Grassland Heritage Foundation preserves prairies in eastern Kansas through education, stewardship, and land protection.
Tallgrass Prairie Facts
Prairie arose in the rain shadow of the Rocky Mountains, and once covered 400 million acres over the center of the U.S. from Saskatchewan to Texas. Prairies are diverse communities dominated by grasses and wildflowers.
Tallgrass prairie, with three-fourths of its biomass
underground, created some of the most productive
soils in the world. Prairie thrives amid drought, fire,
and grazing due to root systems up to 15 feet deep.
Only 1% of the native tallgrass prairie remains today due to fire suppression and intensive crop production, making it a globally endangered ecosystem. Remaining prairies now include the Flint Hills of Kansas and Oklahoma and small remnant prairies, such as The Prairie Center in Olathe, Kansas and GHF's Snyder Prairie, Leadplant Prairie, and Roulund-Wagner Prairie.
Only 1% of the native tallgrass prairie remains today. . .
News
Join us on Oct. 26 for a seed collecting outing!
Congratulations to GHF's Kim Bellemere, awarded a 2019 Climate + Energy Award!
Visit The Raven Book Store in Lawrence to browse GHF-curated gardening books
Snyder Prairie Restoration days are back, following the summer break!
Join a community of prairie protectors
You can directly support prairie land management, land protection, and education in northeast Kansas as a GHF member and donor.
GHF provides hands-on prairie restoration opportunities, academic scholarships, and workshops on prairie management, native plant gardening, and prairie ecology.
Members receive the GHF newsletter, discounts on fee workshops, discounts at GHF's annual native plant sale, and workshop & event notifications.
What you can do to protect prairie
Visit and enjoy prairies with friends.
Add native plants to your garden. They are needed by native pollinating insects, they reduce erosion, and they use less water.
Apply for a scholarship to advance our understanding of prairie ecology and restoration.
Encourage your city, county, and state to include prairie remnants and native plants in park and landscaping plans.
Keep exotic invasive plants out of your yard, parks and plant nurseries.
Events
October 26, 2019
11 am, Anderson County prairies
Seed Collecting at Leadplant and Paintbrush Prairies
Join GHF and Thrive Allen County to collect prairie seed on two Anderson County prairies - GHF’s Leadplant Prairie and Paintbrush Prairie, owned by GHF Board member Gary Tegtmeier.
11:00 am at Paintbrush & 1:30 pm at Leadplant.
GHF board members Mike Campbell and Courtney Masterson will teach everyone to collect and store seed and identify common fall prairie plants. All the seed collected will be used to further restore the prairies as well as property managed by Thrive Allen County.
Picnic on the prairie! Please bring a sack lunch and a refillable water bottle if you plan to collect during both times on either day. We'll supply water and lemonade and a gorgeous prairie setting, perfect for a picnic.
Please wear sturdy shoes and dress appropriately for the weather. Bring gloves and scissors or pruners. Please also bring any paper bags that you might be willing to donate. Any size is fine. We'll use them to collect the seed.
10 a.m., Snyder Prairie
Groundhogs Prairie Restoration Work Days
Help maintain healthy prairie and learn about restoration and maintenance! Read more here and contact preserve manager Frank Norman at fjnorman52@gmail.com to RSVP and to get more details. Groundhogs meets at GHF's Snyder Prairie near Mayetta, KS on the third Saturdays of most months.
Contact Grassland Heritage Foundation
PO Box 394
Shawnee Mission, Kansas 66201
Send us a message