Today, the tallgrass prairie is the most endangered ecosystem in the world. It is estimated that less than 1% of the original 20 million acres of tallgrass prairie within Texas remains, with another 15 to 20% in a degraded but restorable state. These ranges apply to the Katy Prairie as well.
The Gulf Coast of Texas was once covered by unending swaths of prairies and marshes extending out to the Gulf of Mexico. When European settlers began arriving in the 1820s, over 90% of the state was rangeland. These lands were productive for agriculture and then ripe for industrial and urban development as populations grew.
The Greater Houston region is no exception to this evolution. Our relatively young city has experienced rapid change and growth, resulting in the conversion of prairies, farms, and fields into strip malls, offices, parking lots, and proliferating suburbs, consuming thousands of acres of the coastal prairie.
The Nature’s Burial conservation cemetery grounds is currently being restored to mimic the coastal prairie ecosystem that once covered these lands.
The land that is protected as the Blazing Star Sanctuary was once virgin prairie. For the last several hundred years, it has been used by several generations of Texans for cattle grazing and crop production. Nonnative forage grasses and crops came to dominate the landscape. Natural fires and nutrient cycles were suppressed. Native wildlife species disappeared. Today, we are bringing this prairie ecosystem back to life. The cover crops have enriched the soil. The wetlands are providing valuable fresh water habitat. Wildlife are reappearing. Native plants and their pollinators are returning.
Restoration of this rare and resilient ecosystem began in the Spring of 2024. Native grasses and wildflowers have been reestablished on the grounds in the Fall of 2025. These restored acres will support unparalleled plant diversity and will provide vital nesting and stopover habitat for migratory birds. Follow along on our interactive Chronolog page as we restore the prairie.
