Many animals depend on habitat along the edge where field meets forest, using open fields to hunt or forage and woods for cover. Foxes, turkeys, hawks, owls, songbirds, rabbits, squirrels, and other small rodents can be found in these edge habitats, where tall grasses, shrubs, and small trees provide berries, seeds, shelter for nesting, and protection from weather and predators. This area was covered with demolition debris from the Pruitt-Igoe housing complex in the 1970s, and since then pioneer species have returned to grow on the bare ground and recreate ecological communities on the site. As short-lived pioneer species reach the end of their life cycles, they are replaced by longer-lived trees. Active maintenance is needed so the site does not become overgrown with invasive plants, and Great Rivers Greenway removes invasive plants so native plants and wildlife have a chance to thrive. The prairies of North America once covered more than 200 million acres, including much of the St. Louis region, but less than 1% of prairie habitat remains today. Great Rivers Greenway and Missouri Department of Conservation are working together to reconstruct native prairie at this site, providing food and shelter for a diversity of pollinators. Some plants native to this part of Missouri have roots up to 16 feet deep, and these deep roots store carbon, prevent erosion, and absorb water during heavy rains. One acre of prairie plants can store 22.5 tons of carbon and prevent 1.7 tons of soil from moving each year.