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RARE PLANT PRESS
From Washington Rare Plant Care & Conservation
Fall/Winter 2021 Vol. 16, No. 2
NOTES FROM THE FIELD
2021 was a jam-packed and prolific year of rare plant sample of seeds collected from the same population in 2006
conservation for both Rare Care volunteers and staff. Safety and held in the Miller Seed Vault. Thank you to volunteer Josh
remained a top concern, with care given to evolving COVID-19 Wozniak for determining if these seeds were ripe for collection,
protocols, and the wildfire season affecting access to many east and thank you to our seed vault volunteers for the quick seed
side locations. Despite the extra challenges, we successfully cleaning.
completed research fieldwork and rare plant monitoring
assignments, and added new collections to the seed vault. Rare plant monitoring can be an adventure and some sites
require quite the effort to access them. Veronica Wisniewski,
Rare Care and our partners finished up a nine-year effort to Edoh Amrian, and Patricia Otto rafted 8.5 miles of the
census the Wenatchee Mountains checkermallow (Sidalcea Ronde Grande River in July to monitor several populations
oregana var. calva) population at Camas Lands. This has been of sagebrush mariposa-lily (Calochortus macrocarpus var.
a really fun project and many volunteers have been involved maculosus). Robin Fitch kayaked down the Columbia River four
for almost a decade! Initially it was estimated that there were times in search of the lowland toothcup (Rotala ramosior).
11,000 checkermallows at this site. After nine years of flagging, Peter Boley and Leo Egashiro bushwhacked to find prickly tree
counting, and mapping, we now know there are over 35,000 clubmoss (Dendrolycodium dendroideum) deep in the forest off
plants! Monitoring will continue in a more limited basis in the of Highway 2. This is just a small sampling of the great efforts
future. (Read more: bit.ly/WM_checkeramallows) our rare plant monitoring volunteers go to reach these rare and
vulnerable populations.
This July, Wendy Gibble and Anna Carragee collected the first of
three seed collections for the Center for Plant Conservation’s Collectively our contributions make a big difference for the
ex-situ seed longevity study. The freshly collected pasqueflower future of rare native plants in Washington.
(Anemone patens var. multifida) seeds will be compared with a
White bluffs bladderpod on the Columbia River. Edoh Amrian on the Grande Ronde River. Pasqueflower (Anemone patens var. multifida)
Photo: Maya Kahn-Abrams Photo: Veronica Wisniewski Photo: Gail Roberts
HABITAT SCOUTING RARE PLANTS AND
CLIMATE CHANGE
From the sky Over the past five months, Rare Care
employee and incoming UW masters
student Maya Kahn-Abrams, has worked
on several of Rare Care’s projects
restoring native rare plants all over
Washington state. She reflects on the
climate stress faced by White Bluffs
bladderpod (Physaria douglasii ssp.
tuplashensis), Umtanum buckwheat
(Eriogonum codium), and Spalding’s
catchfly (Silene spaldingii) on our blog:
bitly/RP_Climate
Drone flying over potential showy stick seed habitat. Photo: Sarah Shank
It’s late in the hotel room and every efforts for the rare endemic plant,
outlet is precious- lamps and clocks showy stickseed (Hackelia venusta).
are abandoned for a plethora of plugs The goal of the project was to predict Umtanum buckwheat (Eriognum codium)
and cords. Everything is plugged in and identify suitable habitat for future Photo: Wendy Gibble
and charging: smartphone, tablet, recovery efforts.
laptop, power station, and batteries
for the drone and sensor, check! My research focused on developing a WELCOME
Memory cards have plenty of space,
data are backed up, and extra batteries
model to predict suitable habitat where
new showy stickseed populations
ANNA CARRAGEE
and cables are in the bag, check! The might be established. Over the course Anna Carragee joined Rare Care as
weather looks good, not too windy, no of summer 2020, my lab partner and our new Volunteer and Outreach
rain, solar noon is around 1pm, and no I acquired imagery of 365 acres of Coordinator at the beginning of June.
