Cooperative Agreement L23AC00693

NATIVE PLANT SEEDS PROVIDE NUMEROUS BENEFITS INCLUDING RESTORING DAMAGED LANDSCAPES, PROTECTING PLANT GENETIC BIODIVERSITY, AND SUPPORTING HEALTHY ECOSYSTEMS. HAVING ADAPTED TO THEIR ENVIRONMENTS OVER THOUSANDS OF YEARS, HARVESTING LOCAL NATIVE PLANT SEEDS WILL HELP US ESTABLISH A VIABLE NATIVE SEED BANK IN AREAS WHERE THE GROUND AND VEGETATION HAS BEEN DISTURBED, REDUCING THE LIKELIHOOD INVASIVE PLANTS COULD TAKE OVER. NOT HAVING TO RELY ON STORE-BOUGHT SEEDS THAT CAN STILL HAVE INVASIVES PRESENT AND COLLECTING OUR OWN IS A WAY TO ENSURE THE CONTENTS ARE LOCAL TO THE REGION. THE COPPER RIVER WATERSHED PROJECT (CRWP) SEEKS FUNDING TO CREATE A NATIVE PLANT SEED PROGRAM FOR THE COPPER BASIN AND COPPER RIVER WATERSHED. BLM FUNDS WILL BE USED TO ACCOMPLISH THE FOLLOWING OBJECTIVES:1) DEVELOP SKILLS TO SUPPORT A NATIVE SEED BANK WITHIN THE COPPER BASIN 2) COORDINATE COLLECTION, PROCESSING, AND STORAGE OF NATIVE PLANT SEED WITHIN THE COPPER BASIN AND COPPER RIVER WATERSHED 3) ENGAGE COPPER BASIN RESIDENTS, INCLUDING YOUTH, IN SEED-BASED RESTORATION EFFORTS THROUGH THE SEEDING STEWARDS PROGRAM AND4) EDUCATE COPPER BASIN RESIDENTS, INCLUDING YOUTH, ABOUT THE IMPORTANCE OF NATIVE PLANT SPECIES AND SOURCING SEEDS LOCALLY.TO ACCOMPLISH THESE OBJECTIVES, CRWP AND COPPER RIVER NATIVE ASSOCIATION (CRNA) STAFF WILL ATTEND TRAININGS AND WORKSHOPS THROUGH THE ALASKA NATIVE PLANT SOCIETY, NATIVE SEED NETWORK, AND TERRAFORMATION.COM, FACILITATE THE COLLECTION, PROCESSING, CLEANING, DRYING, AND STORAGE OF NATIVE PLANT SEEDS THROUGHOUT THE COPPER BASIN AND COPPER RIVER WATERSHED. THE CRWP WILL IMPLEMENT SCHOOL YEAR PROGRAMMING ON NATIVE PLANTS AND PLANT CONSERVATION. VOLUNTEERS FROM THE REGION WILL BE ENGAGED IN COLLECTION EFFORTS, NOT ONLY HELPING ACHIEVE PROJECT GOALS, BUT PROVIDING IMPORTANT OUTREACH OPPORTUNITIES ABOUT NATIVE PLANTS. AS A RESULT OF THIS PROJECT, NATIVE PLANT SEEDS WILL BE SOURCED FROM LOCAL ENVIRONMENTS TO BE USED IN ECOLOGICAL RESTORATION EFFORTS THROUGHOUT THE COPPER BASIN.