By Brandt Mannchen

I never cease to be amazed by the wonderful people I meet at Sierra Club outings.  Take for instance, the recent service outing at the Coastal Prairie Conservancy’s (CPC) Indiangrass Prairie Preserve.

We conducted service work, enjoyed lunch, and toured part of the Katy Prairie.  Our visit gave back so that the Katy Prairie is protected for our and future generations’ enjoyment.

But I race ahead of myself.  It was a cold morning.  Four of us carpooled from Meyerland Plaza, after taking a restroom break and grabbing a coffee or hot chocolate.  We were almost at our destination when we started to see some neat birds.

Recent rains had filled ditches and ponds as well as Cypress Creek.  Red-tailed Hawks, Northern Harriers, and Kestrels were seen on power-lines, poles, and circling in the air.  Looking for breakfast, I’m sure.  One pond had scores of Ring-necked Ducks swimming and socializing.

We finally turned into Indiangrass Prairie just before 9 am, with a partly cloudy sky, sunlight, and a chilly, breezy, wind.  After we parked our car, we got out, stretched, and began getting ready for our service work.

Ranger, our CPC host and service boss, outlined the several options for work.  We could work on a new trail that was being cleared or we could clear some areas of vegetation and Deep-rooted Sedge and Brazilian Vervain, two non-native invasive plants that overgrow and made it less inviting for plants and animals and the native prairie ecosystem.

As Ranger presented options to us, I heard a familiar sound high overhead.  I looked in the distance and flying toward the Ann Hamilton Trail was a flock of about 30 beautiful, calling, Sandhill Cranes.  These large, gray, four-foot-tall birds make the Katy Prairie their Winter home and add so much to the wild excitement I feel when I visit Indiangrass Prairie.

Throughout the day, small and larger flocks of Sandhill Cranes would appear over Indiangrass Prairie to remind us of one song and “Sound of the Katy Prairie”.  Indiangrass Prairie is 1,700 acres and the Ann Hamilton Trail area is 55 acres with restored prairie pothole wetlands and trails to provide a 1.5-mile walk.  A great introduction to the Katy Prairie.

I chose the vegetation clearing option, and off we went.  We clipped and pulled out vegetation on a gravel pile that was going to be leveled so that more native prairie grasses and wildflowers could be planted.  We also visited a butterfly garden that needed clearing and dug-up Deep-rooted Sedge, clipped its’ seedheads so they could be disposed of without releasing them to the prairie, and cleared dewberry.

As time went by, we warmed up in the chilly breeze and our muscles were tested, stretched, and pulled into shape.  Iris took us down the entrance road, and we began our search for Brazilian Vervain to pull.

The CPC had recently burned part of Indiangrass Prairie, and it was easy to see why the large, native, grasses are called “bunch grasses”.  They grow in individual clumps and provide a hidden vegetated walkway for Bobwhite Quail and other critters to move so that predators aren’t alerted.

We dug with trowels, clipped with loppers, and pulled with our gloved and ungloved hands.  After we pulled the plants out by the roots we threw them onto the entrance road and later collected them in a wheelbarrow so that they could be placed in a trash pile.

We finally finished our service work, so we walked back to the field office, got our lunches, and ate standing up at a picnic table.  We then took a walk with Ranger and she talked about the Ann Hamilton Trail restoration.  We heard sparrows as they flushed on both sides of us, saw many Meadowlarks fly ahead, observed shorebirds flying by, and enjoyed the graceful beauty of a dozen Great Egrets as they hunted and fed in the burned over wetlands and prairie.

We were getting ready to say our goodbyes and depart for the CPC’s observation platform at Warren Ranch when someone spotted 1,000 or more Snow Geese moving southwest over another Indiangrass Prairie pond that was full of American Wigeons, Mallards, Ring-necked, and Gadwall Ducks.

We milled around for a few more minutes saying goodbye and as we opened our car doors here came the Snow Geese again, calling and circling, raising cane in a delightful and awe-inspiring way.  Lovely!

We left to drive on Penick Road to the observation platform.  Ater traveling a mile or so we observed several Sandhill Cranes walking in a field.  We stopped to admire their beauty and large size.  Michael and others called out that they saw more and more Sandhill Cranes.  By the time we had finished looking we decided there were probably 500 cranes on both sides of the road.  What a gift, what a joy!!!

We finally made it to the observation platform.  It was good to see Warren Lake full.  Every time I had visited Warren Lake in the past 5 years, it had been dry or nearly dry.  We noted ducks far in the distance, Turkey and Black Vultures and Red-tailed Hawks soaring above the lake on thermals, and shorebirds flying close to the water’s surface.

It was a great way to end our Sierra Club adventure and service outing.  Thanks go to CPC and Ranger for leading us during our service activities.  A big thanks goes to Reagan, Mary, Chantelle, Michael, Lynn, Zoltan, Linda, David, and Iris for their hard work, their great companionship, laughter, and enjoyable conversations.  Who could ask for anything more?    

Possomhaw Holly at Coastal Prairie, photo by LM.