Your Next Steps

Let’s Set Your Habitat Project Up for Success

Turning a piece of land into high-quality habitat can create lasting benefits for bees, butterflies and other wildlife while also supporting healthier soil, cleaner water and a more resilient landscape.

Through The Bee & Butterfly Habitat Fund’s (BBHF) Seed A Legacy program, eligible land partners receive high-quality NextGen™ Seed Mixes along with technical guidance and support from our habitat experts to help give your project the best chance for long-term success.

Successful habitat takes time, care, and commitment.

Before you take the next step, we want you to understand what creating and caring for a successful Seed A Legacy project really involves.

We provide:

  • High-quality NextGen™ Seed Mixes and project signs

  • Technical guidance from our habitat experts

  • Establishment and management resources

  • Ongoing support throughout your project

You provide:

  • The land, time, and work needed to prepare the site and to plant the seed

  • Access to the equipment or people needed to complete the work

  • Active management, particularly during the first growing season

  • A commitment to maintain the habitat for at least five years

You don’t have to know how to do everything today. That’s where our guidance comes in. But you do need to be willing and able to carry out the work your site will require.

WORKING TOGETHER

The Seed A Legacy Program is a Partnership

Before applying for pre-approval, make sure you’re comfortable saying yes to the following:

BEFORE YOU MOVE FORWARD

  1. Own or manage at least 2 acres in the Seed A Legacy program area.

  2. Plan a new habitat planting, rather than adding seed to existing vegetation.

  3. Be prepared to fully terminate existing vegetation before planting.

  4. Allow for a full growing season or longer for site preparation, depending on the site and method.

  5. Be prepared to complete the recommended site prep and have access to the equipment needed for preparation, planting and management.

  6. Plant two separate seed mixes - a Bee Mix with clovers and a Butterfly Mix with native wildflowers - in separate areas.

  7. Plant during the recommended fall/winter dormant season, ideally before February 1.

  8. Actively manage the habitat, especially during the first growing season.

  9. Protect and maintain the habitat for at least five years to give it the best chance to thrive.

  10. Partner with BBHF throughout the process and share annual habitat photos or updates.

If that sounds doable, you may be a great fit for Seed A Legacy.

Remember: you don’t have to do it alone. Our team is here to help you understand what your site needs and guide you through the process.

Is Seed A Legacy Right for You?

Watch the videos below, read through our Habitat Establishment & Management Guide and check out our Frequently Asked Questions located at the bottom of our Seed A Legacy program page.

WHAT TO EXPECT

What Does a Seed A Legacy Project Actually Look Like?

PRE-APPROVAL APPLICATION

Ready to Take the Next Step?

If you’ve reviewed what the program involves and you’re ready to keep moving forward, it’s time to tell us more about your proposed habitat site.

Before you start your pre-approval application, be ready to:

  1. Provide a current photo of your proposed habitat area.

  2. Share some basic information about the site, including its approximate acreage, current vegetation and recent land-use history.

  3. Know which site preparation method you plan to use. You do not need to complete site prep before applying, but you should review the Habitat Establishment & Management Guide and decide which method you plan to use.

Apply For Pre-Approval

After your application is submitted, we’ll review your proposed project. If it appears to be a good fit, we’ll contact you about the next steps, including a conversation with one of our habitat biologists.

Together, we can plant better habitat for a better future - creating lasting benefits for pollinators, people and the planet.