Its all about the grass

Oklahoma is well known for their tall grass prairies. The Nature Conservancy saved what was going to be “a kind of Yellowstone on the prairie (Tulsa World: Saving a prairie treasure).” A National Park that would have brought paved roads, hotels, campgrounds and other large developments. To the Nature Conservancy as Hamilton says “This place is about conservation, not tourism (Tulsa World).” As Oklahomans we are lucky that the Nature Conservancy saved the Tallgrass Prairies and make is all about the grass in the 1980s. In Tulsa World Saving a prairie treasure Michael Overall speaks about how the Nature Conservancy saved one our states treasures.  

            “In the mid-1980s, the federal government was planning to buy up thousands of acres of virgin grassland in Osage County to open a new national park (Tulsa World).” This federal government land would have ended up as a different kind of Yellowstone. Though when Overall was speaking to Mr. Hamilton he points out that if the government actually got a hold of the land there would have been a bigger economic impact for local economy but the government never did so the thought of the outcome is always in the back of his mind. Hamilton after that thought states that it’s still all about the grass.

A bison grazes on the prairie at the Tallgrass Prairie Preserve on Sept. 3. TOM GILBERT / Tulsa World

             Around the 20,000 people that come to the Tallgrass Prairie Preserve per year do not always come to see the grass but the majestic animals that help mow the thousands of acres. There are more than 2,700 roaming bison on the preserve. “But conservancy officials are fond of saying that the grass isn’t here for the bison; the bison are here for the grass (Tulsa World).” This line as a read it really popped out at me, the people that work on the preserve are really there for the grass and the things that help the grass. Other than bison there are other was that they conservationist help the Tallgrass around.

            “The preserve has developed a sophisticated system of controlled “patch burns” to mimic the role of natural grass fires used to play on the open prairie (Tulsa World).” With these kind of practices it allows the grass to grow back as the Tallgrass, if they did not do the burns the grasses would soon become woodlands. The conservation hopes that the practice of these burns will reach out to the people with private land that contain parts of the Tallgrasses. They would offer the landowners “financial compensation for agreeing to give up the right ever to disturb the natural tallgrass with plowing or development (Tulsa World).” This could lead to expanding the tallgrasses further then ever imaged.

            I am glad to come across an article like this known that we have Oklahomans really trying their hardest to preserve the great things of Oklahoma. That we have bison that need the grass; and the grass needs the bison. We have practices that go way back to old times to keep the tallgrass and natural as ever. After reading this article I am forever thankful that the government did not get a hold of this land and that the Nature Conservancy got a hold of it. One could only image what it would be like today if that happened.

http://www.tulsaworld.com/news/article.aspx?subjectid=11&articleid=20090913_11_A1_Thetal251045