Gift of Seeds

June 26, 2023

On June 21, the Santa Fe Botanical Garden (SFBG) was gifted a wonderful batch of native seeds from the Institute for Applied Ecology (IAE). The mission of this conservation organization, whose offices are located in Corvallis, Oregon and right here in Santa Fe, is “conserving native species and habitats through restoration, research and education.” IAE’s programs include habitat restoration, conservation research, ecological education, and the responsible collection (and in some cases growing) of native seeds, in partnerships with diverse agencies, organizations, and the private sector.

IAE’s 2022 Youth Conservation Corps, Francesca Galliano center, collecting native seed (photo: Institute for Applied Ecology)

Of special interest to us at SFBG is IAE’s work with native pollinators (see their website for a great blogpost about native bees research and their coordination of the Southwest Seed Partnership, which is “working to preserve Southwest biodiversity by collecting seeds and, through restoration efforts, putting ecologically appropriate plant species out onto the landscape following wildfire or anthropogenic disturbances.”

Our own Communications Coordinator Francesca Galliano (also our first Linda Milbourn College Intern in 2021!) worked with IAE as a Field Technician and Crew Lead in 2021 and 2022, collecting native seeds for habitat restoration projects throughout Northern New Mexico including Bandelier National Monument, the Leonora Curtin Wetland Preserve, and the Jemez Mountains. Francesca and her team, in collaboration with IAE, also collected native seeds for the endangered New Mexico meadow jumping mouse and the endangered monarch butterfly—the seeds will be used to grow seedlings and restore the jumping mouse and monarch butterfly habitats.

Much of the mission and work if IAE aligns nicely with the mission of SFBG. We are in the process of developing even more pollinator-friendly gardens and maintenance practices in our Orchard and Ojos y Manos gardens, and including more education and programming around pollinator gardening. We’re also working on a management plan for our Piñon Juniper Woodland (PJW) that will include some restoration plans and habitat improvement and monitoring.

Our Mission

The Santa Fe Botanical Garden celebrates, cultivates and conserves the rich botanical heritage and biodiversity of our region. In partnership with nature, we demonstrate our commitment through education, science, conservation, community service, presentation of the arts, and the sustainable management of our public garden.

As we began designing the renewed pollinator garden in Ojos y Manos and developing the PJW management plan, we realized we wanted to expand the species diversity in both areas beyond the plants that are typically available in retail or even wholesale nurseries. We reached out to IAE this winter to see if they might be able to supply seeds from a list of native plants we wanted to add to our collection, or refer us to other organizations that might do so. We were thrilled to learn that they could, on behalf of their partners in the Southwest Seed Partnership, offer us seeds for just about all of the plants on our wish list.

We are delighted to now be able to make plans for planting these beautiful and ecologically beneficial plant species. We hope to sow some of the seed in the next month or so as the monsoon rains arrive, and we’ll hold some back for winter seeding, to allow the cold and snow to increase potential germination. Because we were able to find quite a number of plants to install in the new pollinator garden, many of the IAE seeds will be used to augment the existing natives in the PJ Woodland.

We also look forward to the possibility of partnering with IAE on future volunteer/education efforts such as seeding or other restoration/conservation initiatives. Many sincere and grateful thanks to the folks at IAE and their partners in the Southwest Seed Partnership!