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About the prairie: Latest news!!
09/09/2022 Just a little bit of rain goes a long way on the Tiger Prairie! After a long drought, our cover crops have fully recovered and are hard-at-work improving the soil. In the picture below, you can see legume plant nodules. These are the wart-looking structures in the roots of these plants, harboring living bacteria that takes nitrogen from the air and begins the process of turning it into plant food; nature's fertilizer! You'll find these legumes planted throughout the remediated site to help make our soil more nutritious for our prairie plants. Radishes and turnips use their large tap-roots to "burrow down", increasing the soil porosity. The last picture shows what healthy soil needs to have; a full microbiome. Mycoorrhizae assist with water and nutrient uptake, while Trichoderma are fungi that enhance root and plant growth, and aid in plant disease resistance. Without these beneficial microbes, our prairie would not grow! Soil is everything. It is the foundation to every ecosystem.
Our cover crops: hard at work!
Legume nodules contain nitrogen-fixing bacteria
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The white filaments you see are beneficial microbes!
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08/29/2022 The Tiger Prairie at Katy High School has taken learning for teachers and students to a whole new level! We will soon begin replanting our new 2-acre site, providing many opportunities for students to engage directly with their community; together we can find nature-based solutions to problems like flooding, drought, rangeland degradation, and biodiversity and habitat loss. We are excited to get started! Check out the recent Community Impact article to see what our kids are doing!
04/26/2022 “All Eyes on Owls”! Eloise Langan and Carine Harb received a $590.00 grant from EcoRise! At the Tiger Prairie, we have been dedicated to the conservation of plants that are native to Katy and are facing rapid habitat loss. But wildlife is important too. This grant will pay for the purchase of one Barred owl box with WiFi enabled cameras inside to be used during nesting periods. These cameras will be solar powered as the new prairie site is remote. Students will be able to view owlets in the nesting box from 0.25 mi distance using their cell phones. Our hope is to stream this video for all students in Katy ISD. Eloise and Carine are seeking to bring awareness to the wildlife in our area and show how plants and animals are affected by urban sprawl. Congrats to these hard-working students! Thank you EcoRise for your support!
04/23/2022 The third annual shindig to support our Prairie Education Program was a breezy delight on April 23rd at Lawther – Deer Park Prairie. Thirty-seven guests enjoyed the tasty bites and beverages, live bluegrass music, and strolls on the boardwalk. Dr. Rhonda Burrough, and her Katy H.S. students shared powerful stories about how prairie education is inspiring our youth to appreciate Texas prairies. Conservationist Susan Conaty says "These students have become ambassadors speaking to communities leaders about the importance of Prairie in their area both historically and its importance for a resilient future. This project was done all from donations. Even though they received push back from the original plot...in the end tnow have 3 acres of Prairie plantings instead of just the initial one acre. Talk about win win win. These students and teachers are my inspiration to keep on keeping on!" Revenue for this fundraiser finished at $16,310, with a net of $11,738.
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04/22/22 Inclusivity is a cornerstone value at Katy High School. Thank you to the Katy ISD Education Foundation for awarding Katy High School $5000.00 for our "Gardening for Inclusivity" grant!! We have a vision to bolster inclusion of all populations in our school community by creating an accessible, sensory friendly place for our students to explore, learn, and grow. Adjacent to our new Tiger Prairie site, we will be using these funds to implement a sensory garden and build wheelchair accessible garden beds in an effort to welcome one and all to the space. This project will promote sustainability and support our community donations to local food banks. Scientific research shows that students learn more from being outdoors and it is our hope that through this method, we can also bridge the gap between acceptance, awareness, and understanding within our Tiger Family. Members of the team Kelly Knight, Rhonda Trace-Burrough, Andi Shirley Oldner, Elizabeth Renée and Megan Anne Keith, have worked tirelessly to make this dream into what quickly is becoming a reality. A special thanks to our principal Dr. Richard Hull and our department chairs for supporting our dream, and our sincere gratitude to each and every donor who made this award possible! 04/20/22 Watch us GROW! The Katy High School prairie 2.0 is undergoing a soil transformation. Trails have been installed, and cover crops are now almost thigh-high. Each plant was selected to cover, loosen, or add critical nutrients into the soil. Before we can plant our native species, we need a healthy microbiome and soil food web. It’s what you don’t see that can be the most important. We are building strong, interconnected relationships in our prairie. They will help our prairie species thrive, bringing diversity to turf monoculture. Check out what we have going on! |
Join us on FRIDAY, April 22nd to celebrate Earth Day!! We will have a booth; stop by to see us and learn more the Tiger Prairie and KHS beekeeping!
