Melanie Gisler
Southwest Program Director
Nonprofit - Corvallis OR and
Santa Fe NM
Working with growers to
develop crops of native
species since 2000
Partner w/BLM to host the
Native Seed Network and
National Native Seed
Conference
First restoration sites in Willamette Valley, Oregon
Did not restore ecological function
Forbs needed
Willamette Valley Plant
Materials Partnership
MOU with 30 partners
Restoration, seed producers, certification
Pooled resources
$ for collection, production and coordination
50 species
Large and small scale contract production
Willamette Valley Plant
Materials Partnership
5 Year Strategy
Matrix forbs emphasized in 2013, by 2017 nectar species
SEED NEEDS GREATER IN THE SOUTHWEST
Wildfire
Mining
Overgrazing
washed away
buried
exhausted
Loss of native seed bank…
cooked
suppressed
inadvertently sprayed
SW Seed Vendors
Granite Seed
Southwest Seeds
SW has a shortage
of native seed
producers
Curtis and Curtis
Bamert
Seed Co.
Sources of native
seed in SW
Often not locally
sourced and low genetic
diversity or cultivars
Forb diversity limited
NM: Grass seed only
New Seed Program and
Partnership for SW
Collaborative project to improve supply of native seed in NM and AZ
Partners:
Forest Service R3
Bureau of Land Management
National Park Service
NM Department of Transportation
US Fish and Wildlife Service
Natural Resources Conservation Service
Native Seed Producers
Pueblo of Santa Ana
Program goals tie to National Seed Strategy:
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
Assessments and prioritization
(NSS Goals 1.1, 1.2, 3.4)
Seed collection and tracking
(NSS Goals 3.1, 3.2)
Building of accessions based on science (NSS Goals 2.1, 2.2, 2.3)
Production
(NSS Goal 1.3)
Collaboration and coordination
(NSS Goals 4.2, 4.3)
NSS Goals 1.1, 1.2
Step 1
Assessments
SEED USER INTERVIEWS
What species or attributes
are on your wish list?
Where are your project
sites?
Eriogonum ovalifolium
Restoration partner survey Willamette Valley 2012
Annual use:
SEED USER SURVEYS
ID species in greatest demand
and size of production fields
required.
Orange globe mallow
Sphaeralcea munroana
Forbs!
ATTRIBUTES
Widespread/matrix
Ease of production and establishment
Used by native bees and other pollinators
Important forage for ungulates
Cultural uses by NM tribes
Prioritize ecoregions
Consider project location & acres
Utilize modeling
Omernik, Level III
AZ NM Plateau
Grower participation critical to
program success.
GROWER INTERVIEWS
What species/sources are already
available?
Farm capacity & grower interest?
Acres in production by
species?
Species that have been tried
but would not grow again?
Survey: WV Seed Producers 2012
Step 2
Collect Seed
Coordinate with SoS and NPS
S. Rockies and AZ NM Plateau
15 population min. each species
Standard collection protocols
NSS Goals 3.1, 3.2
Step 3
Build Diverse
Accessions
1. ID Appropriate STZ
2. Balance contributions/pop.
NSS Goals 2.1, 2.2, 2.3
Common
Garden
Seed Zone
Mapper Tool
Expert
Feedback
Provisional
Seed Zones
Genetic
studies
*Saving seed for cryopreservation and research
Life history
traits
NSS Goals 1.3
Step 4
Grow Seed
Deliver seed to farmers for
contract production
Identify potential seed producers
Types of growers for this program
Up for a challenge
• Crops not uniform
• Untested material
• Experiment with harvesting & cleaning
techniques to improve yield
• Prepared to work with seed certification
Who will grow the seed?
COMMERCIAL PRODUCERS
Have expertise, capacity, and
equipment for large scale production.
Granite Seed
Curtis and Curtis Seed Warehouse, NM
Southwest Seeds
Curtis and Curtis
Bamert
Seed Co.
Commercial producers can not fill all of the needs….
Tribal nurseries
Pueblo of Santa Ana
Native Plant Nursery
Pueblo of Tesuque
Native plant
production in
prisons
Local food farmers
Milkweed
Larval host plant for monarch butterfly
Ideal for cottage-scale growers
(large scale producers cautious)
Excellent pollinator species
Showy milkweed
Asclepias speciosa
Photo: Xerces Society
Forecast needs
5 years out
Get growers on board early so that seed is available when
it is needed.
What projects coming up and seed needed?
Seed Timeline: Important to Plan Ahead
Collection
1-2 years
First harvest
1-4 years
(Best yield 2-4 years)
Test cultivation?
1-2 years
Seed available
in 3-5 years
Native Plant Programs
in the Southwest
Uncomahgre Partnership
Big sandbox
Many gaps to fill…
• Collection
• Storage
• Production
• Research
• Funding
• Education
NSS Goals 4.2, 4.3
Collaboration and coordination
KEY TO SUCCESS IS WORKING TOGETHER.
Every step depends on it.
Steering Committee Meeting April 2016 and Stakeholder Collaboration Meeting June 2016
Identify gaps and process for working together, pooling resources, skills, and experience.
SW Native Seed Partnership
Phase I: “Preparing for Production”
Prioritize species to grow
Identify potential growers
Collect seed for 10 or more species
Phase II:
Formalize partnership
More species and ecoregions in production
Contract production fields
Harvests available for restoration
Thank you
Organ Mountains
Photo: Mike Groves