Thursday, March 13, 2025
Why is plant biodiversity important? Simply put, growing a mixture of food plants is the best insurance we have against catastrophic events and the increasing impact of climate change. Seeds are a key component in the health of our ecosystem. Find out what gardeners can do to preserve food plant biodiversity! Join Clallam County Master Gardener Muriel Nesbitt for the Green Thumb Education Series presentation “Seeds and the Future of Food,” Thursday, March 13, from 1 – 2 p.m. at St. Andrews Episcopal Church, 510 E. Park Avenue in Port Angeles.
Biodiversity helps maintain healthy ecosystems by providing food sources for animals, regulating climate, preventing soil erosion, protecting watersheds and serves as a vital source for medicines and other human needs. Muriel will be presenting a discussion of the role of biodiversity in ensuring the future survival of food plants, and the major causes of the ongoing sharp decline in that diversity. She will also talk about the effects of seed patenting, genetic manipulation, seed banks, land races and the seed industry.
Muriel became interested in this subject through studying the remarkable changes in seed availability and seed ownership over the last century. “I hope that gardeners will be inspired to save their own seeds, grow heirloom varieties, and support local seed growers of open-pollinated varieties,” Muriel said.
Muriel began her career as a high school teacher in Dar es Salaam, Tanzania. She went on to become a graduate student at the University of Washington, where she earned a Ph.D. in genetics. Muriel was a professor of biology at the University of California, Los Angeles for two years and then taught biology at University of California, San Diego for 35 years before retiring to Port Angeles in 2008.
The Green Thumb Education Series, sponsored by the Washington State University Clallam County Master Gardeners, is held in person on the second Thursday of each month from January through May, and September through November. Scheduled presentations are subject to change. Visit the WSU Extension Clallam County website calendar at https://extension.wsu.edu/clallam/master-gardener-calendar/ for the latest information on upcoming presentations. For questions, call 360-565-2678.
