North Puget Sound Prairies
- Created - by retreating glaciers
- Sustained - by Native Americans
- Unique - to the Northwest
- Dependent - on us for their conservation
One of the rarest ecosystems in the country, these open savannas were created by retreating glaciers 15,000 years ago, which left behind gravelly soils that dried out quickly during summer droughts. Native Americans sustained these grassy plains for thousands of years using fire to keep the encroaching forests at bay so that tribes could harvest the prairie's bounty of wildflowers and bulbs. Today conservationists maintain our prairies through active management and restoration.