Description:

Despite being The Prairie State the Illinois and neighboring states’ prairies have been heavily converted due to human use, and many of those that remain are degraded. Research in the relatively new discipline of restoration ecology provides insights that practitioners use to restore diversity, function and resilience to these landscapes influenced by anthropogenic change.

 A critical function of many restoration projects is the promotion of a diverse plant community, which frequently requires the introduction of plant material such as seeds and plugs. The availability of appropriate material, in terms of species, origins and quantity, is a limiting factor. Climate change further complicates the matter as land managers try to locate seed to best match future conditions in an effort to increase the resilience of managed sites.

 Land managers are aware of the complexity of the issue, but the current literature is extensive and often inaccessible. A general review and synthesis of the current state of the science would bring needed guidance to practitioners and inform seed suppliers and researchers about gaps in native plant materials supply and research. 

Pati Vitt, PhD -  Pati first became interested in the application of climate science to seed sourcing strategies while serving as the Stone Curator of the Dixon National Tallgrass Prairie Seed Bank at the Chicago Botanic Garden. Now a restoration ecologist and plant conservation biologist with the Lake County Forest Preserve District, she is working towards developing evidenced-based best management practices for climate resilient restoration.

Iza Redlinski - Iza is a conservation ecologist at the Field Museum’s Keller Science Action Center where she works in the Chicago Wilderness region to protect the integrity of the local natural areas, and create more urban biodiversity. Responsible seed sourcing and climate change have been on her mind since she managed large scale restorations at Midewin NTP.

cassi saari - cassi is a field botanist and Certified Ecological Restoration Practitioner with the Chicago Park District working on creating, monitoring, and stewarding natural areas in the city. She is also the president of the Northeast Chapter of the Illinois Native Plant Society and an active curator on iNaturalist.org.

Anna Braum - Anna is an ecologist at the Wetlands Initiative. Her work focuses on planning, implementing, and monitoring wetland and prairie restorations. She designs seed mixes for landscape-scale projects and conducts research on plant community development and restoration outcomes. Anna serves on the board of the Illinois Native Plant Society.

Rebecca Barak, PhD - Becky is a conservation scientist at Chicago Botanic Garden and an adjunct professor at Northwestern University, where she mentors students in the joint graduate program in Plant Biology and Conservation. Becky’s research focuses on prairie restoration, seed biology, and seed mix design. 

Stephanie Frischie, PhD - As Agronomist and Native Plant Materials Specialist with The Xerces Society, Stephanie supports the native seed industry and researchers to develop seed supply of important plant species for restoration of insect habitat for farms, natural areas and urban settings. Stephanie has researched seed production of native cover crops for understory restoration of Spanish olive orchards and was Plant Materials and Conservation Programs Manager at the Nature Conservancy’s Kankakee Sands Restoration in northwest Indiana. Stephanie volunteers as a rare plant monitor with Plants of Concern and is the secretary of the International Network for Seed-based Restoration.