Eastern Washington Natural Areas

- Hotspots of Floral Diversity -

Sponsored by the South Sound Chapter of the Washington Native Plant SocietySee www.southsoundchapterwnps.org for more info

A presentation by David Wilderman

Monday, January 14th

7:00 PM Washington State

Capital Museum Coach House

211 SW 21st Avenue; Olympia, WAA graduate student collects data on Whited’s milkvetch (Astragalus sinuatus), an endangered native plant at Upper Dry Gulch NAP (Photo: Washington State DNR)This talk will focus on the

floral diversity within the system ofstate-managed natural areas in eastern Washington. Given their relatively small size, these sites contain a surprisingly large proportion of the native flora of the region, including a number of local and regional endemics. The basic ecology of eastern WA ecoregions and some of the important conservation issues of the region will also be discussed. And, you'll get a chance to escape the winter gloom through a virtual tour of sunny, spring-time eastern Washington.

David Wilderman, Program Ecologist for the Natural Areas Program of the Washington State Department of Natural Resources has worked as a botanist and ecologist in eastern WA, western Oregon and western WA since 1989, including 17 years with the Washington Natural Areas Program.  Primary interests are restoration ecology, rare plants, rare butterflies, and fire ecology.