Project Profile: Collect and Curate Native Seed for Fourteen California Parks

Seed Crew members in Whiskeytown National Recreation Area.

NPS Photo

Bipartisan Infrastructure Law
National Seed Strategy | FY22 $342,000

The National Park Service will collect and curate seeds to support native plant materials development and subsequent restoration at 14 national park units across California. Seed collection is the basis for native plant materials development and restoration in national parks. The National Park Service will provide resource managers with the capacity to systematically collect seed for rare plant conservation and restoration in grassland ecosystems across California. Project outcomes include increasing plant materials and expanding agency botanical capacity to support implementation of the National Seed Strategy.

Why? California grasslands, both along the coast and in the interior, have been disturbed by grazing, farming, urbanization, and fire resulting in conditions suitable for invasive annual grasses from the Mediterranean region. The spread of these invasive species has significantly diminished the biodiversity of grasslands statewide.

What Else? Through this project, the National Park Service will develop deeper relationships across academic, non-governmental organizations, and industry to support the genetic integrity of national park ecosystems. Partnerships will enable NPS to develop sustainable seedbanks for restoration needs in the future.

Bipartisan Infrastructure Law – Ecosystem Restoration

This project was made possible by the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law – Ecosystem Restoration, signed on November 15, 2021. It is a historic investment in the restoration and protection of the environment.