To enable increased communication among groups interested in
native prairie conservation, restoration, and/or education in
Texas, leading to increased cooperation and overall effectiveness.
Benefits that meeting these goals could bring include:
Increasing cooperation among prairie groups
Example: Connecting area-specific groups and region and statewide groups together
Helping inspire and motivate one another by sharing news of
prairie conservation, restoration, and/or education successes around
the state
Passing along information about known prairie remnants and protection opportunities. Examples:
If a large land trust finds a prairie remnant too small for
them to protect, they can pass the information onto a smaller
land trust that might be willing.
If a small land trust finds a prairie remnant too large for
it to afford or manage, they can pass the information onto larger land
trusts that might be interested.
Working together to create a list of all known protected
prairie remnants and restorations in the state, to facilitate
collection/propagation of native seed and restoration of other
conservation lands
Sharing information regarding best prairie management practices
Sharing information about (and even jointly applying for) grant
and funding possibilities for conservation easements, acquisition,
management, and restoration
Helping different groups get together to approach local
governments as a group with a combined message advocating prairie
conservation and restoration
Possible Member Group Interests:
Prairie, savanna, and other grasslands throughout Texas
It is conceivable that tallgrass prairies and savannas may get extra attention early since they are so highly threatened
Tallgrass prairie is the most threatened large ecosystem in
North America [TNC]. Many people believe even less Texas
tallgrass prairie remains than other regions (anecdotal estimates range
from less than 1% down to less than 0.1%).
Protection of all large prairie remnants as grassland bird
habitat. Protection of a region-wide network of smaller prairie
remnants as local ecotype seed sources and examples for local
restorations.