At the end of 2009, the Katy Prairie Conservancyhad under its protection, either through directownership or conservation easements, nearly18,000 acres of what was once a tallgrass prairieecosystem of half a million acres extendingfrom the present day Memorial Park west tothe Brazos River. At this time, transactions are pending or in negotiation that would increase protected acreage to nearly 20,000 acres, whichwill bring us close in size to the LBJ NationalGrasslands northwest of Dallas. Support forthis expansion of the Conservancy’s footprintcomes from a variety of sources, including ourfifth grant from the North American WetlandsConservation Standard Grant Program.In 2009, the Conservancy also intensifiedits efforts to restore significant portions of itsconservation lands to a state that more closelyresembles their historic character as grasslandsand wildlife habitat, while also working tomaintain ranching and agriculture as viableland uses. In addition to the reintroduction of native grasses and other plants, this involved thecreation of wetlands and the removal of invasivespecies. KPC also developed plans to recombineformerly fenced properties and reestablishforested riparian corridors along the creeks thatcrisscross the landscape. These activities arebeing carried out in accordance with a master plan developed by Kevin Shanley and the SWAGroup in collaboration with area stakeholdersand experts in prairie biology and hydrology.Efforts to introduce more visitors of all agesto the prairie have also continued apace. Wehave hosted seventy activities so far this yearand developed new podcasts and field guidesto enrich appreciation and understanding of the various landscapes found on the prairie. We arealso moving ahead with the construction of theMatt Cook Wildlife Viewing Platform at WarrenLake and have initiated planning for the AnnHamilton Trail at the Indiangrass Preserveat Nelson Farms, the latter made possible in part by a generous donation from HoustonEndowment Inc.It takes more than a village to save a prairiethis size, and the Conservancy is fortunate tohave the resources of one of the nation’s greatmetropolitan centers so close to where the wildthings are. Despite the challenges the economyhas presented, 2009 has turned out to be a yearof growth nonetheless, while the prairie is on atrack to get even bigger and better in 2010.

State of the

Prairie

Big cities and countrysides can getalong well together. Big cities need realcountryside close by. And countryside — from man’s point of view — needsbig cities, with all their diverseopportunities and productivity, sohuman beings can be in a position toappreciate the rest of the natural world…

JANE JACOBS

The Death and Life of Great American Cities,

1961.

2009

Katy Prairie Conservancy

Land Protection

•Receiveddonatedeasementonremaining315acresadjacenttooneofKPC’spreserves.•CompletedfundingofLiveOakCreekNorth.•Accepteddonationsof30acresoflandadjacenttoKPClands.•Enteredintoanagreementwithland/water/skytodevelopandimplementaconservationbuyerprogram.•Begannegotiationstoprotectanother640acresoflandontheprairie.

Land Management and Restoration•

Rescuedmorethan600plantsand3,000squarefeetofprairiesodfromthepristineSaumsRoadprairiesiteandtransplanted themtoKPC’sFieldPreserve.

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PlantedButterflyGardennexttoKPC’sWildlifeViewingPlatformatNelsonFarms.

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Revisedpreserve-widemasterplan.

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BeganplanningvisitorimprovementsatKPC’sWarrenLake.

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BecameamemberofPartnersinFlight,aconsortiumofconservationorganizationsworkingtomonitormigratorybirdsandmanagetheirhabitat.

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Initiatedstudieswithvariousuniversitiesandconservationpartners,includingtheSmoothGreenSnakestudyandtheMottledDuckBandingproject.

Education and Outreach•

Held15thannualmeetingaspartoftheMuseumofFineArts,Houston’sArtfulThursdays;CarterSmith,executivedirectoroftheTexasParksandWildlifeandformerexecutivedirectorofKPCwastheguestspeaker;nearly200peopleattended.

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Hostedmorethan70publiceventson theprairie–anall-timehigh.

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Expanded

Open Trails

fromonceamonthtofivetimesamonthtoallow thepublictotakeself-guidedtoursofselectedKPCpreserves.Trailguidesandaudiopodcastsweremadeavailabletoenhancetheexperience.

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DevelopedadcampaigntopromoteKPC’seventsthroughKUHF;expandedoutreachtoprintandelectronicmedia.

Fundraising•

ReceivedcontinuingsupportfromTheBrownFoundation,Inc.,HoustonEndowmentInc.,andTheWorthamFoundation,Inc.aswellassupportfromnewcontributors,includingtheERMFoundation,Sterling-TurnerFoundation,andKBR.