California Native Plant Society -- Marin Chapter Meetup

Marin Chapter Meeting
Monday, July 14, 2025 at 7:30 pm
Talk Title: The California Seed Strategy – Development and Implementation
Speaker: Caroline Martorano, coordinator of California Native Seed Strategy

The California Seed Strategy (Strategy) was initiated in June 2022 to improve availability of locally and genetically appropriate native seeds for ecological restoration in California. California Native Plant Society (CNPS) led a steering committee to publish the Strategy in December 2023 and is now in the implementation phase. CNPS is facilitating five new regional working groups with over 200 participants overall to share information and resources across organizational boundaries and within ecological boundaries. A Seed Transfer Advisory Group made up of California plant genetics and seed-based restoration subject matter experts was formed to help develop recommendations to protect local genetic diversity. This talk with discuss:

• What is the California Seed Strategy?
• How it was developed
• Update on implementation progress

Caroline Martorano is the Stewardship Specialist for the California Native Plant Society and is a coordinator for the California Native Seed Strategy. She began collecting native seeds in the tall grass prairie in Illinois in 2011. After graduating from University of Illinois, she held three consecutive Conservation and Land Management internships with the Bureau of Land Management in Oregon and California, which included participating in the Seeds of Success program. Martorano spent three years managing stewardship projects for the Quinault Indian Nation on the Olympic Peninsula, Washington. While there, she developed the use of native plant materials following invasive species removal for salmon habitat restoration projects. She learned the process and challenges of bulk seed grow-out and the importance of collaborating with other land management agencies within your watershed. Other forms of stewardship that Martorano specializes in is invasive species removal and prescribed fire/fuels and is passionate about the relationship between community health and ecological stewardship. She received her master’s degree from Cal Poly Humboldt and currently resides in Humboldt County, California. Outside of working with plants, she is an adventure mom, surfing and biking with friends and family.