Cooperative Agreement F25AC00611

The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, through the Candidate Species Conservation program (CFDA 15.660), awarded a $135,250 Cooperative Agreement to the Institute for Applied Ecology effective January 1, 2025. The agreement will fund a 3-person crew to collect wild native seed from sagebrush steppe habitat sites in central Washington. These seed collections will support restoration and recovery efforts under the Sagebrush Steppe Plant Materials Project. The seed collections will be used for native plant plug grow-outs, larger-scale seed amplification, and storage for future restoration use. This project aims to increase the supply of genetically appropriate native plant materials to aid habitat restoration on lands managed by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, Bureau of Land Management, and National Park Service, thereby supporting biodiversity protection of the sagebrush steppe ecosystem.