By Brandt Mannchen

Volunteers met on January 16, 2023, the holiday commemorating Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. and planted thousands of Little Bluestem Grass plugs in Big Thicket National Preserve’s Big Sandy Creek Unit.  This planting assisted the National Park Service (NPS) and National Parks and Conservation Association (NPCA) in restoration of the important but disappearing Longleaf Pine Upland Savannah Forest Ecosystem.

The day was overcast with a chance of rain but people from Dallas, San Antonio, Houston, Beaumont, and many other places did the time and planted the plants.  We walked about 200 yards into an area prepared with prescribed fire to reduce the density of shrubs and small trees, spread out, and worked mostly in pairs.  One person used the dibble bar to make a hole and the second person, with the bag of grass plugs, placed the grass into the hole.

I worked with Brandon, and our buddy David, worked with others as we crisscrossed the area and planted the Little Bluestem Grass.  We planted about 7 bags worth of Little Bluestem Grass in about two and one-half hours.  This meant that over 200 grass plugs were planted.  I felt very proud that the work we did on behalf of the Sierra Club leaves behind a living legacy in the Big Thicket.

Little Bluestem is a native grass that provides some of the fine fire fuel that allows fire in the Longleaf Pine Upland Savannah Forest Ecosystem to burn and grow a complex of forest, woodland, and savannah with dozens of wildflowers and other grasses added to Longleaf Pines and other pine trees and woody plants.

It felt great to breathe fresh air and see the beauty of Winter once again.  Planting those Little Bluestem made me feel happy.  I thought about the many years that Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. had done his great work.  His work was the stuff of life and planting a new forest is also the stuff of life.  I look forward to future planting adventures.  Plant the Big Thicket back to life!   

Photo of Brandt Mannchen and tree, supplied by Brandt Mannchen.