In Massachusetts, where the majority of sandplain grasslands now exist, early work focused on protecting key land parcels, starting in the 1960s. The major players in land protection and subsequent management included Mass Audubon, the Massachusetts Division of Fisheries and Wildlife, the Nantucket Conservation Foundation, the Nantucket Land Bank, The Nature Conservancy, The Trustees of Reservations, the Sheriff’s Meadow Foundation, and the Martha’s Vineyard Land Bank.
Significant areas of sandplain grasslands are now protected at sites like the Katama Airport, Manuel Correllus State Forest, and Long Point Wildlife Refuge on Martha’s Vineyard, Smooth Hummocks, Ram Pasture and the Nantucket Airport on Nantucket, and the Crane Wildlife Management Area, Joint Base Cape Cod, and Cape Cod National Seashore on Cape Cod.
By the 1980s many of the key sandplain grassland and heathland parcels had been protected and the focus of conservation groups shifted to management. This change in focus was caused by concerns that sandplain grasslands were gradually succeeding to other community types in absence of the large-scale disturbances, such as fires and grazing, that had occurred in the past. Early management efforts throughout the 1980s and early 1990s tested multiple potential techniques to determine their effectiveness at reducing shrub cover and promoting grassland diversity. Techniques tested included prescribed fire, mowing, grazing and herbicide applications. This early research determined that various management techniques including burning, mowing, and grazing could be effective at maintaining sandplain grasslands. However, without implementation of aggressive management methods during the right season, grassland managers recognize that shrub encroachment and loss of grass and forb diversity would are ongoing issues.