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This Month
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Open Trails
Sunday, February 1 &
each Friday in February
New Volunteer Orientation
Saturday, February 28
Stewardship Saturday
Saturday, Febuary 28
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DONATE NOW
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Director's Note
On the Look-Out
The sights on the
Katy Prairie are getting better all the time.
Visitors this December saw three Bald Eagles flying over Warren Lake and then touching down in a field
nearby. Fortunately, one of the
eagle-eyed visitors had a camera in hand and managed to shoot some incredible
photos, which will be posted on our website soon.
After the event, KPC staff started fielding calls asking how others might visit the lake while
the eagles were still soaring overhead. For
the time being, the answer is: you can park on the side of Warren Ranch Road at
Site 99 on the Great Texas Coastal Birding Trail and set up your
scope/binocular/eyes approximately 600 feet from the lake, but you can't get closer to the water without
making special arrangements, as our eagle "scouts" did. But we hope this will not be the case for too
much longer. Plans are already underway
to develop the capability of admitting nature lovers to a choice spot close to the
lake during daylight hours on selected days with no special arrangements needed.
This past year we've
been doi  ng our best to share more of the prairie more often with more people
and more conveniently than ever before.
We planned or hosted more than 70 events, from guided and self-guided
tours, to classes, to plant rescues, to conservation project days, to
photography expeditions. We led special group tours and introduced
families and special audiences to fun-filled activities on many of our
preserves.  Although we can't
guarantee eagles on demand, KPC does maintain a wildlife-viewing platform that
is open from dawn to dusk 365 days a year at the edge of its Nelson Farms
Preserve. So, when the mood moves you,
whether it is 6 in the morning or 4 in the afternoon, on a weekend or a weekday,
you can visit the platform, set up your scope, rest on the benches, eat lunch,
or just enjoy the outdoors.
This
year we will be pursuing new ways to get you on the prairie, when and where you
want. So keep your eyes peeled and your
e-mail address current. With luck, you
may not have to be all that patient. 
Mary Anne Piacentini
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Events
Open TrailsEach Friday in FebruaryKPC's Open Trails encourages visitors to experience a beautiful and fascinating KPC preserve at  their own pace along a designated path. Go to our website to download a podcast that will guide you on your way. This is your chance to enjoy a glimpse of the historic Warren Ranch or KPC's Field Office Preserve. This season is the perfect time to enjoy the wild waterfowl calls, rich golden-brown hues, and peaceful breezes the winter prairie offers. Dates: Each Friday in February, 10 AM - 2 PM Location: KPC Field OfficePodcast: To be posted What to Bring: All participants should wear appropriate outdoor clothing, including closed-toe shoes and long pants. A long-sleeve shirt is also recommended. Participants should bring their own water and insect repellent. Registration not required. Up-to-date information and event status will be posted on our homepage and on our phone answering system by 7 AM on the day of the event. Stewardship Saturday Saturday, February 28Our Nursery is on the move! We have big plans for our small Coastal
Prairie Native Seed Nursery and we need your help. Our first Stewardship Saturday of the New Year will focus on adding irrigation, weeding, and enlarging the Nursery for late-spring plantings.
Date: Saturday, February 28, 2009, 12 - 3 PM
Location: KPC Field Office
What to Bring: All participants should wear appropriate outdoor clothing, including closed-toe shoes and long pants. A long-sleeve shirt is also recommended. Participants should bring their own water and insect repellent.
Registration not required.
 Wild West Tour: Owl Prowl
Friday, March 13
Our new Wild West Tours are a great way to see the Katy Prairie's biggest, boldest and best wildlife up-close and personal. These tours are led by local expert Glenn Olsen and are limited to between 10 and 15 participants to ensure a high quality experience. Our first tour of the year, Breakfast with the Birds, was a smashing success with guests spotting five Bald Eagles and over 1000 snow geese! Our next tour on March 13th will be a Friday night excursion into the twilight realm of owls. We'll do our best to spot and hear Great Horned Owls, Screech Owls, Barn Owls, and the elusive Barred Owl. Date: Friday, March 13, 2009 5:30 - 9:30 PM What to Bring: All participants should wear appropriate outdoor clothing, including closed-toe shoes and long pants, and a long-sleeve shirt. Participants should bring water and insect repellent. Location: Meet at KPC Field OfficeRegistration required. $65 per participant. Light dinner included. Participants must provide their own transportation. Call 713.523.6135 or email info@katyprairie.org.
 Prairie Discovery TourKPC's Mary Manor Preserve is home to a pulsing, vibrant wetland. This
sun-splashed preserve is alive with the booming croaks of bullfrogs,
the awe-inspiring sight of beaver lodges, and the flash of colorful
water birds. Join expert tour guides on a satisfying Saturday safari
where you can use binoculars and nets to reveal the secrets of this
wetland wonder. So, come get hooked on wetlands with KPC. Date: Saturday, March 14, 2009 10 AM - 12 PM
What to Bring: All participants should wear appropriate outdoor clothing,
including closed-toe shoes and long pants, and a long-sleeve shirt. Participants should bring water and insect
repellent. Registration required. Call 713.523.6135 or email info@katyprairie.org. |
Observations
by Wesley Newman, Land Manager
We're more than a month in to a new year and it's been a roller coaster winter. The fluctuations from warm to cold have been frequent and sometimes extreme. We ended 2008 on the prairie with a little over 31 inches of rain for the year, or about 70% of normal rainfall for the area. Normal January rainfall is 3.29 inches. To date, I've measured less than half an inch of rainfall. With the weather pattern we've been in recently, I am not optimistic that the prairie will receive any substantial rainfall anytime soon. If this is the case, we could be in for a real drought this year.
