Restoring Native Grasslands at Laverlea Preserve

Volunteers from Augusta’s River Region Chapter of the Georgia Native Plant Society and the local community helped identify plant species in the restoration field prior to treatment. Photo by Heather Levy.

by Heather Levy, Stewardship Coordinator

Our project at Laverlea Preserve, funded by the Cornell Land Trust Bird Conservation Initiative, is officially six months underway. Laverlea Preserve comprises 345 acres of forests, fields, and riparian buffer nestled among an urbanized area in Evans, GA. The property was donated to the Central Savannah River Land Trust (CSRLT) in December of 2022, after its sole living owner, Ms. Laverne Dorn, passed away. Ms. Dorn wanted the preserve to remain undeveloped, providing wildlife habitat and a resource for the community to enjoy. 

Approximately 20% of the preserve consists of remnant fields that were used for cows and hay production. Since these fields are no longer being used for agriculture, Birds Georgia and the CSRLT decided to restore the fields to native grassland habitat that would benefit wildlife and also serve as a place where the community can learn more about native habitat and local flora and fauna. We selected a 14 acre field that is visible and easily accessible from the long driveway and parking lot near the home where Ms. Dorn previously lived. 

During the first few weeks, we surveyed the fields with the help from our partners at Georgia Department of Natural Resources, Augusta’s River Region Chapter of the Georgia Native Plant Society, Augusta-Aiken Audubon Society, and the Butterfly Monarchy Club. We documented what species of birds, plants, and butterflies that were present in order to compare species lists after treatment. We also conducted these surveys to ensure that there were not any species of conservation concern present that may be adversely affected by our efforts. We found that the majority of grasses were non-native species used for livestock, and that the few native species present would quickly return after treatment. We did not find any butterflies during our surveys and the bird species we found were all common to the area and habitat and would benefit from the restoration efforts. 

In September, we applied herbicide to the field to kill the non-native grasses and prepare it for planting. To further remove the duff layer left over by the herbicide application, we are planning a prescribed burn for sometime in January. The prescribed burn, being conducted by a local contractor, will be open to the public as an educational demonstration of the importance of prescribed fire both for restoration and for management of native southeastern habitats. 

Following the prescribed fire, we will apply any additional herbicide as needed and prepare to plant warm season native grass and wildflower seeds in the spring and early summer of 2025. We are currently working on securing additional funding to continue to plant additional native plants and maintain the grassland with fire, as well as tackling restoring additional acreage. 

If you live in the Evans/Augusta area and are interested in getting on our list of volunteers to learn more about upcoming workdays, events, and bird walks, please contact Heather Levy at [email protected].  

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The restoration field two months after herbicide application. The planned prescribed fire will clear the remaining duff layer and leave a clean bed for native seeds to be planted. Photo by Heather Levy.