Project Profile: Increase Native Seed Production for Upper Colorado Basin

A Yellowstone National Park Biological Technician transplants seed sprouts to cones.

NPS/Jacob W. Frank

Bipartisan Infrastructure Law
National Seed Strategy | FY22 $200,000

The National Park Service will increase seed production and storage of native species to be used for restoration in parks within and adjacent to the Upper Colorado Basin. Native seed production will be focused in high-elevation environments (higher than 6,000 ft) of Capitol Reef National Park, Grand Teton National Park and John D. Rockefeller Parkway, Southeast Utah Group (Arches National Park, Canyonlands National Park, Natural Bridges National Monument, Hovenweep National Monument), and Yellowstone National Park. The project supports the implementation of the National Seed Strategy for Rehabilitation and Restoration.

Why? Park-sourced seed is needed for restoration across landscapes, including recovery of disturbed areas impacted by transportation, facility developments, and other activities.

What Else? This project will help NPS strategically identify shared park needs and invest in larger-scale production of native ’workhorse’ species for the revegetation of grasslands, sagebrush, and arid lands.

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.