Governor Hochul must sign legislation to support New York’s native ecosystem
Standing in the meadows at Doce Lume Farm near Skaneateles Lake, you see two worlds juxtaposed. On one side, there is a large patch of greenery, composed of the kinds of plants many of us would see if we let our manicured lawns go wild for a season. Just a few dozen feet away is a different kind of garden: blooming wildflowers in wild bursts of colors, buzzing with bees and beetles and other pollinators, reminding us just how lovely a native plant meadow can be. Those bursts of color and insect activity are a taste of what New York’s green spaces used to look like, and what they could look like again, if we take steps to support and expand our supply of native plant seeds.
Home gardens, institutional landscaping, and garden stores are full of ornamental exotic plants that are non-native to New York. While some of them can play important roles in habitats of our state, many are short-lived, hard to maintain, and can become invasive. In contrast, plants that are native to New York will inherently be hardier, easier to maintain, and have important benefits like improving habitat stability, filtering polluted water, increasing biodiversity, and making soils more resilient. Last year the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine released a report noting that the market supply of seeds sold in the country that are native to the habitat in which they are sold and planted was drastically insufficient to meet current and future habitat needs. This means that many residential and commercial projects end up using non-native plantings because the source material for native plants – native seeds – are simply not available in sufficient quantities.
Fortunately, the New York State Legislature has taken action to address the lack of a native seeds market. With input from Janice Wiles of Doce Lume Farm and native plant experts like those at the Mid-Atlantic Regional Seed Bank and the Nature Conservancy, we introduced legislation that would establish a native seed supply, development, and enhancement program in New York State. Our bill passed in both legislative chambers this year and now awaits the Governor’s signature. The bill does two very simple things. First, it creates a grant program to support growing operations either established by the government (such as the Greenbelt Native Plant Center operated by NYC Parks) or to support private entities, like plant nurseries or farms, that can increase the state’s native plant seed supply. Second, it establishes a preference for the state government to use native plants whenever possible when engaging in land management, reforestation, and similar efforts.
Our bill is designed to foster a robust agricultural market in New York State. Demand for native seeds and plant materials is already on the rise, with demand greatly outstripping supply. The Federal Bureau of Land Management has made federal funds available to states to support regional development of a native plant seed supply chain. Our legislation will help New York take advantage of this program while performing a vital service to nurseries and those interested in native plant cultivation.
Whether we are talking about Governor Hochul’s plan to plant 25 million trees in New York by 2033 or members of the Finger Lakes Native Plant Society hoping to convert a lawn into a native plant meadow bustling with colors and pollinators, we should do everything we can to ensure that native seed stock is available. We urge Governor Hochul to sign the legislation. Planting these seeds today will yield bounties long into the future and create a robust and beautiful ecosystem.
Senator Rachel May
Assemblymember Anna Kelles
