Wild, Scenic, and Scared

Wild, Scenic, and Scared

In October, Dwayne Estes, Michelle McInnis, and Zach Irich of SGI went exploring a beautiful 4.5 mile section of Clear Creek Gorge. Their work had two main aspects, one led by Michelle and one by Zach. Michelle is leading a study of the riverscour grasslands while Zach is surveying the river for aquatic native plant beds (not grasslands per se but helps fund exploration of the river which puts us in contact with the riverscour). But riverscour is extremely treacherous and requires a high degree of planning, something that Dwayne was unpleasantly reminded about.

Home is Where the Grassland Is

Home is Where the Grassland Is

As a botanist with the Virginia Natural Heritage Program, it was becoming clear to me that Virginia was losing its grassland flora, and so in 1992 after construction of my house, I began some pretty intense vegetation management on a couple of acres around the house. I wanted to watch how the understory vegetation might develop and it seemed to be a wonderful way to enjoy and learn from the land around my home.

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Tales from the Crypt – Extinct Plants of the Southeastern Grasslands

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Tales from the Crypt – Extinct Plants of the Southeastern Grasslands

I’m an optimist at heart, which makes the topic of extinction a sobering contrast to my personality. Yet, extinct plants have captured my imagination for some time. . . . When I would attend conferences or talk with other botanists, I would often ask “What extinct plants are known from your State?” I was surprised to discover most botanists had no idea.

Save the Planet, Right Here, Right Now

Save the Planet, Right Here, Right Now

How do I fight for the preservation of the rain forests and the indigenous tribes that call them home? How do I stand in front of a bulldozer in SE Asia in defense of an Orangutan’s last tree? How do I make a dent in the marine plastic pollution to which our Tennessee River contributes so much? How do I contribute to a solution when I’m locked into a life of time clock punches, daily commutes (or zoom meetings), and mobile banking notifications? Where does one start?

The Ghosts of the Grass-pinks (and Other Penalties of an Ecological Education)

The Ghosts of the Grass-pinks (and Other Penalties of an Ecological Education)

Anyone who has ever suffered the loss of a special place to “progress” can relate to this blog from SGI’s Chief Ecologist, Theo Witsell. “One of the biggest failures of the conservation movement is that sites that are small, or isolated, or expensive (which are often the rarest and most critical) get sacrificed.”

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The Importance of Rights-of-Way to Sun-Loving Grassland Species

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The Importance of Rights-of-Way to Sun-Loving Grassland Species

The flat to gently rolling surface of the Cumberland Plateau has grasslands, yet they are hard to come by today. Once common and widespread, these formerly open pine and oak savannas, prairies, glades, and acidic open wetlands have largely disappeared, and with them many of the species they supported. For this reason, the Tennessee Valley Authority is working with SGI to support an inventory and assessment of Rights-of-Way (ROWs) in the Cumberland Plateau, and field work began May 2019.

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Mailing Address: Southeastern Grasslands Institute, Austin Peay State University, PO Box 4394, Clarksville, TN, 37044