Native Plant Conservation Campaign News: The Institute for Applied Ecology is the NPCC’s 52nd Affiliate organization!
July 31, 2018
The mission of the Institute for Applied Ecology is to conserve native species and habitats through restoration, research and education. They perform groundbreaking restoration, research and public education in pursuit of this mission.
Their vision is a world where all people and wildlands are healthy and interact positively, biological diversity flourishes, and environmental challenges are met with a social commitment to solving problems with scientific principles.
Key IAE projects include:
- The Native Seed Network - a program dedicated to increasing awareness about native plants and providing information about how to find, select and use the right locally adapted seed for restoration, revegetation and gardening projects.
- The Habitat Restoration Program creates and manages habitat for plants and wildlife and attempts to restore Pacific Northwest habitats by conducting on-the-ground restoration, developing ecologically appropriate seed sources, cultivating partnerships that promote regional conservation, and advancing innovative and research-based restoration techniques.
- The Sagebrush in Prisons Project is an environmental partnership between the Institute for Applied Ecology, Department of Corrections, and the Bureau of Land Management to provide unique and meaningful ecological activities to incarcerated men and women with the goal of restoring native habitat for the greater sage-grouse in the great basin region through a six state plant production and ecological education initiative.
- The Conservation Research Program conducts research on propagation methods and how to best ensure survival upon outplanting for a variety of rare species.
- Making more milkweeds for monarchs has produced breakthroughs in milkweed seed germination
Among our favorite IAE projects is the annual
Invasive Species Cook-off. As their website states "If you make a mean blackberry pie, dandelion wine, crayfish etouffee, nutria stew, knotweed IPA, fried bullfrog legs or anything else that contains invasive species, then you could win an award!"
