South Texas Natives - Seed Vault https://grants.dudleytdoughertyfoundation.org/proposals-2010/south-texas-natives-seed-vault https://grants.dudleytdoughertyfoundation.org/@@site-logo/sitelogo-75x75.png

South Texas Natives - Seed Vault

Additional Information
Used for	Funds requested will be used to construct a seed storage vault and equipment facility to support the activities of the South Texas Natives Project. Funds requested are a portion of the $118,000 total project cost, $18,000 of which is being provided by other unidentified sources, and $94,000 of which are being requested from other private foundations. The seed vault and equipment facility are needed to house seed produced for use in native habitat restoration in South Texas, and the new equipment facility will improve efficiency and operational capacity of the project, resulting in greater benefit for restoration in South Texas and beyond.
Benefits	The successful development and commercialization of native seed, for use in habitat restoration has far-reaching, often underappreciated impacts. Wildlife produced and sustained by South Texas' native habitats has immeasurable intrinsic, economic, and ecological impacts on society at an inestimable scope. Restoring damaged and degraded native landscapes using native seed that is made available through South Texas Natives' work, has positive implications for all aspects of human and world health, from the air we breathe, to the water we drink.
Proposal Description	South Texas Natives request funds to help construct a new seed vault and equipment facility. This $6,000 request is a portion of the total $118,000 project cost, $18,000 of which will be provided by other unidentified sources, and $94,000 of which has been requested from other private foundations. Grant money received will be placed into a special construction account for the facility, which will be begun as soon as funds for the project are raised in their entirety. South Texas Natives benefits an enormous population in South Texas and the project's implications for conservation of native habitats and wildlife extend beyond our regional scope. South Texans are benefitted by the conservation and restoration of native lands. Private landowners, ranching, and wildlife-based economic activities are the lifeblood of rural South Texas communities. The oil & gas industry, another enormous economic force in the region, needs restoration and reclamation materials in native plants to restore economically important native lands which are damaged by their activities. Conservation programs that sustain soil, water, and agricultural resources need native plant materials and seed to effectively meet their objectives. The South Texas Natives Project, by developing native seed sources and restoration methodology, provides the cornerstone for all of these activities to be conducted. South Texas Natives is a recognized national leader in developing native seed sources and effective restoration strategies. Our work has implications for many other regions in the United States and beyond, and serves as a model program for how to cooperatively and effectively meet conservation challenges. Restoration of the native landscape provides benefits to almost all aspects of human existence, from the most basic resources of soil, water, and air, to more complex ecological cycles such as pollination and nutrient cycling, to direct needs such as food, fiber, and energy production. From an economic standpoint in South Texas, perhaps no greater resources exist than that of land and plants and animals sustained by it. Native plants and the benefits they provide are fundamental part of our existence. This grant proposal has positive implications for indirectly influencing all of these important concerns, and insuring that native plant restoration is a successful and useable part of conservation and environmental protection activities in our region.