AT: North American Prairie Conference

Welcome to Houston, the culinary and cultural capital of the South. Houston is also home to a highly diverse suite of habitats, routinely ranked as one of the most biodiverse regions in the United States. This stunning biological variety is matched by human diversity. Houston is the most ethnically diverse metro area in the country.

The 2019 North American Prairie Conference’s homebase will be the fascinating and highly imperiled coastal prairie. Greater Houston is in the midst of a coastal prairie revival, with pristine sites being conserved, prairies being restored, and even urban ‘pocket prairies’ popping up in the heart of the city.

So, welcome to the conference and welcome to Texas!
HEALTHY PRAIRIES,
HEALTHY WATERSHEDS

Water is life. Nowhere is this more true than on our prairies. Prairie wetlands nourish colorful plants, serve as amphibian nurseries, provide feeding grounds for shorebirds, and quench thirst for countless upland prairies species. They also help staunch floodwaters and purify drinking water. In the wake of Hurricane Harvey’s damage to Houston and coastal Texas, prairies (and their associated wetlands) are in the spotlight for the many benefits they provide. The 2019 North American Prairie Conference will spotlight how prairies can help to create healthy watersheds for people and wildlife.
A prairie pothole at Native Prairie Association of Texas’s Lawther-Deer Park Prairie Photo by Don Verser

The 2019 North American Prairie Conference will draw some of the brightest minds in prairie conservation, restoration, education, and communications from Texas, the Southeast, and the Midwest.
field trips

We will host a slate of six field trips designed to ground you in the ecology, history, and culture of southeast Texas prairies. We will feature trips that visit rare coastal prairie remnants, restored prairies, and even trips to urban pocket prairies. Each type of prairie plays a role in the regional prairie movement to conserve biodiversity, protect historic landscapes, and to raise awareness (often times with urbanites) about the importance of these grasslands to Houston’s resiliency and quality of life. Click here to go to our field trips page.