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Thirty Groups Join Together to Harvest the Seeds of Change

Effort Underway to Restore Long Island’s Native Grasslands and the Wildlife they Support and Make Plants Commercially Available to Public

Riverhead, NY — October 15, 2009 — The Long Island Native Grassland Initiative (LINGI), an organization of more than 30 non-profit organizations, governmental agencies, and nursery professionals, including The Nature Conservancy, harvested the "seeds of change" today in Riverhead. The group, which has been restoring Long Island’s declining native grasslands for the wildlife species that depend on them, gathered seeds from mature plants which will be used to propagate next year’s crop.

Grasslands and the birds and wildlife that depend on them are the single most threatened habitat on earth due to development and the encroachment of invasive plant species. Here on Long Island, grasslands were once prominent on the landscape. Nassau County’s Hempstead Plains, once a burgeoning 40,000 acres, now measures just 65 acres. Iconic grassland bird species like the northern bobwhite and eastern meadowlark are experiencing serious population declines.

To combat this problem and to restore the natural balance, LINGI is working to produce and provide local native grassland plants for Long Island’s nursery trade and the public.

“Until now, it’s been difficult, if not impossible to find local native grasses for sale,” said project lead Polly Weigand, Soil District Technician for Suffolk County Soil and Water Conservation District. “Our ultimate goal is to provide a source of native plant material –as an alternative to cultivars and hybrid plants –for use in landscaping, restoration, grassland establishment, roadside plantings, biofuel programs, and nurseries.”

Little bluestem, big bluestem, switchgrass and Indiangrass are specially adapted to thrive here – they are drought resistant and provide homes for insects, birds and other wildlife.

Fall marks the harvest of the crops; Switchgrass the most aggressive grower, ripens first in early September, followed by little bluestem, big bluestem, and Indiangrass successively into October. With each harvest, LINGI moves one step closer to protecting the ecological heritage of Long Island’s grasslands – one seed at a time.

The Nature Conservancy is a leading conservation organization working around the world to protect ecologically important lands and waters for nature and people. The Conservancy and its more than 1 million members have protected nearly 120 million acres worldwide. Visit The Nature Conservancy on the Web at www.nature.org.