The Pacific Rim Institute is working to save a northwest prairie located on our 175 acre property on Whidbey Island in Puget Sound. The northwest prairie is one of North America's most endangered ecosystems. Our next phase is to double our native plant collection and grow-out capacity. Much of this project's time and effort is contributed by over 100 volunteers, but funds are still needed for greenhouse improvements and other supplies. Help us save the prairie!
The prairie plant associations found west of the Cascade Mountains in Washington and Oregon are considered among the most endangered natural systems in the United States due to their limited historical range and precarious current status. Over 90% of these systems have been lost to tree and shrub invasion, agriculture, and housing development. This ecosystem, including the hundreds of species that call it home, will suffer collapse if not managed, restored, and re-established.
Increasing our capacity for outgrowing plants from seed collected from our site will directly increase our ability to restore larger pieces of land. Our plant mass need will be greatly increasing in the coming years, so we must increase our capacity now in order to be ready.
With one of the largest remnants left on the island, and over 100 acres of land available for restoration, we have one of the most promising sites in the Puget Sound for large-scale prairie recovery. This process will take many years, but our children will greatly benefit from the rich biodiversity of plants and animals as well as the ecological services of the prairie including pollination by insects, filtration and recovery of water, and open space for wildlife viewing and education.
