• Discovered 9 plant species that were previously unknown to science.

• Published an authoritative list of the 118 core grassland ecosystems found in the Southeastern Grasslands Initiative’s 24-state geography, and identified an additional 75+ grassland-related ecosystems that we have yet to publish.

• Collaborated with the Georgia Department of Transportation, the Tennessee Department of Transportation, and other partners to identify high profile prairie remnants that could serve both educational and conservation purposes along each state’s roadsides, highways, and interstates.

• Wrapped up 3 multi-year studies with the National Park Service surveying riverscour grasslands along the mainstem of the Big South Fork and its tributary Clear Fork (both in the Cumberland River watershed), and along Clear Creek, a tributary to the Obed Wild and Scenic River.

• Continued conducting research with the Tennessee Valley Authority, Electric Power Research Institute, and Mississippi Entomological Museum on plant and pollinator assemblages in open powerline rights-of-way in historic savanna habitats of the Cumberland Plateau in Tennessee and Alabama.

• Published 2 articles in peer-reviewed journals, with 2 more accepted for publication.

• Completed Rubbernecking for Roadside Grasslands community science project, which identified 31 remnant grasslands along Tennessee highways and interstates from 2019 to 2021.

• Collaborated with partners to launch the Georgia Grasslands Initiative iNaturalist Project based off of Tennessee’s Rubbernecking for Roadside Grasslands – over 13,500 observations of over 1,700 species were made in the first 8 months.

• Added 7,538 specimens to the Austin Peay State University herbarium, bringing the total number of specimens in the collection to 131,489.

• Collected long-term vegetation data from 137 plots across 14 national parks. 

• Collaborated with partners in Mississippi to conduct surveys which doubled the number of sites known to contain whorled sunflowers.

• Began surveying and inventorying ecological communities on the 11,000 acre Sumter Farm and Stock Company in the Black Belt ecoregion of Alabama. 

• Mapped 18,950 witness tree data points from Revolutionary War land grants to help determine the extent of grasslands in central Tennessee during the period 1789-1804.

• Began testing ways to more rapidly increase plant diversity in restored and re-created grassland sites in Georgia and central Tennessee.

• Conducted an extensive assessment of what is currently known about the Cumberland Plateau’s grasslands and what is needed to address its conservation concerns.

• Produced and published Science Needs of Southeastern Grassland Species of Conservation Concern: A Framework for Species Status Assessments. 

• Started identifying the grassland ecosystems and grassland plants found in 21 National Parks in the southeastern U.S.

• Conducted research examining how climate change may influence the impact of invasive species on grassland restoration efforts.

• Gathered seeds for the conservation and propagation of 19 rare, threatened, endangered, or declining grassland species, bringing the total to 36 species from 5 states since we started the Conservation Seed Bank in 2020.

• Established the Robert C. and Deborah B. Hulse Prairie Acquisition Fund with the purpose of purchasing small, fragile, hard-to-protect prairie remnants. 

• Rescued and provided safe harbor for dwarf sumac (Rhus michauxii), an endangered and globally imperiled species.

• Began developing a management plan for Little River Canyon’s National Preserve’s  populations of the federally endangered green pitcher plant (Sarracenia oreophila), including characterizing the ecology and genetics of pitcher plant colonies.

• Collaborated with the State Botanical Garden of Georgia to reintroduce 64 individuals of 2 species of rare, threatened, or declining plants.

• Administered $38,200 in U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service grant money via the Partners for Fish and Wildlife Program to help private landowners manage and restore grasslands at 2 sites in Tennessee and Mississippi.

• Restored or planted 488 acres of grasslands in conjunction with our partners. 13 acres were in urban areas and 475 acres were in rural areas.

• Collaborated with rights-of-way and other land managers in 4 states to begin developing best management practices for maintaining biodiversity in these areas, while still meeting the land use needs of the land managers.

• Collaborated with partners to produce 40 interpretive signs about grassland communities and native grassland plants that were installed in Georgia and Tennessee.

• Trained and mentored 7 graduate students, 25 undergraduate students, 11 high school students, and 3 summer interns.

• 194 volunteers contributed 1,478 hours, valued at $42,182. 

• Led 10 field trips and guided walks for 40 people to learn about and experience our Southeastern grassland habitats in 3 states.

• Gave 17 in-person and virtual presentations.

• Shared over 30 Facebook videos aimed at teaching our Facebook audience about grassland plant species and forgotten stories of American history. 

