Huffman Prairie

Prairie plants abound at Huffman Prairie in Greene County

Rare Species and Communities

Royal catchfly, Henslow’s sparrow, Upland sandpiper, Sedge wren, Tallgrass prairie community.

Description

Huffman Prairie is a black soil tallgrass prairie remnant of a once nearly two square mile prairie. The site, located in the North Central Tillplain Ecoregion, encompasses 109 acres, making it one of the largest tallgrass prairie remnants in Ohio. Huffman Prairie is located on the Wright-Patterson Air Force Base owned by the U.S. Department of Defense, and recognized by the Ohio Department of Natural Resources as an Ohio Natural Landmark.

The prairie is adjacent to the Dayton Aviation Heritage National Park. Both sites were used by the Wright brothers for flight tests and Huffman Prairie is still visited for its historic significance. A replica of the Wright Brothers 1905 Hangar is next to the prairie. A garden of native prairie plants was established in 1991 next to the hangar. This garden is used as a seed source for restoration projects on the degraded portions of the prairie.

Through a broad-based agreement established in 1990 between the Conservancy and the U.S. Department of Defense, Huffman Prairie is currently managed through the cooperation of Wright-Patterson Air Force Base, The Nature Conservancy, and Five Rivers Metroparks.

Ecological Significance

The site contains at least three dozen prairie indicator species. Roughly one quarter of the area is currently dominated by native prairie plants. Prairie grasses include Big bluestem, Indian grass, little bluestem and rough dropseed. Huffman Prairie provides habitat for several endemic moth species. Some of the moths are known from the tallgrass prairies to the west, others, only on the East Coast, while a few are so rare that they have no scientific name. The prairie provides nesting habitat for grassland bird species such as bobolink, grasshopper sparrow, sedge wren, Henslow’s sparrow, upland sandpiper, savannah sparrow, and dickcissel.

Threats

There is a high percentage of non-native plants on the preserve. Without adequate controls through burning or herbicide treatment, woody succession threatens the integrity of the grassland community and its use by grassland birds. Potential threats include a pipeline buried beneath the preserve, nearby runways and taxi strips, a golf course and other military developments.

Conservation Plan

There are two ecological goals for Huffman Prairie: 1) to maximize plant diversity and to bring it back to a condition similar to what existed in the 1800s; and 2) to maintain the diversity of nesting grassland birds and prairie lepidoptera. These will be accomplished through prescribed burns (conducted by U.S. Air Force personnel), eradication of non-native plants, and reseeding with native plant seed (collected by volunteers and sown with assistance from Five Rivers Metropark personnel).

Visitation Guidelines

Huffman Prairie is an ecologically irreplaceable resource. Visitors can access Huffman Prairie by obtaining a visitor's pass at Wright-Patterson Air Force Base Visitor Center. Ohio Chapter volunteers, led by Ron and Liz Cramer, have created a trail through the prairie garden, a restoration demonstration area, and bird watching areas. A trail guide is availabe at the trailhead of the prairie. Visitation also is permitted through volunteer work projects. All visitors should use extraordinary care to protect natural features, plant and animal life.