Buffalo Stomp

The "Buffalo Stomp," is family-friendly activity held each year to revitalize the natural grasses and wildflowers of our Blackland Prairie ecosystem. Our Frisco "Buffalo" of all ages enjoy spreading wildflower seed and stomping them into the fertile soil each fall.

Buffalo Stomp History:

The first annual "Buffalo Stomp" was the brainchild of three Frisco Garden Club Members who had an interest in the hillside of the Northeast corner of Warren Sports Complex: Vaughn Lohec, Edna Willits and Molly Kinson. Vaughn Lohec lost her sister to the September 11 attacks, and helped to spearhead the building of the Freedom Meadow Memorial at the top of the hill. The Memorial was commissioned and unveiled on September 11, 2005. At a 2013 Freedom Meadow Committee meeting, Vaughn expressed that she was sad to have been thrust into the "memorial business" since the national tragedy that personally affected her family in 2001. Edna Willits had been the FGC Freedom Meadow Chairperson at its inception. The practice of spreading wildflower seed annually at a 9-11 solemn seed scattering observance has been a Frisco Garden Club tradition since 2002. Edna ensures that the local fire department is honored along with the Nation's first responders. The Frisco Fire Department is on-hand annually to water the seed with a ceremonial water salute. Molly Kinson worked for the Environmental Science Department of our city's Parks and Recreation Department. She passed the hillside every day on her way to work. She has a love for nature and the wildflowers that grow on Frisco’s small designated preserve of Blackland Prairie. Through research, she discovered a project trend that pairs the sowing and harvesting of existing and supplemental seed with youth education. The practice is called a "Buffalo Stomp" because the children dancing and stomping in the fields imitates the natural planting of earlier days when buffalo wandered these plains. Sinking the seed pods into the dirt helps them to germinate and increases the yield. The Club’s presiding president, Amy Deatherage brought the project to the floor and the Club unanimously voted to support the project. The Frisco Garden Club implement an additional annual day of seed spreading. The celebratory event: "The Rootin' Tootin' Boot Scootin' Buffalo Stomp was born! The event was a success that Vaughn says would have pleased her sister, Lauren. The kids and adults gain an education; environmentally, as well as, civically. Many of our youth involved in the annual project were born years after 2001. The event has taken on a life of it’s own and is supported by the City of Frisco’s Parks and Recreation Department, as well as the Blackland Prairies Texas Master Naturalists!