The Tallgrass Prairie

1830 CE - 1900 CE

"Large ranges of grasses seven to eight feet tall once covered 170 million acres of North America from Canada to Texas, from Indiana to Kansas.  Most of the prairie has been converted to farmland and grazing pasture. Tallgrass prairie is the most altered ecosystem in North America.More than 95% of it is gone. The largest remaining tallgrass reserves are in the Flint Hills of Kansas and Oklahoma. There is a growing movement that could restore parts of the tallgrass prairies. Protected corridors could link reserves and private lands, creating a “buffalo commons” where herds of bison and other wildlife could move through a sea of grass again."

WHAT YOU CAN DO:

  • Promote native plant and wildlife diversity by invasive tree control, prescribed burning, and improved livestock management.

  • Support the efforts of conservation groups protecting the prairie.

FOR MORE INFORMATION

Cornell Lab of Ornithology