Maggie Tsang, an assistant professor in the architecture school at Rice University, and her business partner, Isaac Stein, have launched Prairie Plots, a grid of 16, 20-by-20-foot plots filled with nine native plants.
Melissa Phillip/Staff PhotographerStems of leggy Texas coneflower and hardy Indian blanket are among the late-summer remains of the 16 plots of native prairie that sit on Rice University's campus, both a reminder of what once stood here and a hint of what still might be ahead.
The couple has lived in Houston a little over a year, but before they came they researched the area's historic ecology — Gulf Coast native prairie, now an endangered ecosystem. Two hundred years ago, miles of pristine native prairie ran from Lafayette, La., to Brownsville, Texas. Residential and commercial growth, sprawling highways, overgrazing and invasive species have reduced the prairie to just 100 acres in Louisiana and 65,000 in Texas.
Tsang and Stein were inspired by Houston area conservationists such as Mary Anne Piacentini, president and CEO of the The project began in March, when sod was removed to create the large squares. Big cardboard pieces were put down to suppress weeds and turf grass growth. Then, two planting events brought volunteers and master naturalists to put seeds and plants in the ground.
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