Welcome to the second episode of Seeds for Change, a podcast by the Institute for Applied Ecology! In today’s episode, we interview Sara Alaica, a Restoration Ecologist with IAE doing incredible work restoring native prairie and oak woodland ecosystems here in Oregon. Sara Alaica is a Restoration Ecologist in IAE’s Habitat Restoration Program, where she writes, coordinates, and implements natural resource plans to restore native Oregon habitat. She studied ecology at Columbia University, then obtained her M.Sc. in Restoration Ecology from Simon Fraser University, with a focus in botany. Sara’s restoration work has spanned the country: from restoring oyster beds in New York and high-altitude wetlands in New Mexico, to restoring tallgrass prairie in the Great Plains and bog wetlands in the Pacific Northwest. --- Up next, Seeds for Change is taking you on a trip 1,300 miles away to Santa Fe, New Mexico. In the third episode, we will hear from Melanie Gisler, the Director of the Southwest Branch of the Institute for Applied Ecology based in Santa Fe, New Mexico. So, if you’re up for the trip, be sure to stick around and we’ll meet back here next month. Thanks for listening! Music is provided by Scott Holmes under a free Creative Commons License: ⁠https://scottholmesmusic.com/