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04/02/2022 It was an absolutely beautiful day for setting up the new KHS beekeeping club apiary! The Tiger Prairie is blooming, and we even installed our native-bee house as well. Thank you to Scott and David, and all the amazing NHS students who helped…we are now ready for our new hives!!
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01/18/2022 Kelly Knight and the Katy High School World Warriors club have been awarded $660.00 for their Eco-Audit application, "Relocating the Tiger Prairie". These students submitted an amazing project proposal and their award money will go directly towards planting of the new Tiger Prairie’s second cover crop…we look forward to seeing the results of their hard work for many years to come. Congratulations, World Warriors! |
12/01/2021 We are so excited to announce the phase in our project: The Tiger Prairie is moving! We have recently received the opportunity to transfer the prairie to a bigger (2 acres), better location (see photos below), and the wheels are already in motion in making that happen. The school district has generously offered property near the Kenneth D. Welch Outdoor Learning Center (OLC) where this new prairie will be more accessible to ALL; Katy ISD elementary schools routinely visit the OLC and we are excited that our youngest learners will grow up with the prairie as a continued part of their education! Katy High School students will still have daily access to the site and the public will be encouraged to visit and enjoy this natural ecosystem. To serve this larger population of students, we are creating a district wide, collaborative team to explore other learning opportunities such as vegetable gardens and rain collection for irrigation. Other benefits of our new location include a quieter outdoor location for learning (no more busy streets!), increased potential for greater biodiversity (we will now have a nearby water source and old-growth tree line...check out the racoon prints) and a more streamlined restoration process that incorporates “lessons learned” from our original prairie pilot project. Stay tuned as we begin to search for a new name for this space.
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10/26/2021 Last Thursday six Katy High School students entered a competition through the Houston Youth Resilience Design Challenge and Leadership Summit. This was supported by the National Wildlife Federation and Mayor Turner’s Climate resiliency action plan. Mayor Turner gave an opening address to the students. Teams from all over Houston presented a plan to help their community with low-impact development. They were given 45 minutes to develop a plan and 3 minutes to give their “elevator pitch”. Students used The Tiger Prairie as a case-study of beneficial eco-services and presented new air quality and infiltration data gathered this school year…these students won first place and were awarded $785 to implement their design!!! If you see any of these kiddos around town, give them a big CONGRATS!
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10/03/2021 Students at Katy High school just completed a two year study of biodiversity at the Tiger Prairie. Biodiversity is the variety of life on planet earth. The natural world was created to supply oxygen, clean the air and water, provide pollination and pest control, enhance flood mitigation, and create animal habitats. And, it is there for us to enjoy. High biodiversity in ecosystems means greater resilience and better health. Using iNaturalist, we counted the number of individual species and their abundance using a modified transect methodology. Students then calculated what is called the Shannon Index. This is a number between 1.5 and 3.5. The higher the number, the more biodiverse the ecosystem and the more services it provides. Students identified 52 species of plants and were precise in their identification. After over 600 observations in 2019 and 2021, our students have found the Tiger Prairie to have an index of 3.32. This is fantastic! As we go into the fall, you will begin to see the cycle of the prairie change. All energy goes into making seeds getting ready for winter. The Tiger Prairie is teaching our students how to study the natural world.
