Our vision is a world where all people and wildlands are healthy and interact positively, biological diversity flourishes, and environmental challenges are met with a social commitment to solving problems with scientific principles. |
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"We must be free not because we claim freedom, but because we practice it." - William Faulkner |
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Celebrating Earth Day 2023 in Oregon |
by IAE Staff
This Earth Month, we are excited to be a member of the Earth Day Oregon campaign. As a member, we join together with other nonprofits, businesses, and community members statewide to create a groundswell of support for the local organizations leading us to a sustainable future. Read More
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Staff Highlight: Jeni Nugent |
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Jeni Nugent is the Farm Technician with the Northwest Plant Materials Program (PMP) of IAE, based in Corvallis, Oregon.
IAE: Was there an experience or memory that helped steer your career into conservation?
Jeni: My passion for market gardening grew from a long list of multi-disciplinary interests. Being from New England, forestry and restoration efforts on public land were less prevalent. It was not until moving to the Pacific Northwest that it became not only an interest, but an opportunity. I am eager to expand my experience with agriculture to the world of habitat restoration and conservation. Nothing makes me happier than witnessing the germination, development, success and the enormous potential of region-specific flora. Not only do I love the connection between plants, I admire the significance plants provide to all communities, human and non-human. I do hope to study these interactions further by pursuing a masters degree in soil science. Learning is a passion of mine. a passion I look forward to exploring at the Institute of Applied Ecology. Read More
Thank you for all you do, Jeni!
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Announcements & Brief Updates |
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Plants for People
Earth Day Volunteer Event
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April 22, 9am - 1pm
Restoring First Foods Habitat
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This Earth Day in Oregon, you are invited to join the Institute for Applied Ecology and the Confederated Tribes of the Grand Ronde to help restore prairie habitat at a First Foods Harvest Area in Champoeg State Heritage Area. Land conversion and degradation in the Pacific Northwest has led to a loss of over 99% of historical prairie habitat, including culturally significant species. You can help us restore indigenous First Foods in native prairie habitat, while contributing to the recovery of the land!
- When: Saturday, April 22, 9am - 1pm
- Where: Champoeg State Heritage Area
- What: Removing weeds from First Foods harvest area
RSVP to Evan Lasley at evanlasley@appliedeco.org if you would like to join this important restoration event. All are welcome! Exact location will be provided on confirmation. A restroom is available on site, and limited carpooling from Corvallis is available.
Thank you to everyone who has already RSVP'd and the wonderful community response we've received to this event!
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Santa Fe County is sponsoring a special event at the County Fairgrounds to celebrate Earth Day! Visitors can learn from rainwater harvesting experts, help put the finishing touches on a new rain garden, get answers to your gardening questions from Master Gardeners, enjoy live music, and learn about local sustainability initiatives! Representatives from Santa Fe County and community organizations will be sharing resources and activities at booths throughout the event.
Schedule
- 9:00 - 9:30 a.m.: Breakfast snacks & refreshments
- 9:30 - 10:20 a.m.: Presentations from The RainCatcher, Inc. and Santa Fe Extension Master Gardeners
- 10:20 a.m. - 12:00 p.m.: Hands-on gardening activities and music
Registration: Registration is encouraged. Click here to sign up. Participants will be required to sign a waiver before participating in any gardening activities. Click here to download the waiver.
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Southwest Office Update
Understory Seeds for the Four Forest Restoration Initiative in Arizona
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The 2022 Four Forest Restoration Initiative (4FRI) seed collection crew at the Grand Canyon, from left to right, Josie Moe, Eric Loeffelholz, Zasha Welsh (Photo credit: Taylor Cain) |
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This Spring, the Southwest Office is working with the Tonto and Kaibab National Forests in Arizona to increase the availability of seeds for restoration following forest overstory treatments.
This work is part of the Four Forest Restoration Initiative (4FRI), a collaborative effort between the Kaibab, Coconino, Apache-Sitgreaves and Tonto National Forests to restore fire-adapted forests in Northern Arizona through mechanical thinning, prescribed burning, and other treatments to reduce forest fuel loads.
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Eric Loeffelholz and Zasha Welsh collecting squirrel tail (Elymus elymoides) from a seed production field (Photo credit: Josie Moe)
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We are focused on providing seeds for native wildflowers and grasses that can help stabilize the soil and prevent invasive species from taking over following ground disturbing fuel treatments, while also restoring ecological diversity.
