Welcome to the third episode of Seeds for Change. In today’s episode, we interview Melanie Gisler, Southwest Branch Director with the Institute for Applied Ecology.

Melanie has been with IAE since 2002 and has had a number of roles including Habitat Restoration Program Director, restoration ecologist, and seed program manager. In 2002 she helped launch the Native Seed Network and a regional native seed accession program.

Since then, she has focused on expanding the scope of native plant materials programs, building collaborative projects with conservation partners, farmers, and tribes, and implementing large scale habitat restoration and recovery projects for rare plants and butterflies. She now builds collaborations with conservation partners in New Mexico.

Melanie Gisler received her M.Sc. in Botany from the University of British Columbia (1997) and a B.A. in Biology from the University of New Mexico (1992). Prior to joining IAE she worked for a several public agencies including the Bureau of Land Management West Eugene Wetlands Program, Forest Service Pacific Northwest Research Station, Natural Resources Conservation Service Los Lunas Plant Materials Center, and the Austin Texas Zilker Botanical Garden. When not at work, Melanie enjoys exploring the fantastic biology, geology, and cultures of New Mexico on foot, bike, or skis with her family.