Description
The Bureau of Land Management's Plant Conservation and Restoration Program (PCRP) is seeking partners to join in strengthening America's native seed supply chain. The program aims to build a sustainable, low-cost native seed supply chain that includes a variety of native species. The PCRP has improved the availability and use of locally adapted, genetically appropriate native seed, and has made more than 27,000 native seed collections across 44 states and 93 ecoregions. The program seeks partnerships to collaborate with state agriculture departments, NRCS, and others to expand farmer access to the seed market, work with wildlife agencies and others to implement post-fire recovery, restore migration corridors, and protect priority species, and develop technology and infrastructure for seed collection, cleaning, banking, and production of hard-to-grow species.
Some key aspects of the job and scope-of-work include:
• Local seed collections to diversify species in the marketplace while creating employment opportunities
• Support for farmers and nonprofits entering the native seed market to strengthen rural economies and shared stewardship
• Nursery production of species unsuitable for direct seeding to support healthy rangelands, forests, and watersheds
• Applied science and innovation to reduce costs, lower risk, and improve restoration outcomes
• Manage native plant communities and special status plants to maintain multiple use and sustained yield