East and Central Grasslands and Savannas
The central and eastern grassland and savanna regions of the U.S. include the number one crop production states for corn, wheat, sorghum, soybeans, peanuts and cotton. Six of the top ten forest production states are in the East, and the Fescue Belt has the highest concentration of livestock producers and livestock in the country. Southeastern grasslands are the most diverse biologically in the U.S. but also the most imperiled with up to 90% in degraded condition or lost. Major threats include: habitat loss and fragmentation; climate change; alterations to natural land disturbance regimes; and invasive species.
Feature Resources
Working Lands for Wildlife: Northern Bobwhite, Grasslands and Savannas Framework for Conservation Action
Working Lands for Wildlife: Northern Bobwhite, Grasslands and Savannas Framework for Conservation Action is a 2022 publication by NRCS capturing a long-term, large landscape conservation plan to recover central and eastern grasslands for northern bobwhite and other wildlife species. To support the win-win approach of WLFW, this framework also includes anticipated outcomes for risk management and revenue enhancements for agricultural/forestry operations, as well as measured outcomes for greenhouse gas (GHG) mitigation.
Framework for Conservation Action in the Great Plains Grasslands Biome
A ‘Call to Action’ has emerged in the Great Plains to scale-up conservation on private lands and meet the sustainability targets that benefit both agriculture and wildlife. In 2020, a multi-state, areawide planning initiative produced the first biome-scale framework for grassland wildlife conservation on the region’s sustainable working rangelands. This initiative features an action-based framework for 2021-2025 focused on addressing the two most severe and large-scale threats to the Great Plains biome: woodland expansion and land use conversion.
Grazing Gone Native
Producer Drexel Atkisson talks about role of NWSFs in his grazing system in dealing with drought.
Podcast Episode: Native Warm Season Grass Episode 6 - Technical and Financial Assistance
J.B. Daniel, Grassland Agronomist and Grazing Specialist with NRCS Virginia talks about NRCS programs that offer technical and financial assistance for planting native warm-season forages and set up grazing systems.
Final Release Webinar: An Assessment of Native Seed Needs and the Capacity for Their Supply
You are invited to a briefing on An Assessment of Native Seed Needs and the Capacity for Their Supply: Final Report, prepared by an ad hoc committee of the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine. The final report provides findings on public and private sector needs for the seeds of native plants for ecological restoration and other revegetation activities, and an assessment of the nation’s capacity to supply native seeds for multiple purposes. The report presents the results of two surveys, one of native seed suppliers and the other, of state departments of wildlife, parks, transportation, and agriculture. The report offers insights into the native needs uses of federal land-management agencies, tribal nations, and the private sector, and provides recommendations for improving the reliability, predictability, and performance of the native seed supply.
An Assessment of Native Seed Needs and the Capacity for Their Supply: Final Report (2023)
In our efforts to analyze the nation’s system of producing and using native plant materials for restoration and to identify the most impactful steps toward improving the supply, we were not helped by the COVID-19 pandemic. Our meetings, presentations, and information gathering were slowed significantly, and the availability of our committee members, National Academies staff, and expert informants across the nation were drastically altered by the many changes to people’s professional and personal lives. “Nevertheless, we persisted.” We are now honored to release what we believe is a well- supported set of key recommendations for improving the native seed supply, backed by findings and conclusions reached through collecting input from native seed producers and users in the public, private, nonprofit, and academic sectors across the US.
WLFW Northern bobwhite, Grasslands, and Savannas Framework - Partners’ webinar 3/2/2022
On March 2, 2022 Bridgett Costanzo of NRCS's Working Lands for Wildlife and Jessica McGuire of QF presented on the WLFW framework for NOBO, grasslands and savannas. Ms. Costanzo presented on the content of the new framework document, the priority areas and conservation practice goals set by the 24 NRCS state offices, and responses received from the needs assessment survey. Ms. McGuire presented on staffing and monitoring plans associated with launching this framework.
Map of Row Crops Produced in NOBO Range
Row crop production within WLFW Northern bobwhite, Grasslands, and Savannas framework boundaries.
State Priority Areas for WLFW NOBO, Grasslands, and Savannas
Beyond the national boundaries that each NRCS state offices selected, some chose to also identify priority areas that will be used in project ranking. (priority area shapefiles not uploaded yet!)
National Project Boundaries for WLFW-NOBO, Grasslands, and Savannas
Attached shapefiles combine all of the state input to create one cohesive, national map for the framework. Some states also identified priority areas within these boundaries, and those are posted in this same folder.
WLFW Northern bobwhite, Grasslands, and Savannas National Map
Attached pdf of the national boundary for the new framework for conservation action (2022). Shapefiles available under "Boundaries and Priority Areas"
Grazing Management Minute: Establishing Native Warm Season Grasses
In ODA's latest Grazing Management Minute, join Quail Forever's Jason Jones and Clinton County farmer Nathan Rice to learn more about establishing native warm season grasses.
WLFW Science to Solutions: Economics of NWSG Forage
This fact sheet is part of a WLFW series called Science to Solutions which seeks to share technical information in a format that's user-friendly. Prepared by University of Tennessee professors Dr. Pat Keyser of the Native Grasslands Management Center and Dr. Chris Boyer, an economist.
Map of NRCS States Opting In/Out of WLFW Northern bobwhite
In February 2021, NRCS requested that 30 state offices within the northern bobwhite current or historic range submit a final decision to National Headquarters on opting in or out of WLFW Northern bobwhite, Grasslands and Savannas. The decisions were completely voluntary and dependent on each states interest and ability to commit. These maps depict the distribution of states and their responses. Note that Oklahoma has now joined (and we need to updated this map)!
Quail Forever
Quail Forever is dedicated to the conservation of quail, pheasants and other wildlife through habitat improvements, public awareness, education, and land management policies and programs.
