Following the retreat of the last glacier, Sand Plain Grasslands and Pine Barrens were found from Maine to Southern New Jersey. Although Southeastern Massachusetts has the second largest region of Pine Barrens remaining in the world, the state has lost 60 to 70 percent of its original pine barrens. And it’s estimated that 80 percent of the world’s remaining Sand Plain Grasslands are on the Islands of Nantucket, Tuckernuck, and Martha’s Vineyard. On The Point, Mindy Todd interviews the following guests about the situation: Karen Beattie, Science and Stewardship Manager at theNantucket Conservation Foundation, Sarah Bois, Director of Research and Education at the Linda Loring Nature Foundation, Chuck Green, Mashpee Wampanoag Tribe Assistant Director of Natural Resources, and Tim Simmons, Restoration Ecologist, Massachusetts Division of Fisheries & Wildlife Natural Heritage & Endangered Species Program (NHESP).
Here's a link to audio of a visit to Crane Wildlife Sanctuary recorded last summer.
