City, Brownsville ISD unveil first pocket prairie at Garcia Middle School

Brownsville ISD and Garcia Middle School on Friday unveiled the city’s first pocket prairie, an intentionally planted area that mimics the natural prairies that once covered much of Texas and offer significant ecological benefits.

Until about a year ago, an area near a softball diamond behind the school that became the pocket prairie served as catch basin for storm runoff, filtering water back into the aquifer but remaining dry for long periods, Brownsville city forester Hunter Lohse said.

The pocket prairie is a collaborative effort between the city and BISD that officials hope becomes a pilot project for similar such efforts on unused land around the district and city.

Garcia Principal Benita Villarreal said efforts by the gardening, ecology and recycling clubs at the school transformed the grassy field into a “vibrant living classroom where students can connect science, stewardship and service.”

Signage on the fence surrounding the area identifies 45 migratory birds that may stop by on their way north each year because of the improved habitat.

The pocket prairie can also be expected to provide environmental benefits including improved soil health, reduced erosion and slowing down stormwater runoff, according to material distributed at the event.

Madison Ariana and Andrea Silva were among the Garcia students who helped transform the formerly vacant land.

“There was really nothing there at the beginning, and then everything started coming back,” Ariana, who helped reintroduce native plants and keep them watered, said.

She said she started helping on the project about the middle of last year and has watched with interest as the area improved.

Lohse said he worked closely on the project with Micaela Escobar, BISD recycling coordinator and an advocate for environmental awareness and education.

Lohse noted that Friday’s event, the official ribbon-cutting for the pocket prairie, appropriately came during National Native Plant Week.

The post City, Brownsville ISD unveil first pocket prairie at Garcia Middle School appeared first on MyRGV.com.