• Conducted 2 landowner workshops to promote wildlife conservation practices and strategies on private land.

• Featured in the new book Saving the Wild South: The Fight for Native Plants on the Brink of Extinction by Georgann Eubanks published by The University of North Carolina Press.

• Served as subject-matter-experts discussing grassland communities for numerous media sources.

Welcoming our new Director of Operations & Finance and Assistant Director for the Seeds of Success - Southeast

During the first week of January 2022, Layla Dunlap joined us as our new Director of Operations & Finance and Will Overbeck joined us as our new Assistant Director for the Seeds of Success - Southeast.

Sharing the first comprehensive science-based map of southeastern grasslands 

This map will be published in National Geographic Magazine in 2022. Having an easily accessible, comprehensive, science-based map of the Southeastern grasslands will help bring awareness to grassland conservation and the importance of restoring grassland communities in the appropriate locations.

Creating the Cumberland Plateau Grasslands Stakeholders Coalition

In 2022, we want to build a Cumberland Plateau Grasslands Stakeholders Coalition. The Coalition’s goals will be to create a regional grasslands restoration and management framework, bring together a wide variety of stakeholders, and develop strategies for prioritizing grassland conservation projects within the 10-million acre Cumberland Plateau ecoregion of Alabama, Georgia, Kentucky, and Tennessee.

Growing Seeds of Success - Southeast

The financial seed for our Seeds of Success - Southeast program was planted in 2020, with funding from the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service’s Partners for Fish and Wildlife Program and the Bureau of Land Management. The program germinated and began putting down roots in 2021, when we hired our Seeds of Success Director and our Assistant Director. We’re looking forward to seeing the program take off and grow in 2022.

Purchasing and conserving small, fragile, hard-to-protect prairie remnants

We aim to complete the acquisition of a small property that represents one of the rarest grassland types remaining in the Southeast – wet tallgrass prairie. This will be our first property purchased with the newly established Robert C. and Deborah B. Hulse Prairie Acquisition Fund. We are also interested in connecting with donors who can help us grow this fund to accomplish similar projects across our focal region.

Mapping habitats, documenting biodiversity, and prioritizing conservation work in the Alabama Black Belt ecoregion

We will be mapping and assessing remnant grasslands and other ecological communities on the 11,000 acre Sumter Farm and Stock Company in the Black Belt ecoregion of Alabama. In addition to surveying the flora, we will be working with partners to survey the plant and animal diversity. Once the surveys and assessments are completed, we will make management and restoration recommendations for the different ecological communities found on the property, which is home to some amazing prairie and savanna remnants.

Producing an in-depth educational video

Production is scheduled to begin on a documentary-style video about the grassland communities of the Cumberland Plateau. 

Conducting whorled sunflower surveys in Tennessee 

We will be conducting intensive, targeted surveys for the whorled sunflower in Tennessee in 2022. Similar surveys conducted in Mississippi during 2021 doubled the number of known sites for this critically endangered species. 

Implementing a new community science project

We will be developing and implementing a new community science project on the Cumberland Plateau focused around a 375-acre savanna restoration project in conjunction with TennGreen Land Conservancy, Panther Creek Forestry and other partners. Local middle school students will help researchers identify mammals captured on trail cameras and will assist in documenting plant and animal biodiversity. 

Increasing communications activities

Unfortunately, many of our communications activities floundered a bit over the past couple of years. We will be correcting that in 2022. Weekly blogs, a newsletter, an active You-Tube channel, and a redesigned website are just a few of our many communication goals for the new year.

Ways to Get Involved

Volunteer

Our volunteers are special members of our team, and we appreciate the hard work they contribute. Volunteers help us with a wide variety of projects including planting grasslands, gathering seeds, removing invasive species, collecting data for our i-Naturalist projects, using historic land surveys to map former grassland habitats, and many other activities. Let us know if you would like to join our growing team of volunteers.

Tell Others

The forgotten stories of our Southeastern grasslands need to be told. We are doing the best we can to tell those stories, but we can’t be the only voice. Please help us tell those stories by sharing our social media posts, forwarding our blogs and newsletters to others who might be interested, and talking to your neighbors and community leaders about the importance of grassland communities.

Donate

We greatly appreciate all financial donations. Donations are routed through Austin Peay State University, but all funds go to the Southeastern Grasslands Initiative. Austin Peay State University does not take any overhead or other fees out of private donations to the Southeastern Grasslands Initiative. All donations are tax deductible.