During this two-year project, the University of Houston-Clear Lake’s Environmental Institute of Houston and the Native Prairies Association of Texas helped students and teachers across the Houston area discover the importance of native coastal prairies. With funding from the Galveston Bay Estuary Program, Texas Commission on Environmental Quality and the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, this project was designed to bring hands-on environmental education opportunities to K–12 students and educators, especially in Texas Region 4 communities.
During Phase 1 of the program, students experienced the prairies firsthand through field trips to Deer Park Prairie. A total of 317 students explored prairie history, food webs, population dynamics, and insects through guided activities. Three summer camps provided additional opportunities for 31 middle and high school students to connect Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics (STEM) learning with the natural world around them. These immersive experiences helped students build knowledge of the ecological services coastal prairies provide — from flood protection to pollinator habitat.
Teachers also benefited from dedicated professional development workshops. Forty-six educators attended one of four workshops at Deer Park Prairie, where local experts led hands-on sessions on topics such as prairie ecosystems, invasive species, pollinators, biodiversity, and restoration. Teachers received up to eight hours of professional development credit and left equipped with new activities and tools to bring prairie science into their classrooms, extending the program’s impact far beyond the field.
Altogether, Phase 1 of the project engaged dozens of teachers and more than 400 students directly, laying the foundation for lasting prairie education in the region. With support from EcoRise, schools lacking environmental education programs were identified and connected with opportunities, helping ensure equitable access to prairie education programs.
Looking Ahead
Phase 2 of the project is already underway. A new teacher workshop is scheduled for November 8, 2025, and two prairie-focused summer camps are planned for 2026. With these opportunities, even more students and educators will have the chance to explore, discover, and learn on the prairie — inspiring the next generation of environmental stewards in the Galveston Bay watershed.