Laura Kuwayama, Class of 2020 & Chair of the Monarch View Park Project
Over the past year, Monarch View Park has seen an incredible transformation. With two grants from HEB, generous donations of plants and seeds from our amazing Blackland Prairie Master Naturalist members, contributions from other supporting organizations, and prairie rescues, we have added roughly 4,000 plants. Including Phase 1, that brings the total to 5,000! So far, we’ve planted in 22,700 sq. ft. of the hill’s 46,500 sq. ft. planting area.
In spring of 2025, we began phase 2 with a bare hill that was covered in Johnson grass. Since then, we have seen a dramatic improvement in plant diversity. As this community of plants fills in, we’re starting to see the response we hoped for: pollinators returning, butterflies moving through again, and more wildlife beginning to use the area.
Phase 3 of the project was a huge success with 60 volunteers attending the planting and installing over 1,000 plants. This project would not have been possible without the City of Frisco allowing it to continue, and the generous contributions of time from the North American Telugu Society (NATS), Texas Master Naturalists, Texas Conservation Alliance (TCA), and many other citizen volunteers. Plants for this phase of the project were purchased from Randy Johnson Organics, TCA and Natural Texas LLC.
Looking ahead, we’re excited to see how all the plants grow this year and will continue rescuing plants from developments around Collin County. With 122 species planted, we can’t wait to see which thrive and help create a thriving, diverse prairie habitat.
On April 18, from 9:00 a.m. to 12:00 p.m., we’ll use the remaining funds from the second HEB grant and a chapter grant to plant the fourth phase of the project. We’re excited to have One Earth One Chance, Frisco High School, and Centennial High School helping with this next phase.
We are now using Sign-Up Genius for our events! CLICK HERE to sign up for the April 18th workday.
Workdays continue most Sundays, and we’d love for even more people to join us.
How can local community members, neighbors, Boy Scouts and Girl Scouts, churches, businesses, foundations, and other interested parties support the Monarch Park Project?
Contact me at [email protected]. I hold weekly Sunday morning workdays, 7 AM-11 AM. If a workday needs to be canceled, I’ll update the calendar accordingly. – https://txmn.org/bptmn/calendar/
If you’re interested in volunteering at Monarch View, please sign up for a MyImpact account with the City of Frisco using the QR code below. Volunteers 17 or older will need to complete a background check. For questions about volunteer days, contact [email protected].
We are now using Sign-Up Genius for our events! CLICK HERE to sign up for the April 18th workday.
Details:
- Time: 7:00 AM – 11:00 AM
- Location: 1900 Koehn Drive
- Meeting Spot: At the top of the big berm near the Monarch artwork
- What to Bring: Gloves, water, litter bags, scissors, hand clippers, weed removal tools, buckets/containers
- What to Wear: Protective clothing: long sleeves, pants, closed-toed shoes, and bug spray
Questions? Contact me at [email protected]
How to Log your Volunteer Service Hours for Blackland Prairie Chapter Members:
Log your time under Pollinators for Texas – NRM. Be sure to include the location (Monarch View Park, Frisco) and a description of the work completed.
Thank you,
Laura Kuwayama
Click through all the photos from our Flickr Monarch Park Album
Members send your Monarch Park images to [email protected], and we will add them to the Flickr Album above.
