In an effort to reclaim the land of our past and to honor the mission of the Overland Park Arboretum and Botanical Gardens, 70 acres on the south side of the facility was cleared in 2002 to begin restoration of the prairie.

With the help of city staff, many hardworking volunteers and good weather, the prairie is finally beginning to take shape. Big Bluestem, Little Bluestem, Sideoats Grama and Osage Indiangrass can be seen as well as Plains Coreopsis, Partridgepea and lots of Blackeyed Susan.

The prairie is being managed by a three-year rotation of reseeding, haying and burning to simulate grazing by wildlife and buffalo and wildfire burning of the prairie.

To access the prairie, visitors can walk the Cottonwood Trail south to the Rocky Ridge Trail (there are paths on both the east and west sides of the prairie). Once there, visitors have observed deer, coyote, quail, turkey buzzards and various snakes, just to name a few.