Vast grasslands once covered much of North America. Settlement, agriculture, and development have reduced prairie habitats to a patchwork of isolated grasslands in a sea of croplands, roads, and cities. Loss of grasslands is detrimental to people as well as wildlife. Grasslands help reduce soil erosion caused by wind and water. They also filter chemicals, thus protecting our water supplies. Vegetation, such as grass, forbs, and shrubs, help trap snow and rain. This allows a more regulated flow of precipitation to seep into the ground, recharging water supplies.
Grasslands also provide season-long forage for livestock. Many wildlife species depend on grasslands for food, cover and nesting sites. Protecting, restoring, and enhancing grasslands ensures that wildlife will be there for future generations to enjoy.
Most of Waubay WMD is included in the area once covered by tallgrass prairie. Conversion to cropland and other agricultural uses has left only one percent of the original landscape remaining. Native prairies developed under extreme conditions: hot, dry, summers, bitter cold winters, heavy grazing by bison, and other large herbivores, and frequent fires. Although the climate has not changed, the removal of millions of bison and prevention of fires have stressed remaining prairie remnants. Also, brush and trees encroach on the areas and a build up of dead plant material inhibits the growth of a variety of native plant species. But prairies aren’t just grasses, they include hundreds of wildflowers, too.In healthy prairie, three out of four plants may be flowers, and there may be 200-400 species of plants. This provides a beautiful palette of colors that changes throughout the spring, summer and fall. It is this variety that provides habitat for birds, butterflies, bees, and a wealth of other mammals, reptiles, and amphibians.
Native Prairie at Waubay NWR
