Search for historical occurrences of rare species
Describe their status and extent
Contribute to their conservation
Citizen’s Rare Plant Watch (CRPW) is a citizen science program started by the Native Plant Society of Oregon in 2012, with the goal of increasing understanding of the status and extent of rare species throughout Oregon, while promoting direct involvement of volunteers in conservation. We do so by collaborating with the Oregon Biodiversity Information Center (ORBIC), the Oregon Flora Project (OFP), federal and state agencies to determine which rare plant species are in need of critical conservation research and monitoring efforts. The Rae Selling Berry Seed Bank & Plant Conservation Program at Portland State University is now running the program, and participation of NPSO members is as crucial as ever.
Volunteers are coordinated to search for these historical rare plant occurrences and collect scientific data on their current status and extent. Data is submitted directly to ORBIC, OFP and land managers to aid in the conservation of these rare species. Would you like to contribute to the conservation of Oregon’s rare plant species? If you are interested in leading an outing, participating, or being on the mailing list, please contact Coordinator Kris Freitag, kfreitag@pdx.edu.