$200K Grant for Native Seed Banking Project

TEXAS, USA

21st November 2006

The Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower Center has received $200,000 to participate in a worldwide program dedicated to conserving the seeds of native plants.

Auditorium at Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower Center

Image © Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower Centre

The three-year grant, from the Houston Endowment, will let the University of Texas center collect seeds around Houston and East Texas. The effort is part of the Millennium Seed Bank Project, developed by the Royal Botanic Garden in Kew, England. The center is one of only five U.S. nonprofits to participate. The Wildflower Center has banked seeds from more than 300 plant species in Central and West Texas.

Some plants in the Houston area face encroachment from development or invasive species.

"The foundation has a history of funding projects that make a major, lasting impact on the future of the Houston area" says Larry Faulkner, president of the Houston Endowment and former president of UT's flagship Austin campus. "This initiative is an important contribution to the ecological health of the region."

The Houston Endowment is a private nonprofit dedicated to improving life for people in the Houston area. It donates more than $70 million annually.

UT's Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower Center at the University of Texas is a 279-acre public garden and research area dedicated to the mission of increasing the sustainable use and conservation of native wildflowers, plants and landscapes.

Austin Business Journal - 2:32 PM CST Monday

Back to Archive