The National Seed Strategy Supports Creation

Human influences such as invasive species, altered wildfire regimes, and natural disasters are negatively affecting our native plant communities and the many species that depend upon them. Our ability to repair these damaged lands and stem the loss of cultural and economic benefits to society depends upon appropriate seed, research, decision tools, and public support for ecological restoration. Through collaboration and communication, we can more effectively manage public lands and protect our valuable natural resources.

The National Seed Strategy fosters interagency collaboration to guide the development, availability, and use of seed needed for timely and effective restoration. The Strategy includes four goals, with associated objectives and initial actions (2015-2020) to improve seed supplies for restoring healthy and productive native plant communities.

The National Seed Strategy for Rehabilitation and Restoration will help guide ecological restoration across large landscapes of the United States, especially lands damaged by rangeland fires, invasive species, severe storms and drought.

Organizations and individuals at the national, state and local level all will contribute to common goals, pooling resources, sharing information and achieving results for advancing plant conservation on a broad scale. 

The National Seed Strategy: Making Progress   is now available online. This document highlights work being done to address each goal of the Seed Strategy, followed by ecoregional projects that illustrate the extent of collaborations that are underway to lay the foundation for a more comprehensive network of collectors, testers, and growers to make native plants more available across the country.

To receive some solace and peace during the pandemic read, A Poem for Papatuānuku - Mother Earth by Ngāti Hine/Ngāpuhi writer Nadine Anne Hura, andrecently shared by Jacinda Ardern, Prime Minister of New Zealand here. 

Multicare is asking for manufactured PPE and snacks for workers. They are encouraging blood donations too since supplies are low. https://www.multicare.org/news/donation-needs-COVID19/

MultiCare does not have any donation sites at their facilities. For a list of sites where you can donate blood, please visit  https://www.redcross.org/give-blood.html.

If people have unopened boxes of masks, gloves or gowns that they would like to donate they  can drop them off between 11a.m. and 2 p.m., Monday through Friday.

MultiCare Tacoma General/Mary Bridge Children's/Allenmore Hospitals - Tacoma General loading dock

402 S J St
Tacoma, Washington 98405

Please schedule food donations with Theresa Lerma, MultiCare Volunteer Services Coordinator, at  talerma@multicare.org. 

I work for Mary Bridge at the SeaMar Community Health Center on the hilltop in Tacoma. Sharon, Katie, and others have made cloth masks for us to provide to our patients and staff, and I can't begin to express how grateful I am for this! As you know, people of color and LatinX people in our community have been hit especially hard by this virus, and financially it's difficult to find money for any extras - even masks. To be able to provide families with masks to protect them, their loved ones, and our whole community, is a much appreciated gift.  The need continues- especially as we begin the process of phasing in more clinic visits and community activities.  

So, I thank you from the bottom of my heart!

Melanie Summerour