Native Plant Producer Network
Location: Coastal Mississippi
Coordinating Agency: MSU Coastal Research and Extension Center
Contact Name: Megan Chevis
Contact Email: mgc81@msstate.edu
Native Plant Producer Network (NPPN)
Region targeted: primarily coastal counties in Mississippi (Jackson, Harrison, Hancock, Pearl River), but open to working with other counties
Age targeted: upper high school to undergraduate university students
Self-guided or personnel led: Students will participate in workshops led by MSU Extension staff and then carry out care and maintenance of plants
Time of year: workshops will be held during the school year; plant care will primarily be from spring through fall Program contact: Jaden Akers (jaden.akers@msstate.edu); Megan Chevis (megan.chevis@msstate.edu)
The Native Plant Producer Network (NPPN) is an NRCS-funded project starting in 2024 aimed at building a network of native plant producers to support local living shoreline restoration projects. Currently there is a disconnect in the increasing demand for restoration projects and a lack of supply of wetland plant materials making it difficult to complete projects in a streamlined manner. During this project, MSU Extension and partner organizations will host workshops for producers, students, and interested community members to attend and learn about our local wetlands, key plants that are used in shoreline restoration, and how participants can begin to grow and sell these plants. Extension personnel will work with network members, including local nurseries and schools, to mentor participants as they grow the plants.
Initial goals of the project include building the capacities of local producers and students to sell and grow native wetland plants and increasing the stock of locally sourced and grown wetland plants for use in small-scale shoreline restoration projects.
