California Native Grass Association

CNGA's goals are to see that:
1. Appropriate practices and techniques are used to evaluate, prepare, and plant native grasses and grasslands.
2. Members of the public understand the value of native grasses and grasslands and support the goals of CNGA.
3. Grasslands and other communities of which native grasses are a component are managed to benefit native grasses and associated species.
4. Native grasslands are protected from conversion or degradation.
5. Growers, wholesalers, and consumers of native grass seed and live plants have a clear set of purity, quality, and seed source standards that guide their actions.
6. Scientific research and the results of management are readily available to guide restoration and management of native grasses and grasslands.
7. Sites with restoration potential are planted with native grasses and associated species.
8. Native grasses are used as appropriate in the urban landscape to benefit habitat, aesthetics, and educational values.

CNGA’s mission is to promote, preserve, and restore the diversity of California's native grasses and grassland ecosystems through education, advocacy, research, and stewardship. Through our programs and workshops we 1) inform landowners and land managers how to restore and maintain grasslands; 2) train those working in the field so that they may train others; 3) encourage and assist a new generation of land managers; and 4) increase the general public's understanding and appreciation of the value of native grassland ecosystems.

We offer workshops in plant identification, restoration, soil evaluation, monitoring methods, grazing management, landscaping, and other topics. We encourage the next generations through K-12 Curriculum and our newest program, Grassland Research Awards for Student Scholarship (GRASS) supporting fieldwork in California grasslands. We publish a quarterly journal, Grasslands, and promote conservation through grass-roots advocacy.

CNGA is the only organization working exclusively to conserve and restore California’s grasslands. Most of our work is accomplished by a 15-member all-volunteer Board of Directors. We are also supported by dedicated members who volunteer their professional expertise as workshop instructors, in conservation advocacy endeavors, or by submitting articles to our quarterly journal, Grasslands.

February 19, 1990, twenty public and private organizations responsible for managing grasslands met at the Lockford SCS Plant Materials Center to explore opportunities and "figure out a way to meet challenges which the organizations faced." In the fall of 1991, the California Native Grass Association was founded with the dream to make native grasses available for the restoration of natural communities. Native grasses are now available commercially for restoration projects around the state. But that was only the beginning.

Successful grassland restoration and conservation is a complex goal that depends on many variables, including site evaluation, plant selection, the availability of local genotypes (plants adapted to the specific restoration area), site preparation, installation, weed control, and maintenance.
Since 2014, just over 1,250 persons have attended our training workshops. That is an average of 250 persons per year.

We plan to educate the public on the importance of grassland ecosystems and train land managers through our programs. We will continue to update and offer our workshops around the state and add information to our website. We provided online workshops in 2020, and although we had to reduce the number and type of workshop, we were able to reach a broader geographical audience because of the online venue.

We answer information requests by phone and by email. We award student research scholarships every year to more and more students. In the face of increasing population pressures and climate change and their effects on our environment, encouraging the next generation in preserving and restoring grasslands is more crucial than ever.

The public has become more aware of the importance of grassland ecosystems in supporting human health and well-being. We aim to give them the tools and information they need to focus their conservation efforts.