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To ensure the success of our mission to protect the Katy Prairie forever, we must engage a new generation of conservationists and decision-makers who understand and are enthusiastic about prairies. We also believe that young people benefit from learning about the prairie's rich history, biodiversity, and its role in shaping our region and culture. Equally important is an understanding of how precious and rare our remaining prairie is and how we can all become involved in its protection and renewal.

Experiencing the prairie first hand is a great way of sharing its striking beauty and learning about its biological, cultural, and economic significance. Yet, with tight budgets and rigorous testing schedules, many students from the Greater Houston area don't have the opportunity to visit a prairie off campus. This

is where the Katy Prairie Conservancy comes in. We recognize that having living, on-campus

prairie habitat can be extremely helpful in giving students much-needed field studies

opportunities. It also gives them a real world experience with seasonal changes and

service opportunities. In addition, it gives campus visitors, students and

teachers a chance to see an example of one Earth’s most

endangered ecosystems - the prairie.

PRAIRIES ON YOUR CAMPUS + IN YOUR CLASSROOM

HOME, HOME ON THE RANGE...At one time the majority of the Greater Houston-Galveston area was blanketed by the prairie.

The Katy Prairie was a wonderful, diverse part of this grassland wilderness.

WHAT IS A PRAIRIE BUILDER SCHOOL?The Katy Prairie Conservancy is fostering a prairie renaissance by supporting both on-the-ground restoration and in-classroom support.

P R A I R I E B U I L D E RSCHOOLS

The Katy Prairie Conservancy is committing significant resources and staff time to bring prairies to schools to develop curricular support. KPC continues to develop materials that use the prairie as a vehicle for genuine place-based multidisciplinary lessons.

Prairie Builder Schools enjoy a special relationship with the Conservancy. They are eligible to receive help in developing and maintaining pocket prairies on their campuses. They gain access to a variety of online and biological artifacts, and can partner with KPC education staff for educational lessons, assistance in designing interpretive signs, and more!

If your school has an interest in becoming a Prairie Builder School, please contact Jaime Gonzalez at jaime@katyprairie.org or call 281.660.6683

Greater Houston region

A PROJECT OF

katyprairie.org

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Assistance with creating pocket prairiesKPC staff can assist schools in creating a pocket prairie on their campus and help develop a maintenance schedule as well.

KPC staff will help you select seeds and plant material, advise on prairie location, and determine its size. We can even help students collect wild seeds and conduct plant rescues from nearby prairie sites to boost your habitat’s biodiversity.

KPC can also help you in developing signage to tell your prairie’s story and assist you in meeting standards required for popular certification programs such as Monarch Waystation and NWF’s Wildlife Habitat program.

Coastal Prairie 101 Teacher WorkshopsKPC offers interactive workshops designed to encourage local educators to incorporate prairies into their lesson plans and campus.

The cost of these interactive workshops is only $10/teacher and can provide you team with ideas and ready-to-use lessons and resources

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At School PresentationsKPC staff is available to do interactive, on-campus visits, and presentations for single or multiple groups.

We offer 20-45 minutes lessons on:★ Prairie basics★ Prairies and history★ Prairie biodiversity★ Songs of the Prairie

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RESOURCES AVAILABLE TO PRAIRIE BUILDER SCHOOLS

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Online ResourcesKPC offers online educational resources such as the new Prairie101.org , a comprehensive educational resource for teaching about the ecology, geology, history, and culture importance of prairies.

In addition KPC has created a Project Noah mission for our Prairie Builder Schools. Teachers and students can use this exciting app and web-based utility to photograph plants and animals in their prairie planting and get help identifying what you discover.

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The Great Grow OutCitizen-conservation project that enlists volunteers and students to grow plants at home or at school. Plant material helps to fuel pocket prairies and can be used to teach valuable lessons in plant propagation, seed collecting, plant selection, etc.

Click here to see a video about the Great Grow Out!

Prairie 101 Education KitsEducational kits that contain prairie lessons, biological specimens, literature, videos, sound recordings, and other resources to enable teachers to bring the prairie to life in their classrooms. Boxes are generously funded by the Houston Zoo’s Conservation Department. Available November 2012.

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RESOURCES AVAILABLE TO PRAIRIE BUILDER SCHOOLS