The Commons Ford Prairie Restoration

from weeds to seeds, how a prairie returned To see a World in a Grain of Sand And Heaven in a Wild Flower Hold Infinity in the palm of your hand And Eternity in an hour William Blake

B

ig transformations often have humble beginnings, a plant starts from a seed, a journey from a step, a solution from a question. During a birding trip in 2009, Ed Fair, avid birder and catalyst for the restoration, casually commented on the amber grass in abundance in a 40-acre tract of land that is a part of the Commons Ford Ranch Metropolitan Park in western Travis County. Fellow birder Byron Stone noted that it was a field of invasive, non-native grasses choking out native plants, reducing food and cover for birds and other wildlife and generally maintaining a monoculture with little to no environmental benefit or aesthetic appeal. What if we could bring back the prairie - the vivid colors of spring and summer wildflowers, the morning choruses of birdsong, the land returned to its former healthy balance? We could and we did. It happened, the imagined vision took root in reality. Teamwork, careful planning, meetings, fundraising, grant writing and field work provided the foundation for the prairie to return. This is a chronicle of the Commons Ford prairie restoration: the seeds, the steps, the solutions.

Commons Ford Ranch Metropolitan Park is located at 614 N. Commons Ford Rd. in Travis County, Texas just west of Austin. The park consists of approximately 215 acres of diverse habitat including Lake Austin frontage and nesting grounds for the endangered Goldencheeked Warbler. The park was acquired in 1983 by the City of Austin’s Parks and Recreation Department (PARD) which continues to administer it. It had previously been a ranching and farming operation known as Resaca Ranch. A “prairie” of approximately 40 acres encompassed the central portion of the park. The prairie was comprised primarily of King Ranch Bluestem, Bermuda grass and

The prairie pre-restoration – a field of invasive King Ranch Bluestem and Johnson grass

Johnson grass (the “invasives”) along with scattered, small mesquite trees. The prairie also has two very small oak groves of two to four trees each. In the otherwise vibrant and diverse habitat of the park, this acreage, which had been dormant for nearly 30 years, was in stark contrast to the rest of the park’s scenic beauty. In the past, shrub growth here was limited by periodic fires, which used to sweep across the state in regular patterns. With the arrival of European settlers, fires began to be suppressed due to both safety issues and the monetary damage they would cause to crops, cattle, and property. In addition to the loss of fire, the widespread practice of planting exotic grass species has also had an impact on the native prairie ecosystems. Commons Ford, in its state prior to restoration, was the perfect example of what happens when a prairie system is disrupted by a combination of loss of fire and invasion by exotic plants. The woody plants, mainly mesquite, had taken over the prairie. Invasive grasses, namely Johnson grass, Bermuda grass and King Ranch Bluestem dominated the plant composition. The history of the Commons Ford 40-acre tract is similar to the history of native tall-grass prairies that once covered much of the central and southern portion of the United States; less than 1% of those tall-grass prairies remain today. Forty acres of invasive plant life is a relative size, it’s a tiny patch of land on the planet but far beyond the efforts of a lone gardener pulling weeds and putting in seedlings on a weekend. Restoring an area of 40 acres would take multiple teams of experts and workers working at a planned pace over a number of seasons. Having the right people with a carefully researched and planned process was a big part of getting successful results. Luckily experts can be found locally along with highly motivated volunteers who like being outdoors, learning about the prairie ecosystem and contributing to its restoration and protection. Having a multi-phase approach reduced the workload by reducing each task into a smaller manageable work period that reached milestones and results quicker.

Teams and Planning

The first step was identifying the partner organizations which could provide assistance in any form: financial, manpower and equipment, knowledge, volunteers, publicity, and oversight. For the Commons Ford prairie restoration Ed Fair began with reaching out to PARD with the City of Austin, owner and administrator of the park. Joan Singh, the park manager, met with Ed to initially discuss the acreage and the plan to restore it to a prairie habitat. This was a solid opportunity to create a partnership of private citizens and groups to work with a city department to restore public land. Funding was not available through PARD but they could supply manpower and equipment towards the restoration. Further support would come from fellow organizations with similar missions. A coalition was born which officially became the Commons Ford Prairie Restoration Organization (CFPRO) - the organization which became the entity to oversee the project from its inception and into its maturation. Via CFPRO Ed, now Executive Director of the organization, was able to draw on local experts for recommendations about the land – its soil, its trees, its wildlife and its best chances for reclaiming it from invasives.

