Native prairie plants once covered the western portions of Ohio, and after the Wisconsinan glacier Ohio went through a hot, dry period about 6,000 to 4,000 years ago that allowed prairie grasslands to expand into the state from the west as part of the Prairie Peninsula, perhaps covering as much as half of Ohio. As cooler, wetter conditions returned, hardwood forests were favored and, through natural succession, prairies gave way to shrubs and trees, so that by the arrival of the first European settlers Ohio was only two to four percent prairie. Those surviving prairie areas persisted because Native Americans found hunting easier on prairie land and periodically burned the prairies to hold back forests and maintain their hunting strategies. Today remnant prairies are owned and managed as preserves by state and local agencies and conservation organizations, and new prairies are being created on public and private land to conserve this habitat. This prairie was planted in late spring of 2018 by Park Board Commissioner Richard Moseley and seeded with more than 40 species of prairie plants native to Ohio, including prairie coneflower, purple coneflower, prairie dock, compass plant, big bluestem, and Indian grass. Prairie plants are native to the region, often have roots extending more than 10 feet downward to absorb moisture during dry periods and survive periodic fires, and they support pollinators and local wildlife including bees, butterflies, amphibians, reptiles, and mammals. Prescribed burns are a common land-management tool that improve ecosystem health, benefit prairie species adapted to fire, and are needed every two to three years in established prairies to reduce shrub and tree growth and invading exotic species, while mowing can be used in small prairies when burning is not possible.