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 restoration 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.

SGI in partnership with Tennessee Department of Environment and Conservation (TDEC) Division of Natural Areas owns and co-stewards 450 acres of the Barnett’s Woods and Prairie State Natural Area near Clarksville, TN. Barnett’s Woods State Natural Area consists of a diverse area of caves, springs, remnant savannas, barrens, open woodlands, forests, and agricultural fields. Working together with TDEC, the Tennessee Wildlife Federation (TWF), the Land Trust for Tennessee, and U.S. Army Fort Campbell base, SGI is leading the charge on reconstructing 250 acres of open agricultural fields to some of the most diverse, ecologically accurate reconstructed prairies in the Southeast. In addition to the prairie reconstruction, SGI is working with TDEC to restore the barren, savanna, and woodland remnants within the site.

Barnett’s Woods and Prairie is currently home to many rare and uncommon species of plants and animals. A few of these important species include Antigone canadensis (sandhill crane), Pseudotriton ruber (red salamander), Apios priceana (Price’s potato-bean), Nabalus barbatus (barbed rattlesnakeroot) , and Matelea obliqua (climbing milkvine).

Once restoration is completed in 2027, the Natural Area will be open to the public with a diverse array of trails and viewpoints. The Natural Area will be managed in perpetuity by SGI using prescribed fire and grazing to maintain the health of the ecosystem and the species that inhabit it.

Best Hope Farm is an 80+ acre farm managed by Deborah & ___Rosenthal. The Rosenthals have been important catalysts in SGI’s work, and have implemented SGI’s restoration practices and philosophies to bring their farm’s prairie remnants and restoration sites back to health. To learn more, follow Best Hope Farm on facebook.

Boots to Botany is an Army-approved Career Skills Program that partners closely with the Southeastern Grasslands Institute. The program works with the U.S. army for service members who are transitioning out of active duty to complete a paid internship with SGI. Interns gain a diverse skillset and understanding of environmental restoration and research techniques. These include prescribed fire, seed collection, restoration equipment use, hands-on sawyering experience, wildlife survey research that include surveys of plants, invertebrates, herps, & mammals, seed propagation, plug planting, and invasive species management.

Boots to Botany interns leave the program prepared for civilian careers in botany, ecology, and restoration.

Please contact Jeremy French if you are a servicemember interested in our Boots to Botany program.

Dunbar Cave State Park is home to a 20 acre prairie nestled in the heart of Clarksville.

The Dunbar Cave prairie was SGI’s first ever reconstructed grassland, planted with a diverse mix of flowers and grasses in 2018 in partnership with Dunbar Cave State Park and Roundstone Native Seed, LLC. Dunbar Cave is currently actively managed by SGI volunteers and our restoration team. Dunbar hosts a diverse array of trails, and is home to an abundance of wildlife.

Be sure to check out our Volunteer Calendar for opportunities to help with restoration efforts at Dunbar Cave State Park in Clarksville.

Google Prairie is a privately owned prairie housed within the Clarksville industrial complex on former agricultural fields in the valley of Spring Creek. SGI and Google initially embarked on planting the first 50 acres of prairie at Google’s Clarksville Data Center in 2020. Since then, Google and SGI’s partnership has grown the prairie to over 100 acres, with future growth goals to expand the current prairie to over 200 acres by 2027. Google Prairie, when planted, utilized the most diverse seed mix ever attempted in the region, with over 96 individual species planted. Since restoration efforts began, we have seen many rare and uncommon species return to the site. Now, grassland species whose populations are dropping rapidly now frequent the site - bobwhite quail, American bumblebees, river otters - are a common occurrence. The return of these species and the increased biodiversity and enhanced natural state of the site is providing improved water quality, air quality, and quality of life for Clarksville residents along the watershed. The site is actively managed by SGI volunteers and restoration staff.

Be sure to check out our Volunteer Calendar for opportunities to help with restoration efforts at Google Prairie in Clarksville.

To learn more about the Google Prairie partnership, check out the video Where the Internet Lives: Data center on the prairie on YouTube. 

SGI has received funding from the National Fish & Wildlife Foundation America’s Ecosystem Restoration Initiative (AERI) to uplift grassland conservation in central TN.

The work of this grant will stabilize, restore, and reconstruct thousands of acres of grasslands in Middle Tennessee by establishing 6 grassland anchor sites across public and private lands. Grassland anchor sites are at least 100 contiguous acres of grassland habitat. When it comes to grassland functionality, research suggests that size matters, especially when we think of turning the tide of grassland bird decline. Larger grasslands are generally better at supporting our threatened grassland bird populations. Please refer to the Working Lands for Wildlife Northern Bobwhite Grasslands, and Savannas framework publication for more details.

The six anchor sites will be at Shelby Bottoms Greenway and Natural Area, Lytle Bend (aka Ravenwood), Barnett’s Woods Prairie and, Wessington Plantation, Google Prairie, Dickson County anchor site.

In addition to the establishment of these anchor sites, this funding will enable us to stabilize and restore 1,000 acres of remnant fragments of grasslands across public and private lands which hold the genetics and seed resources key to uplifting grassland reconstruction at scale in the region. Remnant restoration work will include the use of prescribed fire, timber stand improvement, seed collection, technical assistance, land management planning, and invasive species management work to create healthy grassland ecosystems.

If you are interested in contributing land or resources to this project, please contact Jeremy French, Hope Wilson, or Vero Tessier.

This effort is funded by the Berkley Foundation, and seeks to uplift our efforts to stabilize, restore, and reconstruct the forgotten grasslands of Central Tennessee. The project will stabilize and restore 1,000 acres of grasslands, with 600 acres of grassland remnants to be restored, and 400 acres to be reconstructed in Central Tennessee. A goal of this effort is to collect over 500 pounds of local genotype seed to be used for restoration in Central Tennessee.

If you have interest in supporting or contributing your land to this project, please contact Jeremy French or Vero Tessier.

SGI works closely in Virginia on the Farm at Sinking Creek. The historic farm is run by long-time SGI supporters, Bill & Tracy Frist. The farm is an example of how agricultural production and ecological restoration can be done simultaneously.