Ways to Make a Difference | Grasslands Colorado

Here are some impactful ways you can help our endangered prairie ecosystem

Plant Native Species:

Incorporate prairie plants into your garden or yard to provide habitats for pollinators and other wildlife. (Milkweed is essential for Colorado’s Monarch Butterflies.) Consider removing non-native Kentucky Bluegrass and other non-native grasses and replace with Colorado based native grasses such as buffalo grasses (seeds can be bought at Big R and Murdoch's) these native species don’t need as much water and attract pollinators.

Avoid Using Pesticides, Herbicides, and Rodenticides:

Pesticides and rodenticides harm wildlife by poisoning non-target species through direct exposure or contaminated prey. Rodenticides can secondarily poison predators like hawks and owls. Pesticides also harm beneficial insects, such as pollinators, vital for biodiversity. These chemicals disrupt ecosystems and contaminate soil and water, affecting food chains and aquatic life. Reducing their use is essential to protect wildlife and ecosystems. Opt for eco-friendly alternatives.

Limit Development in Prairie Areas:

Native Prairie is going extinct due to farming and development pressures. Wildlife is being poisoned and removed due to outdated ranching and farming practices. Here are just a few things you can do to help:

When you find a small pocket of wildlife and prairie advocate to the landowner to preserve it.
Fight to save the imperiled prairie dog from extermination in land development. Ask developers to set aside areas for them.
Consider buying land or supporting organizations who are actively trying to preserve it. Here are a few:

American Prairie (501c3 non-profit)
Southern Plains Land Trust (501c3 non-profit)
The Nature Conservancy (501c3 non-profit)

Volunteer for Restoration/Rewilding Projects:

Join local conservation groups working on prairie habitat restoration and rewilding lands. There are a lot of ways you can help your local wildlife, here are just a few suggestions:

Removing barbed wire fencing is just one thing that saves our prairie ungulates. Read more here
Planting native grasses and helping add cottonwood trees to riparian areas is another example of rewilding areas. Here’s an example.
Join your local open spaces community to advocate to keep prairie dogs on public lands.

Defend Keystone Species:

So many prairie species have been labelled ‘nuisance’ animals due to a misguided view of their important role in the ecosystem. We must defend their right to be in nature and not poisoned, shot, or trapped. Ways you can help :

Speak to your local farmers and ranchers about new ways to live in harmony with coyotes, prairie dogs, and beavers. You can read how one rancher is changing the way he ranches here
Attend CPW meetings to defend keystone species from trapping and poisoning. Ask CPW to stop using out-dated words such as ‘nuisance’ to describe valuable wildlife. You can get on the CPW meeting email here
Support laws that protect predators like Wolves, Coyotes, foxes and Bobcats. Research Trophic Cascade and its effects on the wider ecosystem. You can learn more about the headwinds our predators have on our ‘Wildlife Issues’ page.
Learn how important our predators are for the health of the ecosystem here
Defend beavers and the roles they play as water engineers in rehydrating the plains. Read an article on the importance of beavers here
Keep your cat indoors and learn about the plight of our bird populations which have decreased 40% due to poisons, agriculture, habitat destruction and climate change. Here’s an article on the state of the US bird population in 2025.

Support Organizations working to save the prairies:

There are many organizations trying to help our prairies and wildlife thrive. Grasslands is just one of a network of groups working hard to buy land, educate the public, reform agriculture practices, change governmental biases and rehabilitate wildlife. Helping organizations protect land is a way to give back to the planet and the wildlife who depend on humans to advocate for them.

Prairies are crucial for biodiversity, soil health, and even carbon storage so every small action helps!

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