Nash Prairie - Native Prairies Association of Texas

This message makes a good marker
for the end of an era of sorts. We
were founded in 1985, after eccentric,
multi-degreed, prairie-conservationminded,
retired British physician Geoffrey
Stanford turned to Dallas kindred spirits
Madge Lindsay and Arnold Davis at a
special touring tallgrass prairie exhibit—
which they had themselves put together—
and said something brief like “is there an
associa tion in Texas for conserving prairies”
Upon hearing the answer in the negative
Stanford continued with “then we must found
one.” And we were. Geoff had some thing
like this in mind when he attended the 1984
North American Prairie Confer ence—which
is put together biennially by who ever is
willing to do it—and at the post-meeting
stood and asked for approval for Texas
volunteers to organize the 1986 NAPC! And
they did. We still have pro ceedings from
that conference which focused on Texas
prairies ($20)—it is an excellent series of
papers by our best prairie minds.
I was recruited to the Board of Directors
in 1987 by Arnold Davis—another won derful
prairie person who cut his prairie teeth
with the Soil Conservation Service during
the large-scale re-planting and soil stabilization
work in the Dust Bowl states. Arnold
happily mentored all of us in the ways of
restoration, drove all over the state, and
wore his love of prairies on his sleeve for
all of us to see. R.C. “Rollie” Mauldin
was another delightful SCS elder who
appeared at almost every field trip and
meeting. He exhorted us new prairie people
to pay close attention to the native legumes,
and to remember that a good restoration
needed multiple legume species as some
species would be most palatability at different
times. So, every time I think of Rollie
and mention his name, I pass on his message.
I was very very lucky indeed in those
earlier NPAT days to have known our
in spiring prairie elders, including Edith
Hoyt and Dr. Paul and Virginia
Mezynski. Geoff, Arnold, and R.C. have
been gone now for a while. Edith passed
away last week. It has been with some
sorrow now that I’ve realized I’m the last
one on the Board who knew them, which
makes me an elder of sorts. They would all
be cheering to see we are entering a new
era of prairie con servation in Texas!
NPAT Update
From the President
NPAT President Kunda Lee Wicce has
been a familiar sight on the prairie.
We are focused and we are increasingly
more effective. After laying groundwork—
and with Jason Spangler’s business
acumen—we have received important
grants from the Houston Endowment, the
Meadows Foundation, Texas Parks and
Wildlife, and the Dixon Water Foundation
to support professional staff, and—for
the next two years—to employ prairie-wise
contractors, to actively scour each historic
tallgrass prairie county to catalog the
remnant fields of tallgrass in this state.
This galvanizing survey across 94 Texas
tallgrass counties has already added a few
hundred prairie owners to our database.
We are finding more tallgrass than was
previously guessed and it is our intention
to reach out to all these owners, offering
praise and celebration of what they and
their predecessors have been stewarding
since settlement times. We also desire to
support a network among all prairie owners,
and to share information on management
and economic opportunities.
And what a difference having staff these
last few months is already making! We are
quite blessed to have Dalmara Bayne on
board as our first executive director (ED). It
is a union made in heaven. Ms. Bayne has a
varied background in geography, conservation,
nonprofit management, fund-raising,
and real estate. NPAT’s transition alone from
all volunteer to managing payrolls, retirement
accounts, insurance, and dealing with backlogged,
complex grant reporting would be
enough to bury most people, yet Ms. Bayne
has been steering a steady course through
Photo courtesy of Wanda Holmes
Inside This
Issue
Welcome Our New Staff!
Pages 2 and 3
A Letter of Appreciation
From Johnny Johnson
Page 4
NAP Conference Report
By Lisa Spangler
Page 5
Jewel In the Rough
Pristine Prairie on a Working Ranch
By Jeffrey P. Cohn
Page 6
Vascular Plants of Nash Prairie
By David Rosen, Ph.D.
Page 8
Nash Prairie Impressions
By Margie Crisp
Page 9
Conservation Easements
Offer Benefits
By Chris DeForest
Page 10
NPAT Field Trips and Events
Page 12
Texas
Journal
Prairie
If you wish to submit articles, send to editor@texasprairie.org.
We welcome reports,
articles, literature reviews, and announcements
related to native prairies. Please
submit photos via e-mail.
Editor: Kirsti Harms
editor@texasprairie.org
2002 - A Guadalupe St. PMB 290
Austin, Tx 78705-5609
The Native Prairies Association of Texas is
supported by volunteers. Material appearing
in Texas Prairie Journal may not be
reprinted or otherwise reproduced without
written permission of the editor or the
Board of Directors.
Fall/Winter 2008
native Prairies Association of Texas
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