Volume 22, Number 3 December 2016
the
Phlox Phlyer
Columbia Basin Chapter, Washington Native Plant Society
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c/o Cheryl Smith, 1926 Hetrick, Richland, WA 99354
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www.cbwnps.org
My Thoughts at Thanksgiving As co-chair of the chapter, I get to the chance to appreciate all the different passions we have for native plants – some like gardening with natives, some glory in their beauty, others enjoy the challenge of learning how to recognize natives in all their diversity, and many of us are awed by the intricate interactions between native plants and the ecosystems they are a part of. I’m thankful for all of you that come to meetings to learn and share your knowledge or share your passions with the rest of us by volunteering, educating, and all the other ways you support the Native Plant Society and our goals. Thank you all, and peace be with you. Mickie Chamness
REMINDER – Membership in the Washington State Native Plant Society expires June 30 th each year. If you receive a printed copy of this newsletter and your name is highlighted on the address label – then your membership expired on June 30, 2016. For those receiving the newsletter electronically - if you are unsure of your membership status please contact Mary Ann Simmons (msimmons_1@charter.net ) Renew your Membership either: 1.
Online: To join and pay your membership online.
2. Mail-in: If you prefer to register and pay via mail and check, please print and complete our membership form and mail it to the State Chapter.
WNPS Call for Grant Proposals for Research and for Conservation – Due January 15, 2017 The Research and Inventory Committee is soliciting proposals that foster the aims of the Washington Native Plant Society, i.e. “projects that extend our knowledge of the biology of native species or that inventory the flora of an understudied area, which help to conserve native plants. Special consideration will be given to proposal investigating the oak, or shrub steppe ecosystems or invasive species. Another priority is to support research efforts of graduate students and to help develop the careers of botanists with interests in native plants. See: http://www.wnps.org/research/proposal_guidelines.html The Conservation Committee is accepting grant application for projects that will restore, improve, or support on-the-ground, functioning native plant ecosystems in Washington. Grant applications for 2017 will be accepted through January 15 and awards will be determined by February 15. For specific application information see: http://www.wnps.org/research/proposal_guidelines.html
2017 WNPS Native Plant Calendar. Enjoy the beauty of Washington’s wildflowers throughout 2017 with our WNPS calendar. The 2017 Calendar offers 13 months of terrific photos and a whole year of floral splendor. Buy one for yourself and some for those on your gift list. Calendars are available at our meetings, at C&M nursery (near the corner of Van Giesen and Highway 240), or you may buy online with a credit card (https://www.wnps.org/?path=store/2016-WNPSCalendar.html& ).
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WNPS 2017 Photo Contest for the 2018 WNPS Calendar Photographers get ready! The deadline for the 2017 photo contest is February 1, The Phlox Phlyer is the newsletter of the Columbia Basin Chapter, Tri-Cities and Walla Walla, Washington Native Plant Society.
2017.
WNPS 2017 Photo Contest RULES
Chapter Officers
WNPS 2017 Photo Contest Entry Form
Co-Presidents — Mickie Chamness, mickiec@charter.net & Janelle Downs, sagejld@aol.com
Gretchen Graber - Conservationist of the Year Congratulations to Gretchen Graber who received Tapteal Greenway's Conservationist of the Year award at their 2016 Annual Celebration. Gretchen, former education chair of the CBNPS, is a local native plant conservationist. Among her many activities, Gretchen has been the advisor for the WSU Tri-Cities Environmental Club, designed and created the Native Plant and Pollinator Garden at WSU-TC, and has taught prison inmates how to grow sagebrush for recovery of the Greater SageGrouse. Gretchen has worked in sustainable horticultural, sustainability and environmental education for the last 25 years. She has worked in diverse horticultural areas including botanic gardens, native plant nurseries, greenhouses, organic farms, and doing large habitat design and installation projects. For the last five years, she has taught biology, ecology and horticulture labs to undergraduate students.
Salvage/Restoration Activity at Candy Mtn. Construction of a trail in the new Candy Mtn. Preserve and the need to move one section of the newly built trail led to a flurry of activity by our chapter members and many others during November. Members were able to salvage Sandberg’s bluegrass (Poa secunda) and bluebunch wheatgrass (Psuedoroegneria spicata) for yards, gardens, and The Reach Museum landscape from areas where the trail had already been excavated. In areas where the excavator had not yet broken ground, we were able to salvage shrubs, forbs and soil crust and move them to the section of trail that will be replaced. The excavator broke trail on the replacement section just before Thanksgiving and we are now salvaging large chunks of Sandberg’s bluegrass and bluebunch wheatgrass to place around the forbs and shrubs previously salvaged. Our unusually warm and moist fall has really helped reduce transplanting stress – what a good Thanksgiving present! For the next week or two we’ll continue picking up displaced pieces of native grass “sod” and moving them to the old trail section. Mickie will be out there frequently and would love to have some company. There are also opportunities to salvage for your own personal use from the future parking lot. Please contact Mickie at 509430-5776 if you’d like to help move grasses or want to know where the future parking lot will be located. 2
Vice-President — Rik Smith,
rsmith@columbiabasin.edu Secretary — Marilyn Lemar, dwlemar@hotmail.com Treasurer — Cheryl Smith
cyankee@charter.net Chapter Committees Programs — Kim Hamblin-Hart,
kimhamblinhart@gmail.com Field Trips — Ernie Crediford, ernest_crediford@live.com / Steve Link
stevenlink@me.com Restoration/Salvage — Joe Roop jmroop@frontier.com/ Bill Mast, bmast1@live.com Heritage Garden Program — Donna Lucas, donna_lucas@hotmail.com Education — Kim Hamblin-Hart
khamblinhart@gmail.com / Pauline Schafer pauschafer@hotmail.com Communications — Mary Ann Simmons, msimmons_1@charter.net (newsletter)/ Donna Lucas, donna_lucas@hotmail.com (webpage and Facebook) Publicity — Mickie Chamness, mickiec@charter.net Books — vacant
Walla Walla Subchapter Darcy Dauble, Walla Walla, dadauble@gmail.com
This issue reproduced by
THE DIGITAL IMAGE Richland Washington 509-375-6001
Sagebrush Seed Collection On November 19th, 20 people including CBNPS members collected Wyoming sagebrush seed for restoration efforts on lands occupied by the Greater Sage Grouse, (GSG) in the Saddle Mountains. The GSG is an indicator species for the health of shrub-steppe habitat, of which half has been lost in the last 100 years. Shrub-steppe habitat loss is caused by a combination of factors, including conversion to agriculture, invasion of invasive highly flammable cheatgrass, fire, over-grazing, and mineral extraction. Much of this degraded land is owned and managed by the Bureau of Land Management (BLM). BLM is participating in a collaborative approach to reverse the degradation of this important habitat. Collaborative partners include Washington Department of Corrections, funding from BLM of Washington D.C., Sustainability in Prisons Project, and Institute for Applied Ecology. Part of the collaboration is to collect local sagebrush seed to grow plants for planting into fire affected areas used by Greater Sage Grouse. Wyoming sagebrush does not re-sprout after fire and revegetation efforts using small plants have been shown to have a higher rate of success than aerial seeding. Those plants then contain locally adapted genetics and act as regenerative hotspots, which over-time spread seed across the landscape. So thanks again to the CBNPS members for helping in this important effort.
