Prairies

The soil stability offered by deep and integrated root systems is a hidden and yet key aspect of prairie.

Tallgrass prairie once covered 170 million acres of North America, but within a generation most of it had been transformed into farmland. Today less than 4% remains intact, mostly in the Kansas Flint Hills. Established on November 12, 1996, the preserve protects a nationally significant remnant of the once vast tallgrass prairie ecosystem. Here the tallgrass makes its last stand.

This stop offers a little of everything for a short visit. The small parking lot is equipped with bike rack, picnic tables, and comfort station restrooms. The one-mile figure-8 gravel is wheelchair accessible in dry conditions and dog friendly. Interpretive signs provide light reading. Spaced benches allow for a short rest to enjoy the surrounding wildlife. The loop connects to the grassy Fox Creek Trails for longer walks.

Tallgrass Prairie National Preserve Store merchandise is provided by Eastern National.

Hobart Prairie Grove consists of forested ravines and a portion of scenic Lake George, which is part of the Deep River. The Hobart Woodland trail offers views of forest ravines and has an overlook of Lake George. The Oak Savannah rail trail runs through the Hobart Prairie Grove and is a great place for biking, pushing a stroller or just hiking to relax and improve your health.

Hobart Prairie Grove consists of forested ravines and a portion of scenic Lake George, which is part of the Deep River. The Hobart Woodland trail offers views of forest ravines and has an overlook of Lake George. The Oak Savannah rail trail runs through the Hobart Prairie Grove and is a great place for biking, pushing a stroller or just hiking to relax and improve your health.

Travelers on the Oregon, California, and Santa Fe trails passed through what is now Schumacher Park as they journeyed through the prairie of the great plains. They passed through the south end of the park in an east to west direction during the mid-1800s. Today, no traces of these trails (no ruts or swales) remain in the park, but the park does provide a good example of how this part of Kansas appeared in the 19th century.

The Illinois and Michigan Canal National Heritage Area heralded a new era of trade and travel for the nation during the mid-1800s through the early 1900s. It was the economic engine that poised Illinois to become the most populous inland American state by opening trade in the region and in America’s heartland.

Overview of Weippe

Work on the Montara Prairie Renewal Project began in Fall 2024. The restoration project aims to protect and enhance coastal grasslands in the Montara Parcel of Rancho Corral de Tierra. We have already completed pre-restoration monitoring, and removal of several acres of invasive shrubs and conifers within historic grassland footprints.

At Lewis and Clark National Historical Park, staff are developing a plan that will help restore the park’s degraded prairies, wetlands, dunes, and coastal forests. To better tailor this ongoing restoration effort, they needed to know more about the species that reside in the park, including bryophytes and lichens.

Birds are an important part of the world we live in. We have surveyed birds for 23 years at Tallgrass Prairie National Preserve to determine the health of bird communities and park ecosystems. Knowing how birds are doing can help the park take effective steps to restore and maintain the beautiful landscapes at the park.

Many unique native plants grow on the Calcareous Riverside Outcrops and Seeps in the Delaware Water Gap National Recreation Area. Over the past few years, park staff worked with the regional Invasive Plant Management Team, as well as an invasive plant control company, to remove invasive shrubs like autumn olive, honeysuckles, and multiflora rose.

The Homestead National Historical Park cultural landscape conveys the influence of the Homestead Act of 1862 and legacy of Daniel Freeman. It also represents homesteads across America. Homesteading provided a way of life for many Americans and contributed to westward expansion in the developing nation.

Between 2009 and 2017, 257 cumulative plots were surveyed and 86 different bird species were recorded, 74 of which are species with the potential to breed within Homestead National Historical Park.

The Heartland Inventory and Monitoring Network has sampled permanent monitoring sites in three vegetation community types (restored prairie, successional forest, and bur oak forest) at Homestead National Historical Park.

Birds are an important part of many ecosystems and are indicators of environmental change. The mix of habitat types at Herbert Hoover National Historic Site supports a diverse array of bird species and is important for birds of regional concern. The Heartland Inventory and Monitoring Network monitors birds at the park to understand how bird communities are doing and how birds respond to changes in their habitat.

Birds are excellent indicators of environmental change in ecosystems. The woodland and restored prairie habitat at Homestead National Historical Park supports a wide array of bird species. The Heartland Inventory and Monitoring Network monitors birds on the park to understand how the bird community is doing and how birds respond to changes in their habitat. Bell's Vireo and Red-headed Woodpecker are species of concern in the region.

Invasive plants harm the fertile prairie and cover up historic artifacts. Park staff use a variety of strategies to keep them at bay.