One of the main goals of SGI’s new Native Seed Program is to perform seed collections across the region for the Seeds of Success (SOS) program. Despite the success and broad coverage of SOS, several states still have only a few or zero collections, especially in some of the southeastern states.
Getting to Know Us: Jared Gorrell
Jared Gorrell is a graduate student of Dr. Dwayne Estes, SGI’s Executive Director, at Austin Peay State University (APSU). Jared earned his Bachelor’s degree in Botany from Southern Illinois University Carbondale in 2019. As a graduate student at APSU, Jared is focusing on a botany and ecology at an SGI project site, the Sumter Farm, located in Geiger, Alabama. He’s hoping to achieve his Master’s degree by December 2023. Recently we sat down with Jared to learn a little more about him and his role at SGI.
September 6, 2022 Newsletter
Exciting New Discovery: New Species of Beaksedge Described from Southeastern Grasslands
Grasslands You Can Visit: Dunbar Cave Grassland at Dunbar Cave State Park
It can be hard to imagine over 3.5 million acres of grasslands stretching in a horseshoe shape from what is now the Land Between the Lakes area of Kentucky and Tennessee east to the Mammoth Cave area of Kentucky. Yet, much of that area was once a mixture of tallgrass prairie, oak savannas, and depressional wet meadows. We know this from a combination of historical records and by looking at the types of plants and animals that can be found there.
Rock-pinks: Cryptic Jewels of Southeastern Rock Outcrop Grasslands
The August 1, 2022 SGI newsletter featured a note about our field botany team discovering a “new” population of the rare Menges’ fameflower (Phemeranthus mengesii) in a rock outcrop grassland remnant in the Cumberland Plateau of Tennessee.
That got me thinking about all the cool plants in that genus, and about drought adapted plants of glades and other rock outcrop grasslands in general. And now that we’re in the hottest part of the year, these seemed like good topics for a blog post.
Historic Bill Will Protect One of North America’s Fastest Disappearing Ecosystems
August 1, 2022 Newsletter
Summer is always a busy time of the year at SGI with many long days in the field. July has been an especially busy month for us with many of our team members being out in the field with limited connectivity. This month’s newsletter includes just a few of the many exciting activities that our team has been working on during July. We’re also excited to announce that we have a new, full time position open and have just begun taking applications.
Getting to Know Us: Laura Hunt
Laura Hunt is the Volunteer Coordinator for the Southeastern Grasslands Initiative. She joined SGI in 2021. Laura brings an abundance of energy, passion, and enthusiasm to the team. Her educational background includes a Bachelor’s degree in Environmental and Sustainability Sciences from Lipscomb University’s Institute for Sustainable Practices. Recently we sat down with Laura to learn a little more about her and her role at the Southeastern Grasslands Initiative.
A Field Trip to Catoosa Wildlife Management Area
On June 18, Artemis Sportswomen, the Tennessee Wildlife Federation, and the Southeastern Grasslands Initiative hosted a field trip to Catoosa Wildlife Management Area for women in conservation. The purpose of the field trip was to learn about the conservation and importance of Tennessee’s vanishing savannas and other grassland ecosystems. It was a perfect day for a field trip. The heat and humidity of the week before had broken and left in its place one of those rare, cool, summer days filled with sunshine and a constant breeze.