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2029 Conservation Plan

Year 4, 2029
FOCUS – Meadows, Pollinators, and Community Integration

Action Goal 02: Conservation, Maintenance & Stewardship Strategy

Strategy
  • Invasive checks: 2× per year
    • Invasive removal
  • Manage aggressive natives (Sumac and Black Locust) by thinning and perimeter mowing
  • Meadow mowing (if applicable): 1× annually (late winter)
  • Tree care: Mulching, watering first 2–3 years
  • Stream access points only—no general bank trampling
  • Expand Monarch Milkweed (Monarch Watch Free Milkweed application, Oct 2028)

Action Goal 03: Build & Educate Volunteer Base

Strategy
  • Community engagement:
  • 4 Educational Events / Site walks
    • The Greenspace in Winter
    • The Greenspace in Spring
    • The Greenspace in Summer
    • The Greenspace in Fall
  • Nurture contact list – newsletter, social events
  • Signage
    • “You found” plant species info sheets for each identified native plant
    • Invasive species fact sheet and stewardship action info
    • More permanent signage to be determined
  • Volunteer stewardship days to build long‑term success

Action Goal 04: Secure Funding

Strategy
  • Always reapply for Lexington Stormwater Quality Grant
  • Document list of potential grant sources and deadlines

Action Goal 08: Soil Regeneration Implementation

Apply Regenerative Practices (Year 3)
Strategy – shift dominance to native system (full native mix)
  • Mow in late spring
  • 50% Grasses → build soil carbon + structure; Little Bluestem (Schizachyrium scoparium), Big Bluestem (Andropogon gerardii), Indiangrass (Sorghastrum nutans), Switchgrass (Panicum virgatum)
  • 35% Forbs (wildflowers) → support biodiversity + microbes; Black-eyed Susan (Rudbeckia hirta), Purple Coneflower (Echinacea purpurea), Bee Balm / Bergamot (Monarda fistulosa), Blazing Star (Liatris sp.), Goldenrod (Solidago sp.), Asters (Symphyotrichum sp.), Milkweeds (Asclepias spp.), Joe-Pye Weed (Eutrochium spp.)
  • 15% Legumes → fix nitrogen; Partridge Pea (Chamaecrista fasciculata), Red Clover (Trifolium pratense), White Clover (Trifolium repens), Yellow Sweet Clover (Melilotus officinalis)
  • Deep taproots → break compaction + pull up nutrients; Sunflower (Helianthus spp.), Alfalfa (Medicago sativa)
  • Track: % plant cover, number of species, soil feel (crumbly vs compacted), earthworms / insects

Action Goal 13: Evaluate Work

Strategy

Document:

  • Native plant survival
  • Bank quality
  • Water Quality
  • Bat count (citizen science encouraged) – and perhaps other counts
  • Pollinator garden / bee count
  • Monarch Milkweed / caterpillar count / Monarch count
  • Meander-core wetlands
  • Monitor spread of aggressive natives – ex Sumac and Black Locust

Action Goal 14: Balance Ecology And People

Strategy
  • Establish soft walking loops
  • Place educational signage

✅ Administrative Deliverables:

Visible transformation; Increased neighborhood use

 

 

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