Success: Donations save the Deer Park prairie

The Deer Park prairie is saved. The Bayou Land Conservancy announced today that it has raised $4 million to purchase the 50 acres of virgin Gulf Coast prairie. The Deer Park prairie is saved. The Bayou Land Conservancy announced today that it has raised $4 million to purchase the 50 acres of virgin Gulf Coast prairie. Photo: Thomas B. Shea Photo: Thomas B. Shea Image 1 of / 20 Caption Close Success: Donations save the Deer Park prairie 1 / 20 Back to Gallery

The Deer Park prairie - a pristine 50-acre example of one of the world's most endangered ecosystems - has been saved from development, conservationists announced Tuesday morning, only hours before their midnight deadline.

The month-long blitz to raise $4 million to buy the land attracted more than 1,000 donors. Large early gifts came from Terry Hershey, one of the founders of the Houston environmental movement; and the Hamman Foundation. But most gifts were from individuals, many of whom contributed $10 or $50 through the Bayou Land Conservancy's website.

"Ninety-nine percent of our donors had never set foot on the prairie," marveled Jennifer Lorenz, director of the Bayou Land Conservancy, which spearheaded the fund drive. "They found out about it through the media, and through their friends on Facebook. It's astounding - I've never seen anything like this happen so fast."

The conservancy plans to donate the land to the Native Prairies Association of Texas, which would manage the health of the prairie and provide guided tours. Roughly 9 million acres of the subtropical tall-grass prairie once were found in Texas and Louisiana. Less than 1 percent remains today.