Center For Plant Conservation Inc

THIS PROGRAM SUPPORTS PROJECTS THAT FURTHER THE MISSION OF THE NATIONAL PARK SERVICE AND EFFORTS IN NATURAL AND CULTURAL RESOURCE CONSERVATION, PROTECTION, AND ENVIRONMENTAL SUSTAINABILITY THAT ARE NOT COVERED UNDER OTHER SPECIFIC FINANCIAL ASSISTANCE PROGRAMS. AN AGREEMENT WITH CENTER FOR PLANT CONSERVATION WILL UTILIZE AN EXPANSIVE NETWORK OF BOTANICAL PROFESSIONALS WHO WILL COLLECT PLANT MATERIAL SUCH AS SEEDS, CUTTING, AND SPORES WITH THE PURPOSE OF PROPAGATING PLANTS TO USE FOR STABILIZING AT-RISK POPULATIONS. BENEFICIARIES INCLUDE PROFIT ORGANIZATIONS, PUBLIC NON-PROFIT INSTITUTIONS ORGANIZATIONS, PRIVATE NON-PROFIT INSTITUTIONS ORGANIZATIONS, NON-FEDERAL GOVERNMENT ENTITIES, INDUSTRY AND PUBLIC DECISION MAKERS, RESEARCH SCIENTISTS, ENGINEERS, AND THE GENERAL PUBLIC.

PLANT CONSERVATION AND RECOVERY

RARE PLANT SPECIES ARE INCREASINGLY VULNERABLE TO MULTIPLE GLOBAL AND LOCAL STRESSORS ESPECIALLY WILDFIRE. ACROSS THE INTERMOUNTAIN WEST MANY RARE PLANT SPECIES ONLY EXIST IN ONE OR TWO POPULATIONS WORLDWIDE AND MANY OF THOSE POPULATIONS ARE AT RISK OF EXTIRPATION BY WILDFIRE. ASSEMBLING EX SITU COLLECTIONS FROM WILD POPULATIONS IN BOTANICAL GARDENS ZOOS OR CRYOGENIC STORAGE FACILITIES SEED AND GENE BANKS IS AN IMPORTANT COMPONENT OF FULL SPECTRUM CONSERVATION ACTIVITIES. OFFSITE STORAGE AND CULTIVATION OF GENETICALLY APPROPRIATE PLANT MATERIAL IS A CRITICAL STEP IN SUPPORTING RESTORATION IN THE WILD. SEED COLLECTIONS STORED IN OFFSITE SEED BANKS ARE A CRITICAL AND COSTEFFECTIVE MANAGEMENT STRATEGY INTENDED TO SUPPORT THE PERSISTENCE OF WILD IN SITU PLANT POPULATIONS. SEEDS PROVIDE THE LIVING MATERIAL FOR POPULATION ENHANCEMENT RESTORATION AND RECOVERY OPPORTUNITIES FOR RESEARCH AND SERVE AS AN INSURANCE POLICY AGAINST EXTINCTION. SOME SPECIES HOWEVER MAY NOT BE BEST CONSERVED LONGTERM USING CONVENTIONAL SEED BANKING METHODS. IN THESE CASES CUTTINGS OR LIVE PLANT COLLECTIONS ARE NECESSARY FOR ESTABLISHING EX SITU COLLECTIONS OF FIELD GENEBANKS LIVING COLLECTIONS. THESE METHODS PROVIDE THE NECESSARY PLANT MATERIAL TO MAINTAIN THE GENETIC INTEGRITY OF ECOTYPE FLORISTICS AND PROVIDE FOR THE CONSERVATION OF RARE SPECIES AND VITAL HABITATS. CONSERVATION COLLECTIONS ARE ULTIMATELY INTENDED FOR REINTRODUCTION TO THE LANDSCAPE TO CONTRIBUTE TO THE VIABILITY AND EVOLUTIONARY POTENTIAL OF IN SITU POPULATIONS AND TO CONTRIBUTE TO ASSISTED MIGRATION OR OTHER CLIMATEADAPTIVE RESTORATION ACTIONS AS DEEMED NECESSARY FOR CONSERVATION OF THE SPECIES AS A WHOLE IN ACCORDANCE WITH DOI POLICIES.

