How Native Plant Rescue Works

The Alberta Native Plant Rescue Foundation (ABNPR) works with developers, landowners, and community volunteers to rescue native plants and locally adapted seed from lands scheduled for development, helping give native ecosystems a second life in restoration projects, pollinator habitats, and community landscapes across Alberta.

ABNPR coordinates safe, legal access to development sites so volunteers can rescue native plants and collect locally adapted seed before land is stripped, graded, or permanently altered.

ABNPR itself does not collect, retain, or redistribute rescued plants or seed. Plants and seed gathered during rescues belong to the volunteers who collect them, or to the partner organizations they represent, including groups such as Friends of Fish Creek, community associations, botanical organizations, school programs, Indigenous stewardship initiatives, and restoration projects throughout Alberta.

By placing rescued plants directly into the hands of volunteers and community partners, native species are quickly returned to gardens, pollinator habitats, conservation lands, schools, parks, and restoration sites across the province — helping expand native habitat while preserving locally adapted plant genetics.

Rescue Process Details 

1. Planning & Permission

ABNPR begins each rescue by working closely with developers, landowners, environmental consultants, planners, engineering and construction teams, and municipal authorities. Together, we identify all site requirements, constraints, and exclusion areas, including Environmental Reserve (ER) lands, wetland reserves, conservation easements, sensitive wildlife buffers, and any areas the developer requests remain undisturbed.

ABNPR never schedules a rescue until:

• the developer has completed all required internal processes;

• permits, licenses, and approvals have been issued;

• safety and access conditions have been confirmed; and

• rescue timing has been coordinated with construction schedules.

ABNPR plant rescues are entirely voluntary and cannot be used as a substitute for any required environmental assessment, regulatory review, permitting process, reclamation obligation, compensation requirement, or development approval condition.

ABNPR’s role is organizational, legal, and safety-oriented — coordinating responsible public access so volunteers can rescue native plants and collect locally adapted seed before the land is permanently altered.

2. Site Assessment 

ABNPR botanists and trained volunteers walk each site to identify rescue-worthy areas, locate any exclusion zones requested by the developer, document ecological context, and identify native species present on the site.

Assessment teams may also note sensitive features such as wetlands, wildlife buffers, unstable slopes, erosion risks, invasive species, or access limitations that could affect rescue activities.

Because the site will ultimately be altered by development, volunteers may rescue viable native plants and collect locally adapted seed from approved rescue areas.

3. Plant Rescue Notifications

Community members can sign up for the ABNPR email list to receive notifications about upcoming native plant rescues, seed harvests, volunteer opportunities, and restoration activities throughout Alberta.

4. Team & Tools 

ABNPR volunteers typically bring their own supplies, including:

• shovels, trowels, and hori-hori knives;

• buckets, trays, pots, and other containers for transporting plants;

• paper seed bags and envelopes;

• labels and markers;

• gloves, hats, and appropriate safety footwear; and

• carts or wagons for moving plants and supplies across larger rescue sites.

Volunteers are encouraged to bring more buckets and containers than they think they will need, as many rescues involve large numbers of plants.

Some rescue sites also require high-visibility safety vests due to active construction activity. Site-specific safety requirements are communicated before each event.

ABNPR provides:

• safety briefings;

• site maps and orientations;

• species identification support; and

• on-site supervision during rescue activities.

Plant identification experts and rescue supervisors are present at every event to help volunteers identify native species and support safe, responsible rescue activities.

Rescues commonly involve 20–80 volunteers, depending on site size, timing, and weather conditions.

5. Digging & Plant Handling

Volunteers rescue and take home the plants they personally collect, including native grasses, sedges, wildflowers, forbs, shrubs, saplings, soil blocks containing multiple seedlings, and wetland-edge species.

ABNPR teaches low-impact rescue techniques designed to maximize plant survival, including:

• digging widely around root systems;

• keeping soil intact whenever possible;

• protecting plants from excessive sun and wind exposure while working; and

• keeping roots and soil moist until plants can be replanted or repotted.

Volunteers choose which plants to rescue and where those plants will ultimately be replanted, helping expand native plant habitat throughout Alberta.

6. Seed Harvest

Because development often removes the entire vegetation layer, volunteers may collect viable native seed from approved rescue areas before the site is permanently altered.

ABNPR does not retain or redistribute seed. Seed collection and redistribution are carried out directly by volunteers and participating community organizations.

Collected seed may be:

• used in personal native plant gardens;

• provided to schools, community gardens, and restoration groups;

• collected on behalf of partner organizations such as Friends of Fish Creek; or

• shared through connections facilitated by ABNPR with groups seeking native plants and locally adapted seed.

By redistributing locally adapted seed directly into communities and restoration projects, volunteers help preserve regional plant genetics and expand native habitat throughout Alberta.

7. Transport & Storage

Volunteers transport rescued plants and seed using labeled buckets, trays, bags, and other containers, while keeping plants shaded and protected from heat stress during transport.

Some volunteers deliver rescued material directly to community gardens, school programs, Indigenous-led ecological initiatives, habitat restoration groups, and conservation projects throughout Alberta.

ABNPR can also help connect volunteers with organizations seeking native plants and locally adapted seed for restoration and community planting projects.

8. Replanting & Restoration

Where rescued plants ultimately grow depends entirely on the volunteers and organizations involved in each rescue. Many volunteers replant rescued species in their own native plant gardens, pollinator habitats, community green spaces, schoolyard naturalization projects, and ecological restoration sites.

Partner organizations may use rescued plants and seed for:

• riparian restoration;

• grassland and prairie renewal;

• trail-edge habitat creation;

• pollinator habitat development; and

• urban naturalization initiatives.

ABNPR supports coordination and connections between volunteers and restoration partners, but does not control where rescued material is ultimately replanted.

9. Monitor, Share, & Learn 

ABNPR gathers feedback and observations from volunteers, partner organizations, restoration practitioners, ecologists, and Indigenous knowledge holders. This ongoing learning process helps improve rescue training, refine plant handling and transplant techniques, and strengthen future restoration partnerships.

Volunteers frequently share plant survival stories, photos, restoration successes, and observations from their gardens and restoration projects — helping the broader community learn, adapt, and improve together.

ABNPR’s volunteer-driven structure is central to the organization’s success, allowing rescued biodiversity and locally adapted plant genetics to spread across thousands of gardens, parks, schools, restoration projects, and community spaces throughout Alberta.