The popularity of patch-burn grazing stems largely from the habitat heterogeneity created. That heterogeneity includes a temporary “weedy recovery” phase as vegetation recovers from a season of intensive grazing. However, patch-burn grazing typically relies on annual burning (of a portion of a prairie) and an absence of interior fencing. Those two attributes can reduce the feasibility or attractiveness of patch-burn grazing to many land managers, especially ranchers. Patch-burn grazing can also potentially put plant species (those most-favored by livestock) at risk of being grazed annually because they are selected regardless of whether they are in a recently-burned patch or not. We are testing an “open gate rotational grazing system” which can produce similar habitat heterogeneity without relying on regular application of fire. The system should also help protect plant species popular with livestock because not all of the prairie is exposed to grazing at the same time. Any pasture with three or more paddocks can be grazed with this approach. Livestock start in one paddock and then are allowed access to more and more paddocks during the season – without ever closing gates behind them. The result is that some paddocks are grazed intensively all season while others are moderately or lightly grazed, and for only part of the season. Paddocks grazed most intensively one year can be completely excluded from grazing the next, or until fully recovered. Prescribed fire can still be incorporated, but is not required at any particular frequency.
Director of Science, TNC-Nebraska, The Nature Conservancy in Nebraska
Chris Helzer is The Nature Conservancy’s Director of Science in Nebraska. His main role is toevaluate and capture lessons from the Conservancy’s land management and restoration workand share those lessons with other ranchers, farmers, and other land managers. He also worksto raise... Read More →
Armand Bayou Nature Center (ABNC) is located near the western shore of Galveston Bay and manages one of the largest remnants of prairie in the region. For over forty years ABNC has been a prairie pioneer in restoration and management. As a small not-for-profit with a small staff, the management of 2500 acres requires creative solutions. The nature center incorporates traditional management tools including invasive species control, prescribed burning, mowing and vegetation monitoring. A dedicated volunteer corps (Prairie Friday), is instrumental in all aspects of management. A community-based restoration celebration; Prairie Pandemonium enlists Houstonians to dig in by planting, learning and partying for the prairie. ABNC is also expanding efforts to engage the next generation of the prairie liberation army through service learning projects. Service learning projects enlist students to immerse themselves in cultivating and planting locally rare grasses and forbs. A second student program produces an environmental film series (The Bayou City Eco-Almanac), helping to promote eco-literacy in the greater Houston area and of the importance and rare nature of coastal tallgrass prairies. This talk will serve as an introduction to Tuesday’s BBQ/ABNC prairie experience.
Conservation Director & Chief Naturalist, Armand Bayou Nature Center
Mark Kramer is a native of Pasadena Texas and has served as the Conservation Director & Chief Naturalist at Armand Bayou Nature Center since 1995. He began exploring the bayou in his teens and has lived, worked and played here in some fashion since then. His work duties include... Read More →
Restoration/easement goals for the 200-acre Kirchoff Family Farm included: •Protect property in perpetuity •Create awareness of significance of native prairies •Use for education purposes •Serve as model for other landowners.
Initial restoration attempts, starting in 2009, failed. Subsequently, NRCS and USFWS were contacted for restoration advice and support.
Over a three-year period (2011 – 2013) 170 acres were planted to prairie seed mixes with NRCS WHIP funding and advice.
Thirty acres remain preserved as woody riparian areas.
Four USFWS – PFW projects were completed: •Two projects (Wildlife Guzzlers and Burrowing Owl Roost Sites) by Eagle Scout candidates •Green Tree (Pollinator) Firebreak planted by 90 volunteers from Boy & Girl Scout Troops and 4-H Clubs from Wilson and surrounding counties •Diversity Plots supported by a nursery constructed to grow difficult to find native plants.
The property was placed under a Conservation Easement with Native Prairies Association of Texas (NPAT) in 2013.
Management practices include prescribed grazing, haying, and selective shredding. A TPWD plan for controlled burn tests has been approved to commence in 2019.
Battling invasive grasses and woody plants is challenging and ongoing.
Monarch butterfly and milk weed research projects are underway by UTSA and USFWS.
The public is engaged regularly, such as, through: •Third Saturday Work Days •Several Workshops annually led by restoration and wildlife experts •Special tours for other landowners considering restoration •Monthly San Antonio NPAT chapter meetings.
Property now operating at near financial break-even.
Don Kirchoff left the family farm after high school, graduating from Texas Lutheran University (BS in math) and University of North Texas (MS in physics).He subsequently pursued a career in the oil and gas industry (Schlumberger), worked in the environmental industry (International... Read More →
Scientific Trials of Row-Crops Integrated with Prairie Strips (STRIPS) is a collaborative effort between scientists, farmers, extension personnel, and educators to integrate prairie habitat into working agricultural fields. Strategically planted along the contour or at the edge-of-field, prairie strips are an effective conservation practice that yields disproportionate benefits relative to the amount of land taken out of crop production. Converting just 10% of a crop field to prairie has been shown to reduce soil and nitrogen loss in run-off from fields by 90% and 85%, respectively. Concurrently, prairie strips increase native plant, bird, and pollinator abundance on the landscape. Monitoring the vegetation community in prairie strips is important for assessing the success of the practice as well as informing future planting strategies. We examined the vegetation at 21 farms in the summer of 2018 that planted prairie strips in their field(s) between 2012 and 2016. Our preliminary results show that cover by prairie species is not related to factors such as stand age, and that diversity of the plant communities declines as sites get older. Monitoring the vegetation at these sites will continue to provide valuable information for both restoration ecologists and farmers adopting this conservation practice. Prairie strips appear to offer a viable approach for integrating agricultural production with conservation and diversifying the Midwestern landscape.
