TNC Plants 1,700 Plugs to Restore Sandplain Grassland

In May of this year, The Nature Conservancy (TNC), with the help of some hearty volunteers from Sierra Club, planted 1,700 native sandplain wildflower and grass plugs at two restoration sites along the south shore of Martha’s Vineyard. Species planted include, Solidago odora, Symphotrichium dumosum, and Danthonia spicata, which were

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TNC Restores Medicine Lots Frost Bottom

This winter, The Nature Conservancy implemented a habitat management project on their Medicine Lots property to restore habitat in an imperiled sandplain barrens frost bottom. This project aimed to use careful methods to remove trees, grind stumps and mow the frost bottom with heavy equipment to maintain an open post-oak

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The Nature Conservancy (TNC) and the Trustees Burned Six Properties on Martha’s Vineyard

In April, The Nature Conservancy (TNC) and The Trustees of Reservations (The Trustees) partnered to perform six controlled burns on Martha’s Vineyard in Edgartown and West Tisbury with funding from MassWildlife’s Habitat Management Grant Program, and with assistance from MA Department of Conservation and Recreation as well as both the

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Conservation of the North American Racer with Under-road Crossings

The Trustees, in partnership with BiodiversityWorks secured a MA Wildlife Habitat Protection Program grant to support the construction of two North American Racer (Coluber constrictor) hibernacula and a wildlife road crossing at Long Point Wildlife Refuge. The racer is a species of conservation concern in MA and is listed in

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Vegetation and Carbon Change on Martha’s Vineyard Protected Lands

The Sandplain Grassland Network’s review of grassland studies and interviews with managers of grassland and related disturbance-dependent habitats indicated that decreases in the frequency and intensity of disturbances were leading to increased cover of woody vegetation and decreases in plant species richness. At the same time, natural area managers nationwide

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Field Trip to Inlands Barrens at the Albany Pine Bush and Montague Plains

The Sandplain Grassland Network (SGN) Steering Committee made a trip on June 3, 2022 to the Albany Pine Bush at a time when the sundial lupines (Lupinus perennis) were blooming and the Karner blue butterflies (Lycaeides melissa samuelis) were flying. Pine Bush Conservation Director Neil Gifford and his staff hosted

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Waquoit Bay Reserve Host’s Webinar on Sandplain Grasslands

    As part of their Research at the Reserve Series, the Waquoit Bay National Estuarine Research Reserve, on the evening of March 9, 2023, hosted a webinar with Massachusetts State Botanist, Dr. Robert Wernerehl (above left). The webinar focuses on Sandplain Grasslands, a unique, treeless ecosystems in the Northeast.

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MassWildlife Doubles Down on Grassland Restoration

The Baker-Polito Administration, through the MassWildlife Habitat Management Grant Program, overseen by the Massachusetts Department of Fish and Game, recently awarded nearly $500,000 in financial assistance to private and municipal landowners of conserved lands to improve and manage habitat for wildlife deemed in greatest conservation need. Heralded as “The Climate

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Restoring Liatris novae-angliae at Bamford Preserve

This past summer, The Nature Conservancy, with the help of a dedicated crew of volunteers, planted 1,000 New England Blazing Star (Liatris novae-angliae) seedlings at the 60 – acre Bamford Preserve in the Katama Plains area of Martha’s Vineyard. Located in Edgartown, Massachusetts, the Katama Plains is one of the

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Burning in Fall and Increasing Frequency Ignites Positive Effects to Native Vegetation at Katama Airfield

In November, The Nature Conservancy (TNC) in Massachusetts partnered with MassWildlife and the Town of Edgartown to conduct prescribed burns on approximately 70 acres of MassWildlife’s Katama Plains Wildlife Management Area and nearby Katama Airfield. Fire is one of the best tools for managing the sandplain grassland ecosystem, preserving precious

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