Grassland Heritage Foundation preserves prairies in eastern Kansas through education, stewardship, and land protection.
Contact Grassland Heritage Foundation
PO Box 394, Shawnee Mission, Kansas 66201
Send us a message
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 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.
Events
April 14, 2018
9 a.m., Snyder Prairie
Groundhogs Prairie Restoration Work Day
Help maintain healthy prairie and learn about restoration and maintenance practices. Read more here and contact preserve manager Frank Norman at fjnorman52@gmail.com to RSVP and to get more details. Next Groundhogs date: May 19.
April 19, 2018
7 p.m., Carnegie Building, 900 W 9th Street, Lawrence
Native Plant Gardening Workshop #2: Landscaping with Native Plants
Learn about important design considerations for home landscapes. This workshop will feature Patti Ragsdale, owner of Happy Apple’s Farm. She’s been growing, selling, and planting display gardens that highlight their use in home landscapes since 2014. RSVPs are encouraged. Email GHF at grasslandheritage@gmail.com.
May 19, 2018
9 a.m. to 1 p.m., Trinity Episcopal Church Lawn, 1011 Vermont, Lawrence
GHF Native Plant Sale
50 species of locally-grown, neonic-free native species! This sale benefits GHF's prairie education programs. GHF members may pre-order with a discount and pick up the day of the sale, so you can ensure that you get the plants you want. To verify your membership or order plants, email ghfplantsale@gmail.com.
June 02, 2018
Oak Hill Cemetery + Akin Prairie
National Prairie Day
At 8 a.m., join us at Oak Hill Cemetery in Lawrence to install a new native garden! National Prairie Day continues with Kansas Land Trust's annual Akin Prairie Walk at 10 a.m.
June 09, 2018
9 a.m., Bellemere property
Restoration Workshop
GHF's own Kim Mahanna-Bellemere is undertaking a 3-acre prairie restoration project with her family, and she will share what they've learned along the way, early in the restoration process. RSVP at grasslandheritage@gmail.com.
July 07, 2018
KU Medicinal Plant Garden, West Campus
Native Plant Garden Tour
GHF's native plant gardening series continues with a guided tour of KU's Native Plant Medicinal Garden and Happy Apple's Farm
How You Can Help Protect Prairie
Join Grassland Heritage Foundation. Become a member of a community of prairie enthusiasts and protectors.
Visit and enjoy prairies with friends.
Help GHF restore prairie.
Add native plants to your garden. They are needed by native pollinating insects, reduce erosion, and use less water.
Apply for a scholarship to become a professional prairie protector.
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.
