Restoring Meadows to Restore Ecosystems

Encompassing projects at levels from individual species to entire ecosystems, and across a range of terrestrial, wetland, and aquatic environments, the RSC comprises more than two dozen ESF faculty members and seven departments, drawing on their expertise to solve today’s environmental problems.  

The Lawn to Meadow program, developed by Samuel A. Quinn ’07, a research assistant with the RSC’s Conservation on Private Lands Initiative, works to restore natural habitats and engage private landowners in the process.   

A staple American landscape feature, lawns currently cover more area in the lower 48 states than National Parks. However, they pose a significant threat to biodiversity, causing habitat loss and fragmentation for native species. Lawns also require extensive time and resources to maintain while supporting little to no ecological benefits.  

Quinn and his team are working with the Skaneateles Lake Association and private landowners to improve landscapes and protect the Skaneateles Lake watershed. The lake, located 23 miles southwest of Syracuse, is one of the cleanest in the country and the source of drinking water for over 200,000 Syracuse residents.   

Around Skaneateles Lake, Quinn works with property owners to create natural habitats of plants that best suit the ecological needs of a given piece of property and its owners. 

Lawns aren’t good for water quality for many reasons. Some people use chemicals and pesticides to maintain their lawns, and those chemicals can wash into the lake. Chemical-free lawns are of course better for keeping our drinking water safe, yet still offer a mere fraction of the ecological benefits meadows support. Diversifying plantings along the lake with native species reduces the need for chemicals, helps filter runoff before it reaches the lake and provides food and shelter for wildlife like pollinators and songbirds.   

“Grasslands and meadows, these types of communities are disappearing. We’ve lost nearly half of them in the United States, so part of it is ecosystem restoration,” according to Quinn.   

The Lawn to Meadow program is one example of ESF going out into the community and making a difference thanks to philanthropic donations and grants.   

“Without donations from private landowners and citizens, we could not do what we do,” Quinn said. 

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Philanthropic support helps ESF educate the next generation of conservation professionals. In his seven years with the program, Quinn has taught students who are now working all over the world. “It’s not just helping the planet. We help people too. If you want to be responsible for enabling a generation of young people to become the conservation professionals we need them to be, this is how we do it.”