Creating pollinator habitat at laverlea preserve

Over the last year, Birds Georgia and partners have expanded our habitat restoration work to the Augusta area. Laverlea Preserve, now known as Sugarberry Hill, is a 350-acre greenspace right in the middle of a populated suburban area in Evans, Georgia, bordering Blanchard Woods Park. The preserve, owned by the Central Savannah River Land Trust, has a mix of woodlands, riparian forest, and open fields that were once used for cattle. The property was donated to the land trust by Ms. Laverne Dorn, who had purchased the property with her late husband in 1970. Ms. Dorne donated it to the trust to protect the natural, cultural, and community resources of the property and to provide opportunities for the public to connect with nature. 

With a grant from the Cornell Land Trust Bird Conservation Initiative, Birds Georgia partnered with the Central Savannah River Land Trust to transform one of the old cow fields into a native meadow for wildlife. Other partners include the Georgia Department of Natural Resources (DNR) and Augusta’s River Region Chapter of the Georgia Native Plant Society (GNPS), who provided invaluable guidance and helped coordinate volunteer workdays. Volunteers from GNPS, as well as Augusta-Aiken Audubon Society and the Butterfly Monarchy Club, helped with surveys to document what was using the field before and after treatment. 

During the course of the year, we applied herbicide to the 14-acre field, installed fire breaks, and conducted a prescribed fire to clear up the dead plant debris and promote better seed to soil contact for our spring planting. In April 2025, volunteers helped broadcast over 100 pounds of seed across the field, comprising Lance-leaved Coreopsis, Black-eyed Susan, Partridge Pea, Plains Coreopsis, Golden Wave Tickseed, Big Bluestem, Little Bluestem, and Indian Grass. 

“It was one of those days that makes you so happy to be in this field,” said Heather Levy, Birds Georgia Conservation Program Manager. “We had over 25 people carrying five gallon buckets of mixed seeds and sawdust all over the field. We had folks line up to make sure we were covering all areas and seeding at similar rates. It looked like they were about to run a relay race of sorts!”

We revisited the field in August 2025 and held a BioBlitz to inventory what was growing. The seeds we had planted were thriving and the field was covered in native insects that had not been abundant previously. Across 372 observations, we documented 147 species of plants and insects. While we did not notice significant changes in the bird community, we hope that continued restoration efforts over a larger area will positively impact them. Ongoing management to the field will be necessary to keep it open and free of weeds and undesirable species. 

Through our efforts, this former pasture has been transformed into a thriving pollinator habitat that will welcome birds and wildlife for years to come.

We’re grateful to our partners and volunteers who helped make this transformation possible. Thank you!

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