St. Simons Land Trust’s Post

After a burn ban followed by weeks of rain, we have finally accomplished our first prescribed fire of the season! We burn our restorations in the dormant season (fall through the end of winter), when we believe most fires occur historically. This would be what the plants are adapted to and prevent a pulse of nitrogen when invasive plants and woody saplings start to grow in spring. We burn our native warm-season grass pastures in spring to promote quality forage while removing thatch for quality grassland bird habitat. Our recent fire removed thatch to provide bare ground for overseeding more forbs into a grass-dominated meadow planting. We will continue to add plant diversity to re-create the Piedmont savannas of the past, which are almost extinct due to fire exclusion and land conversion. 📝📷: Booker Moritz, Conservation Manager #kinlochfarm #huntcountryva #theplainsva #fauquiercounty #conservation #landmanagmenet #regenerativeagriculture #controlledburn #prescribedburn #prescribedfire #burnboss

The threatened #gophertortoise is an important keystone species in the southern United States that is facing immense pressure from urban development and habitat degradation. #Longleaf pine forests are imperative for the gopher tortoise’s survival. TCF and our partners have protected 7,500 acres of forests along Georgia’s coastline that include important #longleafpine where tortoises can dig their extensive burrow systems. Forests are critical to America’s future, which is why TCF aims to ensure that at-risk forests aren't broken apart or degraded. We aim to save the most exceptional and highest conservation value forests. Learn more: bit.ly/38UkV0I. #GopherTortoiseDay, #WildlifeWednesday

Pollinator wildflowers offer continuous flowers, pollen and nectar throughout the growing season. They are hardy and self-seeding, and ideal for reclamation and rehabilitation projects, conservation and pollinator habitats, roadside groundcover, and increasingly in home gardens and yards. Native pollinator plants are not only beneficial for bees, but also for the environment as a whole. They help to reduce erosion, conserve water, and improve soil quality. Moreover, native plants are more resistant to pests and diseases, which means that they require less maintenance and less use of harmful chemicals. By planting native plants, we are also supporting the local ecosystem by providing habitats for other native wildlife, including birds and butterflies. #hydroseedingcertified #hydroseedingcontractor #hydroseedingpro #hydroseedingspecialists #hydroseedingapplicator #hydroseedingcanada #hydroseeding #hydroseedingprofessional #hydroseedinglife #hydroseedingroadside #hydroseed #hydroseeders #hydromulch #hydromulching #landscaping #erosioncontrol #NewBrunswick #SprayItDontLayIt #erosioncontrolproducts #erosionprevention #stormwatersolutions #stormwaterrunoff #bioticearth #bioticsoil #bioticsoilamendment #landscapeconstruction #landscape_specialist #waterdelivery #bulkwater #NBRoadBuilders

Planting native grasses to restore grasslands is a good choice for many reasons. One is that native species play a critical role in creating habitat for grassland birds. Native grasses provide food, nesting cover, and more for many species. #NationalBirdDay @Great Plains Grasslands Extension Partnership

ECOtistical post #12 - Having or showing an excessively high opinion of others because of their conservationist ecological practices I am a big fan of land being taken directly into #restoration. We need to balance current use of land for #agriculture and full protection for the #habitat/#species restoration, and individuals or companies from outside a local area must be cognizant of local #cultures and interests. And when these can come together, everyone and everything benefits. A significant plot of land in southwestern Alberta is the latest addition province's conserved grassland habitats. Bectell Ranch, a 323-hectare property near Police Outpost Provincial Park south of Cardston, is to be conserved through a partnership between the property owners and the The Nature Conservancy Canada The Bectell's history with ranching goes back over 100 years, and the historic property will now contribute to ongoing efforts to protect Alberta's unique grasslands. #ecotistical https://lnkd.in/ejFnspUF