NOTE: now is the time to collect sagebrush seed! MEETINGS/WORKSHOPS Wednesday, December 7, 2016, 6:30 p.m. Monthly Meeting – Holiday Pot Luck. Meet at Richland Community Center (change of location). Bring a dish to share. Drinks, plates, and utensils will be provided. We will view the submissions to our photo contest and discuss conservation activities in the Tri-Cities. 2017 calendars will be available for sale at the meeting ($10). The Richland Community Center is in Howard Amon Park at 500 Amon Park Drive. Spouses and guests are welcome. Wednesday, January 4, 2017, 7:00 p.m. Monthly Meeting at Columbia Basin College, Room tbd – CBC Herbarium Inventory – part II. We will continue our effort to catalogue the CBC herbarium started last year. The specimens are organized by family, so all that is needed is to carefully sort through the files and record the information on the specimen labels. You will see how a herbarium works, why they are important, and learn about some of the plants in CBC’s collection. Also, it is a great opportunity to help the college get a better handle on their collection and determine future collecting needs. Further information on the meeting location will be in the January newsletter. Monday, January 9 through Thursday, January 12, 2017, Certified Interpretive Guide Training at The Reach. The REACH Museum in Richland, Washington is hosting a Certified Interpretive Guide training by the National Association for Interpretation (NAI). The 32-hour training course (8:00am to 5:00pm each day) is designed for anyone 16 and over who delivers interpretive programs to the public, and combines theory with practical skills. This workshop is great for anyone working in a museum, nature center, or leading tours of any kind. The total cost, including materials and NAI certification, is $390. If you wish to take the course without NAI certification, the cost is $240. See the link for registration and more information: https://www.interpnet.com/nai/nai/_events/Event_Display.aspx?EventKey=CIG010917R Feel free to contact Pauline Schafer for more information - (509)943-4100 Extension 113 / paulines@visitthereach.org Saturday, March 4, 2017 (all day), Rare Plant Monitoring Training, Tri-Cities. Applications will be accepted starting Dec. 1, 2016. Deadline for applications is Feb. 15. If you have questions, feel free to call the Rare Care office at (206) 616-0780 or email them. Applications are available at: http://depts.washington.edu/uwbg/support/volunteer.php, Select Rare Care Rare Plant Monitor Wednesday, March 15, 2017. The 1st Washington Botanical Symposium at the Center for Urban Horticulture on the University of Washington campus in Seattle. This day-long conference will feature presentations by botanists throughout Washington on topics ranging from aquatic plants and climate change to invasive species, rare plants, and a revised regional flora. In addition to learning about ongoing projects, the conference will be a great opportunity to connect with colleagues within and across disciplines. Additional details will be sent out in the coming weeks regarding a list of speakers and topics, timeline for the day, and registration. The conference is co-sponsored by the University of Washington Herbarium at the Burke Museum, UW Botanic Gardens and the Rare Plant Care and Conservation Program (Rare Care), Washington Natural Heritage Program, and the Washington Noxious Weed Control Board.
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Friday June 9 through Sunday June 11, 2017. Botany WA at Tierra Retreat Center; Wenatchee Mountains. Planning for the annual event, held by WNPS and the UW Herbarium, is underway. Reservations are set. Registration information will release in early January 2017. Tierra Retreat Center is over 400 acres of forested retreat center located within 15 minutes of Leavenworth. Registration will be online, with print information sent to chapter chairs for newsletters in January.
VOLUNTEER OPPORTUNITIES Candy Mountain
- contact Mickie Chamness at 430-5776 about ongoing salvaging and restoration work
Thinking of Spring Marilyn Lemar noted that the salt and pepper lomatium (Lomatium gormanii) is already blooming on McBee probably thanks to our warm, wet fall. If you are already thinking of spring, check out the slide show of a hike in the Wallula Gap a few years ago - https://wnps.networkforgood.com/ (slide show is at the bottom of the page).
Photo by Don Knoke, 2008
Columbia Basin Chapter Washington Native Plant Society c/o Cheryl Smith 1926 Hetrick Avenue Richland, Washington 99354
To receive the newsletter electronically – email msimmons_1@charter.net
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