To this end, AG|CM and New Hope Housing collaborated with the Children's Environmental Literacy Foundation to develop a case study on restoring the native habitat for community and climate resilience. See below for an excerpt from the case study:
Beyond aesthetics, the project strategically tackles flood mitigation, water capture, and the establishment of a green corridor for at-risk communities. Features include vegetable gardens, butterfly spaces, and earthworm farming, the site forms a dynamic ecosystem within the urban landscape. The various plant life supports a bird-friendly habitat. Native prairie restoration introduces essential plants like Bluestem grasses, Indian Blanket, and Texas Coneflower, fostering biodiversity.
The scope of work areas included:
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- Urban Prairie
- Reed Park
- Community Garden
- Green Stormwater Infrastructure Amenities
- Educational Signage
- Prairie Trails
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The project officially kicked off with a press conference in January 2021, bringing together multiple local and national organizations, demonstrating the collaborative nature of climate adaptation projects.
As this ambitious vision took shape, the NHH team recognized that the magnitude of the project would require additional project management support to supplement their internal team, and so they brought in NHH’s long-time project management partner, AG|CM. With AG|CM on board, Project Manager Amos Byington quickly realized that the timeline set forth in the grant would need to be extended to fully realize the vision that the community had set forth, not yet considering the environmental feasibility of the land and the remediation that would be required to ready the land to welcome the biodiversity that makes for a healthy prairie. Throughout the project, the team addressed and overcame unforeseen challenges to complete the project to develop an ongoing maintenance plan to ensure the prairie remains a healing and educational space for the community for years to come.
While this project posed a number of challenges, Byington explains that this time was “when I started seeing the prairie coming to life… once we got that organic matter down and seeded our first crop.”
The project celebrated completion with a ribbon cutting ceremony in December 2023, with plans to continue educational programming at the site in upcoming years.
NHH continues to fundraise and engage partners to support the long-term care and maintenance of the prairie, also leveraging their growing team of staff interested in volunteering to support the maintenance needs after having invested so much time in helping the prairie come to life.
As the US and indeed the globe becomes increasingly urbanized, the Urban Prairie Resilience Project serves as an important model for how native ecosystems can still find a place alongside urban environments, offering places that not only protect our communities from the worst effects of climate change, but allow us to restore a sense of community with our natural relatives for improved health and well-being, and equity in access to green space for all.
To read more about Reed Park and the Urban Prairie Resiliency Project, visit NHH's website. And for a copy of the case study, please reach out to AG|CM.