“The Seed Huntress” Sefra Alexandra leads The Ecotype Project for the Connecticut Northeast Organic Farming Association, an effort to fortify the living seed banks of local ecoregions to safeguard habitat for pollinators. The initiative partners with botanists who collect seeds in the wild, organic farmers who amplify those seeds in founder plots, and nurseries who make these “truly local” native plants available to homeowners, landscapers and municipalities. On-farm pollinator habitat is critical to fortifying our ecological corridors and ensuring local food security.

To call attention to the effort, Sefra and a team of citizen scientist explorers embarked on the first BOATanical Expedition, where 10 paddlers in five canoes steward 500 native plants to be installed in Ecotype pollinator gardens across three states along the Connecticut (Quinnehtukqut) River riparian corridor. In Part One of Fall 2020, they traveled 87 miles through ecoregion 59. In Part Two of Fall 2021, Sefra and her BOATanist team paddled the rest of the entire length of the 410-mile riverway.