Pockets of potential 

At Modini Preserve, there are natural wonders both large and small. There is great expanse — 3,126-acres connected to 12,000 acres of adjacent landscape in the Mayacamas Mountains with shifting elevations up to 2800 feet with diverse wildlife communities. There is a richness of history, as the preserve sits in the ancestral territories of the Miwok, Southern Pomo, and Wappo peoples. The preserve also holds an abundance of biodiversity through a shifting mosaic of habitats. There are also wonders of a smaller stature. Robust pockets of native plants persist on the preserve’s grasslands. These native plants, or rather the seeds from these plants, were at the center of a collaborative seed collection project over the summer, contributing to regional restoration and conservation projects addressing the devastating impacts of floods, wildfires, and erosion.  

The need for seed 

In speaking with Michelle Cooper, Modini Preserve Manager and Resident Biologist, about the essential role native plants play in restoration work she explained, “Oftentimes, if left untreated, soil disturbance in grasslands can lead to the introduction of new, non-native invasive species or the spread and establishment of existing ones.” The term “disturbance,” which sounds quite serious, refers to environmental changes that alter an ecosystem, such as wildfire, which can be truly serious or quite beneficial, depending on the type, timing, size and intensity of the disturbance. As Cooper noted, not all fire is detrimental. “It’s the high-intensity fires that can be of real concern, when we’re talking about most native plants communities.” Not only can this type of fire decimate established native plants, but high-intensity fire can also, as Cooper said, “nuke the seed bank.”  

Without a native plant seedbank (a natural storage of seeds in the soil, leaf litter, and on the soil surface) the invasion of non-beneficial plants can occur. As Cooper explained, “It might take several seasons for something to come back in. You just have bare ground, leaving the area prone to invasion by non-beneficial plants.” As Cooper was quick to point out, uncontrolled wildfire is just one type of disturbance that can necessitate revegetating with native plants and seeds. Erosion brought on by heavy rains can take out entire hillsides, especially after damage from high-intensity fire. 

In an event where detrimental disturbance occurs, ecologists and stewards choose native plants and seeds to restore the richness, complexity, and biodiversity of the disturbed areas. As Michelle shared, “We want the native plants because, of course, that’s what all of our critters and other organisms evolved with and are adapted to.” 

The need for locally sourced native plants and seeds has grown alongside an uptick in restoration efforts in California over the past decade. Initiatives like California’s 30X30, with its extensive campaigns addressing the impacts of climate change are part of this increased need, according to the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service website. Cooper also pointed out that the growing need for native plants and seeds relates to an increased frequency of large-scale ecological disturbances like heavy rains, which can lead to erosion episodes and hotter, drier conditions, which can lead to devastating wildfires.  

Amplify the supply

To meet the growing demand for native plants and seeds in restoration work, statewide funding was initiated in 2023 to not only increase the native seed supply but to make available varieties adapted to specific geographical regions. The funding, through the Wildlife Conservation Board (WCB), was aimed at the California Association of Resource Conservation Districts (RCDs) which distributed the grants funds to 40 RCDs. Essential to this funding was enlistment of two seed producers, Heritage Growers from Colusa County and Great Valley Seeds in the Central Valley, tasked with amplifying the seed (which refers to growing the native plants and seed). In Sonoma County, Gold Ridge RCD and Sonoma RCD collaborated to form the North Bay Seed Amplification project to collect local native seeds, send seeds to Heritage Growers for amplification, and eventually receive the fruits of the amplification process back to be used in local restoration projects. North Bay Seed Amplification project put out a call to Sonoma County landowners and preserves about the seed collection project. Michelle Cooper from Modini Preserve heard and heeded the call. 

After hearing about the project, Cooper found that Modini Preserve had a lot of the plants on the seed collection wish list. Two native plant species, California wild rye (Elymus glaucus) and blue-eyed grass (Sisyrinchium bellum) were chosen for seed collection, as each of these grassland plants provides important ecological benefits. California wild rye, a large perennial bunch grass with a thick fibrous root system, is excellent for stabilizing areas impacted by erosion. Wild rye is also a rich food source for wildlife, drought tolerant, and wildfire resistant. Blue-eyed grass, which is not actually grass but a low growing iris with delicate purple flowers, is a forb (herbaceous flowering plant), used for enhancing ecosystem biodiversity as an attractive habitat for small animals and pollinators. 

A project with heart 

In late June 2024, after Cooper coordinated with the North Bay Seed Amplification project for a preserve collection day, a group of staff members from Gold Ridge and Sonoma RCDs, GrizzlyCorps fellows, and a volunteer, ventured into the grasslands at Modini Preserve. For two sunny days they collected in the hilly, golden grasslands of the preserve, gathering one pound (about 85,000 live seeds) of California wild rye and one pound (roughly 24,000 live seeds) of blue-eyed grass. The seeds were sent off to Heritage Growers to cultivate into mature plants which will support future Sonoma County restoration projects. 

Will Spangler, Project Manager from Gold Ridge RCD, who helped collect at Modini Preserve, reported that seed collection “went really well.” Spangler also said that he would love to go back to collect at Modini and shared that, “Protected and well-stewarded lands like Modini are integral to regional ecosystem recovery.” 

Cooper was also emboldened by seed collection day and described the seed amplification project as one with “heart.” Cooper added, “It’s really exciting we still have enough of those native grassland habitats to be able to provide seed.” Though healthy, thriving California grasslands have remarkable ecological benefits, such as storing more carbon than forests, harboring 90% of California’s rare and endangered plants, and being rich bastions for biodiversity, native grasslands have declined by 99% through the invasion of non-beneficial plants, development, human-related activities, and agriculture, according to the California Native Grasslands Association literature. Given the tenuous and imperiled state of grasslands, the collection effort at Modini Preserve was especially meaningful for Cooper with the potential to make an impact beyond the boundaries of Modini Preserve. “I am in full support of efforts  that are going to make improving California’s grasslands possible. Anytime I can help a project at a regional level, I’m in!” 

Get involved in Sonoma County native seed collection 

Read about another seed collection project at Modini Preserve. Collecting seeds in the Mayacamas for research and reforestation. 

Contribute seeds to the North Bay Seed Amplification project. Gold Ridge RCD is seeking partners and landowners who have existing source-identified seed on hand or would allow access to collect seed from native plant populations to have amplified for their own and regional restoration efforts. They are seeking forb species that are valuable to pollinators such as (but not limited to) milkweeds, yarrow, California poppy, lupine, blue eyed grass, goldenrod, Pacific aster, and native grasses. Please reach out to Will Spangler ([email protected]) or Ari DeMarco ([email protected]) if you have seed or wild collection sites to offer and wish to speak further. 

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