restricted airspace in our flight areas, high-resolution multispectral imagery Anna is a graduate of the Master of
check! from UAS flights. Using these data, Environmental Horticulture program
we identified approximately 33 acres at University of Washington and a
While this may not sound like a field of potential habitat from the resulting committed volunteer management
crew preparing for plant conservation, model analysis. This analysis narrows professional. She is excited to join such
this is not an atypical evening for the search area for targeted field a devoted team of plant enthusiasts and
today’s field biologist. Modern devices, surveys, which will hopefully identify ready to do her part to protect the rare
sensors, and techniques are quickly new locations for future showy plants of Washington. Visit our blog at:
being adopted in applied science. In stickseed outplanting sites. bit.ly/MeetAnnaC
fact, rapid advances in technology,
computing power, statistical modeling, I’m certain that UAS will become an
and genetic analysis are ushering in a essential tool in the toolkit for future
new era for conservation biology and field biologists; however, nothing
ecology. I was lucky enough to spend replaces boots on the ground, nor the
time as a UW graduate student at the knowledge and relationship between
vanguard of plant conservation science. people and the planet. New technology,
As part of a larger collaborative effort, sensors, and abstruse algorithms are
Rare Care teamed up with the Remote simply tools to better understand the
Sensing and Geospatial Analysis environment, and conservation will
Laboratory at UW to explore the use always need passionate advocates and
of unoccupied aerial systems (UAS), stewards like the Rare Care program.
or drones, to further conservation
Article by Drew Foster, M.S. Photo: Aaron George
CUSICK’S CAMAS
Local botanists have long recognized radially symmetrical and irregular Some of the populations will be easy
several patches of an odd camas flowers. The other local camas species to monitor as they are along trails and
growing above the Klickitat River. They have fewer than 10 leaves, less dense roadsides. But most are high up on
didn’t quite match the Suksdorf’s camas inflorescences, and differences to their steep, rocky slopes. One of Barbara’s
(Camassia leichtlinii ssp. suksdorfii) or respective flowers. hiking acquaintances has assured us
common camas (both C. quamash ssp. that there are a number of populations
breviflora and ssp. quamash) which are Cusick’s camas is a sensitive species awaiting adventurous plant monitors
the local camas in the area. in Washington. Little is known of its high above the river. Perhaps you will be
distribution. It is limited to an area one of those lucky enough to monitor
Fortunately, Susan Kephart, a specialist about 5 to 10 miles long above the this beautiful plant?
in camas taxonomy, was invited to look western edge of the Klickitat River.
at the unusual camas by local plant During the spring of 2021, a group of
enthusiast, Barbara Robinson. Susan local Rare Care volunteers were invited
quickly solved the mystery by noting that to visit a property owned by Barbara
these were Cusick’s camas (Camassia Robinson near the town of Klickitat,
cusickii) found far outside their range. WA. During the course of this late April
Susan’s efforts to investigate camas hike Barbara directed us to a Cusick’s
species in western Klickitat County can camas patch grouped along a seep on
be found in Volume 43, No. 1, the Spring a steep cut bank of basalt above the
2019 Journal of the Washington Native river. We noted the plant characteristics,
Plant Society. took photos, and I then wrote a brief
monitoring report that was sent into
Cusick’s camas was originally Rare Care. This piqued the interest
considered endemic to the Snake River of Rare Care since it was the first
region of northeastern Oregon and monitoring report filed with them for
west-central Idaho where it inhabits this species.
vernally moist montane slopes. It
can be identified by the cluster of 10 This was a recreational hike, and we did
or more leaves, long dense spikes not conduct a formal monitoring search. Cusick’s camas (Camassia cusickii)
of light blue flowers, and the mix of Such efforts will have to wait until 2022. Article and Photo by Paul Slichter
REFLECTIONS FROM THE ALPINE
Allie Howell and Jaileen Merced Hoyos were the last two interns to round out a 3
year effort to assess the vulnerability of select alpine plant species at National Parks
in Washington. They had a busy summer backpacking to and monitoring sites in
Olympic, North Cascades, and Mt. Rainier National Parks. Find out more in their
blogs on the University of Washington Botanic Gardens website:
https://botanicgardens.uw.edu/about/blog/
Jaileen Merced Hoyos Allie Howell
(photo left) (photo right)
“There aren’t many people that “I have also gained an appreciation
get to see the very last bit of a for what challenging growing
species. Even though that’s not the conditions alpine plants face,
case for Saxifraga hyperborea (it’s and therefore how fragile their
found in other parts of the state), ecosystems are. Rather than be
it did awaken in me a sense of the last to see some of these
gratefulness for this job. We got to populations, I hope that our work will
see species that haven’t been seen in make valuable contributions to the
years.” continued survival of these plants
and protection of these amazing
places.”
