Kim Muzquiz, Class of 2025 and New Class Representative
Early this year BPTMN chapter member Jean Higgins read an article about 2500 acres in McKinney that were slated for mixed-use development. Through some research and digging she found the company/owner, and he happened to know another chapter member Carol Clark. After talking with him about the benefits to rescuing plants prior to development, he agreed to give us access to the property, and because the property is so large he also gave us access to his vehicles (UTVs with beds in back which helped with transporting the plants). Over the past 7 months, the Blackland Prairie Texas Master Naturalist chapter has made a number of trips to recover native plants before development begins next year.
Recovering native plants from Colmena Ranch is a crucial step in our broader mission of restoring natural habitats in the parks we serve. By rescuing and replanting these species, we help preserve the biodiversity of our region, support local wildlife, and maintain the ecological balance that native plants provide. This effort will have a lasting impact and contribute to the long-term health of our natural spaces. From April through June this year the group rescued approximately 550 plants from 59 plant species and 18 families. In July we harvested seeds from several plants such as the American Basketflower, Indian Plantain, Blue False Indigo and Milkweed. There will be more trips this fall to gather additional seeds, and another round of plant rescue will be scheduled in the spring of 2026. This may be our last opportunity prior to the development kicking off.
We appreciate the land owner’s willingness to collaborate with us on this unique opportunity and important effort. He has been very supportive and enjoyed watching the process. He has even asked for pictures and an inventory of the plants we rescued. We hope this becomes a model for future opportunities. If you have questions or would like to participate in this effort, please contact the project manager Kim Muzquiz at [email protected].