Why do it? National Heritage Preservation

Less than 1% remains of the tall-grass prairies which encompassed large sections of the central and southern United States. This project represents an opportunity to restore, protect and preserve our national heritage for future generations. This restoration is particularly significant given its close proximity to a major urban area and considering the ever-encroaching residential development near the park itself.

Natural Beauty

Native wildflowers and grasses add a beautiful, aesthetic quality to the park which can be enjoyed by the public throughout the year.

Restoration and Preservation of Wildlife Habitat

The loss of native prairies has significantly and negatively impacted grassland and other birds species as well as other wildlife which depend upon such life-sustaining habitats. Virtually all species dependent upon native grasslands are in decline. Restoration of wildlife habitats will enhance, support and help sustain these species by providing nesting, shelter and food sources.

Environmental Impact

Native grasslands are an important and natural form of erosion control. They provide a more efficient means of capturing and storing annual precipitation within the soil. Native grass areas reduce runoff and storm water pollution as well as provide an important terrestrial link for atmospheric CO2 nutrient recycling. Native prairies are self-sustaining requiring minimal maintenance once established.

Research Opportunities

This specific project allows easily-accessible research opportunities to directly and specifically examine the viability of alternative restoration techniques and to study at close-hand the impact of restoration on avian species and other wildlife.

Community Involvement

Given its proximity to Austin and Travis County residential areas, individuals from the community are able to not only enjoy the benefit of the resulting native prairie, but are also involved in the implementation of the project. One of the unique aspects of this project is that a substantial portion of the implementation is being completed through volunteer and community involvement programs.

From the start each of the following contributed key elements to the plan CFPRO was developing for the restoration.



Balcones Canyonlands Preserve (BCP) BCP biologists created the survey protocols for the plant and bird surveys and participated in those surveys.

Travis Audubon Society (TAS) TAS provided publicity for fundraising and survey efforts as well as coordinated field trips.

Native Prairies Association of Texas (NPAT) Program Director James Alderson created the resource analysis, the written restoration plan which serves as the restoration guidelines, and participated in the prerestoration plant surveys. Alderson, then-NPAT Executive Director Dalmara Bayne and current-NPAT President Kirsti Harms have also provided additional consultation services throughout the initial project phase.

Austin Parks Foundation (APF) CFPRO is operating under the charitable umbrella of the Austin Parks Foundation for the purpose of maintaining tax-free charitable financial contributions.

USDA/Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS) Staff prepared a full ecological site inventory which includes information on plants that were typically climax plant species for the soil content of the prairie.

Texas Parks and Wildlife (TPWD) TPWD provided assistance with survey development and data collection. Additional consultation services were provided during the inital stage by James Eidson of Texas Nature Conservancy and Dr. Larry Redmon of Texas Agrilife Extension Service, Texas A&M/Soil and Crop Science Department. Ongoing support with bird surveys, fundraising, grant writing, and field trip leadership has been provided by Stu Wilson.

The single-minded goal of the Commons Ford Prairie Restoration Organization became very clear and very focused:

the removal of the invasive plant species in the 40-acre section and the planting and maintenance of native wildflowers and grasses in place of those invasives.

