"Never doubt that a small group of
thoughtful, committed citizens can change the world; indeed it is the only
thing that ever has". - Margaret Mead
In the tradition of great urban
green sanctuaries everywhere, the Heard stands out as one place in Collin
County where a once-dominant ecosystems remains. Once covered by a great inland
ocean, these 289-acres shelter wetlands, prairie and bottomland forest - the
portrait of a land before humans arrived. And, with a mission of preserving and
restoring those ecosystems, The Heard moves inexorably forward - holding firm
against encroachment, reaching out to people so they will appreciate natural
science and its importance to humanity.
The Heard is in the on-going
process of restoring over 65-acres of grassland to native plant vegetation
through a combination of transplantation and seeding techniques with native
plants known as biome restoration. Native animal species are also being
restored to the prairie to repair vital plant/animal relationships necessary
for prairie ecosystem function. The prairie is a critically vital habitat for
prairie plant and wildlife species that have less and less natural areas
available. If left alone, brush and trees would begin to grow in the prairie,
returning it to low-diversity upland forest, which provides poor habitat for
most native animals. To simulate natural conditions, we eliminate encroaching
saplings and trees by mowing, or by conducting prescribed prairie burns. The
use of strategic spraying of herbicides is also sometimes necessary to control
exotic vegetation. Grazing animals such as deer would be a natural way to
control growth, but would require fences and pose other problems. The Heard
seeks to do as little management as possible, but realizes that without
intervention this precious piece of native prairie habitat could be lost
forever.
Other projects have included the
Heard staff and volunteers performing habitat restoration with early spring
plant rescues in Plano, where adult volunteers from the Collin County Native
Plant Society and the Dallas Master Naturalists helped dig and move nearly 20
species of rare native plants to an upland prairie restoration area. A group of
eight and nine-year-old homeschool students also planted some as part of a conservation
biology lesson. Numerous additional plant rescues were conducted by staff and
volunteers from Dallas sites being lost to development. Restoration efforts in
the Heard wetlands included planting soft-stemmed bulrush for wildlife cover
and added plant species favored by waterfowl as forage.