WNPS Native Plant Stewardship Training South Lowlands, Spring 2016

WASHINGTON NATIVE PLANT SOCIETY Native Plant Stewardship Training – Lowlands Spring 2016

Coordinator and lead trainer Jim Evans Native Plant Society, State Stewardship Program Manager 206-678-8914 [email protected]

Class schedule Week Date Activity or Event Description 1 Tuesday, April 5 Class 1 See syllabus Saturday, April 9 Field Trip 1 Puget lowland forests, & riparian areas 2 Tuesday, April 12 Class 2 See syllabus 3 Monday, April 18 Class 3 See syllabus 4 Tuesday, April 26 Class 4 See syllabus Saturday, April 30 Field Trip 2 Clark’s Creek restoration site & other Pierce County natural areas 5 Tuesday, May 3 Class 5 See syllabus Saturday, May 7 Field Trip 3 Oak woodland and ecosystem, Thurston County 6 Tuesday, May 10 Class 6 See syllabus

Classes will meet from 6:30 – 9:00 P.M on the dates indicated above. at the Tacoma Nature Center at Snake Lake, 1919 South Tyler Street, Tacoma (http://www.metroparkstacoma.org/tacomanaturecenter/). Note that Class 3 will meet on a Monday; all other classes meet on Tuesdays.

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WNPS Native Plant Stewardship Training South Puget Sound Lowlands, Spring 2016

FIELD TRIPS Field trips are an integral part of the stewardship training. Field trips are scheduled for the 1st, 4th, and 5th Saturdays during the course period. Meeting times and places and trip logistics will be announced during class.

Field trips will be all-day excursions into local ecosystems, complementing and reinforcing topics covered in classroom sessions. Expect 5-6 hours of instruction, observation, and experience, in addition to travel time to and from our assembly area.

Field trips will focus on the following:  Studying examples of natural plant communities.  Observing restoration project areas.  Live demonstrations of planting techniques, invasive species control, and other restoration & management practices, along with hands-on experience.  Identification of key native and invasive plant species.

Field trips will be rain or shine, and stewards should dress accordingly. and riparian areas may be quite wet. Regardless of the weather, and footwear should be chosen accordingly. Make sure to bring water, lunch, and snacks for the day.

CLASS PRESENTATIONS Public presentations or field trip leadership are not for everyone, but presentation skills and experience are important for partners who need help with environmental education and public outreach. Each steward who chooses to will develop and present a 5-minute presentation or demonstration designed to educate the general public about a conservation or restoration topic. The presentation must include the use of at least one non-electronic prop or visual aid (a chart, a poster, a tool, a plant, etc.).

Presentation topics must be okayed by the coordinator at least one class meeting (classroom session or field trip) prior to the presentation. Content must be accurate, but the main emphasis will be on delivery and developing a feeling of comfort in public presentations. The coordinator, with input from the stewards, may determine the best way to provide personal or class feedback to each presenter.

Presentations will be made to the class. The coordinator will decide how to apportion class and field trip time for the presentations. Depending on how many stewards elect to give presentations, presentations may be spread over two or more classroom or field trip periods.

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WNPS Native Plant Stewardship Training South Puget Sound Lowlands, Spring 2016

CLASS OUTLINE

WEEK 1 I. WELCOME & INTRODUCTION  About the Washington Native Plant Society [ http://www.wnps.org ]  About the South Sound Chapter [ http://www.southsoundchapterwnps.org/ ]  Commitments and responsibilities  Class schedule and logistics  A word from our sponsors: Our partners in stewardship training

Why study native plants? The importance of native plants in Northwest ecosystems.

Appreciation & conservation of native plants in Northwest ecosystems.

II. NATIVE PLANTS & THEIR HABITATS  What is a native plant?  of Washington  Plants and the environment  Plant communities  Structure and composition of plant communities

III. INTRODUCTION TO NATIVE PLANT IDENTIFICATION IV. HABITAT MODULE I: Puget Sound Lowland & Foothill Riparian & Wetland Habitats Part 1: RIPARIAN & STREAM HABITATS  Introduction to Riparian Habitats  Functions of native plants in riparian areas  Large woody material  Structure and composition of Puget lowland and foothill riparian habitats  Species ID: Puget Lowland riparian habitats  Stream dynamics and vegetation succession in riparian habitats

V. LOGISTICS FOR FIELD TRIP 1

FIELD TRIP 1 (Puget lowland forests, wetlands & riparian areas)

