Prairie Seed Harvest

About this Project

We are working with many local partners and volunteers to harvest local ecotype prairie seed. Volunteers will visit local prairie remnants and learn how to identify which plants are available for seed collection. The hand-collected seed will then be used for local prairie restoration and reconstruction projects.

Project goals:
We have several goals for harvesting prairie seed*:

Provide local conservation agencies (county conservation boards, Iowa DNR, land trusts) with local ecotype prairie seed for their larger-scale prairie restoration and reconstruction projects.
Make native seed mixes to package and distribute locally.
Propagate native plants to sell for local gardens, yards and smaller-scale landscape projects.
Establish seed plots to increase efficiency of seed production and harvest in future years.
Create a seed bank to ensure long-term storage and viability of many diverse native species.

*please note that any seed picked on Iowa DNR (state) lands cannot be taken off-site and must be donated to DNR. All of our seed harvesting will be done with permission from landowners/managers and only used as permitted.

Download a printable brochure about the project.

Prairie Seed Planting

We're looking for volunteers to help us plant more native seed in the greenhouse!

Thursday, January 22
5:30-7:00pm
Dodge Hall Greenhouse at Iowa Western - Council Bluffs

We will plant species that require 30-60 days of cold stratification for our native plant sale this spring.

No experience necessary. Wear clothes that can get dirty, and work gloves if you'd like.

Email [email protected] with questions.

Seed Sorting Volunteer Event

Volunteers needed!

Tuesday, December 16
5:30-7:00pm
Dodge Hall - Iowa Western - Council Bluffs

Join Golden Hills at the greenhouse in Dodge Hall at Iowa Western in Council Bluffs on Tuesday, December 9th from 5:30-7:00 to help sort the prairie seed we harvested this year, and prepare to plant for our plant sale next spring.

We’ll organize and do some basic processing/cleaning, then start planting some of the species that require longer cold stratification.

No experience necessary. Email [email protected] with questions.

2025 Events

Seed Harvest Summary for Volunteers

The list below includes a summary of some of the targeted species we are seeking in 2022. Pottawattamie Conservation staff helped make this list, which includes species with a Coefficient of Conservatism score of 4 or higher, and those documented at Hitchcock Nature Center. Click the image for the interactive spreadsheet, or download a pdf of it here.