WHS is proud to be leading high-school-level reseach in CT with our...
Native Wildflower Initiative
The WHS Organic Garden is dedicated to a mission of restoration. Widespread degradation of the natural world has caused an “insect apocalypse” that threatens the survival of farms that rely on pollinators to produce food. Wildflowers grown from seed that originate in the region that they will be planted in will have a greater chance of surviving in the wild. The widespread planting of wildflowers that originate from Connecticut will support pollinator populations and therefore healthy ecosystems.
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The Ecotype Project
The WHS Organic Garden is proud to be the first public school in Connecticut to participate in The Ecotype Project, an initiative led by the Northeast Organic Farming Association of Connecticut. CT NOFA has recognized that a cause for the "insect apocalypse" is the disappearance of native wildflower populations across the state. In order to combat this crisis, homeowners, landscapers, and farmers could simply plant wildflower seeds from the grocery store in their yards and on their properties. However, there is a problem with this approach. Although many species of wildflowers that are native to Connecticut are also native to many Western states, wildflower seeds can really only be purchased from out West; there are no sources of wildflower seeds that originate from CT. This is problematic because Western seeds have slight genetic differences from subspecies here in CT. Scientists are discovering that planting seeds from one ecoregion in a different ecoregion, even though the wildflower species is native to both areas, actually weakens the overall genetics of the wildflower population in CT, for example.
In order to maintain healthy plant genetics, CT NOFA is working towards creating a network of land trusts, organic farmers, scientists, landscapers, homeowners, and nurseries to sustainably collect wildflower seeds in CT and grow them for restoration projects and for commercial sale.
Our Involvement In The Ecotype Project
The first way that the Wilton High School Organic Garden is involved in the Ecotype Project is that we are producers of native wildflowers. CT NOFA kindly gave us several hundred seeds in January 2020 to grow into healthy plugs. Our goal is to have these plugs ready for transplanting in May of 2020 so that we can begin restoring habitats throughout Wilton, including Allen's Meadows and several properties owned by the Wilton Land Conservation Trust.
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Our second path of involvement is research-based. For the next decade, WHS students will monitor the plots where the true native wildflowers have been planted to see how the ecosystem develops. For this reason, Wilton High School is leading the state in high-school-level environmental research.
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Thirdly, because the WHS Organic Garden is the first school in CT to be involved in the Ecotype project, CT NOFA has directed us to create a protocol for how other local high schools in the Northeast can get involved. If you are a high school that is interested in joining the effort, please contact us (see webpage directory at top).
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Finally, the success of the Ecotype Project will only come about if local businesses are able to create consumer interest in native wildflowers, thereby firmly establishing the project into the economy. In addition, we know how much our community is interested in gardening and sustainability. For these reasons, the WHS Organic Garden has partnered with Planter's Choice Nursery of Newtown, CT to offer a selection of native wildflower seedlings actually from Connecticut to our community. For more information, please click below.
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