Mission Statement: To promote the appreciation and conservation of Washington's native plants and their habitats through study, education, and advocacy.

Details

WNPS Stewardship Program

The Native Plant Stewardship Program educates community volunteers about our region’s native plants and plant communities, and teaches how to use this knowledge to protect and restore Washington’s natural ecosystems. WNPS has committed over twenty years of steward training to conserve, protect and sustain the biodiversity of the native flora of Washington.   

About the Native Plant Stewardship Program

The Native Plant Stewardship Program began in 1996 in response to numerous requests for public information about  native plants and native plant habitats. This community-based program is designed to provide opportunities for citizens to conserve, protect, and sustain the biodiversity of the native  flora in Washington. Local citizens become stakeholders in the education, preservation, and restoration of native plants and  their habitats through Native Plant Steward training. Their contributions are critical to sustaining air and water quality, habitat for fish, birds,  and other wildlife, and the overall biodiversity of the Pacific Northwest.

Training curricula will vary from region to region but always include basic botany and native plant identification, the roles of native plants in local plant communities and ecosystems, the use of native plants in habitat restoration, gardens, and landscapes, and methods and techniques of ecological restoration. Special training components may be included to meet local chapters’, partners’, or funders’ needs.

Training is provided in both classroom sessions and field trips. Training is provided by experienced and qualified experts from academics, government agencies, private conservation organizations, and other parts of the private sector.

In exchange for their training, stewards make a commitment to return volunteer service hours at least equal to the training hours received on projects identified and approved by the WNPS in the following 12-18 months. Volunteer efforts may include habitat restoration in forests and woodlands, shrub-steppe and Puget Lowland prairies, and riparian, and wetlands ecosystems, as well as environmental education, and institutional support for WNPS and other conservation organizations.

Program Goals

  • To train and create a citizenry informed about native plant ecosystems and their critical value to the health of Washington’s natural resources and quality of life.
  • To provide the highest quality training utilizing experts and specialists in a variety of disciplines.
  • To make the Native Plant Stewardship Program accessible to a wide range of individuals.
  • To provide motivation and inspiration for community service and involvement in restoring native plant ecosystems and educating others.
  • Encourage and support Native Plant Stewards to become recognized assets to their community.
  • Foster partnerships with other groups, organizations, and agencies.

 Become a Native Plant Steward

  • Learn to identify local native plants
  • Learn about the ecology of local plant communities and wildlife habitats
  • Learn current restoration and landscaping skills
  • Learn how to identify and control invasive weeds

Commit to Restoring Native Habitat

  • Help restore our forests, grasslands, salmon streams and wetlands
  • Help create native plant gardens and schoolyard habitat
  • Help educate the public about native plants and habitats

Share Your Expertise with Others

  • Provide guidance and inspire others
  • Work with children and young adults

 How you can help

  • Donate generously to the program.
  • Contribute expertise to stewards' training.
  • Provide continuing education for stewards.
  • Volunteer for Stewardship projects.
  • Raise public awareness of the program and the Washington Native Plant Society.