🆓 Free milkweeds for our friends with habitat restoration projects 🌿 Great pollinator habitat includes native milkweeds. Milkweed is the host plant for the monarch butterfly and a nectar source for many other insects. Invite monarchs to your habitat, large or small, with milkweeds from Monarch Watch. Monarch Watch is once again distributing free milkweeds for planting in large-scale habitat restoration projects for Spring 2024. Since this program began in 2015, 840,000 milkweeds have been planted in restored habitat throughout much of the monarch breeding range. To qualify, applicants must have a minimum of two acres (one acre or less in California) to restore to natural, native habitat, and have a management plan in place. Those awarded free milkweeds need only pay shipping/handling, which is modest compared to the value of the plants. For more information and to apply, please visit: Monarch Watch Free Milkweed for Restoration. #Monarch #RegenerativeFarming #Conservation #StateParks #Highways #MonarchJointVenture

West Creek Conservancy in partnership with Natural Resource Conservation Service (NRCS), Pheasants Forever, Ashtabula Soil & Water Conservation District (ASWCD) and the Ohio Department of Natural Resources (ODNR) has now acquired 119 acres in the Village of Andover in Ashtabula County. The property is adjacent to Ashtabula County Metroparks’ Pymatuning Valley Greenway Trail and is only a single property removed from Pymatuning Lake State Park. Prior to the acquisition, the property contained approximately 97 acres of agricultural fields and row crops which have now been converted into 44 acres of wetlands, 26 acres of pollinator habitat and 27 acres of reforestation. In addition to the restoration efforts, 22 acres of existing mature hardwood forest have now been protected in perpetuity. Once the restoration is complete, we intend to make Andover Meadows open to the public for passive recreation. #AndoverMeadows #WestCreekConservancy #ProtectRestoreConnect

Pollinator Week, Day 2! Ecologist, Danielle Rapoza, PWS, highlights a special pollinator pair: Taylor’s checkerspot (Euphydryas editha taylori) and common yarrow (Achillea millefolium)    Taylor’s checkerspot is a butterfly that endemic to the Pacific Northwest currently isolated to 8 known populations in Washington. This species supports bunchgrass plant communities, primary larval host plants, adult nectar plants, and aquatic areas such as wetlands and streams. Common yarrow boasts an abundance of nectar, a long blooming period, and has a relatively fast growth rate and an ability to colonize disturbed sites, supporting pollinators like Taylor’s checkerspot. The conservation of high value flowering prairie plants like yarrow is one of many factors essential to the conservation of this threatened species.      Fact: Approximately 75% of all flowering plant species need the help of animals to move their heavy pollen grains from plant to plant for fertilization. #pollinatorweek

Eco-Markets Australia has launched a public consultation on the Cassowary Credits Standard and the Rainforest Replanting Methodology developed by Terrain NRM. Cassowary Credits is a new voluntary biodiversity market targeting habitat preservation, restoration and repair in the Wet Tropics region Queensland. We are seeking feedback on the draft Standard which outlines the rules and requirements of the program for participants, and the draft Rainforest Replanting Methodology for the Scheme, which specifies how to accurately account for improvements in rainforest conditions through the replanting of native rainforest vegetation. 📆 The consultation runs from 01 October until 30 October 2024. 💡Read the full announcement and provide feedback: https://lnkd.in/gw8het9s #EcoMarketsAustralia #CassowaryCredits #BiodiversityMarkets

Non-native turf grasses are an abomination. They die readily in drought conditions, do not pull up any good nutrients from deep underground because, as you highlight, it only goes down a few inches, needs regular (wasted) freshwater thirst relief; whereas, native grasses can go much deeper, pulling nutrients and water from deep underground where other plants can’t reach. Also, turf grasses don’t really do anything for our pollinators. The chemicals, maintenance, pollution, noise, time, energy, effort. It’s a big mess that only serves to inflate egos. After all, lawns are just a bygone status symbol and nothing more. Just let it grow. Bio-survey your lawn (Seek, iNat, etc) and remove any nonnative or invasive finds. Look into assisted natural regeneration tips and techniques, home composting, etc and watch your property come back to life. You have to let it.