Whew, it’s been almost five months since my last post. That wasn’t planned! What have I been up to?

• Working as a propagator at a local nursery, expanding my expertise and trying to advocate for growing and stocking more native plants.
• Working to implement a Terra Foundation Grant in my yard: removing lawn and planting impactful habitat plants to support pollinators, birds, and more. (Okay, those two things together were more than full time, and both super physical.)
• Collaborating on a grant proposal to the EPA (that was ultimately not submitted, alas) for community engagement, empowerment, and training in an underserved urban neighborhood around bioremediation and restoration. (We are continuing to build engagement going forward and are confident another, better-fitting opportunity will arise.)
• Becoming a board member for the local chapter of national nonprofit that educates, supports, and promotes habitat garden and strives to make it more accessible and more widespread.
• Planning and carrying out events for the local region of said chapter of nonprofit, including a plant hike, a seed collection, seed cleaning, a seed swap, and a winter sowing event (some of these are in the works). Also working on content for the chapter.

What I have not been doing enough of is hiking, running, or writing, and I’m taking measures to rebalance. I’m in the middle of a transition as we move from summer to fall, and as I try to expand my efforts on getting more native plants out there. More on that last one in the weeks and months to come.