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.
We’re hiring a Seed Program Manager.
We’re hiring!
Love what we do? Want to join us? We are hiring a full-time Seed Program Manager. This position will work under the supervision of the Seed Program Director to plan, coordinate, and lead the field work aspect of SGI’s Seed Program. They will also assist with developing and implementing other aspects of the Seed Program. More details, including how to apply, can be found on the official position announcement.
The Menge’s Fame-flower recently discovered in a grassland remnant located in eastern Tennessee adds another species to a long list of rare species occurrences that the SGI team has found in Tennessee Valley Authority powerlines over the last three years.
News and Announcements
The SGI team working on our Powerlines, Plants, and Pollinators study on the Cumberland Plateau in Tennessee discovered a previously unknown population of Menge’s Fame-flower (Phemeranthus mengesii). Menge’s Fame-flower is a rare species listed as Threatened in the state of Tennessee.
Shannon Trimboli (SGI interim Communications Director) added over 75 new videos to the SGI YouTube channel and organized the videos into playlists. Visit https://www.youtube.com/southeasterngrasslandsinitiative to learn about native plants, invasive species, southeastern grassland ecology, historical connections, management and research techniques, and much more.
Laura Hunt (SGI Volunteer Coordinator) and her team of dedicated volunteers continued their work at the Dunbar Cave Grasslands and the Austin Peay State University Native Plant Teaching and Research Garden.
Members of the Georgia Plant Conservation Alliance met to discuss emergency measures to help save the last Georgia populations of Fringed Gentian, Gentianopsis crinita. Zach Wood (Georgia Grasslands Coordinator for SGI and the State Botanical Garden of Georgia at the University of Georgia) is a member of this species recovery team.
Members of the Georgia Plant Conservation Alliance survey a roadside for Fringed Gentian during a recent meeting to discuss emergency measures for saving this species. The few roadside plants surviving in Georgia are our last hope to keep this species going. Photo credit: Jenifer Ceska
Jodi Morgan (SGI Youth Outreach Coordinator) had an informational table at the Boy Scout Order of the Arrow event held at the University of Tennessee in Knoxville, TN July 25-28th.
Ted Brancheau (Quail Forever and SGI Farm Bill Wildlife Biologist) produced multiple new invasive species profile videos that are available on Facebook and YouTube.
Team members continue to conduct research on a wide variety of projects throughout the region and to assist landowners.
Cooper Breeden (Plant Conservation Manager for SGI and the Tennessee Plant Conservation Alliance) was one of four guests on WPLN, Nashville Public Radio, talking plant conservation in Tennessee. You can listen to the replay here.
Volunteers have been hard at work on the APSU Native Plants Teaching and Research Garden and at the Dunbar Cave Grasslands.
August Events
Multiple volunteer activities are planned throughout the month in the Clarksville / Nashville, TN area.
Please sign up for the Volunteer emails to find out more about these events.
Anytime: Georgia Grasslands Initiative Project.
Help identify remnant grassland communities in Georgia, with a special emphasis in the Chattahoochee-Oconee National Forests and nearby areas.