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WNPS Native Plant Stewardship Training South Puget Sound Lowlands, Spring 2016

WEEK 2 I. ECOLOGICAL RESTORATION What we mean by ‘restoration.’  Restoration  Rehabilitation  Reclamation

Restoration in Practice Types of restoration . Revegetation . Seed collection and greenhouse operations. . Invasive species management . Reintroduction of rare species (e.g., golden paintbrush) or keystone species (e.g., American chestnut). [You can introduce rare animals too (e.g., pygmy rabbit, sage grouse)]. . Engineered projects . Restoration of processes

Restoration practices . Site preparation . Plant stock types & planting techniques: . Post-planting practices: Mulch, tree shelters, irrigation, site maintenance

II. CONTINUE RIPARIAN & STREAM HABITATS III. CLASS PRESENTATIONS (optional) -- INTRODUCTION

WEEK 3 I. HABITAT MODULE I: Puget Sound Lowland & Foothill Riparian & Wetland Habitats Part 2: WETLANDS  Introduction to wetlands  Wetland functions and the roles of native plants  Structure and composition of Puget lowland wetland habitats  Species ID: Puget Lowland wetland habitats II. IDENTIFICATION & MANAGEMENT OF INVASIVE SPECIES  What is an invasive species?  State weed law in brief  Invasive Species Identification – Part I  Invasive Species Management

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WNPS Native Plant Stewardship Training South Puget Sound Lowlands, Spring 2016

WEEK 4 I. HABITAT MODULE II: PUGET SOUND LOWLAND FORESTS  History, trends, and current status of Puget Lowland forests  Structure & composition of Puget Lowland forests  Disturbance & forest succession  Limiting factors: soils, moisture, shade tolerance  Ecological functions of Puget Lowland forests  Species ID: Puget Lowland forests  Invasive species of Puget Lowland forests II. STEWARDS’ PRESENTATIONS – GROUP I III. LOGISTICS FOR FIELD TRIP 2

FIELD TRIP 2 (Clark’s Creek restoration site & other Pierce County natural areas)

WEEK 5 I. HABITAT MODULE III: OAK WOODLAND & PRAIRIE HABITATS  South Sound and oak woodlands: Origins, status, & condition  Ecological functions and wildlife habitat provided by oak woodland and prairie habitats  Structure and composition of oak woodland and prairie habitats  Oak-prairie plant community types  Species ID: oak woodland & prairie habitats  Species ID: Invasive species of oak woodland and prairie habitats

II. STEWARDS’ PRESENTATIONS – GROUP II III. CLIMATE CHANGE [Self-study module]  introduction to the self-study module  Climate change and ecological restoration IV. LOGISTICS FOR FIELD TRIP 3

FIELD TRIP 3 (Oak woodland and prairie ecosystem, Thurston County)

WEEK 6 I. CONTINUE OAK WOODLAND & PRAIRIE HABITATS II. STEWARDS’ PRESENTATIONS – GROUP III III. COURSE WRAP-UP & FEEDBACK  Review of partner organizations and volunteer opportunities.  Reporting volunteer hours  Continuing education opportunities  Course Evaluation IV. SEND-OFF: Conservation in the 21st Century: Challenges and opportunities

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WNPS Native Plant Stewardship Training South Puget Sound Lowlands, Spring 2016

REQUIRED READING & VIDEOS

Puget Sound Lowland & Foothill Riparian & Wetland Habitats Primary reading Gregory, S.V., F.J. Swanson, W.A. McKee, and K.W. Cummins. 1991. An ecosystem perspective of riparian zones: Focus on links between land and water. Bioscience 41: 540- 551. http://andrewsforest.oregonstate.edu/pubs/pdf/pub954.pdf OR… http://uncw.edu/cms/aelab/documents/Mallin's%20Classes/An%20Ecosystem%20Perspective%2 0of%20Riparian%20Zones.pdf Kocher, S.D. and R. Harris. 2007. Riparian Vegetation. Forest Stewardship Series 10, Publication 8240. University of California, Division of Agriculture and Natural Resources. 7 pp. http://anrcatalog.ucanr.edu/pdf/8240.pdf Hoag, J. C., and T.D. Landis. 2002. Plant materials for riparian revegetation. Pp. 33-43 in R.K. Dumroese, L.E. Riley, and T.D. Landis, technical coordinators National Proceedings: Forest and Conservation Nursery Associations: 1999, 2000, and 2001. Proceedings RMRS-P-24. U.S. Forest Service, Rocky Mountain Research Station, Ogden, UT. http://www.fs.fed.us/rm/pubs/rmrs_p024/rmrs_p024_033_043.pdf Seavy, N.E., T. Gardali, G. H. Golet, F. T. Griggs, C, A. Howell, T. R. Kelsey, S. Small, J. H. Viers, J. F. Weigand. 2009. Why climate change makes riparian restoration more important than ever: Recommendations for Practice and Research. Ecological Restoration 27:330-338. http://er.uwpress.org/cgi/reprint/27/3/330

