Working Together to Preserve Habitat and Culture
By Sean Cannon
In 2022, Collie Farah, land preservation specialist for the Kiawah Conservancy,
struck up a conversation with a sweetgrass basket weaver selling her art at the Rosebank
Farmstand on Johns Island. The weaver told Collie about the difficulties she and other weavers
were having sourcing sweetgrass for their art. This conversation prompted Collie to explore
some new possibilities for bridging the Conservancy’s habitat restoration efforts with the cultural
preservation of this historic art form.
Could seeds from native sweetgrass plants found on Kiawah Island be harvested and grown to
provide this much-needed source? Where would we grow the plants? How would we know that
the plants we grow are the “right” plants for this art form? How would we get plants and/or the
parts of the plants needed for the basket weavers? Would sweetgrass basket artisans even be
interested in a partnership? With all these questions in mind, the Conservancy’s investigative
work began.
In 2023 the Conservancy hired restoration and enhancement specialist Sean Cannon. Collie
brought Sean to speed on the idea and the investigation took off. Sean quickly reached out to
Marilyn Hemingway, president and founder of the Gullah Geechee Chamber of Commerce and
the Gullah Geechee Chamber Foundation to learn more about the issues facing basket makers
and to see how the Conservancy might partner with the Chamber, Foundation, and local
artisans in a mutually beneficial project – a sweetgrass farm. Marilyn introduced Sean to fifth
generation sweetgrass artisan Corey Alston who explained that not all sweetgrass plants are
the same. The sweetgrass you see growing on the Kiawah Island Parkway for example, is
beautiful and although it may have benefits for wildlife and other conservation efforts, isn’t good
for making sweetgrass baskets. The sweetgrass plants found in the medians, landscaping, and
roadsides throughout Charleston and the surrounding areas have been subject to fertilizers,
insecticides, and harsh cutting. This makes the individual grass strands of each plant tough and
tough grass strands are harder to weave, especially for the older artisans (those who carry and
teach the art form). Native untouched sweetgrass is softer, more pliable, and therefore better for
basket weaving.
With all of this in mind, the Conservancy collected seeds from native sweetgrass plants on
remote areas of Kiawah Island. These plants had the feel that Corey had described and hadn’t
been subjected to harsh chemicals or trimming. The seeds were transferred to our friends at
Charleston Aquatics where they were grown to plugs and, in the spring of 2023, the
Conservancy planted 1,400 of these sweetgrass plugs at our sweetgrass farm. In addition, 130
plugs were distributed to attendees of the first annual Sweetgrass Celebration for planting at
their homes or businesses.
The sweetgrass farm is being watched by Conservancy staff in partnership with Corey Alston
and cared for by Sidi Limehouse while we wait, watch, and plan for harvesting. We are hopeful that this crop will be the “right” sweetgrass. Sweetgrass that is soft. Sweetgrass that is pliable.
Sweetgrass that meets the needs and wants of Lowcountry sweetgrass basket artisans. The
Kiawah Conservancy is excited to partner in this effort to preserve and restore native plants
while at the same time helping to preserve history and culture. Visit the Kiawah Conservancy
online at conservancyoftheseaislands.org to learn more about this and other projects, sign up for our bi-
monthly electronic newsletters, follow us on social media, and stay tuned to learn how our
harvest turns out!