Madrean Archipelago Native Plant Materials Development and Community Outreach

archived

FUNDING OPPORTUNITY DESCRIPTION A. Project Background Information: The BLM is the largest purchaser of native seed in North America and has a vested interest in having native plant material available to restore public lands, reduced cost of native plant materials, and reduced restoration costs by identification of best management practices for effectively implementing restoration efforts. Implementation of a native plant material program at an ecoregional level provides opportunities for incorporating appropriate species and genetic and phenotypic variation within regional climatic ranges and biotic communities. This scale provides for broad collaboration and subsequent cost reduction. A large portion of the BLM Gila District is within the Madrean Archipelago Ecoregion, which is the focus of this agreement. B. Project Objective: The principle purpose of this project is to: ¿ Make available native plant materials,which are not currently available in commercial quantities. ¿ Reduce native plant material costs by increasing the quantity available and improving recruitment success. ¿ Connect local communities in nature and restoration of lands through public meetings,establishment of pollinator gardens, and workshops on native plant propagation and restoration. Due to the paucity of information available on the restoration of lands within the Madrean Archipelago Ecoregion and the vast botanical diversity within it, one of the initial requirements to refine a native plant material program is to identify focal species to incorporate into restoration practices. This will require botanical inventories of key ecological sites or habitats to determine which species are reduced across the region and which species would be most beneficial to focus resources on. A substantial focus of this agreement will be on pollinator plants as they play a key role in the food chain and the subsequent support of faunal diversity. Relatively few species within the Ecoregion have had their grow-out requirements or limitations recorded. Documenting and publishing how to most efficiently grow out native plants for restoration projects and how to seed them is critical to reduce redundant efforts, reduce costs, and improve the effectiveness of restoration efforts within the region. For restoration to be sustainable and effective, local citizens need to understand the benefits derived from the restorations and actively participate in restoring ecosystems and ecosystem services in their own communities. The objective of this agreement is to conserve, enhance and restore grassland ecosystems in central Arizona to benefit the public.

High