Community Involvement in Restoration

The Coastal Prairie Conservancy engages volunteers to assist in prairie restoration efforts, through seed collection, plant propagation, and plantings.

The Great Grow Out is a program designed to empower volunteers to grow plants in the comfort of their own home, as part of a civic or religiously-affiliated group, or as part of scouting. Volunteer growers are given packets of locally collected prairie seeds and asked to grow these plants in 4" pots until the roots emerge from the bottom of the pot. Plants are returned to the Coastal Prairie Conservancy home office or Indiangrass Preserve and Coastal Prairie Conservancy staff nurture the plants until they are ready to be planted in the field. The Great Grow Out also includes opportunities for volunteers to attend seed collecting trips and pack seeds at special seed packing parties. As many as 3,000 plants are grown each year by volunteers.

Putting Down Roots is a yearly public prairie planting performed at the Indiangrass Preserve. The first goal of this event is to engage our supporters and community members in helping the Coastal Prairie Conservancy restore the Indiangrass Preserve. Each year volunteers add as many as 4,000 plants to the emerging prairie at Indiangrass Preserve. The event also has a strong education component, teaching volunteers about the deep roots that the prairie has in local culture, recreation, and in the economic development of the region.

Stewardship Saturdays are volunteer service days held one Saturday a month at the Native Seed Nursery located at the Indiangrass Preserve. Volunteers work alongside Coastal Prairie Conservancy staff to raise thousands of prairie plant seedlings each year, in addition to weeding, performing nursery maintenance, and collecting new seeds.

Corporate Volunteer Days are arranged in advance between the Coastal Prairie Conservancy and community partners, such as corporations or other organizations. Corporate workdays are tailored to the individual needs of each community partner, but a typical day begins with volunteers arriving and checking in for a safety and orientation session. Coastal Prairie Conservancy staff will divide volunteers up into groups, when appropriate, and distribute all equipment and supplies for the project. Volunteers will proceed to the location where restoration efforts will take place, and Coastal Prairie Conservancy staff will lead all activities. At the designated stop time, volunteers will return to the field office, turn in equipment, complete any necessary clean-up, and enjoy refreshments as a group. Corporate workdays build trust and camaraderie among team members by giving them a well-defined useful project with highly visible results.