In yesterday post I had posted a couple of photos with signs at LBJWC that said they were experimenting with restoration. Well, until I saw the presentation I had no idea how big a project it actually was.
We saw this sign and thought they must have dug up a number of native plants.
We were walking fairly quickly to get back in time for the first session. So we looked out over the area seeing some plants. And also saw plenty of KR bluestem out there too. Hmmmm? We had looked too far it turned out. 🙂 It was right in front of our nose. 😉
Then they showed us where the plot was. Ashley Landry was one of persons instrumental in the rescue (seen with the cup).
Behind each sign it turned out that it was a small area that had been transplanted in this location. Outlined in red here. The transplant was done in February of this year. Furthermore the amazing part was they had rescued 2 acres from the MoKan Prairie in Round Rock. Moreover this was not your typical dig up single plants! They had used a technique similar to what a sod farmer would do for cutting the sod. The untypical part by the sodcutter was the depth needed to get the prairie plants. So they went eight inches deep. This was to give the plants time to recover and thrive. Sod was put on the pallets and wrapped. Then loaded on the tractor trailer. The bigger portion of the sod went to NPAT’s Dowell Ranch. FYI, it definitely was not as simple I described here. Lots of prepping!
That would be the ideal thing to do. At least they harvested a decent-sized chunk of the soil full of all the native microbes and macroinvertebrates! We have no idea how valuable that may prove in the future.
yeah I read a really cool chapter about a similar prairie rescue a while back, in some other state. It sounded like it saved… some of the invertebrates? Much better than losing them all, for sure.
LBJWC is a pretty cool place. And love the prairie transfer.
Crazy cool!
This makes me so hopeful! I’ve heard about the MoKan Prairie for years. It’s been gravely imperiled for as long as I’ve known about it.
Just wish I knew someone who could buy it. 🤷🏻♀️
That would be the ideal thing to do. At least they harvested a decent-sized chunk of the soil full of all the native microbes and macroinvertebrates! We have no idea how valuable that may prove in the future.
So right, every bit saved …. very valuable
yeah I read a really cool chapter about a similar prairie rescue a while back, in some other state. It sounded like it saved… some of the invertebrates? Much better than losing them all, for sure.
Apparently it was done at the Heard by Ken Stiegman too in the 80s. I should go look at that site some day. ☺️