Saving Texas Prairies and Grasslands
Sep 1, 2026 · 29:20
Andy Olson, stewardship specialist with the Native Prairies Association of Texas (NPAT), explains how landowners can restore Texas prairies, with only 1–2% of original tallgrass prairie left. True remnants are one tenth of one percent and unrecreatable; NPAT holds conservation easements where landowners sell or donate development rights — about 30% of land value — while keeping farming, hunting and access rights. A healthy prairie mixes warm-season grasses and forbs that feed imperiled pollinators like monarchs. He points to USDA's Conservation Reserve Program, which pays farmers to plant prairie along row-crop edges, and to native grasses under solar arrays. He monitors easements annually; violations are rare. Without land, he recommends NPAT volunteer workdays or texasprairie.org.
