Cajun Prairie Habitat Preservation Society
Our Projects
The Society's mission calls it to advocate for conservation of the Cajun Prairie. One way has been through restoration, which were major projects of the Society in its infancy. These sites teach, inspire, and provide plant material for restoration elsewhere.
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Another aspect of advocacy has been support for two locally produced media projects that introduce the prairie to the general public. One is the short documentary film, Louisiana Grass Roots, and the other is a traveling exhibit, Hidden in Plain Sight.
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Read more about these projects below.
Eunice Prairie
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A project to restore a ten acre plot of Cajun Prairie began in 1988 in Eunice, Louisiana at the corner of Martin Luther King Drive and East Magnolia. Volunteers used only local seeds and plugs collected from nearby remnants so this prairie is as Cajun as can be.
Today, this site is considered the best example of Cajun Prairie and one of the best examples of prairie restoration in the area. From the grasses like big blue stem or switch grass to forbs like blazing stars, hairy sunflowers, or yellow false indigo, you will realize that this is a well established and flourishing prairie.
When you visit the Eunice Cajun Prairie Site, you can view this restored ecosystem from paved trails. Signs along the trails will help you identify some of the 300 plus species of native Cajun Prairie species that call this ten acre site their home. Throughout the year, you will find plants in flower but especially from March to October. A paved parking lot and a covered shelter for picnics make the site great for adults and school groups with lesson plans available on request.
Duralde Prairie
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In February 1993, the title to a 334 acre FmHa easement tract was transferred to the U.S Fish and Wildlife Service. This tract is located in Evangeline Parish between Eunice and Mamou, Louisiana. Vickie Grafe, manager of the Lacassine Wildlife Refuge, worked with a number of individuals and organizations in developing a plan for prairie restoration at the site. The site was an abandoned agricultural area that was now covered with thousands of Chinese Tallow Trees (Sapium sebiferum). The Tallow Trees were uprooted with bull dozers, wind rowed, and burned. The area was disked and the levees removed.
In January 1995, volunteers and Lacassine Wildlife personnel transplanted several truck loads of Cajun Prairie plants onto the site. The Cajun Prairie plants were obtained from a nearby remnant strip. A centrally located 90 acre portion of the tract was redisked in the spring of 1995. Using an airplane, seeds were sown on the 90 acres on May 2 and 9. The seeds included 270 lbs of Eastern Gamma Grass (Tripsacum dactyloides), 61 lbs of Aldous Little Bluestem (Schizachyrium scoparium), 171 lbs of Kaw Big Bluestem (Andropogon gerardii), 109 lbs of Cheyenne Indiangrass (Sorghastrum nutans), and 54 lbs of Alamo Switchgrass (Panicum virgatum). Seeds were collected from remnants and sown into parts of the 90 acre plot in January 1996.
In August 1998, seeds that were harvested from Attwater Prairie Chicken NWR in Texas were spread across the remaining acreage (244 acres). Also, in 1998 an experiment was begun to test the best time of year to plant seeds. Seeds were harvested from remnants and divided into four equal lots. One lot was planted in December 1998, February 1999, and May 1999 with two lots being planted in February on two different sites. The results indicate that December was slightly better than February and both December and February were much better than May. In the dormant seasons of 1998-99, 1999-2000, and 2000-2001, transplants were dug from remnants and transplanted into the Duralde prairie. In November 2000, seeds of 50 selected Cajun Prairie forbs were planted in monocultural plots; these seeds came from different remnants and are being planted together to test for increased seed production.
Louisiana Grass Roots
Louisiana Grass Roots is a short documentary film that tells the story of Louisiana’s forgotten prairie lands. The coastal prairie is an imperiled ecosystem in our backyards in Southwest Louisiana. Louisiana Grass Roots tells the story of our forgotten prairie lands and the people working to save them. The film seeks to redefine our perception of the prairie, transforming it from a mere backdrop to an intricate tapestry of human connection and ecological significance.
The film is directed by Jillian Godshall and produced by Dr. Phyllis Baudoin Griffard. It was filmed locally with an all local crew. The film features Geno Delafose, Megan Constantin, Dr. Jeffery Darensbourg, Dr. Charles Allen, Dr. Malcolm Vidrine, Larry Allain, and Steve Nevitt. The original score was composed by Grammy-nominated musician, Blake Miller. The film was sponsored by the Cajun Prairie Habitat Preservation Society with support from the Acadiana Center for the Arts, Atchafalaya National Heritage Area, Louisiana Native Plant Society, University of Louisiana at Lafayette Foundation, and Acadiana Native Plant Project.
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Contact Dr. Griffard at ourlouisianabio@gmail.com to inquire about screening the film near you.
Hidden in Plain Sight
When we drive through Southwest Louisiana, most of us don't notice the vestiges of the Cajun Prairie. It's hard to imagine that the pastures, ponds, and fields we pass were once a 2.5 million-acre tallgrass coastal prairie teeming with life but hard to get a wagon through. But got through it they did, and our ancestors tamed the prairie as they settled it.
The aim of this exhibit is to reconnect us to our natural heritage that gave rise to our cultural heritage. Its panels were designed to reveal the small parts that run the grand prairie ecosystem, connect how our culture sprung from it, and inspire us to do what we can to conserve our prairie home.
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Hidden in Plain Sight is a traveling exhibit that presents the natural history of the prairie's soil, flora, and fauna as well as people who settled there and people today restoring prairie on their own land. The 4-panel free-standing exhibit includes insect, grass, and soil specimens among informative graphics and inspiring artwork and photography.
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Contact Dr. Griffard at ourlouisianabio@gmail.com to inquire about hosting the exhibit near you.