Ecological Restoration & Stewarship Program

 

Photo of SGI’s Restoration team out in the field with key partners.

about

The Southeastern Grasslands Institute is working to bring back native grasslands across our focal area. The Southeastern U.S. has experienced widespread losses (90 to 99%) of its native grasslands. SGI works closely with partner organizations, agencies, funders, and a growing army of grassroots grasslands conservation volunteers to turn the tide on grassland loss. With the help of our partners and our expert staff, SGI is able to not only restore but maintain a growing and diverse amount of grasslands through sustainable and science-based stewardship. Our program leadership is headquartered in Clarksville, TN, and our grasslands restoration staff work in XX states on multiple public and private land projects. 

SGI’s restoration and stewardship program strategy has a three pronged approach and works closely with our other programs for sustainable long-term conservation success. Our team works to implement the following strategies:

  1. Restoration Strategy: Identify degraded grassland sites that will respond positively to management, such as thinning of dense encroaching woody vegetation using prescribed fire. 

  2. Re-Creation Strategy: Identify “lost” grassland sites that can be restored using a combination of management and planting of native species. 

  3. Biodiversity Strategy: Develop seed resources by collecting high quality native seed locally and using it as stock for the production of seed to be used in degraded grasslands. Please view our Conservation Seed Bank page for more information on the seed resources being developed by SGI. 

Strategy

SGI’s Restoration & Stewardship Program uses science-based techniques to regenerate the health of our critically endangered southeastern grassland ecosystems.

 

Major projects

The work of the Southeastern Grasslands Institute spans SGI’s focal region. Below are listed our main projects at this time.

 

current projects - 2025

  • SGI has received a grant from the National Wildlife Federation that aligns with America’s Ecosystem Restoration Initiative (AERI). The work of this grant will restore thousands of acres of grasslands in Middle Tennessee. SGI is working with both private landowners, such as Bask Retreat Center, and public lands, such as Shelby Bottoms Greenway and Natural Area.

    All tools and gloves are provided, but feel free to bring your own favorites;

    This is a public university setting and facilities are provided;

    This is a public university and parking can be tricky the first time (confirmation email will guide you);

    Be prepared to adopt a native plant to take home; if it is in the path, it's got to go!

  • SGI currently manages 250 acres near Clarksville, TN called Barnett’s Woods State Natural Area. SGI works closely with adjacent private landowners, the City of Clarksville, and Fort Campbell Army Base on protecting and restoring important prairie remnants in the area. Eventually, Barnett’s Woods State Park will be open to the public with trails for recreation and educational purposes. 

  • SGI works closely with the Google Data Center in Clarksville, TN to manage a total of 105 acres of prairie. To learn more about the Google Prairie partnership, check out the video Where the Internet Lives: Data center on the prairie on YouTube. 

  • SGI is working closely with our ecology, restoration, botany, GIS, and research staff in partnership with ESRI and NRCS on the ambitious grassland information mapping project Grasslandia. Staff are working to map and monitor important grassland species, and index historical accounts of southeastern grasslands. The project will include important information on both historical and ecological stories that both inform our restoration efforts and make the full story of southeastern grasslands available to the public. This project is funded by the US Department of Agriculture. Stay tuned for updates on Grasslandia!

  • SGI has entered into a partnership with the National Parks Service that spans 40 National Parks from Mississippi to Vermont. SGI will restore existing but degraded grasslands by removing invasive species and seeding with native species from the ecoregion. Some sites will improve existing grasslands that are in need of management, and some sites require reconstructions, which tend to involve fields formerly used for agriculture reconstructed into native grassland ecosystems. A majority of SGI staff are involved with this project. The goals of the project are to restore and monitor important species of plants and invertebrates in grasslands in our national parks.

“quote from Jeremy about restoration work and BRING BACK THE BISON, 30,000 by 2030”
— Jeremy French, SGI Director of Restoration & Stewardship

Past Projects & Partners

The Southeastern Grasslands Institute is grateful for the partnership of many agencies, donors, and organizations since our inception in 2017. Please see the list below of significant projects and partners that have advanced grassland restoration in our focal region.

Ways to support

The Southeastern Grasslands Restoration team benefits from community support in many ways. We are grateful for every hour spent volunteering and every dollar donated! 

Volunteer with us

Please check out our volunteer calendar for opportunities to work with and learn from our restoration experts in the field.

Share the message on social media

Help SGI spread the word about conservation practices by following us and sharing our content on social media. Every like and every share helps raise awareness of our important work to save southeastern grasslands. Click the icons below to find our pages! 

Donate

Every donation counts in supporting our work to preserve the biodiversity of southeastern grasslands with hands-on sustainable and regenerative restoration work. The following link will take you to a link to donate to SGI, and we are very grateful for your support of our work. 

In-Kind Donations

The SGI restoration team benefits immensely from in-kind donations. These can be equipment, matching funds, or matching restoration efforts. Please select the drop down for descriptions of in-kind donation needs, and please contact Jeremy French (Chris Oberholster?) if you have an in-kind donation you would like to make to SGI. 

    • Link to a Google Doc with a list of equipment needs

    • Drop down with donor centered language about matching funds use 

    • Drop down with private landowner centered language about matching restoration effort for partnership purposes/grant purposes