However, the birding has been pretty good. If you are into sparrows I've seen more, different sparrows this winter than I remember seeing in a long time. It has been a good winter for White-crowned Sparrows as well as our most common winter sparrow, the Savannah Sparrow. There are also more raptors around this year than I remember in recent years. It seems that every open field has a pair of Northern Harriers bobbing just above the grass and several Red-tailed Hawks soaring higher overhead. There are lots of Eagles around as well. I know that I've seen them quite regularly this winter. They've been hanging out with the geese that have been roosting and feeding in the vicinity of the Field Office. There have also been numerous sightings at Warren Lake up close to Hockley. I believe that the series of strong cold fronts this winter has pushed a lot of birds down to the Katy Prairie. As always, there is plenty to see on the Katy Prairie if you take the time to slow down and look.
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 Helping Hands - Volunteer News
Our volunteers are Flat Out Wonderful
Volunteer Announcements
New Volunteer Orientation
Saturday, February 28
Are you looking for an opportunity to do your part for the environment?
KPC will host a new volunteer orientation session on Saturday, February
28 from 10:00 AM to 12:00 PM. New
volunteers will learn about KPC's mission; the animals, plants, and agricultural heritage that we seek to protect; and the ways in which we work with the community to
accomplish our goals. Afterward, participants can make an immediate
impact by joining staff members and others volunteers for our
Stewardship Saturday. We'll be working in our ever expanding Coastal
Prairie Native Seed Nursery.
Date: Saturday, February 28 from 10 AM to 12 PM.
Location: KPC Field Office
Registration required. Call 713.523.6135 or email info@katyprairie.org for details.
Stewardship Saturday
Saturday, February 28
Want to get your hands dirty on the Katy Prairie? Dig in at KPC's Stewardship Saturday! We're looking for energetic volunteers to help us in our Coastal Native Seed Nursery by weeding, watering, laying new weed mat, and more. This event will be held at the KPC field office and registration is not required. Contact info@katyprairie.org or 713.523.6135 for more details.
Spotlight
Volunteer Acknowledgements
In December, KPC hosted our annual Stars of the Katy Prairie volunteer appreciation dinner to honor all of our hardworking volunteers. We thank everyone who donated time to KPC in 2008 and, in particular, we want to highlight the volunteer work of the following seven award winners:
Iris Poteet - Long-time Volunteer Award
James Hardy - Do-anything-asked Award
Don Mayhall and Lesli Edge - Educator Awards
Al Richardson - Lone Star Award
Michael Bustamente - New Volunteer of the Year
Grace Liggett - Volunteer of the Year
Also in December, long-time friends and volunteers Maggie and Bob Honig hosted a Birdathon for the Warren Ranch, a 24-hour bird count to raise funds and awareness for KPC's Warren Ranch. They observed 95 species of birds and permenantly protected 3 acres of the Warren Ranch.
KPC would like to thank the following volunteers who generously gave their time in January:
Prairie Discovery Tour
Bob Honig, Grace Liggett, David Poteet, Iris Poteet, Al Shultz, Kathie Shultz
Native Seed Nursery
Bill Brookshire, Grace Liggett, Cheryl Sedivec
Outreach
Jennifer Backo, David Poteet, Al Shultz, Kathie Shultz
If we missed listing your volunteer contribution for the month of January, please email info@katyprairie.org.
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Support for KPC
Regular Support is critical to our success. Preserving the Flat Out Wonderful Katy Prairie depends on the support of people like you.
Give to the Katy Prairie today and support our efforts to protect this
place for all Texans for all time, including you, your families, and
your friends. Please click the JustGive button to donate now or you can visit our website at www.katyprairie.org
to find out how you can support our land conservation efforts,
educational programming, permanent protection of the Warren Ranch, or
property enhancement activities.
Do you like to shop? Do you buy your groceries at Kroger? If you do, you can link your Kroger card to the Katy Prairie Conservancy. Every time you shop, a portion of the  amount you spend will go to help provide educational programming on the Katy Prairie. Please click on the link Buy Groceries Now to download the form you need and bring it to Kroger the next time you go shopping. Go to Customer Service to link your card to KPC!
Earth Share of Texas represents the Katy Prairie Conservancy in
workplace payroll contribution plans throughout Texas. For more information
about how you can support (your organization name) and other leading
environmental groups at your workplace, call 1-800-GREENTX, or visit www.earthshare-texas.org.
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Photo Credits
Girls on tour, Volunteer at Family Day: Michael Morton
Second Eagle, Great Horned Owl, Red-tailed Hawk, Northern Harrier, Meadowlark (Banner): Greg Lavaty
First and Third Eagles, Sunrise: Jimmy Kall
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| The Katy Prairie Conservancy
3015 Richmond Avenue, Suite 230
Houston, TX 77098-3114
713.523.6135
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