Salish Seed Project

Seed-by-seed; habitat recovery in the works

From the Journal of the San Juan Islands, April 25, 2014

The San Juan County Land Bank and San Juan Preservation Trust recently announced a new cooperative venture: the Salish Seed Project.

Currently underway in Friday Harbor, the Salish Seed Project will produce plants and seeds of native island wildflowers and grasses for local restoration projects.

“Many of our local wildflowers are in decline," Land Bank steward Eliza Habegger
said. "Learning how to raise them from seed to flowering makes us hopeful and proud. Most of the plant species selected for the project are impossible to find commercially.”

The Salish Seed Project will further both organizations’ efforts to care for and recover vanishing Garry oak savannah and prairie habitats for future generations.

“Both the Land Bank and the Preservation Trust share similar visions for restoration," Preservation Trust stewardship manager Kathleen Foley said. "By sharing facilities and resources, we can maximize the effectiveness our efforts to restore our beautiful Garry oak and prairie habitats.”

Initially, plants and seeds produced through the project will be used at restoration sites on Land Bank and Preservation Trust preserves, but the partners hope the project will make plants or seeds available for other conservation areas and to private landowners eventually.

Established in September 2013 at the Land Bank’s office in Friday Harbor, a wildflower nursery is now producing small plants, or plugs, of native perennials, bulbs, Garry oaks, and an assortment of other local plants.

This June, the San Juan Preservation Trust’s Red Mill Farm in San Juan Valley will become home to a new, larger nursery facility.

With support from the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, the Salish Seed Project’s nursery at Red Mill Farm will focus initially on producing seeds of the golden paintbrush, considered a threatened species by U.S. Fish and Wildlife, and plants that grow in association with paintbrush.

“Community involvement is central to the Salish Seed Project,” Habegger said. “We are seeking volunteers to collect seed from the wild, tend the nursery, and eventually plant in restoration zones on preserves.”

More info is available by contacting Habegger at 378-4402, or eliza@rockisland.com, or Foley, at 378-2461 or kathleenf@sjpt.org.

 

 

A City Council refuses to help expand White Oak Savanna

West Linn City Council nixes grant to help expand White Oak Savanna 
From The Oregonian,  OregonLive:

Neighbors for a Livable West Linn would like to purchase the remaining six acres of the White Oak Savanna Park.

The West Linn City Council on Monday shot down a grant application aimed at expanding the White Oak Savanna, riling a chamber packed with the park's supporters.

The council voted 3 to 2 against a resolution to submit the grant, which would help pay for the purchase of the expanded park. Cost to the city, a short deadline and unusual process caused reservation among some councilors.

Just after the vote, a parade of supporters expressed disappointment with the decision.
“We’ve worked on this for five years and you’ve effectively killed it,” said Roberta Schwarz, a West Linn resident who has led the effort to preserve the area. “I’m so ashamed of you.”

For years, Schwarz and others protested plans for development of the area near 2445 Tannler Dr. -- 20 acres of one of the largest intact oak savannas in the northern Willamette Valley. In 2009, West Linn, Metro and the Oregon Parks and Recreation Department purchased 14 acres of the savanna from the property owner for $1 million.

Now, supporters want to acquire the other six acres from a developer for $1.72 million.

A developer is offering to sell the six-acre property for $1.72 million.

 

Schwarz, through her group Neighbors for a Livable West Linn, recently received a $500,000 grant to help purchase the remaining land. The group has until mid-2015 to find $1,000,000 to match the grant.

Last month, Schwarz requested the city complete a grant application for $250,000 from the Oregon Parks and Recreation Department.

“We’re not asking for any money,” Schwarz said at a March 17 council meeting. “We’re just asking for permission for the grant to be written.”

On Tuesday, city councilors analyzed various resolutions to approve the grant application. Though several resolutions stated that the city is not committing additional financial support for the project, councilors learned the city would be on the hook for some costs in the future.

The area requires an estimated $2 million in intersection and street improvements and $100,000 to construct a parking lot and play area, according to city code. Rezoning the park is likely to cost $10,000, said assistant city manager Kirsten Wyatt.

Some of these costs are already required with the purchase of original 14 acres, noted councilor Mike Jones.

Currently, the area brings in $40,500 in tax revenue to the city, with potential to bring in much more if developed, Wyatt said. If designated a park, the land would generate no revenue.
Council President Jody Carson said she’d like to see the park expanded, but wasn’t comfortable committing the city to park’s financial obligations at this time. Councilor Thomas Frank agreed, adding that the process has lacked transparency.

“A few councilors were courted off to the side,” Frank said. “We haven’t had a public hearing on this.”

Councilors Jones and Jenni Tan voted for the resolution, but the rest voted no.

“I think this would be a good park, but this is not the right time and the right way to go about this,” Carson said.

-- Michael Bamesberger

April 01, 2014