Kathleen Snyder
Being involved in the Bluebird Nest Box project over the past few years has sparked my interest in our South Sound prairies. When I moved to Olympia from Everett, I was clueless about these beautiful, imperiled habitats and the treasures they hold. Recently I attended a Zoom lecture featuring David Wilderman who has been a program ecologist with the WA Department of Natural Resources Natural Areas Program. Here is some of his information:
Historically, glacial outwash prairie covered nearly 150,000 acres of western Washington, stretching from present-day Tacoma south through the Chehalis River drainage basin and ending just south of present-day Oakville. Today, it is estimated that only about 3% of that landscape remains as native prairie. Created by a retreating glacier and sustained by harsh climactic conditions and periodic anthropogenic fires, these grasslands contribute greatly towards regional biodiversity and cultural history in a landscape that would otherwise be dominated by coniferous forests. These prairies are host to a unique assemblage of plants and animals, including a number of rare and endemic species of plants, butterflies, birds, and mammals. Restoring and maintaining the prairie ecosystem and associated species faces significant challenges and requires intensive effort, but major progress has been made in recent years.
Our Audubon chapter is now monitoring nest boxes on six prairies in south Thurston County: Glacial Heritage, Violet Prairie, Deschutes Prairie, Wolf Haven, Cavness Ranch and Tenalquot Prairie. The number of boxes on these sites total 104. All of the prairies are either owned or managed by the Center for Natural Land Management. If you are not familiar with the unique beauty of this special habitat, I urge you to attend either Prairie Appreciation Day at Glacial Heritage on Saturday May 11th or Wolf Haven’s Prairie Celebration on Sunday May 19th (see those announcements within this edition of the Echo). Black Hills Audubon will have informational tables at both, and our volunteers would love to greet you and share knowledge about the prairies and their birds.
Photo credit: Camas in Full Bloom at Glacial Heritage, by Rachel Hudson.
