Plant native prairie cover on a gilgai clay-mound segment near Waxahachie, site 3, a public county road right of way in the northern Blackland Prairie near Waxahachie, TX 75165, Ellis County (a Blackland clay gilgai hog-wallow mound and depression segment), or a resident's own rural property with the owner's consent (2026-07-31)

The survey above found a bare or grazed-out Blackland clay gilgai segment near Waxahachie, and hand planted native prairie species suited to the wet-dry mound and depression cycle would otherwise leave this rare microtopography feature bare for another season. Standard: USDA NRCS conservation practice standard 643 restoration of rare or declining habitats plus standard 550 range planting (Blackland Prairie gilgai microtopography, the clay hog-wallow low mound and depression complex that ponds water after rain), applied here to a segment near Waxahachie, TX, Ellis County, northern Blackland Prairie belt. SDG 15.1 and 15.5. Proof: owner or right of way consent record plus before after photos plus species and plant count record plus GPS Method (USDA NRCS conservation practice standard 643 restoration of rare or declining habitats plus standard 550 range planting (Blackland Prairie gilgai microtopography, the clay hog-wallow low mound and depression complex that ponds water after rain), applied here to a segment near Waxahachie, TX, Ellis County, northern Blackland Prairie belt. SDG 15.1 and 15.5.): 1. 1. Confirm the segment with the property owner, or the county road department if on the right of way, and photograph the bare or grazed-out mounds and depressions before starting. 2. 2. Hand dig small planting holes only into the existing mounds and depressions, hand tools only, no power equipment, without regrading or altering the natural microrelief. 3. 3. Hand plant native Blackland prairie species suited to the gilgai wet-dry cycle (little bluestem, Illinois bundleflower, eastern gamagrass in the depressions) at the labeled spacing. 4. 4. Hand mulch around the new plantings and photograph the planted segment from the matching before vantage, recording species and plant count. Done when: Written or recorded permission from the property owner, or confirmation the work stayed on the public road right of way; Before photo of the bare or grazed-out segment; Confirmation only hand tools were used and the natural mound and depression microrelief was not altered; Native species and plant count recorded; After photo of the planted segment from the matching vantage

Where

a public county road right of way in the northern Blackland Prairie near Waxahachie, TX 75165, Ellis County (a Blackland clay gilgai hog-wallow mound and depression segment), or a resident's own rural property with the owner's consent

Pay

$165 proposed

This packet is not funded yet, so this figure is a proposed price and not money waiting in escrow. If a buyer funds it, approved proof settles that price onchain. If nobody funds it, approved proof earns provable credit toward the work instead of cash. You see which before you claim, never after.

Proof

owner or right of way consent record plus before after photos plus species and plant count record plus GPS

This is exactly what gets it approved. Nothing settles without it.

Level

intermediate

Open until

2026-08-30

How this work is done

A documented method, so this packet comes out the same whoever does it. Typically 45–120 minutes. Method of record: Point-count / transect species survey (Breeding Bird Survey + Xerces pollinator-count protocols)

Bring

• binoculars
• field ID guide or app
• GPS phone
• data sheet / recorder
• timer
• camera

Steps

1. 1. Navigate to the first survey point; record GPS; note start time, weather, and wind (surveys pause in rain/high wind).
2. 2. Wait a settling minute, then run a fixed-duration count (e.g., 5 min) within a fixed radius; record every species seen/heard and the count of each.
3. 3. Photograph the habitat and any species you can; note any threatened/target or invasive species.
4. 4. Move to the next point along the transect (keep points >=200 m apart) and repeat the count.
5. 5. Record total effort (points, duration) and observer.
6. 6. Enter the per-point species lists + counts, GPS, weather, effort, and photos into the proof record; sign.

If it does not match the plan

• Threatened/at-risk or target species observed -> flag for the land steward (with location) for protection planning.
• Invasive species dominant / native diversity very low -> flag for a management plan.
• Rain or high wind -> pause/reschedule; counts under poor conditions are not valid.

What counts as done

• Per-point species list with counts recorded
• GPS waypoint + fixed count duration/radius recorded per point
• Weather, wind, start time, and total effort recorded
• Habitat photos + any species photos

Proof is measured against these, not judged by taste.