Every restoration decision made was guided by and in service to this specific goal. As the plan developed its wider scope emerged - this restoration project had even more significance given its close proximity to a major metropolitan area and the ever-visible encroachment of commercial and residential development on the park. CFPRO and its allied organizations first met in February of 2010 to being planning the restoration. Actual field work on the removal of the invasive plants would begin in 2011. The project developed a timeline of three phases:

Phase 1 – April to December 2010 – Groundwork PARD provided the signage which announced the restoration project in April 2010. CFPRO’s restoration was official! And while the first year of activity did not see any actual change to the prairie it was a crucial germination phase for CFPRO to build its resources and gather its data. The major milestones of this period included the development of a written restoration plan to include specific directions for herbicides, types of seed mixtures needed, a prescribed burn and the costs and personnel needed. NRCS had already prepared a full ecological site inventory which included plant recommendations based on soil content. Ed sought out organizations for the restoration plan with NPAT emerging as the entity to complete this within CFPRO’s budget. Before any work could begin Ed assessed costs for each phase and began the work of obtaining funding. Grants were an early option, along with fundraisers. Since CFPRO was operating as a non-profit under the Austin Parks Foundation it was able to apply for a grant through their agency. An additional donation soon came from a local environmental foundation, the Wilson Conservation Trust, along with a Patagonia stores grant. Together Green, a joint venture between Toyota Corporation and the National Audubon Society, was also a key source for funding.

Staking a claim to reclaim the prairie

Besides funding CFPRO was also able to use volunteers to help with many smaller but necessary tasks. CFPRO intern, Savannah Ritter, helped with upgrading and expanding CFPRO’s online presence via Facebook, sending out updates and notices, helping with documentation and contacting the media. The chance meeting of a Boy Scout troop in need of a project in the park brought volunteers able to hang bird and bee houses. All the data collection via bird and plant surveys was done by volunteers, organized primarily by two of the volunteers, Andrea Julian and current-Assistant Director, Diane Sherrill. This data would be used to gauge the restoration results – would prairie restoration actually increase individual and species bird counts? The bird and plant survey methodologies were prepared in the spring of 2010 and the pre-restoration surveys were completed by July 2010. The breeding bird surveys included three separate visits to the park to count species along designated transects. The plant survey was especially labor-intensive due to the specific and meticulous counting it required. It consisted of setting seven 20-meter lines in an east/west direction and then listing all the plants one meter out from the line at every two meters. John Chenoweth and Bill Reiner from BCP ran the surveys with help from James Alderson from NPAT and Joan Singh’s two interns, Michelle and Jean. Early 2011 wrapped up the pre-restoration surveys with additional data gathered on grassland species.

Field work - Vegetation and bird surveying on the prairie - 2010-2011

Phase 2 – 2011-2012 – Breaking ground With funding secured from grants and donations the tasks of restoration began in 2011. The first herbicide treatment using glyphosate on the invasive grasses and mesquite trees was applied in July. Before planting commenced, there was one additional application of herbicide treatment and the 40-acre tract was tilled in order to break up the sod and destroy any remaining invasive roots just prior to planting in early 2012. A comprehensive seed mix was developed which would be the most appropriate for the sandy loam soil type in the tract and which would also be the most conducive to attracting prairie bird species. A native seed mix consisting of approximately 70 species was prepared with primary assistance from Native American Seed and with additional input from BCP staff as well as other plant and birding experts. A prescribed burn was also scheduled for late 2011 but drought conditions prohibited that treatment. It would ultimately take place during a less dry season in the summer of 2013. Through the relentless efforts of the organization, its volunteers and its partners, approximately $60,000 had been raised through 2012. These funds, together with the in-kind support of Native American Seed Company, resulted in an initial planting of 70 native wildflower and grass species in February 2012.

Restoration work begins Upper right: Tilled and aerated seed beds ready for planting. Above: Prairie seed mix by the pound Right: We’re planting!

2012 continued – Groundbreaking, the first restoration seeds emerge The resulting spring and early summer rain kick-started significant growth such that by mid-summer the nascent prairie was amazingly full of natural beauty. By the end of 2012, the plants had turned to seed, sparking an influx of seed-eating and other prairie birds. The first post-restoration prairie bird survey indicated a 90:1 increase in the number of individual birds found in the prairie as compared to the pre-restoration survey, as well as an 8:1 increase in bird species. Greater plant diversity, more birds - this was exactly the outcome CFPRO was working to achieve.

Common Sunflower

The prairie restoration project was still in its infancy. Much remained to be done to combat a potential re-infestation of invasive plants and to augment growth through further native seed plantings. Additional fundraising efforts continued as well.

