Northeast Seed Network News & Updates
Celebrating One Year of Collaboration and Growth
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Dear Northeast Seed Network Community,
As we mark our one-year anniversary since our launch at the '23 National Native Seed Conference, we are thrilled to share the progress and achievements made possible by our collaborative partnership.
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American pussy willow (Salix discolor). Credit: Highstead Foundation | |
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Species Selection Committee: With 28 members contributing over five months, we've developed Version No.1 of a Target Taxa list for NY, MA, ME, CT, VT, and NH. This list serves as a valuable starting point for ecoregional seed collection, storage, and amplification efforts.
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Northeast Seed Network Steering Committee: Monthly meetings and a full-day strategic planning session in December laid the foundation for our mission, vision statements, a five-year strategic plan, and a network charter.
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Seed and Plant Materials Market Research Committee: Recently, we concluded a survey that garnered over 300 responses from buyers and users of native seed and plant materials across thirteen Northeast and Northern Mid-Atlantic states. We're analyzing the data to identify market segments and clarify demand signals for our growing network of producers.
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Data Management Committee: We have been initiating trials and training for a system to manage seed and nursery data, addressing provenance and over-collection concerns.
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Seed Hub at Nasami Farm: Phase One of the Seed Hub at Nasami Farm in Whately, Massachusetts, has been completed. This facility will play a central role in processing, storing, and distributing seeds for our ecoregional seed amplification program.
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Restorative Landscape Coalition: Last month, we brought together leaders and representatives from thirteen botanic gardens, seed banks, arboreta, and allied companies and organizations for a workshop generously hosted by the Oak Spring Garden Foundation. The event’s outcome was to launch a coalition dedicated to enhancing the capacity of the Northeast Seed Network. Together, we aim to harness the experience, expertise, and educational capacity within our institutions and allied organizations to influence the policy, regulatory, and cultural barriers related to enhancing the end-use of source-identified, genetically diverse seed and plant materials.
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Workshop participants at the Oak Spring Garden Foundation (from left to right) – Marcello de Vitis, Southeastern Grasslands Institute; Charlotte Lorick, Oak Spring Garden Foundation; Élan Alford, Mt. Cuba Center; Melissa Cullina, Coastal Maine Botanical Gardens; Sefra Alexandra, Ecotype Project; Uli Lorimer, Native Plant Trust; Eve Allen and James Aronson, Ecological Health Network; Richard Olsen, U.S. National Arboretum; Geordie Elkins, Highstead Foundation; Michael Piantedosi, Native Plant Trust; Lea Johnson, Longwood Gardens; Todd Bittner, Cornell Botanic Gardens; Ryan Klopt, Virginia Natural Heritage Program; Jessamine Finch, Native Plant Trust. | |
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Spring Quarterly Check-in Meeting
April 11, 2024
Join us on April 11, 2024, from 9:00 to 10:30 a.m. ET for our next network-wide quarterly meeting. We will provide further updates from our committees, an overview of our 5-year strategy plan, and present the Ecotype Project’s new Network Map! Visit the map and check out the ecoregional overlays to see who is working in your region.
| If you haven’t yet done so, please fill out our Network Intake Survey as a first step in joining the Northeast Seed Network and being listed on our Network Map. | | | |
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Spring Field Day at Eco59, Ridgefield, CT
June 12, 2024
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Come tour the hub of the Eco59 Farmer-Led Seed Collective. Learn more about seed increase plots as we tour the beautiful grounds and participate in seed-cleaning demos. Meet your fellow members of the Northeast Seed Network in person! If you plan on coming, be sure to RSVP to info@ecotypeproject.org. | |
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Workshop at the American Public Gardens Association Annual Meeting
June 27, 2024
Join the Northeast Seed Network at the American Public Gardens Association’s Annual Meeting in Boston, June 24 to 27, 2024. We will organize a 90-minute workshop, entitled Fostering regional collaboration among public gardens to address native seed and plant material needs, on Thursday, June 27th, from 10:30 a.m. to 12:00 p.m.
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Northeast Seed Network in the News! | |
Check out this essay in Barn Raiser Media about the Northeast Seed Network that highlights the role of small-scale organic farms in strengthening regional seed supply chains. | |
Dina Brewster and volunteer cleaning Mountain Mint (Pycnanthemum virginianum) seeds at Eco59.
Credit: Sefra Alexandra.
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Thank you for being a crucial part of the Northeast Seed Network's success.
Together, we are sowing the seeds for more biodiverse, climate-resilient, and healthy landscapes across our shared ecoregions.
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