Our first meadow was planted in 2014 with the intention of increasing available wildlife habitat, food for pollinators, and dedicated acreage for species native to our region to proliferate. Since that time, we have converted a total of 205 acres into native meadows. Beginning in 2024 we are increasing the number of native grass and forb species to eventually approximate the hundreds of species found in remnant late successional old-growth grasslands of the Northern Piedmont ecoregion as well as adding a few trees to create savanna. Oak- pine savanna (a prairie-like grassland with sparce trees) was once extensive throughout the Piedmont region from Georgia to Pennsylvania. Due to agriculture, development, and fire exclusion (allowing forests to spread), less than 1% of this ancient and highly biodiverse ecosystem remains, mainly in roadsides and powerline ROW. Along with their demise we have lost or are losing the plant and wildlife species that depend on grasslands. We aim to transition the meadows into Piedmont Savanna with enough plant diversity to support a wide variety of wildlife and provide resilience in the face of stressors such as climate change, invasive species, increased CO2, and nitrogen deposition. Plant diversity provides a variety of food, nesting material, and cover for imperiled grassland birds and pollinators.

These grasslands are also home to many other indicator species that are important to our ecology including field mice, voles, bobcat, black bear, rabbits, red fox, eastern coyote, box turtle, groundhogs, and the occasional beaver passing through. Our savannas and native warm-season grass fields used for pasture and hay are home to a broad spectrum of migratory birds that temporarily call Kinloch Farm home including Bobolinks, Eastern Meadowlark, Yellow-Breasted Chat, Grasshopper Sparrow, Kestrel, Blue Grosbeak, and many more. We work with our research partners at Virginia Working Landscapes, Smithsonian Conservation Biology Institute, and The Clifton Institute to continue to monitor our wildlife populations.

We use several methods of management within our grasslands including prescribed fire, targeted mowing, and specific herbicide applications for invasive species. Fire was an essential natural process to many of our local ecosystems, promoting fire-adapted native species, preventing invasion of trees into grasslands, removing thatch and providing bare ground for ground-nesting bird brood rearing, and promoting forb diversity.