36*TEBRUARY 2ooe
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TEXAS PARKS&WTLDLTFE *37
Firstyounoticethe spade-sizedpockmarksthatmake strollingan ankle-turningadventure. Off to the
south,at the end offaint tire tracls, therearelarger muddyscarsagainst hegreen.Behindyou, soundsof tra{fic intrude, as he con-venience store at the cornerof Saurnsand Greenhousefloatscom-muters off on a sea of gasolineandhot coffee.Justoutof sightbehind thosetrees are suburbanhornes, apartment blocls and theI-tofreeway intodowntownHouston.This is, by expert account,one ofthefinestpatchesofpristineprairieleft in W'estHarris County,partof thegreaterKaty Prairiethat oncerippled across a thousand squaremiles between theBrazos River and Houston. Morethan the surn ofitsparts,SaumsRoad is a rare wholepackage,amature bit of what once was theregion's characteristicandscape,nowpartofa suburban devel-opmenthotspot. Over thenext few months, as GreenhouseRoadisextendedto theinterstate, this remnantpatchisscheduledobe bulldozed,and theprairie-that-time-forgotwill catchup withthe booming subdivisionsall around.Last summer andfall, the KatyPrairieConservancy,alongwithother environmental groupsandgovernmentalagencies,aced tosavewhat they couldof the SaumsRoad Prairie.Alongsidetree-spadesnd sod-digging equipment, platoonsofeagervolunteersgatheredbeforedaylight on severalweekends, armed withnarrowshovels,rubber boots and bugspray.Bythe bucketful,theyhauledoff clumps of gayeather,milkweed and other prairiespecies,orreplanting atpocketprairiesandlarger restoration efforts acrosstheregion.These days, the SaumsRoad rescue saysa lot about the dwin-dlingKaty Prairie, and theneed to rally supportfor what's left,less han2percentofthe original prairieremains.Populationsofspeciesike meadowlarkand bobwhite quailare in serious decline,and themigratory snowgeeseand other waterfowlthat oncefeastedonthe regionsrice fields are alsolosingground.Morethan aquaintrelic of bygonedays, theKaty Prairieis an essential ecosystemuponwhichhundreds of bird,mammal,insectandplantspeciesdepend.But while SaumsRoadrepresents oss,friendsoftheKaty Prairiesawts opportunitiesaswell-includ-ing the chance to educatehe publicabout the con-servancyand whatits new communityeducationmanager calls"Houstorishidden hurtinghabitat.""Wecantafford tolose any more patcheslikeSaums,"saysCommunityEducationDirectorJaimeGonzalez, who seesherescue as apossibleturningpointinpublicawarenessabout theKaty Prairie"Whatwe've doneissavehegeneticimprint of thatprairieremnant.Thatprairieisgoingto surviveinrlr .:
,l r*
small chunksall aroundHouston.This is a little ark thatisgoingtohelp usreconstruct what was here."Createdin Igg2, theKatyPrairieConservancyowns orProtectsnearly 18,ooo acreswestofHouston, onwhat oncewasa vastexPanseof coastal tallgrass prairie.The consenancy'sholdings,alongsideother protectedlands,now include a patchworkofprairie, wood-lands, wetlandsandworkingfarms andranchesthat togetherrepre-sent theregion's environmental,agriculturaland wildlifehistory.Thegrouph goalsto eventuallyprotect-and whenpossible,restore-5o,oooacreswherehundreds ofthousandsofwinteringgeese,ducls,hawks and otherbirds-fiornbaldeagles and barn owls to38*TEBRuARY2ooe
Ii
lidiminutivesandpipers-canfind refuge.Ther$$oswerea time of quietgrovthfor the consewancy,withlarge acquisitionstopped byitszoo4"crownjewel," a controllinginterest nthe 6,4oo-acreWarrenRanch south of HocHey.The newmillenniumhasbroughtincreased development pressure,however,as hearea'shistoric rice farms and cattleranches fall, one by one'undera tide ofrooftopsripplingoutfrorn Flouston.Just eastoftheKPCslargest holdings, the12,ooo-acre Bridgeland developmentplansr7,ooo homes on what were theJosey andI-ongenbaughranches.The GrandParkway,SHgg,partofaproposedfourthlooparoundHouston, is set o be extendednorthofI-ro through someofthesame eal estate.Acrespreviouslysellingforunder$r,ooonowfetch2otimes thatamount. There waseven alk at one timethat therouteofa newlnterstate 69,thetans-TLxas Corridor, would plowright throughthe WarrenRanch.With anewsenseof urgency, heKaty Prairie Conservancysusing"everyoolin itstoolbox"toprotectland,says xecutivedirectorMaryAnne Piacentini.A newconservationbuyerprogram,forexample,JaimeGonzalez tandsntreadmarkshere allprairiegrassesoncestood andlooks verhe ast emnantsoftheSaumsoadrairie sirLrlldozersakeway{ornewdevelopment.
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