Tools for Keeping our Natural Areas Resilient: Developing Native Seed Resources and Managing for Pollinators
The Natural Areas Association, along with its long-time partners, the Arkansas Natural Heritage Program and U.S. Forest Service invite you to join us in central Arkansas May 7th and 8th for this important workshop for natural areas professionals. Connect with land managers, ecologists, and other experts from around the region as we tour several managed natural areas and restoration sites and learn about the various components of the Arkansas Native Seed Program, a statewide, multi-organization partnership working to develop commercially available ecoregional-genotype seed resources. Participants will see how this program uses volunteers to collect seeds from remnant natural areas, partners with private industry to propagate plants, and works with local farmers who multiply seeds in propagation fields and sell them on the open market. Along the way we will discuss important considerations for pollinators in our management of natural areas.