Washington Native Plant Society, Columbia Basin Chapter
Serving the Tri-Cities and Walla Walla
Events...
Please Note: This is a listing of events that may be of interest to our members and may include events that are not sponsored by the Washington Native Plant Society. This listing is provided as an information service only and does not necessarily imply endorsement of any event. Times and locations are subject to change without notice. Please confirm before attending. Unless otherwise noted, all events are open to the public.
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Wednesday, October 1, 7:00 p.m.
Columbia Basin Chapter Monthly Meeting, WSU CIC, Room 210
The October speaker will be Marie Zuroske, water quality specialist with the South Yakima Conservation District. Marie will discuss the rapid increase in the lower Yakima River of a native aquatic plant, winter star-grass, its even more rapid decline, and the likely reasons for these changes. For more information, contact Mary Ann Simmons at 946-8080.
Thursday, October 2, 12:00 noon
First Thursday Lunch, Reid Campus Center, Walla Walla
Meet at the downstairs table at Reid Campus Center, at Park and Boyer. Informal discussion of issues related to native plants. Bring a book to exchange if you like.
Saturday, October 4, 2008 10:00 a.m. to 2:00 p.m.
Clean up at Leslie Groves Park in Richland
There will be a work party at Leslie Groves Park in Richland. The goal is to clean up the piles of weeds at the Natural Area near the boat ramp (off of Snyder St; Richland). This work party will require lots of helping hands. If you have them, please bring tarps, pitch forks, rakes and hoes. You’ll want to wear long pants, a long-sleeve shirt and gloves. For more information contact Debbie Berkowitz at 308-0219. And check out the new sign!
Saturday, October 4, 8:00 a.m.
First Saturday Bird Walk, Bateman Island
The Lower Columbia Basin Audubon Society leads a bird walk on Bateman Island the first Saturday of the month. Meet at the Wye Park off Columbia Parkway, Hwy 240. See the LCBAS web site for more information.
Tuesday, October 14, 5:20 p.m.
Full Moon Hike, Badger Mountain
Hike up Badger Mountain and enjoy the full Hunters' Moon (click on the image at right for a larger view). This will be the last full moon hike until spring of 2009. We will meet at the trailhead parking area at Trailhead Park in Richland. Take Keene to Shockley Road (near Bethel Church). Take Shockley to the end. Turn left on Queensgate and go up the hill to the trailhead parking area. Round trip distance is three miles and total time will be about an hour and a half. The trail is steep in places and we will be returning in the dark. Wear sturdy hiking shoes and bring a flashlight and water. Contact Greg McCann for further information.
Wednesday, October 15, 7:00 p.m.
Monthly Meeting, Whitman Hall of Science, Room to be Announced, Walla Walla
Mark Turner, photographer and co-author (with Phyllis Gustafson) of the award winning field guide, "Wildflowers of the Pacific Northwest" will be the guest speaker. Mark is a full time nature and garden photographer and a self-trained botanist. His current project is a book about gardening east of the Cascades, including our area.
Saturday, October 25, 10:00 a.m.
Wallula Gap Hike
Bruce Bjornstad describes this area in his book "On the Trail of the Ice Age Floods" as follows: Ascend to the top of a precipitous, breathtaking, 800 foot-tall bluff face on west side of Wallula Gap, passing a complex maze of hanging coulees, rock benches, basins and abandoned spillways. Occasional ice- rafted erratics lie scattered about. We will walk through an area that was last grazed in 2007 and suffered extensive fire exposure later that year. The area near the Gap has not been grazed or exposed to fire for many years. The native plants (especially grasses) are extensive near the Gap. Bring water and a snack. You can also bring your GPS and see if you can find the geocache Bruce has placed up here.
If you are coming from Walla Walla, Meet at Whitman’s Harper Joy parking area at 8:30 a.m. to car pool to the trailhead.
Directions: Go south on SR 397. SR 397 starts in Pasco at exit 14 off I-182. State Road 397 goes through Pasco and crosses the Columbia River over the Cable Bridge into Kennewick. Continue going south on 397. Street signs will generally indicate SR 397 while some maps will indicate "Chemical Drive".
As of 9/23/2008 there is a detour on SR 397 due to the building of an overpass over the railroad tracks. There are two options that will cover the detour condition or the soon to be completed roadway non- detour conditions.
Detour Conditions: Follow the detour signs and turn right off SR 397 at Finley Road. Go one block and turn left at the 4-way stop on to Game Farm Road. Continue on Game Farm Road for about a mile where it dead ends into Riek Road. Turn left on Riek Road and go approximately one half mile to new construction. Turn right as you approach the blocked bridge approach. There are no signs out there now. This exit will direct you on to Piert Road. Follow Piert Road south approximately ¾ miles and follow the yellow line in the middle of the road around to the left at a 45 degree angle. You have left Piert Road at this point and are now on Meals Road. You can find Meals Road on the map. You cannot confirm you are on Meals Road because there are no signs along the road.
Non-detour Conditions: Continue to follow SR 397 south. Pass over the railroad tracks in front of the fertilizer plant. Take the first exit immediately after you drop down from the over pass to the left. This will get you on to Piert Road. There are no signs out there now (9/23/2008). You may see a sign directing you to Piert Road. Follow that sign. Continue as above and follow the yellow line around to the left at a 45 degree angle. You are now on Meals Road.
Continue going south on Meals Road. You will see county road signs indicating Toothaker Road and later on Hover Road with private road signs in between. Continue south on Meals Road. You are now beyond civilization once past the cherry and apple orchards just beyond Hover Road. Go approximately 2 miles after you pass Hover Road to Ayers Road. Turn left on to Ayers Road go approximately a quarter mile and park on the left. There is an area bare of vegetation here and will probably have several horse trailers parked here. We will begin our hike from here. Call Bob Fortman at (509)948-3999 if you get lost.
Every Friday, 9:00 a.m. to 10:30 a.m.
Demonstration Garden, Walla Walla
Gardening with friends at the Demonstration Garden located at the Blue Mountain Humane Society, 7 E. George St., Walla Walla. Please call Laura at 525-1079 or Nancy at 529-2253 so we can let you in. The Humane Society gate is locked in the morning.
Friends of Mid-Columbia River Wildlife Refuges is seeking volunteers to assist in preparing, planting, and maintaining a shrub-steppe demonstration site at McNary National Wildlife Refuge. The site will be located near the McNary National Wildlife Refuge Education Center in Burbank, Washington. It will serve to educate students and the general public about shrub- steppe ecology and habitat restoration. In October, U.S. Fish and Wildlife personnel will clear the site for planting. In November, volunteers are needed for further preparation, planting of shrubs and forbs, and continuing maintenance of the site throughout the year. Please contact Paula Clark, pclark@owt.com, or Shannon Hays-Truex, spirit@3-cities.com, (509)946-4813 if you are interested in participating in this project.
See what other WNPS chapters across the state are doing! The WNPS web site now includes pages for Local Chapter Programs, Local Chapter Field Trips, and Local Chapter Plant Sales.
