By Brandt Mannchen

On March 9, 2024, six hardy Sierra Clubbers braved chilly 20 mph winds and with 35 other volunteers spent two hours giving back in a service outing on the Coastal Prairie Conservancy’s Indian Grass Preserve in the Katy Prairie.

The volunteers gathered at 9 am and scattered in groups to remove Baccharis and other woody plants along the eastern fence-line of the Indian Grass Preserve and other volunteers renovated and cleaned up the rejuvenated nursery area.

Since last year, when the Sierra Club volunteered at Indian Grass Preserve, there has been a lot of activity as a new storage building was constructed, an old building was given a facelift, the office building is being redone, and new educational and informative signs about what you see have been constructed and installed along the Anne Hamilton Trail and in other places.

The ever-ready Ranger and Iris, both veterans in volunteer coordination, led the groups in their physical efforts.  Visible improvements on the restored prairie were evident at the end of the workday.

After the workday, we enjoyed walking the Anne Hamilton Trail and seeing the first wildflowers in bloom like Southern Dewberry (there should be a feast of berries ready to pick in about a month), Spider Lily, Mexican Primrose, Evening Primrose, Toadflax, Spiderwort, Indian Paint Brush, and a host of other blooming beauties.   

We had a nice sack lunch inside the office and talked about prairies and other worldly matters.  We viewed ducks on one of the ponds with Northern Shovelers and Gadwalls resting on the water or island in the middle of the pond.

Then we drove to the wildlife viewing platform at Warren Ranch and watched the wind churn the waters as Black Vultures flew overhead and American Coots scooted to calmer waters and safety.

It’s always rewarding and fun to give back in a service outing on the Katy Prairie.  We drove home tired, happy, and invigorated.  We all looked forward to our next adventure on a Sierra Club outing.

 Photos by Linda Mundwiller