Ciudad Soil & Water Conservation District, in partnership with Rio Grande Return and Valencia Soil & Water Conservation District are implmenting a Wildland Seed Harvesting Pilot Program between August 2024 through May of 2025.  The objective of the Wildland Seed Harvesting program is to address the lack of locally-adapted, climate-ready seed for soil conservation and habitat restoration by engaging willing landowners in collection agreements and inventorying existing populations of native species in high demand and low supply. 

Ciudad SWCD is seeking assistance from private landowners who are interested in having wildland seed collected from their properties.  Private landowners will be compensated for seed collection!  Interested Landowners should complete the PDF Landowner Application, below, or complete the online form below.

Ciudad SWCD’s contractor and partner, Rio Grande Return, will conduct an initial visit, count the population, then track species for maturity and will mobilize at the right time to harvest the seeds. Rio Grande Return will tailor equipment to various private land and species of seeds that need to be harvested. Equipment and the method of removal may include manual seed collection (hand stripping select seed heads), hand-held seed harvester, and/ or pull-behind hydraulic seed stripper. Equipment does drive over the vegetation, but the seed collection happens by stripping only the seedheads. The rest of the vegetative parts are not cut or damaged. Collected seed will be gathered in tarps and collection sacks. 

Online Landowner Application 

Name (First & Last) (required)

Phone Number (required)

Email Address (required)

Property Address (required)

Mailing Address (if different from physical address above)

Total Acreage of Property (required)

Land Type (required)Restored Agriculture LandWetland/ RiparianUpland/ Range LandForest

Prior Landowner Activity (please describe any conservation or preservation activity in the last five years) (required)

How did you hear about this program? (required)

Your Signature (required)

Confirm e-Signature

Review Electronic Records and Signatures Policy (required)

Read our Electronic Record and Signature Disclosure

I agree to use electronic records and signatures

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