Welcome to the second episode of Seeds for Change, a podcast by the Institute for Applied Ecology! In today’s episode, we interview Sara Alaica, a Restoration Ecologist with IAE doing incredible work restoring native prairie and oak woodland ecosystems here in Oregon.

Sara Alaica is a Restoration Ecologist in IAE’s Habitat Restoration Program, where she writes, coordinates, and implements natural resource plans to restore native Oregon habitat. She studied ecology at Columbia University, then obtained her M.Sc. in Restoration Ecology from Simon Fraser University, with a focus in botany. Sara’s restoration work has spanned the country: from restoring oyster beds in New York and high-altitude wetlands in New Mexico, to restoring tallgrass prairie in the Great Plains and bog wetlands in the Pacific Northwest.

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Up next, Seeds for Change is taking you on a trip 1,300 miles away to Santa Fe, New Mexico. In the third episode, we will hear from Melanie Gisler, the Director of the Southwest Branch of the Institute for Applied Ecology based in Santa Fe, New Mexico. So, if you’re up for the trip, be sure to stick around and we’ll meet back here next month. Thanks for listening!

Music is provided by Scott Holmes under a free Creative Commons License: ⁠https://scottholmesmusic.com/

Welcome to the first episode of Seeds for Change, a podcast by the Institute for Applied Ecology! Today’s episode is special not only because is it the first full episode of our podcast, but it also features the person that made all of this possible. And that person is none other than Tom Kaye.

Tom Kaye is the Executive Director of the Institute for Applied Ecology. He founded our growing conservation nonprofit back in 1999. You’ll hear him say it in this episode, but as he recalls it, IAE started with him, a couple of grad students, and a dream of studying rare plants here in Oregon.

Tom has been called (including by us) a "superstar botanist" of Oregon, and you’ll hear him humbly deny it, but we still think it’s true. We’ll hear from him about his journey through academia and summer jobs all the way to where he is now, leading an organization dedicated to conservation and restoration ecology across 10 bioregions. Listen in to learn about Tom's journey, and how IAE got started. Please share and help us get the word out about Seeds for Change!

We are looking forward to highlighting a variety of conservation topics and guests over the next year, with a focus on the work we do collectively to conserve native ecosystems on-the-ground. We are grateful for your listenership and support as we begin this journey through the conservation field with all of you!

Stay tuned for Episode 2—which will feature an interview highlighting the work of restoration ecologists in the Willamette Valley of Oregon.

Music is provided by Scott Holmes under a free Creative Commons License: https://scottholmesmusic.com/

Welcome to Seeds for Change, a podcast hosted by the Institute for Applied Ecology. The Institute for Applied Ecology (IAE) is a conservation nonprofit organization based in Oregon and New Mexico. Our mission is to conserve native species and habitats through restoration, research and education.

The goal of this podcast is to hear from the voices of our very own IAE staff—and explore the work they do to conserve native ecosystems. New episodes debut monthly! In each, you’ll hear from the staff across all of our programs—from ecologists to field technicians, to farmers, to educators, and more!

If you're interested in learning more about conservation research, habitat restoration, native plants, and ecological education, stick around and tune in for the next episode!

Music is provided by Scott Holmes under a free Creative Commons License: ⁠https://scottholmesmusic.com/⁠