Connemara's service area includes parts
of four different eco-regions: Blackland Prairie, Post-Oak Savannah,
Cross Timbers, and Rolling Plains. Ecoregions are defined as a
relatively large unit of land or water that is characterized by
a distinctive climate, ecological features, and plant and animal
communities.
 |
|
Counties included in Connemara Conservancy Service Area:
Archer, Bosque, Clay, Collin, Cooke, Dallas, Delta, Denton, Ellis, Erath, Fannin,
Grayson, Henderson, Hill, Hood, Hopkins, Hunt, Jack, Johnson, Kaufman,
Lamar, Montague, Navarro, Palo Pinto, Parker, Rains, Rockwall, Somervell,
Tarrant, Van Zandt, Wichita, Wise, Young |
These landscapes are what make North Texas the rolling, grassy
land we love. But increasingly urbanization threatens the remaining
parcels of each of these ecosystems.
Though all of these landscapes are important to North Texas conservation,
the most critical eco-region in need of preservation is the Blackland
Prairie. Today less than 1% of the original vegetation
of the Blackland Prairie remains, and only in scattered parcels
across the region. Almost all of the remaining Blackland Prairie
is under private ownership. The single greatest threat to the
Blackland Prairie is urbanization, as this narrow, elongated strip
follows a line of development stretching between Dallas and Forth
Worth.
More About Blackland Prairie
The natural vegetation of Blackland Prairie is dominated by tallgrass
prairie with a large diversity of plants and wildlife. Grasses
typically grow as "high as a horse's belly." Common grasses include
Little Bluestem, Indiangrass, Big Bluestem, and Gamagrass-switchgrass
as described by early European explorers.
Blackland prairie is a disturbance-maintained system. Prior to
European settlement, important natural landscape-scale disturbances
included fire and periodic grazing by large mammals that kept
trees and woody plants from dominating the landscape.
|
|
|
