Clymer Meadow Preserve

Tallgrass prairies are considered one of the most endangered landscapes in North America. Beyond preserving native habitat, TNC’s prairie restoration efforts are offering layered benefits, from absorbing and storing carbon to improving water quality. In particular, TNC’s work to restore the preserve’s Webster Tract has improved the water quality of a nearby portion of the Arnold Creek watershed, which impacts water supplies for Dallas, Houston and many communities in between.

Clymer Meadow also supports a plethora of wildlife and plant species. As a result, a significant focus here is managing the preserve to enhance biodiversity. Two globally imperiled prairie plant communities occur at Clymer Meadow: one community type showcases little bluestem and Indiangrass, and the other, gamagrass and switchgrass. Big bluestem and Canada wildrye can also be found at Clymer. Wildflowers such as rough-leaf rosinweed and American basketflower are abundant, while milkweed planting efforts are further supporting pollinators like monarch butterflies. In addition, the prairie provides habitat for many seasonal bird species, including northern harriers, eastern bluebirds and declining dickcissel and Eastern meadlowlark populations.

As Texas’ remaining grasslands continue to be lost to fragmentation and development, understanding this landscape’s characteristics and limits to resilience have become increasingly important. TNC’s conservation work has strongly centered on effective land management techniques like prescribed fire and sustainable grazing. Recent restoration efforts have aimed to improve wetland and riparian habitats, enhancing water infiltration into the soil and providing water quality benefits for wildlife and native plants, as well as communities downstream. The removal of invasive trees and other species is also helping native plants thrive, like purple Indian paintbrush, prairie clover and other wildflowers. With the help of dedicated volunteers and Texas Master Naturalists, native seed collections take place each year for future restoration initiatives.

Universities and private research organizations have conducted more than a dozen scientific investigations at Clymer Meadow Preserve. Research projects have ranged from studying the impacts of removing invasive weed species to examining surface water flows to conducting inventories of invertebrates. Students from public and private primary and secondary schools continue to visit the preserve to learn about the ecology and value of prairies.