Helping to Seed the Future with Nina Raj
By David Koons
It is just after nine in the morning, and a group of happy adventurers are hiking up Prickly Pear Trail at San Dimas Canyon Natural Area, thankful for the cool weather and gentle breezes. The teacher stops at various native plants to describe their importance and connection to the wider ecosystem.
Nina Raj is leading a seed-collecting workshop and people from 6 to 60 are learning the basics on how to identify native plants and determine if their seeds are ready for harvesting. The second in collaboration with our chapter this year, but one of many via her non-profit, Altadena Seed Library. Today, Raj instructs that they leave some seeds, about 1/3 of each plant selected, to allow the remainder to return to the soil and replenish the ground for next season.
Some seeds can be collected, dried, and put into cold storage for many years. Others cannot be dried and stored (such as acorn and walnut seeds).
Some seed collecting requires gloves to avoid stiff hairs or spines. Trimmers help open others. The group gathered seeds from phacelia, thistle, pearly everlasting, elderberry, redberry, and encelia, to name a few. Raj will later dry them and prepare them for cold storage in a refrigerator.
Today, the group includes various people from around Los Angeles County. Each bringing their unique knowledge and expertise to the adventure. Many fascinating discussions and experiences were exchanged along the narrow trail.
The seeds will be stored in labeled containers in the San Dimas Nature Center, but eventually a portion of this local seed bank will be stored in other locations. This distribution is intentional. If one nature center burns down, then the seeds stored elsewhere can be brought back to assist with habitat restoration (if necessary) with seeds collected locally. Having a distributed network mitigates failure at one point, which is unfortunately what happened at Eaton Canyon in the Eaton Fire.
The money for initial equipment and supplies was donated by our chapter to get the program going. The state CNPS 2026 Chapters-in-Need grant program was utilized, and the County Parks and Recreation is very pleased to be collaborating with Nina on this important work. The equipment and refrigerators will be stored at Los Angeles County Nature Centers.
Our chapter thanks Nina Raj for her hard work and expertise and the Chapter Board for obtaining permits and approvals, and we also acknowledge the state offices of CNPS for helping to provide preliminary funding.
Nina Raj is a naturalist and founder of Altadena Seed Library. She is also a board member of our CNPS San Gabriel Mountains Chapter. Look for her workshops and other projects throughout Los Angeles County and beyond.