09/17/2021 Another big honor for the Tiger Prairie! The National Science Foundation and Carleton College’s EDDIE (Environmental Data Driven Inquiry and Exploration) Consortium has published a module using the Tiger Prairie as a case study for incorporating greenspaces in urban areas. So proud of our KHS students and the Katy community for supporting this valuable work!! The lessons will also be used throughout KatyISD to help our students experience a college level, peer reviewed science inquiry about the ecosystem services of prairies and how they affect our community. As this is a national consortium, the Tiger Prairie lessons will also be used in colleges and high schools all over the country. Thank you Kelly Knight for two years of hard work developing these informative and transformative modules. This is such an honor for our school and our district! Educators can access the materials here: (https://serc.carleton.edu/eddie/teaching_materials/modules/prairie_eco_services.html)
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08/31/2021 The Tiger Prairie absorbs 50 times more water than turf grass! Over 130 AP Environmental Science students at Katy High School in Kelly Knight and Rhonda Trace-Burrough classes measured infiltration rates of water into the Tiger Prairie and a turf grass site on campus. Infiltration rate is a measure of how fast water enters the soil. A PVC pipe was hammered 2-3 inches into the ground and then filled with water. Students measured the time it took the water to flow one inch into the soil. Thirty seven data points were taken over an eight hour period. Upon combining the data, the turf grass infiltration rate was 0.2 in/hr. The Tiger Prairie rate was 9.9 in/hr. The Tiger Prairie wins!! Prairie grasses have roots that can be 5-15 ft. in length. These roots provide channels by which water can run into the soil. If the water is going deep into the soil, it is not going into our streets. As the water moves through this ecosystem, it is also cleaned before entering our aquifers. The turf grass was almost impermeable and most rainfall at this site will result in runoff. Prairie ecosystems look different; they are tall, wild, and seasonal. But, what if we were to create small pocket prairies all over Katy? Could we have beauty, life, AND flood mitigation? Our students will be exploring the use of vegetation as a natural means of water management. And can I brag on our KHS students? Their data was well aligned with literature values. Very proud of them.
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05/19/2021 We have received 7.2" of rainfall through this week at the Tiger prairie as per our rain gauge. When we built the prairie, we had a low spot and purposefully kept it that way. Prairies absorb water not just through their 9-15ft root systems, but also through potholes that collect water that can then drain slowly into the soil. Its been so dry the last couple of years, ours have been empty. But not today! Nature doing work for us at no cost! Ecosystem services. The tall bushy grasses you see are Eastern Gamma grass. We planted those from root balls grown at the Wolf Prairie at Westside High School. They love water!!! Here is a great one minute video by the Katy Prairie Conservancy about how the Katy Prairie helps us with flooding downstream and that is us! https://youtu.be/iM9fZbrpPQ0
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12/22/2020 Every ecosystem needs a disturbance, much like an athlete needs resistance to gain strength, prairie plants need weathering, flood, drought, and fire to be healthy. On December 22nd , American Furniture graciously donated their services and equipment to mow our prairie for its December hair-cut. During the winter season, dead foliage holds millions of seeds that are waiting to take root in our soil. All of the prairie grasses are using energy to make way for the next generation. By mowing, the seeds will disperse and find their way into the soil. Vegetation will then decompose providing fertilizer for our new growth. January, the prairie sits, and the seeds germinate and grow their roots. Spring will be fantastic. It’s an amazing process. Thank you Chris Harris and American Furniture for helping us get ready for the new growing season!
12/6/2020 The Tiger Prairie is pleased to announce that it recently received a $100 grant from the Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower Center Seed and their project partner, Native American Seed! The seedmix will include Marsh Elder, Aster, American Basketflower, Black-eyed Susan, Lemon Mint, Rattlesnake Master and many more native grasses: keep an eye out this spring for amazing new blooms!
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10/28/2020 Thanks to Cane Island Community, the Tiger Prairie is a place to enjoy some sunshine and lots of nature. Now, there is also a space for a whole class of students to gather and learn.
The prairie in front of Katy High School has four large tables with benches long enough to seat up to eight students per table. The outdoor furniture is nestled under a giant live oak in the northeast section of the prairie, which is located at the corner of Highway 90 and FM 1463. Read the full story here: https://www.chron.com/neighborhood/katy/news/article/Tiger-Prairie-at-Katy-High-School-gets-new-15689464.php |
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11/16/2019 Katy High School students are gearing up for their entry in this year's in the 2020 Lexus Eco Challenge! KHS students will be applying for up to $30,000 in cash prizes as they document the various eco-services of the Tiger Prairie, and encourage others to incorporate greenspaces in their own communities. These students will be hosting a public-outreach event THIS SATURDAY, November 16th from 1-2 pm, with key stakeholders and our generous sponsors also present. Feel free to stop by the Tiger Prairie to learn more about the valuable eco-services our prairie provides. The weather will be beautiful, so come see what's growing! Juice and water will be provided!
