Our Programs
Seed Stewardship
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In order to expand access to Northeast native seeds, we’re building a first-of-its-kind Native Seed Center at Cape Elizabeth Land Trust’s Turkey Hill Farm. Our plants will grow in and among nature, in living seed banks, along the woodland edge, throughout the marshland, in the farmstead meadow. This gives these plants their best shot at evolving and adapting to a rapidly changing and unpredictable climate.
The Native Seed Center serves as a living example for visitors, where we show our communities what biodiversity looks like in action. Community members and volunteers who come to the Native Seed Center to learn and engage with our work can bring their knowledge back to their communities.
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Focusing on both conservation and access, we ethically hand-collect and distribute seeds from over 100 species of Northeast native plants each year. Volunteer seed stewards collect, clean, process and package seeds – and share their expertise with their communities.
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Our seed and plant sales help provide the public with access to wild-type seeds and seed-grown plants. Seeds are available in our online shop, and plants can be purchased at our annual fall plant sale, hosted at our Native Seed Center in Cape Elizabeth, ME.
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We are a member of APCAW, Ash Protection Collaboration Across Wabanakik, supporting efforts to protect the future of this culturally and ecologically significant species.
Youth & Adult Education
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Our educational programs for adults include hands-on workshops, webinars, Q&As with our staff ecologists, plant identification walks, and more.
We equip participants with the skills they need to collect and sow native seeds, adjust their land use practices to be more ecologically supportive, and understand the critical role that native plants play in building biodiverse, climate-resilient ecosystems.
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We partner with Maine schools and educators to integrate native plant ecology into existing curriculum, and expand outdoor learning spaces on school grounds. Activities often include exploring existing habitat around school grounds; expanding wildlife habitat through native plant installations; seed sowing; and more.
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WSP’s professional development intensive for educators focuses on decolonizing the language of environmental education, building safety and belonging in the natural world, and fostering relationships with Maine’s flora and fauna. Educators come away with expanded language for describing place-based relationships, ideas and resources for building outdoor education spaces at their schools, and new curriculum to try.
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Seeds for Teachers provides free native seeds to public school educators, a barrier-free initiative intended to inspire teachers to integrate native plants into their existing pollinator and plant units across grade levels.
Applied Ecology
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We work in partnership with libraries, municipalities, and non-profit organizations to install Community Seed Gardens that create wildlife-sustaining habitat at partner sites, and serve as future native seed collection sites for community members.
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The annual Wild Seed Project guidebook provides a rich array of resources focused on particular types of native flora for beginners and experts alike. Past publications include Native Trees, Groundcovers, and Shrubs for Northeast Landscapes; and Planting for Climate Resilience.
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From 2015 to 2021, we produced Wild Seed magazine. For each issue, we invited a variety of contributors to describe their work with native plants and with the region’s wild and cultivated landscapes, encouraging readers to enrich their appreciation for native plants and better care for the places we share.
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In addition to print publications and in-person workshops, we have an extensive, searchable library of online resources. Built up over 10 years, the library includes how-to tutorials, garden designs, planting lists, and deeper dives into the principles of collaborating with native plants to restore biodiversity. All available to the public, for free.
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Working with business partners, like Maine Beer Company, helps us reach new audiences. If you are interested in cultivating biodiversity and beauty at your business, get in touch with our Manager of Applied Ecology, Tyler Refsland.