The Seed Savers Exchange (SSE), a SSNHA Strategic Investment Partner, is headquartered at Heritage Farm in Decorah, Iowa. A genetic preservation organization, SSE operates as a museum, preserving the genetic diversity of the America’s food crops and educating the public about the importance of genetic diversity.
This summer, SSE partnered with Silos & Smokestacks and R.J. McElroy Trust to create the “Our American Garden Interpretive Trail.” The trail winds over several miles and is self-guided with the help of an orientation brochure and map. The trail explores three major themes: the “natural” world around us; landscapes and “native” plant communities; and the genetic diversity of food crops, landscapes, and domestic and wild animals.
The trail is the first major public educational program for Seed Savers Exchange and contributes to people’s understanding of the history of gardening, agriculture, and native vegetation. Schools are encouraged to integrate the trail into their curriculum, and Seed Savers Exchange works with teachers to develop appropriate materials for classroom trips.
According to Tom Woods of Seed Savers, “The support from Silos and Smokestacks played a critical role in the trail becoming a catalyst for another, larger project at Seed Savers Exchanges’ Decorah headquarters. The purchase and development of the Twin Valley Farms Project at Heritage Farm utilizes much of the research completed for the trail. The Twin Valley Farms Project at Heritage Farm is a national model for sustainable agriculture on a landscape-scale with isolated preservation gardens, restored creeks, ecological restorations, and rotational grazing pastures.
For more information, you can contact Seed Savers exchange at 563-382-5990 or by visiting their website at www.seedsavers.org/.
Topics: Spotlight Site