Bringing Back the Prairie

Photo courtesy of Don Kirchoff

Don Kirchoff is a passionate advocate for Texas prairies.

The Department of Environmental Science and Ecology helps native prairies return to Texas

By Amber Stillwagon

Less than 1% of the original 20 million acres of tallgrass prairie in Texas still remain. In partnership with Kirchoff Family Farms, UTSA’s Environmental Science and Ecology Department is working to increase that prairie acreage. The 200 acres in Floresville, Texas, was previously a farm owned by the Kirchoff family and home to cotton fields, hay fields, and livestock. More than a century of row crop farming and ranching disturbed native vegetation, which prevented the growth of native plants and modified the habitat for native animals in the area.

After Don Kirchoff and siblings Scott, Susan and Brenda inherited the farm in 2008, they decided that the best way to conserve the native habitat was to restore the Blackland prairie to its former wild glory. “Our parents taught us a strong conservation ethic, and we thought we would restore the farm as close to natural conditions as possible as a memorial to our parents,” Don Kirchoff explains. Encouraged by his family’s success with their own property, he eventually founded the San Antonio Chapter of the Native Prairies Association of Texas, which seeks to conserve and protect the native prairies in the Lone Star State.

Despite their best efforts, the family’s initial foray into prairie rehabilitation was not an immediate success. “Our first two years of attempts were complete failures because we applied modern farming techniques to field preparation and planting native seeds,” Don Kirchoff remembers. The Kirchoffs heeded advice to start small—collecting remnant clumps of native plants and seeds, planting them in trays and then transplanting seedlings to a plot where they could suppress invasive plants. Eventually, they switched to nature’s original method of germination and allowed the seeds to populate the land themselves. Native plants, including switch grass, lotebush and milkweed, have since successfully taken root. Monitoring the landscape is important to ensure that invasive plants do not return. It is also important to document the processes that are successful so others wanting to restore native prairies can learn from these experiences.

In 2018, UTSA’s Environmental Science and Ecology Department became involved with the Kirchoff’s native prairie restoration. According to Dr. Janis Bush, a plant ecologist and chair of the department, grasslands are one of the most endangered ecosystems in the world. “Historically, grasslands extended through the central part of the United States from southern Canada to the coast of Texas,” says Bush. “Due to agriculture, overgrazing and the reduction of natural fires, the landscape has changed dramatically. With this change, the diversity of plants and animals has also decreased. The work that Don and his siblings have done in restoring this land to native prairie is truly remarkable. On my visits to the prairie, the diversity of plants and birds is amazing when compared to other areas which have not been restored.”

Students and faculty are currently conducting research, such as controlled burning, on the farm. During controlled burning, researchers prepare the area by cutting firebreaks to help in controlling the fire. Depending on the objective, they may use a back fire, which travels against the wind, moves slowly, and burns the fuels for a longer time at higher temperatures than a head fire. A head fire travels with the wind, spreading quickly, and the fuels burn at lower temperatures. Since some species may be more adversely affected than others, depending on the type of fire prescribed, the researchers monitor the area and make observations of the characteristics of the plants and soils to determine how they are responding to the fire. The fire is controlled using water, wet burlap bags and the firebreaks. Since native grasses have deep roots and evolved with fire, new growth occurs quickly and the prairie restoration continues. Native mammal and bird populations that prefer native grasslands gradually return to the area, which further increases biodiversity and assists in the restoration of the prairie. Some of these native faunae include the savannah sparrow, northern cardinal, white-tailed deer and Mexican ground squirrel.

Due to agriculture, overgrazing and the reduction of natural fires, the landscape has changed dramatically.

Perhaps the most important part of restoring the native prairie is the education and outreach component. “In addition to the great work in restoring the prairie, the Kirchoffs are using the prairie as a way to educate the public on the importance of prairies and biodiversity,” Bush says. In addition to collaborating with UTSA, Kirchoff Family Farm conducts workshops that allow the public to volunteer and learn in a hands-on way. Prairie Restoration Workdays, which take place the third Saturday of every month, allow participants to remove invasive plants and learn how to manage a native prairie habitat. Don Kirchoff says that education is important in order to get more people involved with the process. “Future generations will need properties like ours that in some way are preserving the past so they can guide the future,” he says. “My siblings and I had the benefit of growing up in an environment surrounded by nature. Modern agriculture techniques have all but obliterated that. Hopefully education and outreach will keep future generations connected to the beauty of the natural habitat that is slipping away from us.”

For more information about Kirchoff Family Farm, please visit TexasPrairie.org or call (512) 772-4741.