March Speaker Series: Wyoming Native Seed Partnership - Potentials of Wyoming Native Seed
The Wyoming Native Seed Partnership will share their research into native seed in conservation and reclamation efforts, and their pilot program to recruit and compensate growers for their participation in native seed reclamation programs.
Time & Location
Mar 26, 2026, 6:30 PM – 7:30 PM MDT
Zoom
About the event
Our March Speaker Series will feature Wyoming Native Seed Partnership (A Nature Conservancy in Wyoming project) and the Wyoming Native Plant Nursery, represented by plant scientist Michaela Owens and Nursery Manager Shannon Kelly.
A lack of native seed availability in Wyoming limits restoration and reclamation projects’ ability to successfully provide quality habitat and forage for wildlife. There are many well-known challenges to improving native seed supply, including critical knowledge gaps from seed collection to field establishment. The Nature Conservancy in Wyoming is working to address these knowledge gaps through a holistic approach.
The Wyoming Native Seed Partnership begins by collecting wild seed from high priority species with unknown seed dormancy. In the lab, they evaluate dormancy status and develop dormancy break protocols for each collection. Next, we move the seeds into the field where we sow them at reclamation sites in Wyoming to test their establishment success in significantly disturbed lands. We use this information to make recommendations about what species are most likely to be successful in a variety of restoration and reclamation projects. Lastly, we are working toward growing these species in a cultivation setting to answer critical questions about water requirements, pest and disease, seed yield, and other factors important to seed producers. Our hope is that by gathering this comprehensive set of information and being able to provide it to potential seed producers we can begin to address the numerous challenges that limit the availability and use of native seed for restoration.
Our ultimate goal is to bring new producers to the native seed market in a way that is financially viable to them. We are actively looking for producers willing to try growing these new species, and we offer upfront compensation for their efforts. We’re currently in the early stages of recruiting new growers to our grower incubator program. Please join us to learn more about our work and how you can diversify your farm and help address a critical conservation issue.
Our speaker series would happen virtually, March 26, from 6:30 - 7:30 pm. Zoom links will be distributed to attendees via registration and reminder emails before March 26, 2026.