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Public gets rare chance to see protected prairie

Nature: Take a look at 5,500-acre Black River Preserve at May 9 event

JOHN DODGE; The Olympian | • Published April 27, 2009

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LITTLEROCK – All along the Black River near here, prairies bleed into wetlands, forming an unusual ecosystem that conservation groups, landowners, resource agencies and volunteers have worked to protect for more than 20 years.

Known collectively as the Black River Preserve, the more than 5,500 acres of property is off limits to new homes, but serves as home to uncommon prairie flowers, butterflies, birds and endangered salmon, frogs, elk, deer and the occasional black bear.

The prairies, oak woodlands and freshwater wetlands that flank the Black River are not well known and, in many cases, off limits or inaccessible to the public.

But that changes on May 9 when the Friends of Puget Prairies will have the 14th annual Prairie Appreciation Day at Thurston County’s 1,000-acre Glacial Heritage Nature Preserve, the single largest prairie preserve in the county.

“Prairie Appreciation Day is the best opportunity to see this property,” said Eric Delvin, South Sound program manager for The Nature Conservancy. “It’s the one day a year we try to showcase it to the public.”

The early May date is designed to catch the prairie carpeted in native prairie flowers, including the blue camas, said Marion Jarisch, a Friends of Puget Prairies volunteer. The camas bulb was a staple in the diet of American Indians, who burned the prairies to rejuvenate the plants and grasses and to keep conifer trees from encroaching on the grasslands.

The colder-than-normal spring means the sequence of prairie flowers in bloom, including shooting stars, chocolate lily, biscuit root, native buttercup and native violet, are about two weeks behind schedule, said Daeg Byrne, manager of The Nature Conservancy’s native-plant nursery called Shotwell’s Landing near Littlerock.

The nursery was busy as Byrne, Jarisch and several others prepared for the native plant sale the Friends of Puget Prairies holds during Prairie Appreciation Day.

“We’re selling plants that are surplus to our habitat restoration projects,” Bryne said. One of the plant sale favorites is columbine, an early summer flowering plant that is an excellent nectar source for butterflies and hummingbirds.

About two miles northeast of the nursery, sits another Nature Conservancy property, 135-acre Mima Creek. The former dairy and hay farm was purchased by The Nature Conservancy for $1.3 million two years ago, with help from a federal grant and Thurston County conservation futures money. It is now the scene of a major wetland and prairie restoration effort, Delvin said.

A crew from Lewis County-based Tree Management Plus has been busy, planting 20,000 wetland trees and shrubs which were then fitted with biodegradable white collars to keep the field mice and moles from chewing them to stubs.

“We expect at least a 90 percent survival rate,” company project supervisor Dave Grimes said.

Some areas of the former farm will be regraded and contoured to allow water to collect for wintering waterfowl and possible reintroduction of the Oregon spotted frog, a state endangered species.

“You kind of look at the land and it tells you what it needs to be,” Delvin said.

John Dodge covers energy and environment for The Olympian. He can be reached at 360-754-5444 or jdodge@theolympian.com.

PRAIRIE APPRECIATION DAY

The 14th Annual Prairie Appreciation Day is set for 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. May 9 at Thurston County’s Glacial Heritage Nature Preserve near Littlerock.

The free family event is a chance to explore and learn about South Sound prairies and the wildflowers, butterflies, birds and other wildlife that call them home. Depending on the weather, some wildflower species should be in bloom.

Guided and self-guided prairie walks, a hay ride and activities for children will be available. The nonprofit group sponsoring the event, Friends of Puget Prairies, will have potted native plants for sale. Organizations active in South Sound prairie protection and restoration will be on hand with information about their activities.

Feel free to bring a picnic lunch – there will be no food for sale at the event. In addition, pets aren’t allowed at the preserve.

Wheelchair accessible activities for individuals and groups will be available on Prairie Appreciation Day at state Department of Natural Resources Mima Mounds Natural Area Preserve. The DNR preserve is also a good option for those with less time or who want a less demanding walk. For group tours, call 360-596-5144 or send an e-mail to roberta.davenport@wadnr.gov.

Both sites can be reached by driving west through Littlerock on 128th Avenue to the intersection with Mima (left) and Waddell Creek (right) roads.

Go left on Mima Road 2.7 miles and turn on a gravel road that will have events signs leading to the Glacial Heritage Nature Preserve.

Turn right on Waddell Creek Road and travel 0.7 miles east to the Mima Mounds state preserve.

For more information on Prairie Appreciation Day, go to www.prairieappreciationday.org.