News Release

Battlefield Restoration Project

Volunteers will plant about 50,000 plugs of Gulf Cordgrass.

NPS Photo

News Release Date: February 20, 2020

Contact: Rolando Garza, [phone] ext. 331

It’s a busy week for the park’s Resource Management Division. The park is working with its partners on a project to restore the resaca and adjacent wetland prairie on the core battlefield.

Early Advocate

Joel Wagner, retiring this month, from the NPS Water Resource Division out of Fort Collins, has been the driving force behind this project. He partnered with Aaron Mahr, Resource Manager at Palo Alto in the late 90's, to acquire project money. The funds allowed the USGS Wetland Center out of Lafayette, LA to research the historic wetlands and vegetation communities at Palo Alto Battlefield. Wagner recruited and supported a Texas A&M graduate student to study the hydrology of the resacas and potential methods for reintroducing Gulf Cordgrass on to the core battlefield at Palo Alto.

Partnership Born

Wagner spearheaded the 2009 and 2014 resource projects that gave birth to an important partnership. The partnership brought together David Cooper, Wetland Ecologist at Colorado State University (CSU), John Lloyd-Reilley, Director of the E. Kika de la Garza Plant Material Center (USDA/NRCS), and Palo Alto Battlefield.

The park has benefited tremendously from the work done through this partnership. Some of the work done so far includes the removal 20th century water control features within the resaca in the heart of the Core Battlefield Management Zone. As a result, the natural function of this wetland feature was restored.

In addition, roughly 15,000 plugs of Gulf Cordgrass have been reintroduced. Work is still being done on finding the most efficient methods for reintroducing Gulf Cordgrass in to the core battlefield in the areas.

Boots on the Ground

In the upcoming weeks, this restoration project will begin seeding experiments and plant about 50,000 plugs of Gulf Cordgrass. This week, John Reilley (USDA/NRCS), Jessica Castro (CSU), and Rolando Gaza, Resource Manager (NPS), laid out experimental plots and began some of the pre-treatments. Castro is also preparing the grass nursery which will be sued to stage 60,000 to 70,000 plugs of cordgrass. Planting of the plugs will begin mid-February.

The results of these experiments and gulf cordgrass planting will enhance the park’s ability to meet the 1992 legislative mandate of restoring and maintaining the historic character (Cultural Landscape) of Palo Alto Battlefield.