By Holly Kress | Development Director
The Golden paintbrush once brightened summer on coastal prairies from Oregon to British Columbia but now is confined to 11 small populations, four of which occur on Whidbey Island. Federally listed as a “threatened” species, its recovery plan calls for establishing 20 self-sustaining populations of 1,000 plants each. The Pacific Rim Institute has received Federal and other funding to establish one such population on our prairie. As the attached graph indicates, this beautiful piece of cultural and ecological heritage is finding great success on our prairie. According to Dr. Peter Dunwiddie, the lead conservationist on the Golden paintbrush efforts in the Puget Sound region, “the paintbrush on Smith Prairie continue to expand, making it the first time in this region that a new, self-sustaining population of a federally-listed plant has been successfully established in a site where it had not previously been known to occur.” He also noted at a biodiversity conference in Seattle that PRI’s efforts have created the most successful recovery site of all for three consecutive years.
Thank you so much for your support of the Pacific Rim Institute prairie on Whidbey Island. When you support our prairie, you are also supporting prairie restoration all around the Puget Sound.
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