Washington Department of Ecology. Functions and Values of Wetlands. [Webpage] http://www.ecy.wa.gov/programs/sea/wetlands/functions.html. Links at the bottom of the page might be interesting to you, but are not required reading.

Primary video(s) A Walk Through the Riparian Zone. 00:03:20. Heather Minella and others [Shown in class]. http://wn.com/riparian. A silly, fun, but accurate portrayal of information about the functions and processes of riparian zones. This stop-animation film was created for a stream ecology class at University of Washington-Tacoma. Life on the Edge: Improving Riparian Function. 00:11:51. Oregon State University Extension. http://wn.com/riparian

Puget Lowland forests Primary Reading Waring, R.H., and J.F. Franklin. 1979. Evergreen coniferous forests of the . Science 204: 1380-1386. http://andrewsforest.oregonstate.edu/pubs/pdf/pub189.pdf Primary video(s) Interview with Dr. David Suzuki, author of "Tree: A Life Story," December 2, 2004. 00:28:27. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VFB5d8Foblk

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WNPS Native Plant Stewardship Training South Puget Sound Lowlands, Spring 2016

Oak woodland and prairie habitats Primary Reading Chappell, C.B., and R.C. Crawford. 1997. Native vegetation of the South Puget Sound prairie landscape. Pp. 107-122 in P. Dunn and K. Ewing (eds.). Ecology and Conservation of the South Puget Sound Prairie Landscape. The Nature Conservancy of Washington, Seattle, WA. http://cascadiaprairieoak.org/wp-content/uploads/2013/07/Native-Veg-of-S-Puget-Sound- Prairies.pdf Dennehy, C, Edward R. Alverson, Hannah E. Anderson, David R. Clements, Rod Gilbert, and Thomas N. Kaye. 2011. Management Strategies for Invasive Plants in Pacific Northwest Prairies, Savannas, and Oak Woodlands. Northwest Science 2011 85: 329-351. http://www.bioone.org/doi/pdf/10.3955/046.085.0219 Dunwiddie P.W., and J.D. Bakker. 2011. The future of restoration and management of prairie/oak ecosystems in Pacific Northwest prairies. Northwest Science. 85: 83-92. http://cascadiaprairieoak.org/documents/NorthwestSciencePrairieOak.pdf Washington Native Plant Society. The Garry Oak Ecosystem. http://www.wnps.org/ecosystems/west_lowland_eco/garry_oak.htm

Primary Video(s) Northwest Prairies. Ca. 2011. Jennie Russ & Friends of South Sound Prairies. 00:16:45. Prairie conservation professionals and volunteers talk about the importance of the South Sound prairies and their experiences working to preserve and restore them. https://vimeo.com/24586228 South Sound Prairies: Western Washington's Grasslands. 2015. Center for Natural Lands Management. 00:04:07. [Shown in class] Plant ecologist Peter Dunwiddie, landowner Bryan Fisher and volunteer Darlene Bidwell talk about the past, present, and future of South Sound Prairies. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PYMUezR4LBQ&list=UUW1zDKyZQxTYfUnJ1uH52pA

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WNPS Native Plant Stewardship Training South Puget Sound Lowlands, Spring 2016

Recommended field guides Bowcutt, F. In press – Available in April, 2016. Vascular Plants of the South Sound Prairies. Evergreen State College, Olympia, WA. Cooke, S.S. 1997. A Field Guide to the Common Wetland Plants of Western Washington and Northwestern Oregon. Seattle Audubon Society, Seattle, WA. 417 pp. Pojar, J., and A MacKinnon. 1994. Plants of the Pacific Northwest Coast. Lone Pine Press, Redmond, WA, and , BC. 528 pp.

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