American Basketflower

Drummond Phlox

Goldenwave Coreopsis At left: Black-eyed Susan

Phase 3 – 2013 - Well-grounded The success in 2012 of bringing back native plants and more birds to the prairie validated the plans and efforts of the previous two years. The prairie was responding with wildflowers and showing its original healthy beauty. April 2013 saw a major onsite fundraising event with a birding “Big Day” which attracted 200 people and raised thousands towards restoration funds. A ‘Big Day’ is an event where birding volunteers begin at midnight and catalogue all species seen or heard until sundown of the next day. Pledges are sought per bird or through a specific amount. Other activities were also scheduled – nature walks, children’s activities, and information booths. Besides raising money it was a chance to introduce the restoration to a larger community. Donations would go through to the Austin Parks Foundation to be used solely for the restoration. Data-collecting surveys also continued throughout the year, building on a growing source of information about prairies and their restoration. Another major event for the restoration process occurred in August with the first prescribed burn completed. For two years, the Commons Ford Prairie Organization had been working on scheduling a prescribed burn for the prairie. Due to unusually hot and dry weather conditions during the summers of 2011 and 2012, it was not possible to conduct a burn. However, the much cooler and wetter (comparatively) weather conditions of August 2013 along with the commitment of local wildfire experts to oversee the effort made it the ideal time to conduct a prescribed burn. Fire has always played an important role in the health of prairie ecology. Prairie grasses have evolved with fire, and thus fire plays an important role in their life cycle. Fire also keeps woody species at bay. Most of the biomass of grass lies underground, so they are not killed by fire. Woody and deciduous species, such as mesquite and juniper, are more vulnerable to fire. Thus, fire suppresses woody species, allowing grasses to flourish. A summer burn was planned due to recent research that has indicated that native species benefit more compared to exotic species by being burned in summer versus winter. A summer burn allows natives to regenerate quickly, giving them the opportunity to out compete exotic species. On Friday, August 9, 2013, a group of fire fighters from various local precincts and state-wide organizations gathered to conduct the prescribed burn on the 40 acre restored prairie at Commons Ford. The day was hot with a slight breeze, perfect weather for a controlled burn. Once the burn was started, it spread quickly and was over in just after two hours. Just hours after the burn, native bird species were already flocking back to the prairie to look for food (which they apparently found in abundance!) One week after the burn, native grasses were already shooting up. Over the next year, volunteer biologists continued to monitor the prairie’s growth. Future burns will continue to be scheduled as they will be necessary to maintain the health and diversity of the prairie.

Fire on the prairie – before and after

2014 - 2015 – From the Ground up The prairie continued to rebound in 2014 with further expansion of native flowers into bigger displays of color and vitality. The volunteers are now into the fourth year of conducting surveys. This has allowed an understanding of how drastically the vegetation has improved, and helped identify problem areas where invasive species continue to emerge and vex restoration efforts. However, the prairie is in full recovery, presenting a striking array of color as well as attracting a broad diversity of wildlife. The restoration was also featured on a popular regional gardening show, Central Texas Gardener, on KLRU. The main portion of the prairie was in excellent shape. The 2014 work focused on expanding the "good portion" of the prairie to the north and east. This buffer zone includes roughly 8-10 acres that runs east-west and then north-south on its eastern edge. The work included mowing and shredding which took place on August 27, followed by assessments and limited herbicide treatment only as needed in the buffer zone, followed finally by planting of a modified native seed mix in this zone. All of this work was performed by good friend and project partner, George Cates with Native American Seed Company. George has continued to work with CFPRO throughout the summer to modify the plan as necessary. Work will continue beyond 2015 including additional surveys and maintenance to protect the prairie’s progress. CFPRO’s efforts restored a prairie to vibrant health and balance. And the birds came back. Tess Sherman

The Art of Nature, painting with wildflowers

Humans aren’t the only ones surveying the prairie. Upper left: Black-chinned Hummingbird. Upper right: Eastern Phoebe. At left: Scissortail Flycatcher.

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