THE KATY PRAIRIEThe Katy Prairie is a large scale version of our very own Wolf Prairie. Historically, the agriculture of the land was very similar to each other, meaning aspects seen in the Katy Prairie can be reflected right here. Both of these prairies share the fact that in the past, the areas were used for cattle grazing, followed by the area being a large system of rice crops. The various native plants and animals, along with the soil composition and even the amount of flooding are all determined by these shared agricultural factors. With the Katy Prairie being so vast, more species of plants and animals are able to thrive causing the effect of agriculture to be increasingly large, but our Wolf Prairie is able to show a small section of this, and provide an area to get up close and study these natural factors in action.
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HISTORY OF THE KATY PRAIRIE
~In the past, the land that is now Katy Prairie was once covered with the Native American tribes of the Comanche and Karankawa. The groups were there to hunt the native bison, a large factor in the past ecosystem.
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PLANTS AND ANIMALS OF THE KATY PRAIRIE
Our very own Wolf Prairie, if not for it's size could be home to several of these organisms, all because of it's similar background with the Katy Prairie! Rice farms in the Katy Prairie have been known to bring ducks, curlews, and prairie chickens to the area. The area also brings several types of birds to the area, which attracts bird watchers and hunters, benefiting the human population as well. These animals all play a role in the prairie's ecosystem and in turn aid in our development as well.
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