Photo: Wendy Gibble
July 1, 2020 - June 30, 2021
THANK YOU
Rare Care is grateful for the
3,032 total volunteer hours
Mickie Chamness $50 to $99
valuable contributions of our Julie Combs, Ph.D.
Marcy McAuliffe, in memory of Taylor
Amy Dawley
volunteers, who gave 3,032 hours Wendy Descamp
Bresnan
in fiscal year 2021. Walt and Dona Bubelis
Emil Doyle and Susan Plunkett
Jeanette Burkhardt
Peter Dunwiddie, Ph.D. and Elizabeth
Jason and Michelle Clinch
Bell
Janet Ebaugh
Shelley Evans
Liz Exell
Walter Fertig, Ph.D. and Laura Fertig
Barry Kast
Timothy Fullam, Ph.D.
Ron Klump
Leonard Fuller
Lars Larson
Wendy Gibble
Betsy Lyons
Cleveland Hall and Lafe Lawyer
Deborah Naslund
Catherine Hovanic and Bill Brookreson
Rebecca Novelli and Willam
Shaun Hubbard and Harold Kawaguchi
Broesamle, Jr., in memory of Betty
Richard Johnson, M.D. and May Reed,
Swift
Quinalt fawn lily (Erythronium M.D.
quinualtense) Photo: Jacob Maki
Meg Ryan and Dennis Ryan, Ph.D.
Virginia King
Queen of Spades Garden Club
Kathleen Learned
Cynthia Smith-Kuebel
$1,000 & above Ed McArthur
Mani Soma, Ph.D.
Deupree Family Foundation Frederick McDonald
William and Molly Tomita
Christopher Mealy and Ara Jane Michael McGoodwin, M.D., in memory
Brian Thompson
Olufson of Rebecca C. McGoodwin
Sue Trevathan
Bobby and Lily Takatsuka Rae Meaney
Susan Varnum
David Thomsen, Ph.D. Renee Miller, Ph.D.
Andrew Walker
Susan Wheatley Dan and Pat Montague, in honor of Joe
Peggy Wilton
Arnett
Puget Sound Mycological Society
$500 to $999 Lois Prestrud up to $49
Anonymous Ann Risvold and Lawrence Donovan Clara Burnett
V. Lee Ellis Susan Saul Jan Charkow, in memory of the mother,
Dorothy P. Gibble David Selk and Teresa O’Connor Liz Schott
George Thornton and Lee Miller Elizabeth Stanek and John Ratts Tanya Demarsh-Dodson
Linda Storm Mark Fessler and Barbara Kolar
$250 to $499 Robert and Ethel Story, in memory of
Gail Karges
Dorothy and Edward Hudson
Bob and Judy Kent
Suzanne Anderson, Ph.D. and Marvin
Curtis Sundquist Helen Lau
Anderson
Hally Swift and Eric Strandburg James and Colleen Lourie, in honor of
Thomas and Donna Blanton
Meg Tavio, in memory of Patty George Thornton
Steven Clark
Pecchenino Justine Nagel
Janet Coles
Ted Thomas Cailean McWhorter
Community Foundation of North
Mr. and Mrs. Robert Virden, in loving
Central WA
memory of Rachel Elizabeth Virden
Paul Slichter
Hulscher corporate matches
Lyle and Jessica Stone The Boeing Company
Jeff Walker
Jeff Thorson, Ph.D. and Marilee Henry,
Stephen West, Ph.D. in memory of
Ph.D.
Pamela Yorks Rare Care is grateful for support
Lyle Wilen, in memory of Betty Swift from the Miller Charitable
$100 to $249 David Wilderman Foundation, Center for Plant
Lyle Anderson Withey Price Landscape & Design Conservation, Washington Native
Plant Society, Hugh and Jane
Ruth Baetz Ferguson Foundation, Seattle
Tom and Sally Cahill Garden Club, Tacoma Garden Club,
Crescent Calimpong private organizations and individual
Pamela Camp donors.
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