Regional Activities

• Thursday, March 29, 2007
  
  Native Plant Uses of the Whistling Moon 

  The Coast Salish people named this moon for the whistling bird song of this time of year.  Take a spring walk along the Adriana Hess Wetland Park trail with ethnobotanist and cultural educator, Heidi Bohan.  We will observe native plants in their spring glory, locate seasonal indicators of the phenological calendar, and handle artifacts and models that show how native plants were used by the Coast Salish people.  We will return to the Adriana Hess Audubon Center for a short slide presentation followed by interactive, hands-on activities that will include a wide array of native plant traditional foods, medicinal plant uses and traditional skills. 

  Heidi Bohan has been learning and teaching about native plants and their uses for 17 years, with an emphasis on the culture of the people of the Pacific Northwest.  She is a skilled woodworker, carver, basket-maker and weaver and specializes in the reconstruction of traditional artifacts, using authentic materials and techniques, for use in education programs.  She has worked with thousands of students and adults through schools, parks and educational organizations throughout the northwest, and has developed education materials and curriculum for school districts, arboretums, museums, local tribes and non-profit organizations.  She is driven by a great respect for the native people of this land and the desire to connect the people of this land today to the environment of the Pacific Northwest.  

  Class: March 29, 6:00-9:00 at the Adriana Hess Audubon Center, $15.00.  Call 253-565-9278 to register  Scholarships are available, call 253-564-8210.  Space is limited.

• Oregon White Oak Habitat - A Southwest Washington Legacy

  If you would like to restore or enhance your Oregon White Oak and prairie habitat, assistance is available through the Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS). This important habitat type is quickly vanishing in Washington and conservation on private lands is critical. Planners with the NRCS can assist you in developing management plans to maintain or restore the habitat you have and cost incentives are available for some projects through the Wildlife Habitat Incentives Program (WHIP). For more information please contact:  

  Anitra Gorham
  Longview Field Office
  360.425.1880
  anitra.gorham@wa.usda.gov

  For more information on Oak & Prairie restoration please see these links: http://www.oregonoaks.org/landguide.shtml
  http://www.biodiversitypartners.org/pubs/Campbell/02.shtml