Join us for a discussion about native seeds, their importance in resilient ecosystems, and the current efforts underway to secure the U.S. native seed supply.
Relevant Resources:
About the Event
Across the country, native plants, or plants that grow naturally in a specific region or ecosystem, provide key goods and services to surrounding communities. Native plants are crucial in maintaining bird, fish, and animal populations and help stabilize the soil. Notably, native plants also help mitigate the impacts of extreme events like floods and wildfires because of their tolerance to ambient conditions.
For federal, state, and tribal agencies, maintaining a supply of seeds from native plants is a major challenge. Without native seeds, efforts to regenerate or bolster land affected by extreme weather events, invasive plants, and other hazards can be ineffective. Susan Harrison (University of California, Davis) moderated a conversation between Kay Havens (Chicago Botanic Garden) and Carol Capobianco (SUNY Westchester Community College) exploring the value of native seeds, strategies for shoring up their supply, and opportunities for regional partnerships.
Participant Bios
Susan Harrison is department chair and distinguished professor in the department of Environmental Science & Policy at the University of California, Davis. Her research seeks to understand the large-scale (biogeographic, evolutionary) and small-scale (ecological) forces controlling the diversity of plant communities. She received her B.S. (Zoology) 1983, M.S. (Ecology) from the University of California, Davis and Ph.D. (Biology 1989) from Stanford University, and was a Postdoctoral Researcher at the Centre for Population Biology, Imperial College at Silwood Park, England (1990-1991).
Kay Havens holds a B.S. and an M.A. in Botany from Southern Illinois University and a Ph.D. in Biology from Indiana University. She is the Negaunee Vice President of Science and Chief Scientist at Chicago Botanic Garden. Her research interests include ex situ conservation, the native seed supply chain, restoration genetics, and pollination networks. She is active in conservation advocacy with elected officials, and collaborates with a variety of academic institutions, agencies, and stewardship organizations to help improve conservation and restoration efforts for plants and plant communities.
Carol Capobianco is Director of The Native Plant Center at SUNY Westchester Community College, where she has provided leadership since 2012 in advancing the Center’s work of promoting the use of native plants. Carol cultivated her interest in native plants and an understanding of their ecological significance through her work at nature-based organizations: The New York Botanical Garden, the National Audubon Society, and Groundwork Hudson Valley.
Climate Conversations: Pathways to Action is a monthly webinar series from the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine that aims to convene high-level, cross-cutting, nonpartisan conversations about issues relevant to policy action on climate change.