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11/9/2019 Congratulations to Katy High School teachers and prairie leaders Dr. Rhonda Burrough, Kelly Knight and Susan Barker for winning this year's Science Teachers Association of Texas STAT Innovation Award. This award recognizes the best and brightest science initiatives in Texas while also offering solutions to the resource challenges besetting science instruction in our state. The Katy Tiger Prairie Grass Initiative was selected from a distinguished group of nominees, making this recognition a truly significant accomplishment. Katy High School will be formally recognized at the two CAST19 General Sessions on Friday, November 22 from 9:30-11:00 a.m. and again 12:30-2:00 p.m. in Dallas, TX, and Katy High School will receive a $4,000 award to support the implementation or expansion of the Katy Tiger Prairie Grass Initiative.
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11/3/2019 THANK YOU to Cane Island who has generously agreed to fund four large, all-weather powder-coated tables for our new outdoor classroom! These tables will be installed under the giant live oak at the NE corner of our prairie property, allowing students to gather in the prairie and have a place to work. We are so thankful for their contribution!
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10/5/2019 Our mulch trails are INSTALLED!! Thank you to Cemex for funding this amazing project, and to all the wonderful Katy High School students (and families!) who came out to help...we couldn't have done it without you!
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Pictures of our prairie preparation!
ConservationOur prairie helps conserve native Texas plant and animal species, including important pollinators like the endangered honey bees. |
EducationThe Tiger Prairie serves as a hands-on, real-world outdoor classroom for our students! It is the ideal place for students to learn about biology, environmental science, agronomy and more! Art and photography students will have a source for inspiration, just footsteps from the classroom door! |
CommunityThe Tiger Prairie is not just for Katy High School students, but for the entire Katy community. We want residents to wander in, sit for a while, and enjoy the beauty of a native Texas prairie! We encourage visitors and feel that community outreach is a vital part of our prairie's success. |
“I was born upon the prairie where the wind blew free and there was nothing to break the light of the sun. I was born where there were no enclosures and where everything drew a free breath. I want to die there, not within walls.”
― Para-Wa-Samen (Ten Bears) Comanche Nation
― Para-Wa-Samen (Ten Bears) Comanche Nation
OUR GOALTo create native Texas greenspaces in our community. |
First Let'sDiscover
Katy High School is partnering with the Katy Prairie Conservancy, the Wildlife Habitat Federation, Turner Seed Company, Black Bear Diner, and Keep Katy Beautiful to restore the 1 acre site in the front of our school to a native Texas prairie. This site will serve two purposes. One, it will become an active outdoor classroom for Katy High School and other educators in the district. We plan on having trails, benches, and seating for our learners out at the site. We encourage folks to wander in for a chance to enjoy the scenery, or to do a study of the biology, management, and conservation advantages of the site; visitors are welcome any time! Second, this will be a place where the community can come and enjoy the flora and fauna!
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Now let's WORKConserve
Our bee keeping club will keep our native plants healthy through year-round pollination, and there will be many opportunities for schools in the area to help with the planting and prairie maintenance. We will be restoring this area to what it looked like thousands of years ago. Right now, the prairie is in its early stages, with a cover crop in place to help replenish the soil: it might look a little strange, but when you walk out there, and see what nature is doing, its beautiful! As Jim Willis from the Wildlife Habitat Federation always tells us, "be patient and enjoy the process"!
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IT'S UP TO USChange
Native prairie plants have extensive root systems, which make them both drought-resistant, while serving as critical buffers against flooding. Our hope is that other neighborhoods and organizations will also use these plants in their landscaping. Tiger prairie is a place for all to use, to learn from, and to enjoy; we are excited to invite the community into this space, and to be an active part of the prairie's transformation (stay tuned for upcoming events) ! Our school is full of tradition and a strong association with all things Katy. The Tiger Prairie is another part of our story. I hope you enjoy this journey with us.
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The Tiger Prairie is made possible by the generous donations from the following sponsors:
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