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Project Profile: Restore Eastern Grasslands

Antietam National Battlefield, Appalachian National Scenic Trail, Big South Fork National River & Recreation Area, Booker T Washington National Monument, Catoctin Mountain Park,

Bright green field with blue sky
Chesapeake and Ohio Canal National Historical Park, Spring Gap, grassland restoration project will focus on improving over 70 acres of habitat for grassland birds and Virginia mountain mint.

NPS / Casey Reese

Inflation Reduction Act
Restoration | FY23-27 $7,500,00

Bipartisan Infrastructure Law
National Seed Strategy, Invasive Species, Federal Lands Contracts | FY23 - 26 $3,040,000

This project was also made possible in part by a grant from the National Park Foundation
$1,000,000

The National Park Service (NPS) will restore up to 4,000 acres of agricultural fields and degraded lands across 37 parks in 15 states. This landscape-scale restoration project will expand the range and connectivity of native grasslands across the eastern U.S., restore biodiversity and critical ecosystem functions, reduce pesticide use, benefit people and wildlife, and create employment opportunities for diverse early career youth.

Why? More than 90 percent of U.S. grasslands have been converted into other land uses, making them the most imperiled ecosystems in North America. Native grasslands support key wildlife species, such as rapidly declining populations of grassland birds and pollinators, sustain ecological processes, including nutrient cycling and carbon sequestration, provide ecosystem services to humans, and are vital for maintaining soil conditions and water quality. Intact native grasslands ecosystems reduce climate change vulnerability. In addition to preserving the history of the area, restored native grasslands also increase and conserve native biodiversity—which represents more than 60 percent of imperiled plant and animal species in the region.

What else? After evaluating the restoration areas in each park, the National Park Service will work with project cooperators at Austin Peay State University's Southeastern Grasslands Institute to begin site preparation by removing invasives and woody species. Once this preparation is complete, a custom seed mix will be developed for each site, tailored to local conditions and with climate change in mind. Seed mixes will consist of a diverse blend of grass and forb species. All sites will be managed through techniques including annual mowing, prescribed fire, and targeted removal of invasive species.

Learn More About This Project

Eastern Grasslands Restoration
Photo Gallery

Eastern Grasslands Restoration

236 Images

Photographs documenting grasslands restoration projects in National Captial, Northeast, and Southeast National Parks.

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  • Hidden in Plain Sight: Old Growth Remnant Grasslands

    • Sites: Antietam National Battlefield, Appalachian National Scenic Trail, Big South Fork National River & Recreation Area, Booker T Washington National Monument, Catoctin Mountain Park,
    a grassland landscape with distant trees

    During 2024 scouting for a large eastern grassland restoration project funded by IRA and BIL, several old growth remnant grasslands were identified in National Capital and Northeast Region parks that were previously unknown. These remnants preserve the genetic integrity of the original grassland flora of the eastern US and are true unexpected treasures that in some cases, were hidden in plain sight.

  • Restoring essential grasslands in the East

    • Sites: Antietam National Battlefield, Natchez Trace Parkway, New River Gorge National Park & Preserve
    People walking toward a small pond in a meadow

    To combat this loss, the National Park Service is embarking on a vast grassland restoration project across the Eastern United States. With funding from the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law and Inflation Reduction Act, the project is underway to protect this important natural resource in thirty-five parks – a major win not just for grasslands but for the numerous species that depend on them.

  • Back to the Future: National Park Service to convert agricultural acres to native grasslands

    • Sites: Antietam National Battlefield, Appalachian National Scenic Trail, Booker T Washington National Monument, Chesapeake & Ohio Canal National Historical Park, Gettysburg National Military Park, Manassas National Battlefield Park
    a sunset over a battlefield with lone cannon

    The National Park Service is investing funds from the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law to increase the ecological and cultural values in landscape restoration projects in six parks in Virginia, West Virginia, Maryland and western Pennsylvania. The initial work will focus on converting approximately 400 acres of open lands that have been previously used for agriculture into native grasslands.

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Last updated: August 28, 2024

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