November 11 Chapter Meeting

The California Seed Bank: Conserving the Botanical Diversity of the Golden State

November 11, 2026 at 7:00 PM

The November Chapter Meeting will be Zoom ONLY on Wednesday, November 11th beginning at 7 pm. There will be no in-person attendance; click here to register and attend via Zoom.

Summary

California is the most biodiverse state in the country, boasting over 6,500 native plant taxa with high levels of both rarity and endemism. In the face of habitat destruction, climate change, altered fire regimes, the spread of invasive species, and many other threats, there is an urgent need to protect this botanical diversity.

Seed banking is a cost-effective strategy for the long-term conservation of plant diversity. With over 6,200 accessions representing over 2,500 taxa, the California Seed Bank is the largest seed repository dedicated to conserving the flora of California. 

These collections help safeguard our most threatened plants from extinction, conserve material for habitat restoration, and serve as source material for research as well as for living collections at botanic gardens for increased public education and appreciation. 

In this talk we’ll learn about the facility, the collection, and the projects that have been bringing us closer to our goal of seed banking all possible native plant species of California. We’ll also learn about the basic principles of seed saving with applications for the home gardener.

 

Speaker Bio

Cheryl Birker is the Seed Conservation Program Manager at the California Botanic Garden (CalBG). Cheryl has a B.S. in Biology with a Concentration in Biodiversity, Ecology and Conservation Biology from California State University Fullerton (CSUF). While pursuing her undergraduate degree, Cheryl conducted independent research in Dr. Darren Sandquist’s plant ecophysiology lab, participated in the Southern California Ecosystems Research Program, worked in the CSUF greenhouse complex, and interned with the DEVELOP National Program at NASA Langley Research Center. Cheryl started at CalBG as an intern in the Conservation Department shortly after graduating, and worked her way up to managing the seed bank in 2016.

Photos courtesy of Cheryl Birker.