Prairie Grass Restoration at Sheldon Lake

Community volunteers from area corporations, schools, and nature groups chose to spend a recent Saturday morning contributed to North Channel’s biggest prairie grass restoration event. Native grasses such as Big Bluestem, Little Bluestem, Eastern Gammagrass and Switchgrass were planted in a three-acre plot at Sheldon Lake State Park as part of an ongoing restoration effort to attract native birds and other wildlife to the area.

Superb weather brought out 118 conservation-minded volunteers. The organizations represented included employees from the LyondellBasell Channelview complex, YES Academy, CE King High School, University of Houston-Downtown, Boy Scouts of America, and Texas Master Naturalists.

Sheldon Lake State Park is concentrating on restoring approximately 700 acres of previously farmed land to native coastal prairie. Due to human activities such as farming, housing, industrial development and the introduction of invasive species, more than 99 percent of native coastal prairie has been destroyed.

Restoring this prairie will significantly enhance the educational programs. Students will now be able to study a coastal tallgrass prairie ecosystem similar to the native prairies that once dominated this region. Additionally, the restored prairie will provide vital habitats for many native plants and animals, some of which are registered as threatened or endangered.

For more information, contact Leslie Cook with Sheldon Lake State Part at 281.456.2800 x229.