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SEEDS Chapters Program

SEEDS at Canyonlands National Park.

SEEDS chapters, as autonomous undergraduate student clubs, provide key focal points for local and regional environmental leadership advancement, community engagement, and career development activities. Since 1996, SEEDS has built a wide network of campus chapters across the country, and today, we are proud that more than 100 campus groups have affiliated with the program.

 

Welcome New SEEDS Chapters!

Our newest SEEDS Chapters this academic year are:

  • Evergreen State College
  • Columbia University
  • University of Southern California
  • Moorpark College
  • Stevenson University

Our 2024 SEEDS National BioBlitz competition will return! More information will be available shortly!

Congrats to the 2023 SEEDS National BioBlitz Winner – UC Santa Barbara SEEDS Chapter!

We are thrilled to announce the winners of this year’s SEEDS National BioBlitz – the UC Santa Barbara (UCSB) SEEDS Chapter! Their dedication and hard work paid off with an impressive 672 observations.

We would also like to extend our congratulations and gratitude to the other 10 SEEDS Chapters that participated in this year’s event. A big round of applause goes to the:

  • University of Texas, El Paso (UTEP) – Environmental Advocates
  • University of Puerto Rico, Mayaguez – LEWE
  • University of Puerto Rico, Bayamon – L.I.F.E.
  • University of California, Berkeley – UC Berkeley SEEDS
  • University of Puerto Rico, Humacao – EOS
  • University of Colorado, Boulder – CU Boulder SEEDS
  • Temple University – Temple SEEDS
  • Duquesne University – Duquesne Ecology Club
  • Lenoir-Rhyne University – SEEDS at LRU
  • Hunter College – SEEDS at Hunter

Your participation has made this year’s BioBlitz a huge success and your observations are valuable contributions to science!

 

2023-2024 Chapter Grants Awardee Projects

9 Chapters applied and were awarded in the Fall for the 2023-2024 Chapter Grants. 

  • Agnes Scott College and Emory University (joint project) – Diversity in Ecology Field Trip to the Georgia Coast
  • Auburn University at Montgomery, Warhawk SEEDS – Warhawk SEEDS Field trip to Dauphin Island Sea Lab, AL
  • Florida Atlantic University, FAU SEEDS – Big Cypress Camping Trip
  • St. Olaf College, StoSEEDS – Establishing Funds for Expanding Membership and Initial Events
  • UC Berkeley SEEDS – Recruitment & Muir Woods Educational Field Trip
  • UC Davis SEEDS – UC Davis Lake Tahoe Camping Trip
  • UC Davis and UC Berkeley (joint project) – UC Davis & UC Berkeley Angelo Coast Trip
  • UC Riverside SEEDS – UCR SEEDS Central California Field Excursion
  • UC Santa Barbara SEEDS – Local Field Trips in Santa Barbara County

2022-2023 Chapter Grants Awardees

Congratulations to Colorado Sate University (CSU) SEEDS, AUM Warhawk SEEDS, VCU SEEDS, Fort Lewis (FLC) SEEDS, Florida State University (FSU) SEEDS, UC Riverside SEEDS whose project proposals were approved!  The SEEDS Chapter Grant program is intended to support innovative Chapter projects that promote ecology to underrepresented students and communities through local conservation, research, or education outreach activities. We are happy to support the work that you are doing and we look forward to seeing the outcomes of these projects.

Here’s a description and quotes from FLC SEEDS‘ grant-funded experience: 2023 Sonoran Desert/Sea of Cortez Field Trip: 

  • “This trip strengthened our local SEEDS club chapter by giving our club a unifying goal and attracting lots of interest and new members.” 
  • “The ecology of the desert and sea around Puerto Peñasco is extremely rich and interesting, and our group quickly developed a strong appreciation for it. We were fortunate to have many close interactions with diverse wildlife, such as octopuses, endangered red herons, dolphins, many species of sea birds, and California sea lions, among many others. These powerful and memorable interactions sparked our curiosity and created awareness of the need for conservation. 
  • “With the grants we received […] we could conduct the trip for the barest minimum out-of-pocket costs to attendants” 
    • Read more about FLC SEEDS’ unforgettable trip. 

 

2021-2022 Chapter Grants Awardee Projects

7 Chapters applied and were awarded 2021-2022 Chapter Grants. Here’s a description of their projects and quotes from their experiences!

  • CUNY Hunter SEEDS – Adirondack Mountains Trip
    • “The recent SEEDS excursion to the Adirondacks has incited me to delve deeper into the topic of ecology, and has encouraged me to plan future hikes with friends.”
  • Temple University SEEDS – Building Temple SEEDS
    • “thank you to SEEDS for making this semester possible for our club!”
  • Elmhurst University SEEDS – Field Work Opportunities through visits to the Morton Arboretum
    • “With this grant money we could ensure a local field trip to have our immersive first fieldwork experience with a variety of professional ecologists”
  • UC Riverside SEEDS  – Santa Cruz Island Research Field Trip
  • Warhawk SEEDS –  Educational trail
  • UC Davis – Weekend Camping Trip to Lake Tahoe
  • CU Boulder SEEDS – Professional Development Workshop Series
Multiple images from SEEDS Chapters projects funded with SEEDS Chapters grants.

Images submitted by SEEDS Chapters of projects funded with SEEDS Chapter Grants.

Learn more about the SEEDS Chapters Program

ESA is grateful to Ms. Vicki Moore for her major gift to re-energize our SEEDS Chapter Program in honor of her daughter, Kendra Chan. Kendra Chan died in a tragic SCUBA boat fire of the coast of Santa Barbara, CA in 2019 at age 26.

Kendra Chan

 

Resources:       Opportunities: