research on the importance of mycorrhizal fungi for maintaining prairie plant biodiversity.
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GHF, KU's Kansas Biological Survey, and the Lawrence Public Library brought Chris Helzer, director of science and stewardship at The Nature Conservancy Nebraska to Lawrence in 2024. Use the links below to view recordings on YouTube.
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Watch "The incredible beauty, diversity, and complexity of prairies (and why you should love them)"​​
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Join a community of prairie protectors
You can directly support prairie land management, land protection, and education in northeast Kansas as a GHF member and donor.
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GHF provides hands-on prairie restoration opportunities, academic scholarships, and workshops on prairie management, native plant gardening, and prairie ecology.
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Members receive the GHF newsletter, discounts on fee workshops, discounts at GHF's annual native plant sale, and workshop & event notifications.
What you can do to protect prairie
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Visit and enjoy prairies with friends.
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Add native plants to your garden. They are needed by native pollinating insects, they reduce erosion, and they use less water.​
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Apply for a scholarship to advance our understanding of prairie ecology and restoration.
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Encourage your city, county, and state to include prairie remnants and native plants in park and landscaping plans.​
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Keep exotic invasive plants out of your yard, parks and plant nurseries.
Contact Grassland Heritage Foundation
PO Box 394
Shawnee Mission, Kansas 66201
Send us a message