HNPAT Info Meeting – Prairie Seekers – NPAT Prairie Assessment & Mapping Program

Prairie Seekers is a new prairie assessment & mapping program that the Fort Worth Chapter of NPAT is developing & testing. It will be used to update and augment the Texas Parks & Wildlife Department (TPWD) funded NPAT project of several years ago that identified and mapped prairies across Texas. NPAT executive director Pat Merkord, who wants to expand the program to the Houston area, will describe quantifiable criteria that can be used by volunteers to assess prairie sites. She will talk about training volunteers to help survey known prairies and find new prairies. The information will be valuable to TPWD to determine the current status of prairie lands in Texas, to  possibly add new prairie remnants to their existing database, to identify targets for acquisition, potential restoration sites, and seed sources, and to collect data concerning pollinators and the plants that they use.

If you are interested in being a part of the new mapping teams for the Houston area don’t miss this meeting. This mapping activity is a great opportunity to get out and learn more about prairies and the amazing plants and animals that live there. Workshops on using technology to locate prairies and how to record photos and information gathered will be offered this spring. Field trips and workshops to develop skills in plant and prairie identification will also be offered.