MillerSprings - Prairie Restoration

The Basin Area of Miller Springs

Prairie Restoration Director

Early man found the hunting easy in the valley north of the swift and rolling river that, when swollen, made a sound like a lion. The Spanish influence in the early days of settlement translated the river's name to the Leon. Artifactual evidence indicates a long, enduring cultural history including a road system and an historic iron truss bridge. Miller Springs and the Leon River represent significant geological, archaeological, and historical resources. The study of this area provides a window of history on social and economic change for Central Texas.

Before the construction of Lake Belton Reservoir in the 1954, local residents attached a special significance to the Miller Springs area. The scenic waterway and abundance of plant and animal life provided a favored location for family recreational activities. Families often gathered along the river to fish, hike, and enjoy the scenic beauty of this quiet area.

Many factors have contributed to the barren appearance within the Basin area. Construction crews scraped approximately 20' of topsoil from the basin acreage to construct Lake Belton Dam. Additional disturbance occurred when the area was open to off-road vehicles. Today the soil within the basin area is depleted of organic material nutrients. The Miller Springs Alliance will restore the soil to develop a native tall-grass prairie through the use of organic soil amendments..

Scientific Research Project

The lack of knowledge of the role of organic soil amendments in native prairie ecosystems is a major obstacle to successful restorations of these ecosystems. Increasing availability of composted municipal bio-solids provides an opportunity to investigate this relationship and for informed utilization of an invaluable municipal resource and by-product. This research project will provide the opportunity to quantify plant growth response to soils amended with composted municipal bio-solids. The results of this study have global implications for sustainable agriculture, soil conservation, eco-system restoration and wildlife habitat management. Land managers with degraded or marginal lands will benefit. Rural and urban entities seeking solutions to waste management and recycling problems will benefit. Public and private conservation organizations with projects such as grassland filter strips for erosion control and water quality protection will benefit. The economic benefits from this research in sustainable land management, are virtually unlimited.

Restoration of Native Tallgrass Prairie and Research Project

Priority Need: To increase the breadth of environmental education opportunities and to increase the knowledge of the processes driving native tallgrass prairie ecosystems

Project Description: Approximately 25 to 40 acres with low fertility soil will be amended with composted municipal biosolids. The acreage will be seeded with native tallgrass prairie species. Research data will be collected from test plots treated with chemical fertilizer and three rates of compost.

Restoration Goals will Demonstrate:

Recycling
Composting
Sustainable land management through soil conservation
Biodiversity
Native prairie species
Eco-systems
Wildlife habitat requirements

Research Goals will:

Quantify plant response to composted municipal biosolids
Identify mechanisms causing plant response
Determine appropriate compost application rates

Economic Benefits of Prairie Restoration:

Public Environmental Education
Increased Eco-Tourism
Land Managers Decision-Making
Water quality
Waste treatment
Pollution control
Erosion control
Soil amendment

Duration and Time Schedule:

Fall 1995: Site Preparation was initiated with land leveling and disking.

Spring 1996: 1,300 cubic yards of composted municipal biosolids was transported onto the basin.

Spring 1996: Additional materials were accepted from Cen-Tex Waste Management and the Bell County EXPO Center (animal litter) to provide bulk compost material for the portions of the basin not under research.

Summer 1996: Composted material was spread and leveled.

Fall 1996: A second tilling will occur to deter seed germination of K-R bluestem.

Spring 1997: Basin area will be seeded with tall-grass native species.

Participating Partners: Brazos River Authority, City of Belton, City of Temple, Native Plant Society of Texas, Native Prairie Association of Texas, Resource Conservation and Development, USDA Agricultural Research Service and Natural Resources Conservation Service, US Fish & Wildlife, TAMUS Blackland Research Center and Miller Springs Alliance.

Project Strategy: Prairie restoration at Miller Springs Nature Center will be a collaborative project accomplished by multiple partners that understand the need for public environmental education.

Volunteers plant prairie grass to finish Miller Springs ecosystem
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