Southeastern Grasslands Institute

If you or someone you know are interested grassland conservation and restoration, and wants to work with a fun and passionate team, we have several job openings on our website currently. Salaries ranging between $40-55K depending on the position. https://lnkd.in/gcVC_QQi

Our #govingtuesday24 campaign was a huge success! Thanks to all that donated to support a student worker in the #austinpeaystateuniversity herbarium. Because of your generous gifts, another donor has offered to match the $5,000 we raised to have a second student work in the herbarium next semester! A great day indeed! A big heartfelt thank you from SGI. #experienceaustinpeay #plantconservation #herbarium

#Govingtuesday24 is here! Help support SGI’s goal in raising $5,000 to hire a student worker for the #austinpeaystateuniversity herbarium. Donate here: https://givetoapsu/HerbariumExperience

We’re #hiring! SGI is inviting applicants for a full-time Native Seed Program Director. This position’s primary role will be to oversee all operations of the Native Seed program, including grant writing, project management, representing SGI at local and national strategic meetings, and supervising the Native Seed Program team, among other responsibilities. Learn more and apply here: https://lnkd.in/edhVqjn3 #SouteasternGrasslandInstitute #SGI #Hiring #NativeSeeds #SeedsofSuccess

Former Senator Bill Frist, M.D., current global board chairman of The Nature Conservancy, helps to put eastern grasslands on the map in this new article in Forbes Magazine. He highlights the need for grasslands to be more highly prioritized and gives examples of what SGI and our partners at TNC are doing in the Southeast as well as internationally. We appreciate the leadership Senator and Tracy Frist demonstrate with working with SGI to conserve grasslands on their lands and with promoting the vital conservation work of organizations like TNC and SGI. This awesome platform will help to elevate the profile of America’s grasslands at a time when there is growing regional, national and global awareness of the importance of our vanishing grasslands. https://lnkd.in/efhF3_r2

“Basket weaving is just one testament to the resiliency and adaptability of Indigenous culture in the Southeast,“ writes SGI Tribal Liaison Corlee Thomas-Hill. The efforts to preserve the Indigenous cultural practice aren’t just about conserving the materials needed to make these baskets; these efforts are closely woven alongside work to protect culturally significant plants, create food security, foster tribal sovereignty, and end an era of exploiting Indigenous people, knowledge, and culture. Read more about how a white oak and honeysuckle basket deepened Corlee’s connection to her family history and her role as an SGI Tribal Liaison: https://ow.ly/V4OM50S0cvo #SGI #SoutheasternGrassland #IndigenousCulture #IndigenousWisdom #BasketWeaving #GrasslandConservation

With our partners at Roundstone Native Seed in Upton, Kentucky, the SGI Native Seed Program hosted a native seed production workshop last week for farmers interested in expanding their business to include native plants. From Roundstone’s amazing staff, we learned about the natural history of the southeastern grasslands and the need to increase native seed supply to support restoration. Plus, we got a backstage pass to their production process—from propagating plants and establishing crops to seed harvest and storage! This workshop was made possible through funding that SGI received from the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service. #SGINativeSeedProgram #NativeSeeds #GrasslandConservation

April is officially Native Plant Month 2024 in many states across the country! ?? Thank you to The Garden Club of America for pursuing a Native Plant Month Initiative (NPMI) again this year. The NPMI is a nationwide, multidisciplinary, cross-committee collaboration to promote native plants by formally establishing a Native Plant Month in all fifty states and D.C. by April 2024. How can you help? As you plan your spring landscaping and gardens, include native plants in all your beds! #AprilIsNativePlantMonth #NativePlantMonth #PlantNative #NativePlants #TennesseeNativePlantMonth #NativePlantsofNorthAmerica #TheGardenClubofAmerica #GardenCreateAdvocate

The SGI Native Seed Program is gearing up for another Seeds of Success collection season! This week, the team attended a Seeds of Success training hosted at the State Botanical Garden of Georgia in collaboration with the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (USFWS). The training—designed specifically for Southeastern field crews—focused on digital data collection and plant identification. We heard an overview on the SOS program from Kelly Thomas (USFWS), got a tutorial on digital data collection from Kristy Snyder (Bureau of Land Management), and learned more about how to key graminoids and aster species from Scott Ward (North Carolina Botanical Garden). A big thank you to the State Botanical Garden for hosting and to Fish and Wildlife Service for organizing and running the training. We enjoyed seeing our fellow field crews and FWS partners in person and are looking forward to the upcoming SOS collection season! #SoutheasternGrasslands #SGI #SeedsofSuccess

Calling farmers in the Southeast interested in native seed production for habitat restoration! Join SGI for our free workshop, “Seed Production of Native Species of the Southeast,” on Wednesday May 15th at Roundstone Native Seed, LLC in Upton, Kentucky. Participants will learn more about southeastern grassland conservation, restoration, and the genetic implication of wild plant production, will get a tour of Roundstone’s facilities, and will have an opportunity to connect with SGI and Roundstone staff members and other farmers interested in restoration. This workshop is supported by U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (USFWS). Limited space is available! Learn more and register here: https://lnkd.in/gHmnKa8k #SoutheasternGrasslands #FarmersoftheSoutheast #NativeSeeds #HabitatRestoration