Grasslands of the greater Charlotte region w/ Cassy Hallman

Grasslands are among the most species-rich and the most threatened ecosystems globally, including in the southeast and in North Carolina. These dynamic environments that once covered our landscapes are now restricted to fragments and relict populations where proper management is crucial for their survival. To understand the natural history and importance of these grasslands, case studies from the Charlotte area are presented and discussed.

Cassy Hallman is born in Sweden and raised in the southeastern US, where she studied Biology and Environmental Science at UNC Chapel Hill (‘2016), falling in love with plant taxonomy, rare plant ecology, and conservation gardening. After receiving a Masters in Conservation Biology (‘2020) from Lund University, she worked as a natural environmental consultant and later for the Swedish Society of Nature Conservation, creating a nationwide campaign to increase flowering plant diversity along roadsides. After relocating to Charlotte in 2023, Cassy has been working at Daniel Stowe Botanical Garden to document and restore 10 acres of Piedmont Prairie habitat and to install a native plant display garden.