To date, our teams have made over 100 wild collections, and 5 species have been planted at Arizona farms in seed increase fields! Seed collection will continue this year, and two additional species will be planted into new seed production fields this summer.
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Volunteers Requested: Seed Cleaning Events |
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Please consider joining us for one or multiple Seed Cleaning Events at the Southwest Seed Partnership Seed Studio (1413 2nd St., Suite # 4) in Santa Fe, New Mexico. All events are 1-4pm, and are scheduled for April 19, May 3, May 17, and May 31.
Volunteers are welcome to join for the entire time, or stop in for an hour or two. Please note the event is limited to 5 people, it will be first come first serve - and we will have a waitlist if we get more interest than we can host. If you have any questions, e-mail: mariarodriguez@appliedeco.org.
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Northwest Farm Update
Spring has Sprung!
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Our 2.5 acre IAE native seed farm is showing signs of life despite the cool, rainy spring. The plant shown here is Lathyrus holochlorus, thin-leafed peavine, a rare species of concern that has provided a difficult "code to crack" for establishment in a production setting.
In 2021, live snowberry stakes were added to provide structure for the peavine to climb and provide shade. The addition of this companion plant has helped the species immensely - last year we found flower buds for the first time and we have high hopes for this species in the 2023 growing season!
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2023 Liz & Bob Frenkel Environment and Hiking Spring Webinar Series |
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Regenerating and Hiking Willamette Valley Wetlands
All Webinars on Wednesday Nights at 7:00 pm
Pre-registration required
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Wetlands include forested wetlands, marshes, ponds and wet prairies. Previous to 1840, much of the Willamette Valley was wetlands. Today, only about 1% remain, making it critical that we regenerate more wetlands of all types. This series looks at success stories, some near completion, some in process. They each represent different public ownerships, different issues, different techniques and different outcomes. They are also publicly accessible for hiking. We encourage you to watch all three webinars to gain a broad understanding of wetlands, what it takes to regenerate them and what you will see when you hike around them.
April 19th - Herbert Farm Natural Area
Jude Geist, Parks and Natural Resources Manager, City of Corvallis
Tom Kaye, Executive Director, Institute for Applied Ecology
Sara Alaica, Restoration Ecologist, Institute for Applied Ecology
May 17th - Owens Farm/Jackson-Frazier Wetland Complex
Jessica McDonald, Executive Director, Greenbelt Land Trust
Jesse Ott, Acting Director, Benton County Natural Areas, Parks and Events Dept.
Meredith Petit, Director, Corvallis Parks and Recreation Dept.
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Plants in Prisons Program Update: California City Correctional Facility |
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In California, mountains and fields are covered in shades of yellow, purple and orange. Blooming flowers paint the landscape, evoking feelings of change.
California City Correctional Facility, where our ecological education program is currently taking place, is undergoing much change as well. The facility is scheduled to shut down in March 2024 under Governor Newsom’s executive order.
Amidst the transition our program is still running, and committed to growing Mojave Desert plants for seed increase.
In February, the seed crew put together a soil mix to sow Eriogonum fasciculatum, Lepidium fremontii, and Sphaeralcea ambigua. By the end of the day, a crew member expressed with a smile on his face, “I feel accomplished.” It was his first time sowing seeds, and he claimed it would not be the last time.
In the following weeks, to our surprise, we received quite a few rainy days. The seeds were watered mostly by rain before germinating - increasing the number of plants growing in the nursery.
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We are currently hiring for a Full Time Executive Director as part of the planned transition of our Founder, Tom Kaye, into his new role with IAE: Chief Science Officer.
We are also hiring for a Conservation Technician II based in Santa Fe, New Mexico. Full job descriptions and application details can be found in the links on our website at www.appliedeco.org/jobs.
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Volunteer, Become an IAE Member! |
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If you'd like to show your business's support
for our work, please get in touch:
(541) 753-3099 x 701
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Ken Bierly, Brandy Humphreys, Cary Stephens, Jack Halsey, Jason Bradford, Anne Bradley, Shinji Kawai, Judy Li, John Savage, Sunia Yang |
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