Dreaming Big: Saving the Forgotten Grasslands of the Southeast
Abstract: The story of how Southeastern grasslands fueled America’s westward migration is fascinating but largely untold. In fact, we call it the “Untold Story of American History and Conservation.” I’ll trace the largely unknown grassland highways and patches that generations of Americans followed through the Southeast from the Atlantic Coast as they migrated to the American West. The loss of Southeastern grasslands is tied to this story of westward migration. These diverse ecosystems, represented by 118 types of grasslands between Brownsville, Texas and Long Island, New York, are amazingly diverse and rich and most are now highly endangered. Their loss represents one of the greatest threats facing the biodiversity of eastern North America. SGI, founded in 2017, and its numerous partners, are on a mission to save these forgotten Southeastern grasslands. I'll give examples of the critical work we are doing across the South in terms of on-the-ground conservation, research, education, outreach, and planning. In our quest to "dream big" we are rebuilding lost landscapes and we have a vision for creating large-scale anchor sites that will inspire future generations. The diverse grasslands of the eastern half of Texas, often sharing more in common with grasslands farther east than those to the west, are critically important to SGI's long-range vision of conserving the Forgotten Grasslands of the Southeast.