We're rooting for you
The Plant Hub provides a center of gravity for all stewards of sagebrush steppe landscapes.
We develop site-adapted plant materials, including seed collection and increase, propagation, out-planting, and restoration. The Hub also specializes in success evaluation and effectiveness monitoring, gauging the ecological integrity of each project.
Projects don’t happen without people, which is why workforce development is an important pillar of the hub where we provide training, early career mentoring, and jobs.
The Hub also serves as an information clearinghouse and coordinator among partners, providing economy of scale through pooling of funds and leveraging expertise for broad impact.
Grow
Seed Collection and Production
Propagation
Outplanting and Restoration
John Day Fossil Beds NM- The Plant Hub is supporting efforts at JODA to establish a native bunchgrass seedbank, restore historic steelhead spawning habitat, and repurpose existing fields to native seed production while maintaining important cultural resource values associated with the Cant Ranch Historic District. The Hub has collected bunchgrass seed from several locations within the park, propagated seed into plugs for establishment of seed increase fields, provided technical support for park Environmental Assessment preparation, and will implement park revegetation plans as they are developed. Ongoing.
Sorefoot BLM Seed Increase- ECNPH staff are working with partners at Prineville BLM to establish the first Hub seed increase project at the Sorefoot Creek cottonwood restoration site at Clarno, OR. In October 2023 ECNPH staff and volunteers will plant several thousand bluebunch wheatgrass (PSSP) and Great Basin wildrye (LECI) plugs on 2-3 acres of old fields formerly used to support upland bird habitat but now dominated by weeds. This project will support seed increase needs while also assisting BLM with long-term native plant restoration/revegetation goals for the site. Fall 2023.
Restore
Project Evaluation
Monitoring Effectiveness
City of Rocks National Reserve- ECNPH is collaborating with park staff and NPS Upper Columbia Basin Inventory and Monitoring Network to implement a fuels treatment and native plant revegetation project at a big sagebrush site in the park. This project aims to reduce fuel loads while improving ecological resilience to future disturbance and resistance to invasion by exotic annual grasses. Specifically, ECNPH is collecting seed on-site, sourcing additional seed representing appropriate site-based ecotypes, propagating seed into bunchgrass plugs, and installing propagated materials. Fall 2024.
Klamath/Lakeview BLM Seed Collection- In collaboration with BLM staff the Plant Hub will collect native plant seed from several locations in southern Oregon in support of field office seedbank priorities. Summer 2024.
Central Oregon Seed Storage Facility- ECNPH was awarded funds from USFWS to establish a climate-controlled seed storage facility that will expand existing seed storage capacity at the Bend Seed Extractory, initiate prioritized seed collection and support regional seedbank development efforts. Fall 2024.
Engage
Workforce Development
Information Clearinghouse
Lava Beds National Monument-the Hub purchased appropriate seed ecotypes for an experimental revegetation project proposed by park staff and is currently growing native bunchgrass plugs to establish local seed increase fields. Fall 2024.
Highway 97 Wildlife Crossing Structure Revegetation- Our staff are collaborating with ODFW and ODOT to develop plant materials that support ungulate usage of a wildlife underpass near Gilchrist. The Hub will source seed material, develop a site planting plan, propagate bunchgrass plugs and support final installation. Ongoing.
The Plant Hub and its hosting partner Worthy Environmental work together at WinterCreek Nursery, in Bend, Oregon near the Oregon State University-Cascades campus. The Plant Hub works closely with The Confederated Tribes of Warm Springs and their Conservation Lands Program in the John Day Basin, multiple National Parks, US Fish and Wildlife Service, Bureau of Land Management, US Geological Survey, The Nature Conservancy, and other non-governmental and private partners.
Our work would not be possible without the continued support of our passionate partners.
