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About the prairie: Latest news!!

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!

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. 

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!

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!   ​

Pictures of our prairie preparation!

On Friday, April 12th, the second restorative cover crop went in at the Tiger Prairie.

Jim Willis of the Wildlife Habitat Federation shows the variety of seeds included in the second (and final) cover crop mix.

Conservation

Our prairie helps conserve native Texas plant and animal species, including important pollinators like the endangered honey bees.  

Education

The 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!

Community

The 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

OUR GOAL

To create native Texas greenspaces in our community.
​

First Let's

Discover

 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! ​

Now let's WORK

Conserve

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"!

IT'S UP TO US

Change

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.

The Tiger Prairie is made possible by the generous donations from the following sponsors: