Your Passport to The Great Prairie Adventure

About Memorial Park Conservancy

Memorial Park Conservancy is the non-profit organization that operates and manages 1,100 acres of Memorial Park 365 days a year. We rely on the generous support of park visitors like you to care for this vibrant urban greenspace.

Most of our annual operating funding comes from the financial support of the Houston community and individuals. Do you love coming to the Park?

Consider giving back to Memorial Park Conservancy. Help us ensure that the Memorial Park you see today is here for all future generations of Houstonians.

Great Prairie Adventure The Power of Plants

Give to the Memorial Park Conservancy Fund

Volunteer with Memorial Park Conservancy

The Memorial Park Land Bridge & Prairie is part of the Ten-Year Plan, an accelerated set of projects within the Memorial Park Master Plan that is made possible by a $70M catalyst gift from the Kinder Foundation, which leveraged public funding through the Uptown Development Authority, and by the generosity of other donors. Execution of the Ten-Year Plan is overseen by the Memorial Park Standards Committee, a partnership comprised of the City of Houston Parks and Recreation Department, Memorial Park Conservancy, the Kinder Foundation, and Uptown Development Authority.

BiggestPicnic Texasin

Memorial Park, Houston

Memorial Park Ten-Year Plan Project Partners

City of Houston Parks & Recreation Department

Kinder Foundation

Uptown Houston

Memorial Park Conservancy

Memorial Park Master Plan and this project designed by Nelson Byrd Woltz Landscape Architects

Special Thanks to

Office of Houston Mayor Sylvester Turner

February 11, 2023

Grand Opening of the Kinder Land Bridge and Cyvia & Melvyn Wolff Prairie

Presented by

Special thanks to Picnic Basket Sponsor

Hi Neighbor.

Welcome to the Great Prairie Adventure!

I’m your guide through this grand opening exploration of the Kinder Land Bridge and Cyvia and Melvyn Wolff Prairie here at Memorial Park.

Your Mission

• Follow the map inside this passport booklet.

• Visit some or all of the 13 Great Prairie Adventure activity stations on the map.

• Earn a stamp for your book at each station.

• Choose your adventure—east, west or both!

When you finish, take your booklet to the Prize Stations for a special Prairie Explorer prize. (Look for my acorn on the map to find the Prize Stations.)

• You don’t have to go in order or visit all 13 stations in order to get a prize.

• Learn all about the Land Bridge & Prairie along the way!

Be Our Guest!

Come back again to explore and play at Memorial Park. Climb the Emily Clay Family Scramble, experience Houston from atop the Kinder Land Bridge, watch and learn about the plants and animals of the Cyvia and Melvyn Wolff Prairie as they grow and change in the years to come.

EAST ADVENTURE: Stations 1 through 7

Where the Water Wanders

Did You Know? The Land Bridge was designed to support the flow of water through Memorial Park on its way to Buffalo Bayou. The tunnel underneath Memorial Drive moves water to the Prairie, where the prairie plants get to work filtering the water that they absorb.

Activity: Whoa, H2O!

Watch our homemade Water Filtration Station in action. See in real time the way different materials filter the water. Which combination keeps the water cleanest?

Soil Soil + rocks Soil + Plants

Green Over Gray

Did You Know? These concrete steps used to be part of Memorial Drive! When the new roadway was built to go through the tunnels, pieces of the old road were recycled to create the Emily Clay Family Scramble up to the top of the Land Bridge East Hill. It is a perfect addition for Memorial Park’s runners, climbers, and dreamers.

Passport Activity: Reduce, Recycle, Reimagine

Think twice before you throw away a plastic bottle! Find the painted striping from the old roadway—look for signs of previous use. Just as the old pieces of Memorial Drive have been turned into something new here at the Scramble, you can recycle and re-imagine items you use at home. One idea could be making a bird feeder. Take home our “do it yourself” instructions and see what you come up with!

How Did the Critter Cross the Road?

Did You Know? The Critter Crossing underneath the Land Bridge is designed to let light in, and has special ledges for animals so that they can have a safe and dry crossing underneath the road. (Some of them don’t like to get their feet wet!) Hunt for these in the interpretive elements, but you’ll have to come back to see them.

Passport Activity: Critter ID

What animals do you think you’d see using the Critter Crossing? Circle them:

Build a Prairie

Congratulations on getting your own mini–Harris County Prairie in a bag!

Native prairies are an important part of our local ecosystem. There are many wildlife and insect species who depend on prairie habitats. For best results, plant your seeds before April 1st. They will remain dormant until the spring warmth arrives. If you plant in fall or winter, don’t expect to see any growth until later. Enjoy your mini-prairie!

Did You Know? Keeping a prairie healthy often involves people, not just plants! Special machines, controlled burns, and even grazing animals (think goats and bison) are used to help the cycle of renewal that is required for a prairie to mature.

Passport Activity: Prairie in a Bag

Take your own kit to grow a prairie at home.

To germinate (December- March)

1. Locate a place in your yard that gets full sun and is about 16 square feet.

2. Clear all plant material to create a bare spot of ground.

3. Rough up the surface with a rake.

4. Sprinkle the seeds out evenly over the area.

5. Gently firm them to the ground, by lightly patting them with an open hand to make sure they have good contact with the soil.

6. Water the area as needed to keep it moist but not overly wet. (a normal year in Houston provides the needed moisture)

Tip for success: Sprinkling ¼” of a fine mulch, potting soil, or compost will help to hold moisture for the seeds to germinate and keep the birds from eating your seeds.

Your seed bag potentially contains the following Texas native species:

Blazing Star

Blanket Flower

Rattlesnake Master

Little Bluestem

Button Bush

Longspike Tridens

White Tridens

Bluemist Flower

Texas Yellow Star

Green Milkweed

Lemon Mint

Lyre-Leaf Sage

Black-eyed Susan

Clasping

Coneflower

Plains Coreopsis

Purple Lovegrass

Texas Wintergrass

Maximilian

Sunflower

Switchgrass

Winecup

Eryngo

Florida Paspalum

5

Where the Buffalo Roam: Rodeo Roundup

The stars at night are big and bright Deep in the Heart of Texas

The prairie sky is wide and high Deep in the Heart of Texas

Did You Know? For thousands of years, the Coastal Prairie defined life and formed the identity of Southern Texas—beginning with the native Tonkawa, Akokisa, and Karankawa tribes to the early settlers, vaqueros, ranchers and the founders of the state. The prairie landscape is woven deeply into the fabric of Texas history and culture—from cattle culture and cowboys to barbecue and bluebonnets—all culminating in the annual Houston Livestock Show and RodeoTM.

Each year, Trail Riders from all over the region make their way on horseback and wagon to Memorial Park to camp out before making their grand entrance into Houston for Go Texan Day and the kickoff to The Houston Livestock Show and RodeoTM.

Passport Activity: Rodeo Roping

Test your lassoing skills! Can you rope the dummy?

The Power of Plants

Did You Know? The prairie is full of plant helpers. The Indigenous people who cared for this land have had a long history working with the healing power of plants. Used properly, they act as medicine or remedies for all kinds of ailments.

Passport Activity:

Follow the clues on the photos to match the plants with their medicinal properties.

Field Notes & Sketches

Use your senses and take notes on your adventure

Sketch your favorite thing you’ve seen today.

Touch

Smell

Sound

Sight

Thanks for your help!

Help Us Grow

Did You Know? Gulf Coast Prairie once reached 9 million acres from Corpus Christi to Lafayette, Louisiana—including what is now Memorial Park. Today, less than 1% of this ecology exists in excellent condition.

Bringing back a fully grown prairie to Memorial Park will take 5-7 years. Planting native seed, keeping out invasive species, mowing, and controlled burns are all ways to help the grasses and flowers grow.

Passport Activity: Plant a Seed

Help plant seeds in soil that will go to our greenhouse. See the samples? This is how big they will be in April. If you want to see how deep these roots will get, check out Station 12!

Home on the Range

Did You Know? It can take 5-7 years for a prairie to become fully grown. The prairie at Memorial Park is still very young. Over time, plants will change and different animals will move through as the habitat evolves. Animals at home on the prairie include coyotes, frogs, raccoons, skunks, herons, and snakes.

Passport Activity: I Spy

Look through the viewfinders inside this Prairie Observation Destination (POD) to spy animals who make their home on the prairie. How many can you count?

WEST ADVENTURE: Stations 8-13

Birds in Paradise

9 7 10 8

Did You Know? The woodland edge is a vibrant transition zone between open prairie and forested habitats—providing cover and nesting opportunities for bird species that hunt small mammals and insects in the open prairie. The Prairie Observation Destination (POD) you’re in right now is a good place to spot the brilliant colors of birds like the Indigo Bunting on their migratory journey through Houston.

Passport Activity: Color Splash

Find the picture on page 9. Color the birds and plants of the prairie!

Birds of Prey

Did You Know? A prairie is an interconnected system of hundreds of animal species—which means eating and being eaten! The food web is complex, and the prairie depends on a healthy food web to thrive. Insects, rodents and small mammals love the prairie—and birds of prey love them. Keen eyesight, quick speed, and strong claws help birds of prey hunt and capture their food.

Passport activity: Eyes Like a Hawk

Look for the birds’ hooked beaks and sharp talons. These make them great hunters!

Design-A-Land Bridge and Prairie.

Did You Know? The Kinder Land Bridge and Cyvia and Melvyn Wolff Prairie you see today started as an idea. With the hard work, creativity, and cooperation of a big team, including landscape architects, designers, builders, and engineers, that idea grew into the reality you see before you today.

Passport Activity: Cool Tools

Use the tools provided to review and mark-up our drawing set, draw something a landscape architect might draw, or make a leaf rubbing to learn more about the plants that were specially selected for the Memorial Park Prairie.

13

South Texas Ice Age

Did You Know? 18,000 years ago, South Texas looked very different than it does today. No skyscrapers, no highways, no farmhouses, no horse drawn carts: just rolling plains of grasses and flowers mixed with pockets of trees. Large animals that roamed this area included Giant Ground Sloths, Western Camels, Columbian Mammoths, Giant Bison, and Dire Wolves. Indigenous peoples lived alongside and hunted this wildlife starting at least 13,500 years ago. It was their hunting and landscape management (through fire) that co-evolved the modern prairie. As the climate changed and grew warmer, the land also changed over time.

Passport Activity: Leaf Rubbings

How Deep Are My Roots?

Did You Know? Prairie roots can grow up to 12 feet below ground. This makes them really good at absorbing water. Why is this important? One reason is during heavy storms, floods, or even hurricanes, prairies work hard to store and hold water deep underground, lessening the effects of stormwater damage.

Passport Activity: Measuring Up

How tall are you compared to a fully grown prairie plant? Think about how long it took you to grow to your current height. Prairies take time to grow, too. The “baby prairie” you see today will take 5-7 years to mature to a “grown-up.”

Fossilized bones of these large animals have been found throughout South Texas. Did you know that leaves can fossilize, too? Make your own leaf rubbing using the supplies provided.

Prize Stations

You made it!

Passport Stamps

Look for my acorn on the map and go pick up a prize from the Prize Stations!

Picnic Basket Giveaway Sponsored by Pick up a free Memorial Park Conservancy picnic basket with provisions generously donated by H-E-B. *While supplies last.

Kids Zone & Free Play area in Picnic Loop: For those who don’t want to wander too far, make yourself at home in the Kids Zone & Free Play Area in Picnic Loop. Enjoy face painting, storytelling, lawn games and more while you picnic.

STAMP 13

Thanks for joining us for the Biggest Picnic in Texas! Watch Us Grow! Come back again & again to see the prairie change and mature in the months and years to come.