Hampshire College Alum Heather McCargo, Founder of the Wild Seed Project, Wins Source Award

Hampshire College alum Heather McCargo 78F, founder of the nonprofit Wild Seed Project, was recently awarded a Source Award for her leadership in promoting native plant populations and working to restore biodiversity in Maine.

Founded in 2014, the goal of the Wild Seed Project is to build awareness of the importance of native plants and to give people the tools to restore biodiversity. The organization collects and sells seeds of 75 wild and uncultivated forms of native plants and works to educate the public about the ecological importance of native plants through a variety of events and their annual magazine, Wild Seed.

McCargo has more than three decades of experience in plant propagation, landscape design, horticulture, and conservation. McCargo formerly served as the head plant propagator at the New England Wild Flower Society’s (now Native Plant Trust) Garden in the Woods and has worked at several landscape architecture and planning firms specializing in ecological design. She has contributed to research projects with USAID, the National Gardening Association, and Maine Organic Farmers and Gardeners Association.

McCargo received her bachelor’s degree in plant ecology from Hampshire College and a master’s degree in ecological landscape design from the Conway School of Landscape Design.