THE CENTER FOR PLANT CONSERVATION WILL CONDUCT RESEARCH THAT LEVERAGES THE RARE PLANT SEED COLLECTIONS STORED IN THE CALIFORNIA PLANT RESCUE NETWORK TO INFORM BETTER CURATION OF SMALL COLLECTIONS. PROPAGATION OF EXISTING COLLECTIONS TO INCREASE SEED QUANTITIES FOR CURATION, OR SEED AUGMENTATION, IS AN IMPORTANT PRACTICE THAT HELPS CURATORS LIMIT DETERIORATION OF GENETIC DIVERSITY WITHIN COLLECTIONS. THIS PROJECT WILL ADDRESS THE LACK OF SPECIFIC GUIDELINES FOR UNDERTAKING THIS WORK. IN COLLABORATION WITH SEVEN MEMBERS OF THE CALIFORNIA PLANT RESCUE NETWORK, THE TEAM WILL USE EXPERIMENTAL PROPAGATION OF 15 RARE PLANT SPECIES TO FAMILIARIZE HORTICULTURISTS WITH THE SPECIFIC NEEDS OF PROPAGATION FOR CURATION, GENERATE PLANT PRODUCTION DATA BY MATERNAL LINES, AND USE GENOMIC SEQUENCING TO EXAMINE GENETIC DIVERSITY METRICS FOR TWO OF THESE SPECIES. THE RESULTS WILL BE SHARED THROUGH THE CENTER’S BEST PRACTICES FOR SMALL SEED CURATION GUIDELINES AND MORE BROADLY THROUGH ITS NETWORK. THIS PROJECT WILL RESULT IN PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT AND PRACTICE IMPROVEMENT OPPORTUNITIES FOR HORTICULTURISTS BOTH IN AND OUT OF THE CALIFORNIA PLANT RESCUE NETWORK.

THE CENTER FOR PLANT CONSERVATION (CPC), A NETWORK OF 43 BOTANICAL GARDENS DEDICATED TO PREVENTING PLANT EXTINCTION BY ENSURING STEWARDSHIP OF RARE NATIVE PLANTS IN LIVING BOTANICAL COLLECTIONS, WILL DEVELOP AN ONLINE PLATFORM TO COMMUNICATE AND SHARE CUTTING-EDGE PRACTICES ON PLANT CONSERVATION. THE ONLINE PORTAL WILL CONSIST OF THREE INTERACTING COMPONENTS: A QUESTION AND ANSWER FORUM, CPC BEST PRACTICES GUIDELINES FORMATTED FOR SEARCH ENGINE OPTIMIZATION, AND 29 INSTRUCTIONAL VIDEOS FEATURING LEADING RARE PLANT CONSERVATION EXPERTS DEMONSTRATING SPECIFIC CURATION METHODS. TO MAXIMIZE THE IMPACT OF THE PLATFORM ON TRAINING THE NEXT GENERATION OF PROFESSIONALS, THE PROJECT TEAM WILL ACTIVELY INVITE GARDENS WITH EMERGING CONSERVATION PROGRAMS TO JOIN THE COMMUNITY OF PRACTICE THROUGH A COORDINATED OUTREACH CAMPAIGN. PROJECT EVALUATION METHODS WILL INCLUDE SURVEYING THE INTENDED AUDIENCE OF BOTANICAL PROFESSIONALS, REVIEWING WEB ANALYTICS TO DETERMINE THE GROWTH AND ENGAGEMENT OF THE ONLINE COMMUNITY, AND ASSESSING THE INCREASED NUMBER OF RARE PLANT SPECIES IN THE CPC NATIONAL COLLECTION OF ENDANGERED PLANTS.

THE CENTER FOR PLANT CONSERVATION, ITS NETWORK OF BOTANIC GARDENS, AND THE NATIONAL LABORATORY FOR GENETIC RESOURCE PRESERVATION WILL COLLABORATE TO ENSURE BETTER STEWARDSHIP OF RARE PLANTS IN SEED COLLECTIONS. SEED LONGEVITY WILL BE TESTED IN 100 RARE AND ENDANGERED PLANT SPECIES USING A NEW BIOCHEMICAL INDICATOR. SIXTEEN OF THE COUNTRY?S FOREMOST RARE PLANT CONSERVATION EXPERTS WILL RE-COLLECT AND/OR PROVIDE STORED SEEDS FOR THIS PROJECT. THE PROJECT TEAM WILL CREATE A PREDICTIVE MODEL TO ESTIMATE SEED STORAGE LONGEVITY FROM PLANT TRAITS, GEOGRAPHY, AND CLIMATE, AND SYNTHESIZE THE RESULTS INTO CURATION GUIDELINES AS WELL AS A WORKSHOP TO SHARE THEM WITH SEED COLLECTIONS EXPERTS.

