Our Story
Few people are aware that some of the most diverse ecosystems in North America are grasslands in the Virginia Piedmont. Where grasslands have escaped both the plow and the subdivision, they can have as many as 115 plant species in an area the size of a single-wide trailer. Some of these plants are rare and charismatic, and collectively they provide habitat for a wide array of insects and birds. But these precious gems are little appreciated and hard to put back together once they have been lost.
We have been studying Piedmont grasslands since 2019, together with partners at the Clifton Institute, the Piedmont Discovery Center, and Virginia Working Landscapes. Our research has largely focused on what Piedmont grasslands are like, how to conserve them, and how to restore them. Through our research, we have also come to understand that a lack of native seeds is a bottleneck for ecological restoration.
We started the Southside Native Seed Project in 2023 to help launch a native plant seed supply for Virginia’s southern Piedmont. The southern Piedmont is a great place to develop a native seed supply chain for a few reasons. First, there are some fantastic examples of native grasslands in the southern counties that can supply small amounts of seed from wild populations. Second, there are many farming communities that know how to grow plants and already have some of the land and equipment needed to do so. Third, there are likely buyers in Southside, including growing state parks and utility-scale solar developers following Pollinator-Smart guidelines.
Ultimately, our reasoning is that if we can help people see the value of growing native seed and help them overcome the initial hurdles to starting an operation, then we will see a sustained increase in the availability of native seed for conservation and restoration as well as a broader appreciation of the value of these special grassland ecosystems.
Our Team
Phoebe Judge
Phoebe is a Research Associate in the Restoration Ecology lab at Virginia Tech and the Project Coordinator for the Southside Native Seed Project.
Prior to this position, Phoebe was the Seed Program Manager at the Southeastern Grasslands Institute, where she worked on the Seeds of Success project, as well as grassland restoration projects across Tennessee. Her interest in this project stems from her passion for the restoration of high-quality grasslands in the southeastern US.
Dr. Leighton Reid
Leighton Reid is an associate professor of ecological restoration in the School of Plant and Environmental Sciences at Virginia Tech. He grew up in central Virginia never knowing that some of the most diverse ecosystems in the US were hidden in plain sight along rural roads in the Piedmont. Since 2019, his lab has worked with the Clifton Institute, the Piedmont Discovery Center, and Virginia Working Landscapes to understand what Piedmont grasslands are like, what threats they face today, and how to restore them for the mutual benefit of society and nature. This project spun out of the realization that most (if not all) restoration projects in the Commonwealth are hampered by a lack of Virginia ecotype seed.
Visit Dr. Reid’s lab webite:
Dr. Ryan Klopf
Ryan Klopf is affiliated research faculty in the School of Plant and Environmental Sciences at Virginia Tech. His background is in ecological restoration, and his inspiration for this project comes from the diversity of native plant species suitable, but not yet readily available for more sustainable land management. Ryan has experienced firsthand the power of native plants to restore and enrichen extensively degraded landscapes. This project aims to expand access to the remarkable restorative capacity of Virginia’s native grasslands plants.
Dr. Arash Rashed
Dr. Arash Rashed is a Professor of Entomology, the Interim Associate Director of Virginia Agricultural Experiment Station, and Director of the Southern Piedmont AREC at Virginia Tech. He specializes in small grains, vegetables, and tobacco with long-term projects on the ecology of vector-borne plant pathogens and integrated pest management. He primarily uses integrated pest management (IPM) approaches to address challenges faced by growers. He works closely with producers and extension agents to deliver researched pest management solutions for Virginia agriculture and beyond.
Dr. Stella Schons
Dr. Stella Schons is a natural resources economist and an assistant professor of forest economics at the Department of Forest Resources and Environmental Conservation at Virginia Tech. Interested in the interface between socioeconomic development and conservation, her research is focused on understanding the drivers of landowner natural resource use and management decisions and policy implications. This project represents a key opportunity to identify the incentives and challenges faced by Southside Virginia landowners to produce and sell local ecotype native grasslands seeds as an opportunity for generating income and contributing to grasslands restoration in the state.
Ale Aguirre
Ale Aguirre is a Research Assistant with the Southside Native Seed Project at Virginia Tech, where she is also pursuing an M.S. in Forestry Economics. Originally from Chile, she transferred to Virginia Tech for her B.S. in Agribusiness Management, bringing a decade of farming and consulting experience in regenerative agriculture, organic blueberries, and hydrangeas production for export. She managed compliance with international certification standards, for export to the U.S., Europe, and Asia. Ale’s research bridges economics, agroforestry systems, and ecology, with a focus on building models that benefit farmers and landowners, while caring for natural resources and strengthening rural communities.
Sammy Winderman
Sammy is really interested in growing native plants. After working at a tree nursery, Sammy was inspired to study horticulture and he apprenticed with many well-rounded horticulturists at Longwood gardens in southeastern Pennsylvania. He loves the plant communities of southern Virginia and is excited to be a part of this project because it combines his interests of conservation and horticulture. Currently, his favorite plant is Liatris squarrosa!