Our mission is to conserve native species and habitats through
restoration, research and education. Join us with your donation today by clicking below.
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"If I have seen further, it is by standing on the shoulders of giants." - Sir Isaac Newton |
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From Home on the Range to Home on the Farm:
Tracking the Genetic Identity of Seeds through the Plant Materials Cycle
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Each year, the Southwest Seed Partnership works with partners to collect native plant seed from wild populations. This is the humble first step in the plant materials cycle, the process of producing native plant materials (seeds and nursery-grown plants) for restoration of degraded ecosystems. Throughout all steps of the plant materials cycle, we take care to preserve the genetic diversity found in wild collected seed. In partnership with the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) and the New Mexico Bureau of Land Management (BLM), we are working to study the effectiveness of our methods and inform our approach to increasing the availability of locally-adapted native plant materials. Read More
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Marys Peak: Upcoming Care for a Beloved Meadow |
Standing atop Marys Peak, it’s easy to focus on the beautiful landscapes in the distance. The tallest peak in the Coast Range gives a unique view of the surrounding range, Oregon's Willamette Valley, a number of Cascade Range volcanoes and, when conditions are right, even a little patch of ocean. If you’ve never made the trip to the top, you should. Seriously, clear your schedule, it is worth it! Read More
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Though the cool rains still fall at our Corvallis area farm locations, spring’s intrepid blooms have begun to brighten the gloom. Rather than describe their beauty, we thought a photo farm tour might be more fun! Read More
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Staff Spotlight:
Frederick Livingston
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Frederick Livingston is an Ecological Education Coordinator, managing IAE’s various ecological restoration and outreach projects including Sagebrush in Prisons Project in Oregon, Idaho and California. His background has roamed widely, but focuses on experiential education and sustainable agriculture in the Pacific Northwest. Frederick holds a master’s degree in Environment, Development, and Peace from the University for Peace in Costa Rica, and a bachelor’s degree in Environmental Science from Western Washington University. His graduate project involved propagating tropical fruit trees, and explored the metaphors trees offer for ecological healing. Frederick’s previous roles have included teaching Biointensive agriculture in Northern California, leading conservation crews across Oregon, serving as an environmental extension officer with Peace Corps Tanzania, and leading experiential programing throughout East Africa and the Pacific Northwest. His journey also includes poetry, WWOOfing from Japan to Southern Africa, bicycle touring, and sock modeling. His ultimate career goal is to become a tree. |
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Announcements & Brief Updates |
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Northwest Plant Materials Program |
We are working with several coastal partners including Northwest Oregon Restoration Partnership, The Understory Initiative, and U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service to develop a plant materials collaborative that will produce plant materials to be used in Oregon Silverspot Butterfly restoration projects. The collaborative will collect seed, establish seed increase beds, grow plugs, and disburse a seed mix and plugs to land managers with shovel ready projects. We will begin seed collection on the coast this month to contribute to this effort! Photo: Oregon silverspot butterfly on edible thistle (Cirsium edule) at Cascade Head Biosphere Reserve. Photo by Erin Sullivan.
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IAE's Conservation Research Program is dealing with the challenges of a cooler wetter April. For the CR program, the field season starts with a bang in early April, but the potentially cool and wet conditions in spring bring some uncertainty. This year is a good example. Our plant-pollinator crew in the Willamette Valley has had to delay field surveys due to pollinator inactivity caused by cooler weather, and our field crews in Eastern Oregon (a study examining forb restoration treatments to benefit greater sage-grouse) and Idaho (rare plant surveys) have even had to deal with snow! Conditions change rapidly, so we are still prepared to ramp up efforts when conditions improve. |
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Southwest Office hiring Education and Outreach Coordinator |
IAE Southwest seeks to hire an Education and Outreach Coordinator to lead ecological education programs and coordinate outreach and volunteer events, primarily in the Santa Fe – Albuquerque area. This position is ideal for an educator who enjoys leading and supporting a diversity of projects in education, conservation, and outreach. Our education and conservation projects are based in botany, ecology, and horticulture, with a hands-on and outdoor focus. In addition to leading education programming for the SW office, the Education and Outreach Coordinator (EOC) will work with IAE staff across programs and offices to expand our mission through volunteer events and community engagement. The EOC leads our Forest Bound outdoor program for teens as well as our New Mexico Nature in Prisons program. Read More & Apply
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Northwest Office Hiring an Accountant |
Join our team! IAE Northwest Office in Corvallis, Oregon, is hiring an Accountant to manage grants and contracts, receive and document payments, and report on financials. Closes soon, please share with your networks! More Info
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Golden Paintbrush Tour, May 7 |
Discover the luminous golden paintbrush (Castilleja levisecta), once a plentiful Willamette Valley wildflower, and learn about IAE’s efforts to restore the species back to Oregon. IAE Executive Director Tom Kaye will lead this botanical walk. Meet at the Finley National Wildlife Refuge's Woodpecker Loop Trailhead. Family-friendly (though please leave Fido at home), rain or shine, no RSVP needed! Read More
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Rescheduled Farm Tour, May 10 |
Join the Institute for Applied Ecology and Benton Soil and Water Conservation District (BSWCD) to tour IAE's native plant farm with experts in propagating and producing native plants to provide restoration sites with pollinator and wildlife resources. We will gather Tuesday, May 10 at 1 pm at the Oregon State University Vegetable Farm plots dedicated to raising native plants. BSWCD and IAE staff will discuss techniques for native plant production and management, weed control, use of fire, companion planting, and lessons learned. Join us and learn from our community's native plant experts. Please dress appropriately for this outdoor event, including boots. Check the IAE calendar for more info and detailed directions.
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Join Our Work - Volunteer, Become an IAE Member
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IAE Board of Directors:
Ken Bierly, President; Brandy Humphreys, Vice President; Cary Stephens, Secretary; Jack Halsey, Treasurer; Jason Bradford, Anne Bradley, Shinji Kawai, Judy Li, John Savage, Carol Savonen, Sunia Yang
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