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DATE:	January 29, 2010
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ASTA conference goers help promote native plants and give back to the community

Note to journalists: Photos are available by contacting Julie Douglas at 703-837-8140, amseed.org

ALEXANDRIA, Va. — Seed industry volunteers attending the 49th Vegetable and Flower Seed Conference, hosted by the American Seed Trade Association Jan. 24-27, spent half a day at the Springs Preserve cleaning seed for plant propagation and creating an educational activity for youth.
The Springs Preserve, located on 180 acres of land in the middle of Las Vegas, Nev., is comprised of 150 plants species native to the Mojave Desert and promotes a more sustainable environment through educational programming. Demonstration projects at the preserve, such as solar panels that collect 70 percent of the energy used by the facilities and a desert wetland that collects water for processing and reuse, are key to educating the public about the local ecosystem.
Twenty-six volunteers cleaned Penstemon pinifolius seed, commonly known as pineleaf penstemon, and developed an educational tool encouraging local kids to plant native grasses in the spring.
Participants extracted seed from cut plants and conditioned seed to improve germination. Later the extracted seeds will be weighed and entered into the database system at the Springs Preserve. Each seed will be assigned a lot number and planted in greenhouse cells where they will stay until they reach 1-2 inches in height. Then they will be transplanted.
“The pineleaf penstemon have a beautiful flower and attract humming birds,” said Tim Goldstein, Springs Preserve Garden worker who led the ASTA volunteer group in cleaning the seed for plant propagation.
Betsy Peterson, of the California Seed Association in Sacramento, Calif., said she enjoys the opportunity to learn about the community where the seed conferences are held and leave something behind that will benefit the community later.
For the kids educational project, volunteers created egg planters to be used in a Sustainable Egg Hunt March 27. The planters were created by cutting the tops off the eggs, emptying and rinsing the interior of the egg and putting a drainage hole in the bottom. The shells were then filled with soil, seed and a light top dressing of vermiculite.
“Sustainable means becoming better stewards of how we use our natural resources,” said Russ Harrison, Springs Preserve plant propagation specialist and curator. “This activity is designed to encourage youth and their parents to landscape with native plants.”
One of the most precious resources of the area is water. “Generally, we can say there is a water crisis in the entire seven basin states,” Harrison said. “This region is considered to be in a drought and no one knows how long it will last. We are trying to figure out how we can continue to live here by better utilizing our water resources. It’s not a Las Vegas problem; it’s a much bigger problem. We are globally connected. Through education about native plants, we are encouraging people in the area to landscape with plants that genetically require less water.”
Lisa Wade who participated for the first time in the ASTA Gives Back project with her husband Michael Wade said she believes “Thinking globally and acting locally is the key to creating a sustainable environment.” The Wades represent BBB Seed, located in Boulder, Colo., and both said it felt good to contribute to teaching kids about native plants and the lost art of plant propagation.
“Plants in the Mojave Desert are asked to survive in temperatures ranging anywhere from 15 degrees to 115 degrees, which makes it difficult for transplanted plants to survive in the region,” Harrison said. “The Mojave Desert is still considered the ‘Wild West.’ There is not much information or research on the plants here. We record everything we do to help build up a bank of information relating to plants of the Mojave.”
Harrison said that for a plant species to be considered native to the Mojave, it must come from Colorado River Basin watershed. “Even if the same plant is purchased from Colorado and relocated here, because it came from a different watershed, it has a different genetic makeup.”
Ric Dunkle, senior director of seed health and trade for ASTA, asked about invasive plants and learned that Brome grass is considered invasive to the Mojave Desert and is a fire hazard.
For more information about the Springs Preserve, visit http://www.springspreserve.org.
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ASTA prohibits discrimination in all its programs and activities on the basis of race, color, national origin, age, disability, and where applicable, sex, marital status, familial status, parental status, religion, sexual orientation, genetic information, political beliefs, reprisal, or because all or part of an individual's income is derived from any public assistance program. Persons with disabilities who require alternative means for communication (Braille, large print, audiotape, etc.) should contact ASTA at 703-837-8140.

Writer: Julie Douglas, 703-837-8140, jdouglas@amseed.org.

Sources: Lisa Wade, 303-530-1222
Russ Harrison, 702-822-7713
Tim Goldstein, 702-822-7713
Ric Dunkle, 703-837-8140, rdunkle@amseed.org
Betsy Peterson, 916-441-2251, bpeterson@cgfa.org

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Founded in 1883, the American Seed Trade Association (ASTA), located in Alexandria, Va., is one of the oldest trade organizations in the United States. Its membership consists of about 750 companies involved in seed production and distribution, plant breeding, and related industries in North America. As an authority on plant germplasm, ASTA advocates science and policy issues of industry importance. Its mission is to enhance the development and free movement of quality seed worldwide.