Hello, 

As climate change fuels unprecedented heat waves around the world this June, it can be difficult to keep hope for our planet alive. Gathering and planting seed, creating microhabitats—the work we do, these are acts of hope. In this issue, we feature a newly released tool for helping more people learn about collecting, processing and sowing native seed. We also highlight an article in which renowned horticulturalists weigh in on combinations of native plants for gardens—hope combined with inspiration. Some Village and Wilderness updates are also included: A recent profile in Blue Dot Magazine and a heads-up about our workshop at the Land Trust Alliance’s Rally in September. Perhaps we will see you there in person... 

Stay cool, stay hopeful,

Tom & Tripti

SPOTLIGHT

Native Seed Collection Training

Lake County Forest Preserves in IL has partnered with The Nature Conservancy to create a free tool for learning about native seed collection, processing and sowing. The resource is easy to navigate with beautiful photographs illustrating the plant-seed cycle of many species. To quote the official announcement, “The training is intended for all levels of experience with native seed activities. It is an excellent resource for those interested in starting a native seed program and can be provided as an initial training for volunteers before joining a native seed activity and/or shared with community partners. It covers basic concepts including types of seed, collection techniques, processing and more. Beyond the basics, it provides specific guidance for a variety of mostly non-woody plant species found natively in the Midwest and Eastern regions of the United States.” Questions? Please contact Megan Whatton, Nature Allies Program Manager, The Nature Conservancy (megan.whatton@TNC.org).

INSPIRATION

Favorite Native Plant Combinations

Check out this article in Gardenista, in which renowned landscape designers and ecological horticulturalists recently weighed in on their favorite native plant combinations for different parts of the country. Perhaps these will spark new ideas for those of us in the midst of creating microhabitat designs.

V&W FEATURE

Village and Wilderness in Blue Dot Magazine

Tom was invited to provide a profile of Village and Wilderness and the Microhabitat Program Incubator, in Blue Dot Magazine earlier this spring. Read this piece to get a refresher on who we are and what we do.

EVENTS

Village and Wilderness at Rally 2024

We are delighted that our proposal for a workshop at the Land Trust Alliance’s Rally in Providence, RI, was accepted. This session—Small Spaces-Big Impact: How Yard Habitat Programs Advance Land Trusts—on Friday 9/27 3:30-5pm ET, will be moderated by Tom and feature panelists Mary Fortmann (Lands in Harmony program, Openlands), Glenn Lamb (Land Trust Alliance board member, former ED of Columbia Land Trust), Tania Parker (Rewild Ojai, Ojai Valley Land Conservancy) and Beth Peluse (Conservation@Home, The Conservation Foundation). If you are planning to attend Rally this year, please let us know, as we would love to connect in person there if possible.

What is a “Microhabitat Program”?

Microhabitat programs restore ecosystem function in the fragmented landscape be it for people or biodiversity or both. Examples include community-scale efforts to create backyard habitats, bioswales in urban areas, pollinator patches along agricultural margins and more.

Interested in supporting our work?

Donate today. Your support allows us to provide pro bono services to community-based nonprofits to help them create and share community-scale climate adaptation strategies—such as microhabitat programs. 

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Have thoughts, ideas or feedback for us? Get in touch at info@villageandwilderness.org

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We help community-based organizations invent, share and grow replicable, climate adaptation solutions. Our flagship project is the Microhabitat Program Incubator.