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  • From: "Craig Gilbert" <GarlicBed AT Comcast.net>
  • To: <market-farming AT lists.ibiblio.org>
  • Subject: [Market-farming] Tragedy/Abundant Life Seed Foundation
  • Date: Wed, 3 Sep 2003 23:14:25 -0400

This message was posted to the SANET list, and I thought I would share it.

Craig Gilbert
 
 
 
Howdy, all--

Apologies if this is redundant information for any of you.

Abundant Life Seed Foundation, two hours north of Olympia in Port
Townsend, WA, was destroyed in a fire several weeks ago.

ALSF lost their collection of native, heirloom, and rare seeds--both
their catalog inventory and their World Seed Fund collection. They
estimate about 200 varieties are being grown out by farmers in their
network. However, upwards of 1,800 carefully and lovingly tended
varieties were destroyed.

The foundation was located in an historic building in Port Townsend,
along with the offices of the Northwest Natural Resources Group and
Aldrich's market, which apart from being one of the outstanding small
groceries on the planet, was a mainstay of PT since it opened in 1895.

The fire appears to have been arson. Four teenagers are suspects.
This is the worst commercial fire in Port Townsend in nearly 50 years.

The /Port Townsend Leader/ reported on 8/6:

>While the loss of the quintessential Port Townsend business
>[Aldrich's] presents a rebuilding challenge, even more daunting is
>the loss suffered by the 29-year-old Abundant Life Seed Foundation.
>
>The nonprofit group works to protect the genetic diversity of seeds
>through education and research. The organization had amassed 2,000
>rare varieties of seed, some of which were 1,500 years old and many
>of which were the only known examples in the world.
>
>Abundant Life lost all of its seed collection along with membership
>and financial records and computer equipment, Executive Director
>Matthew Dillon said. Fortunately, 200 varieties of seed were being
>grown when the fire hit, allowing them to rebuild a fraction of
>their inventory.

I was last at Abundant Life's offices in May, to return some samples
of heirloom wheats and beans which they'd generously lent me the
previous week for show-and-tell at a class at The Evergreen State
College. I've ordered seeds from them for nearly 20 years. When I
first visited the Olympic Peninsula, in 1992, for a solo backpacking
trip, I made a special pilgrimage to their offices. Ten years later,
the very first thing I planted when we bought our house here at
Fertile Crescent Microfarm was ALSF emmer and einkorn, as a gesture
of thanksgiving and continuity over the millennia. I could think of
no better offering to our significant soil.

And so I am personally sick over this loss, as well.

This does however demonstrate the wisdom of not concentrating
seedstocks in any one place (as, for instance, the national germplasm
repositories do or the Monsantos of the world would like to) and of
networking, rather than centralization, as the wisest strategy for
such treasures of the commons.

Here is ALSF's information on the event, along with statements of
their plans and their needs:
http://www.abundantlifeseed.org

Please help if you can. These fine people have worked hard over the
past three decades to establish and maintain genetic diversity with
and of seeds. And please pass this notice along to anyone you know
who should be aware of this event and might be able to help.


peace
mish

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Michele Gale-Sinex




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