Looking Ahead

Dear Friends,

Before I say anything else, I first want to thank you for helping the Earth Sangha have such a productive year! Your donations funded the expansion of our Tree Bank Nursery, jump-started our new reforestation efforts in the Dominican Republic, and brought our DC area seed collection efforts into the 21st century. You pulled invasives at Marie Butler Leven Preserve and planted native plants on public lands. You heard Lisa’s call and helped rebuild sections of the Wild Plant Nursery and transplant seedlings after a difficult winter damaged much of our woody stock. And your yards became homes to thousands of local ecotype, native plants from our Wild Plant Nursery.

We are really looking forward to 2016 and we’ve already gotten a head start! Matt took this photo at our new greenhouse space yesterday morning. He estimated that we have about 5,000 pots ready to be sowed. Thanks to the new greenhouse space and help from our volunteers, Lisa and Matt started sowing seed this morning! Using the greenhouse this winter means we will be able to germinate herbaceous species to be used in early spring restoration work and won’t have to worry about the unpredictable weather in late winter/early spring. We are looking forward to winter seed-cleaning this January so we can start our propagation efforts in earnest. If you’re interested in helping us this winter, information and dates for volunteer events will be posted to our Volunteer page soon!

If you like what you see here, please consider including the Earth Sangha in your end-of-the-year giving. From greenhouse propagation to field surveys to invasives removals to our Tree Bank Forest Credit loans, all of our work has costs. Helping us to shoulder those costs is another reason why I’m so grateful to our donors — and why I’m hoping that, if you haven’t already made a year-end gift to the Sangha, that you’ll make that donation today, and take advantage of our year-end match: Two of very generous donors have pledged to match the first $50 of every donation that the Sangha receives, through January 15! And, from all of us at the Sangha, a hearty thank you for another successful year, and best wishes for a Happy New Year!

All the best,

Katherine

Katherine Isaacson

Earth Sangha

Development & Outreach Coordinator