Instructor Bio: Sierra Smith

Sierra has a lifetime of working with plants from many different angles. He started his career in horticulture and has worked at several botanical gardens, landscape companies, and nurseries. After graduate school at University of Washington studying the use of mycorrhizal fungi in ecological restoration he worked as a botanist at Yosemite National Park. After he and Eowyn met, Sierra began farming in earnest growing vegetables at over 5000′ elevation in Colorado and then in the dry chaparral near the Mexico border in California. Returning to Washington, Sierra created and ran for 10 years a native seed farming operation that continues to serve prairie restoration efforts throughout Western WA. Sierra now farms with his family in Thurston County at Sapsucker Farm. He also serves the agricultural community as Extension Faculty for Washington State University. He continues his native seed production, horticulture, and botany work through his consulting business: Sapsucker Consulting.