Article about the Native Seed Bank in Today's Reading Eagle

The Article by Tina Ehrig was in the Reading Eagle today

My picture of Coreopsis tripteris was with the article.

update: Here it is since the online article doesn't have the pictures. I don't have the picture of Kathleen sowing seed or I would post that also (that is Tina's photo.)

Upcoming Restoration Projects by the Berks County Conservancy

The restoration projects which the Berks County Conservancy will be using some of the native seed the Berks Native seedbank volunteers have helped collect, sort and clean.

Spring 2009

Riparian projects:

• At Red Bridge, in the Gring's Mill Recreation area, an area approximately 20 x 300' in size,this is a disturbed area not fully covered by earlier restoration efforts. Planting time not yet determined.
  

• At Stonecliffe Park along the Tulpehocken creek an approximately 20 x 300' area. Top soil has been newly spread in the area. Planting time not yet determined.

• At Angelica Park an area needs help. It has been sprayed to control invasives. Size? Planting time early spring before normal plants growth begins.

Photos above of Boltonia Asteroides (Aster-like Boltonia) and Verbena hastata (Blue Vervain) are by Mike Slater

Hillside at Alvernia College:

• A hill side area 60 x 200' in extent has been distrubed by mechanical activity and then regraded. There will be scattered trees planted with native meadow plants to be seeded in between. Planting probably in late February or early March 2009.

Saucony Creek Area Moist Meadow:

• An area of 50' by 200' wwhich has been spraed to control invasives will be overseeded with native meadow grasses and wildflowers. Planting probably in late February or early March 2009.

Kutztown Area Well Buffers:

• Several 300' diameter circular vegetation buffers around wells in a moist meadow. The total area to be restored is about 4 acres. Thie area will be planted with scattered trees and shrubs with native meadow grass and wild flower seed planted in between. The area has been farmed for corn up until the fall of 2008.

This area is also may be a good place to put some of the potted plants we are propagating in pots in this first planting year at the site. (Planting plants into an established meadow is difficult due to root competition with the pre-existing plants)

Fall 2009

Riparian areas which will be exposed due to Dam removal projects

• Witman Dam near Oley, Planting will probably in November 2009 or later.

• Bushong Dam on the Tulpehocken Creek at the confluence with the Schuylkill River. Planting will probably be in November 2009 or later.

Photos above of Boltonia Asteroides (Aster-like Boltonia) and Verbena hastata (Blue Vervain) are by Mike Slater
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Update:
The list of seed from the given to the Berks County Conservancy for planting in the above areas is on the 2009 seed list page.

The Native Plant Network

I just learned about The Native Plant Network

including the Native Plant Journal
The Journal has some good articles. Iin my quick scan of the issue with the Trillium grandiflorum I found the articles on Trillium propagation were by two people I know, Bill Cullina and Stephanie Solt. The Articles are available electronically (for 2006 and earlier only) so I expect to finad a lot of good reading!

and the
Native plant propagation Database
The protocols are based on large scale harvesting and cleaning but I expect to find a lot of useable information here as well.

Planting seed at the union Twp Rec Area February 14, 2009 at 1pm

The seed planting at the Union Twp Rec. Area is scheduled for February 14th at 1 pm.

Please tell everyone who is coming that we will need some more buckets than Jan and I can provide. If most of the people who come can bring a plastic bucket for mixing the sand and seed and then sowing from it we will be in good shape.

Directions
Directions and Map


Google Maps of Birdsboro area



Say tuned to this web site if there are weather related issued.

Union Township meadow project enlargement 2009

The Planting at the Union Twp Rec Area this February will be approximately 25' by 900' along the west edge of the field. The area is drier the the first area along the north edge. Here is the post about the first section of the field.

I plan on using the seed from the list for this planting.

Winter Seed Workshops Jan-Feb 2009

To launch its seed bank project, the BNPSB, will run a series of three winter workshops, January 9, January 23, and February 7, to encourage area residents to become seed collectors, savers and sowers.

The first session, a Seed Cleaning & Sorting Workshop, will be held indoors at the Berks County Agricultural Center, January 9 at 10 a.m.. Mike and Jan Slater will teach participants how to clean seeds, evaluate viability, and sort the seeds by height and habitat. Seed collected this past fall from native plants will then be ready for sowing in containers or onto outdoor sites.

The second session, a Propagating Native Plants from Seed Workshop, January 24, 9 a.m., at the Ag Center, will be indoor hands-on instruction on how successfully to germinate seeds in pots to grow on seedlings of native plants. All participants will be given potted native seeds to take home.

This will be the beginning of the Berks Backyard Native Plant Seed Bank. We hope that the participants will grow the plants on and plant some of them in their garden’s and collect seed each autumn for donation back to the BNPSB for use in future native plant revegetation projects. The species we have this year are uncommon showy flowering native plants that people will want in their gardens and are great plants for wildlife.

Area residents will be given the opportunity to register their properties as Backyard Native Seed Banks. Registered growers will be given seeds and seedlings of desirable natives for their home gardens in return for a commitment to collect and save seed for the Seed Bank. Full instructions will be provided.


The third session, February 7, 9 a.m., will be Hands on Experience Sowing Native Seeds to re-establish a meadow, held at an outdoor site in Union Township where the Slaters, The Union Twp. Recreation Board and other local enthusiasts have already begun to establish native plant meadows under the auspices of the township.


For more information and to register for the free workshops, call …….