PLANT CONSERVATION AND RECOVERY

FISH, WILDLIFE, & PLANT CONSV. RES. MGMT, 2008

FUNDING OPPORTUNITY NUMBER: L25AS00307FUNDING OPPORTUNITY GOALS TEXT: 1) CONSERVING AND RECOVERING SPECIES AND THEIR HABITATS TO HELP RECOVER AND DELIST OR HELP PRECLUDE THE NEED TO LIST NEW ENDANGERED AND THREATENED SPECIES THEREBY REDUCING FUTURE REGULATIONS AND 2) IMPROVING AVAILABLE INFORMATION AND DATA THAT CAN BE USED TO SUPPORT APPROVAL OF AUTHORIZATIONS. TO MEET THESE GOALS, THE T E PROGRAM HAS AN OPPORTUNITY TO WORK WITH PARTNER ORGANIZATIONS TO INCREASE PROGRAM EFFICIENCIES AND EFFECTIVENESS.

THIS PROGRAM SUPPORTS PROJECTS THAT FURTHER THE MISSION OF THE NATIONAL PARK SERVICE ANDEFFORTS IN NATURAL AND CULTURAL RESOURCE CONSERVATION, PROTECTION, AND ENVIRONMENTAL SUSTAINABILITY THAT ARENOT COVERED UNDER OTHER SPECIFIC FINANCIAL ASSISTANCE PROGRAMS. THIS PROGRAM SUPPORTS PROJECTS THAT FURTHER THE MISSION OF THE NATIONAL PARK SERVICE AND EFFORTS IN NATURAL AND CULTURAL RESOURCE CONSERVATION, PROTECTION, AND ENVIRONMENTAL SUSTAINABILITY THAT ARE NOT COVERED UNDER OTHER SPECIFIC FINANCIAL ASSISTANCE PROGRAMS. AN AGREEMENT WITH CENTER FOR PLANT CONSERVATION WILL UTILIZE AN EXPANSIVE NETWORK OF BOTANICAL PROFESSIONALS WHO WILL COLLECT PLANT MATERIAL SUCH AS SEEDS, CUTTING, AND SPORES WITH THE PURPOSE OF PROPAGATING PLANTS TO USE FOR STABILIZING AT-RISK POPULATIONS. BENEFICIARIES INCLUDE PROFIT ORGANIZATIONS, PUBLIC NONPROFIT INSTITUTIONS ORGANIZATIONS, PRIVATE NONPROFIT INSTITUTIONS ORGANIZATIONS, NON-FEDERAL GOVERNMENT ENTITIES, INDUSTRY AND PUBLIC DECISION MAKERS, RESEARCH SCIENTISTS, ENGINEERS, AND THE GENERAL PUBLIC.

NV BOTANICAL CAPACITY WEBINAR MODULE DEVELOPMENT

APPLIED PLANT CONSERVATION ONLINE COURSE MATERIAL

BLM-CO: STRENGTHENING PARTNERSHIPS FOR NATIVE PLANT CONSERVATION - APPLIED PLANT CONSERVATION

CONSERVATION OF RARE PLANTS IN NEW MEXICO

LEGACY PROPOSAL: SEED BANKING FEDERALLY LISTED MAINLAND PLANT SPECIES ON DOD LANDS

OR/WA NATIONAL COLLECTION PLANT SPONSORSHIP

SCOTTS VALLEY POLYGONUM SEED RECOVERY PROJECT

PURPOSE: TO PROVIDE SUPPORT FOR AN INTL. SYMPOSIUM CENTER FOR PLANT CONSERVATION ST. LOUIS MO.

PLANT CONSERVATION

MANAGEMENT INITIATIVES, 2005