Publication Date
5-15-2025
We conducted a community-science project in Northern California - the Seed Pile Project - with three broad goals: 1) to test which locally-native, seed-dispersed plants would thrive without intervention in human-occupied spaces, 2) to engage the public with the often-ignored biodiversity along our roadsides, sidewalks, and other highly-disturbed spaces, and 3) to create community around rewilding our urban areas. We conducted the project initially as a pilot project in 2020-2021, then as a community-science project in 2021-2022 and 2022-2023. The project design was intentionally simple to make it accessible for participants of all ages: participants received free packets of native, local-ecotype plant seeds, then dropped them into piles in their neighborhoods or commuting routes. We provided data-entry forms and seed identification guides, and participants took note of which species germinated and monitored them until they died, as well as what types of disturbances occurred at their piles’ locations. The project had successes and challenges: we reached more than a thousand participants and gave out more than a hundred pounds of seed and had a well-attended kick-off event. We set up seed pickup points throughout our area, engaging local businesses and organizations. However, we faced challenges retaining participant engagement through the duration of the project and did not collect compelling data about plant species success. Our key challenges related to data entry, in particular the format and functionality of the data forms, as well as how much information to ask for. We will discuss these successes and challenges in this paper and suggest future directions and improvements for the project going forward.
Recommended Citation
Kiers, A. Haven; Larsen, Caroline; Hayes, Kate; Sadegh Malak Abadi, Sahar; Hong, Ashley; and Krimmel, Billy
(2025)
"The Seed Pile Project - A Reflection,"
Cities and the Environment (CATE):
Vol. 18:
Iss.
1, Article 2.
DOI: 10.15365/cate.2025.180102
Available at:
https://digitalcommons.lmu.edu/cate/vol18/iss1/2
DOI
10.15365/cate.2025.180102
