The "Giving Nature a Hand" education kit was designed for science teachers of 7th- and 8th-grade students. The lessons tell how and why TxDOT manages vegetation along more than 800,000 acres of non-paved highway right of way so that it supports hundreds of animal species and thousands of plant species, including spectacular wildflowers. The kit was produced with support from the Environmental Protection Agency
Each kit includes:
To receive your free kit, send your name, name of your school and address to:
Texas Department of Transportation
Attention: Communications
Environmental Affairs Division
125 E. 11th Street
Austin, TX 78701-2483
Or e-mail us. Please specify which materials you want.
Background
TxDOT's policy calls for less mowing and the use of drought-resistant native and adapted plants to conserve water and protect water quality. It also makes a distinction between two zones on the right of way: the active, which is mowed for safety reasons, and the passive, which is allowed to flourish in as close to a natural state as possible, ensuring vivid wildflower displays and benefiting wildlife such as ground-nesting birds and small mammals who make their homes in the right of way.
While Texans and tourists enjoy the showy spring wildflowers along the state's roadsides, they are reluctant to give up the appearance of a well-manicured lawn in exchange for taller varieties of native grasses. As a result of past department practices, which included mowing roadsides beyond what was required for safety, the public came to expect the look of a well-manicured lawn along rights of way.
Mowing Methodology
Unnecessary mowing leads to loss of desirable vegetation, fills drainageways with silt and accelerates erosion. Mowing only when plants are dormant in winter, after the breeding seasons of birds and small mammals, ensures the greatest seed production for wildflower crops in both fall and spring.
This also produces food for small animals who find refuge along the more natural roadsides. The ever-changing displays of wildflowers and grasses attract tourists and Texans alike to small communities all over the state.
Native Vegetation
The use of native grasses and other native plants along the right of way also reduces dependence on chemical and mechanical control methods, thus fostering a biological approach to vegetation management.
Vigorous native vegetation crowds out noxious plants and improves water quality by reducing erosion and filtering runoff. Mowing less decreases exhaust emissions from mowers and saves money.
Benefits of a "Prairie Look"
Proper use of this land represents a major opportunity to protect and enhance the environment. By creating a "prairie look" through use of native grasses and wildflowers along Texas roadsides, TxDOT can help prevent erosion, reduce the need for mowing and herbicide use and save money on maintenance. Additional benefits include the scenic attraction that wildflowers provide and habitat for ground-nesting birds and small mammals.
"Giving Nature a Hand" was developed to teach middle school and
junior high school students throughout the state to appreciate the
more natural, prairie-look" areas along state highways and reinforce
the wisdom of working with nature.
125 East 11th Street . Austin, Texas 78701 
Copyright 2009. Texas Department of Transportation. All Rights Reserved.
