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.
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.
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 GHF's 2024 Annual Report and learn about looking closer at prairies, the effects of grazing management on bee nesting habits, and more in our Fall Newsletter!
GHF was honored to partner with KU's Kansas Biological Survey & Center for Ecological Research and the Lawrence Public Library to bring Chris Helzer, director of science and stewardship at The Nature Conservancy Nebraska to Lawrence for two separate talks this past November. If you missed these talks, or would like to revisit them, use the links below to view recordings on YouTube.
Interested in participating in a prescribed burn? Sign-up here to receive notifications about GHF's prescribed burns at Snyder Prairie this winter.
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.
GHF provides hands-on prairie restoration opportunities, academic scholarships, and workshops on prairie management, native plant gardening, and prairie ecology.
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
Visit and enjoy prairies with friends.
Add native plants to your garden. They are needed by native pollinating insects, they reduce erosion, and they use less water.
Apply for a scholarship to advance our understanding of prairie ecology and restoration.
Encourage your city, county, and state to include prairie remnants and native plants in park and landscaping plans.
Keep exotic invasive plants out of your yard, parks and plant nurseries.
Events
Fall Native Plant Sale
GHF will once again be hosting a Native Plant Sale this fall! Come visit us on September 05, 2024 from 4:00 pm-6:30 pm at Cottin’s Hardware Farmer’s Market. We will have approximately 25 species of Kansas native wildflowers, grasses and sedges. Fall is arguably THE best time to plant our beloved native prairie plants, as they get to spend all winter growing their root systems without expending precious resources on flowering. This means more robust plants in the spring with even more flowers to enjoy!
1832 Massachusetts St, Lawrence, KS 66044
Thursday
September 05, 2024
4 pm to 6:30 pm
Groundhogs at Snyder Prairie
Join Groundhogs volunteers as we complete various stewardship activities at GHF's Snyder Prairie. Email Nicole at grasslandheritage@gmail.com for further information.
Snyder Prairie, Mayetta, KS
Saturday
September 14, 2024
TBD
Groundhogs at Snyder Prairie
Join Groundhogs volunteers as we complete various stewardship activities at GHF's Snyder Prairie. Email Nicole at grasslandheritage@gmail.com for further information.
Snyder Prairie, Mayetta, KS
Saturday
October 12, 2024
TBD
Prairie Restoration Workday
Join us for a volunteer workday supporting the continued maintenance of our prairie restoration project at Prairie Park! All ages and levels of experience are welcome. We hope to also be installing the permanent interpretative signage for the restoration project. Click here for more information and to RSVP.
Prairie Park- 2811 Kensington Road, Lawrence, KS, 66046
Sunday
October 27, 2024
1 pm to 3 pm
Snyder Prairie Winter Burns
Interested in helping out with our prescribed burns this winter? Email Nicole at grasslandheritage@gmail.com for more information.
Snyder Prairie, Mayetta, KS
Saturday/Sunday
November - February
TBD
Groundhogs at Snyder Prairie
Join Groundhogs volunteers as we complete various stewardship activities at GHF's Snyder Prairie. Email Nicole at grasslandheritage@gmail.com for further information.
Snyder Prairie, Mayetta, KS
Saturday
November 09, 2024
TBD
Restoring and Managing Prairies for Resilience and Biodiversity with Chris Helzer
This event is part of the Kansas Biological Survey and Center for Ecological Research's Friday Ecology Seminars series. This talk will be presented by Chris Helzer, director of science and stewardship at The Nature Conservancy Nebraska. Chris will focus on the different ways the organization has restored and managed prairies in that state and will cover some the of the metrics used to evaluate success. For more information on how to attend visit: https://calendar.ku.edu/event/restoring-managing-prairies
KU main campus, Burge Student Union, Forum C
Friday
November 15, 2024
12:15 pm
The incredible beauty, diversity, and complexity of prairies (and why you should love them) with Chris Helzer
Join us for a talk with author Chris Helzer, The Nature Conservancy's Director of Science and Stewardship in Nebraska. Chris is a prairie ecologist and conservation photographer who has published two books: The Ecology and Management of Prairies in the Central United States and Hidden Prairie: Photographing Life in One Square Meter. The Raven Bookstore will be on hand selling copies. This event is co-sponsored by the Lawrence Public Library, GHF and the Kansas Biological Survey & Center for Ecological Research. Questions? Ask Terese: twinters@lplks.org.
Lawrence Public Library, 707 Vermont St, Lawrence, KS 66044
Saturday
November 16, 2024
1:30 pm
Contact Grassland Heritage Foundation
PO Box 394
Shawnee Mission, Kansas 66201
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