On February 14, 2026, seven people responded to the Houston Sierra Club Outings Meet-up invitation. We joined a lot of young folks to dig-up non-native Deep-rooted Sedge and in its place plant native prairie plants like Little Bluestem, Gulf Muhly, and Lance-leaf Indian Plantain on the Coastal Prairie Conservancy’s (CPC) Indiangrass Preserve in Southeast Waller County.
We had a blast while vast flocks of Snow Geese flew overhead and welcomed us as we shoveled, carted, and moved soil to get native prairie plants into the ground and adjusted to their new home (We watered them too!). Thankfully, we missed the forecasted rains and conducted our work in moist, but walkable, grass.
On the way to Indiangrass Prairie, I saw Loggerhead Shrikes and Mourning Doves on powerlines as I approached Live Oak Creek. In this area the CPC has recently acquired 200 acres to add to the almost 20,000 acres it has saved on the Katy Prairie since 1992.
While people put native plants into the ground, for the first 40 minutes I waited at the gate to let volunteers into Indiangrass Prairie. This turned out to be a perfect spot as I heard and saw Sandhill Cranes, Crested Caracaras, Northern Cardinal, Black Vultures, Turkey Vultures, Mockingbird, Starlings, Red-tailed Hawk, American Kestrel, Killdeer, and Eastern Phoebe. What a fabulous place where you can see wildlife, enjoy quiet and natural sounds, and contemplate solitude.
Amy Miller and Dona Puente did a great job organizing and guiding volunteers as we worked. We also were introduced to two respected residents of the Katy Prairie. Two water moccasins were disturbed from their resting places by our activities and headed for a prairie pothole. We were impressed by their size and appreciated that they didn’t wish to harm us and just wanted to be left alone. Sorry for the interruption, Mr. and Ms. Cottonmouth. We left this area as soon as we got plants into the ground!
At the end of our workday, we had a great group photo taken. After the service work, several of us went to lunch at Katy Asian Town and had a great meal and wonderful conversation. All in all, we did a lot to help the Katy Prairie and enjoyed the soothing caress of Nature. You couldn’t ask for more!