Native Plant Society of Oregon

Presentation: Amazon Community Center Events: Botany Workshop and Plant Walk
2026-04-11 13:00 - 15:00 (America/Los_Angeles)
Saturday, April 11, 1:00 pm – 3:00 pm
Presentation: Amazon Community Center Events: Botany Workshop and Plant Walk
Presenter: Steven Yeager, NPSO President
Location: Amazon Community Center, Mark Lewis Imaginarium, 2700 Hilyard St, Eugene
Come explore the beauty of botanical language. Learn the botanical terminology you will need to identify plants growing in your garden or local forest! Designed to give participants the skills to understand botanical descriptions in herbal texts and gardening books, and become familiar with important vocabulary for the identification and appreciation of plants. We’ll investigate plant anatomy and plant family characteristics. The class will include a slide show and short plant walk time permitting. Please bring a hand lens (loupe) if you have one.
For more information and to sign up, see “Special Interest” at: https://rec.eugene-or.gov/OR/city-of-eugene-or/catalog

Volunteer Outreach: Westmoreland Park Wetlands Enhancement Work Party
2026-04-04 09:00 - 11:30
Date: Saturday, April 4, 9:00 am – 11:30 am AND Saturday, May 9, 9:00 am – 11:30 am
Volunteer Outreach: Westmoreland Park Wetlands Enhancement Work Party
Leader: Nancy Bray
Location: Westmorelands Park, East wetland on Polk St., South of the pickleball courts on W. 20th Ave, Eugene
These two work parties in Westmoreland Park wetlands this spring will be our opportunity to remove invasive meadow foxtail before it goes to seed, and we need a lot of volunteers to help! There are tasks for all ages and physical abilities. We meet on Polk St. just south of the pickleball courts. Parks & Open Space will coordinate the work parties and provides all the tools.
These wetlands to the east and west of the Dr. Edwin Coleman Jr. Center have significant native plants including two species with the largest populations anywhere in Eugene. Our wetlands enhancement project is now in its fifth year and is showing great progress in helping the native plants to flourish. We hope you can join us!
Please RSVP to this email if you can help out at one or both work parties so we can let Parks & Open Space know how many tools to bring: br****@***il.com

Title: Bees as Botanists: The Specialist Bees of Western Oregon
2026-03-16 19:00 - 21:00
Monday, March 16, 7:00 pm – 9:00 pm
Title: Bees as Botanists: The Specialist Bees of Western Oregon
Presenter: August Jackson, Oregon Bee Atlas, Oregon State University
Location: Amazon Community Center, 2700 Hilyard St, Eugene
The Oregon Bee Atlas is currently leading the world in research on bee-plant interactions. Most native bee species need native plants to survive, but the diet breadth in bee species is wildly variable and much remains to be learned. From Sedum bees to Penstemon bees and Lomatium bees, a rich diversity of bee species found in western Oregon have specialized relationships with native plants and can be extremely picky about which pollen they will feed their young. In this vividly illustrated talk, we will explore the floral relationships of dozens of specialist bees, meet some bees (and plants?) new to science, and discuss ways to support bees in the home garden or community restoration effort.
August works with the Oregon Bee Atlas at Oregon State University coordinating a program for the inventory and monitoring of bees on National Wildlife Refuges in the Pacific Northwest. He is an expert in the identification of bees in Western North America and is responsible for identifying tens of thousands of bees from across the region annually. August is most interested in the relationship between bees and plants, and especially specialized relationships which have coevolved over thousands, if not millions of years. Prior to his work at Oregon State University, August worked for over a decade at Mount Pisgah Arboretum in Eugene and remains interested in all facets of the natural history of the region, but particularly flowering plants!

Presentation: Amazon Community Center Events: Gardening With Native Plants
2026-03-07 13:00 - 15:00
Saturday, March 7, 1:00 pm – 3:00 pm
Presentation: Amazon Community Center Events: Gardening With Native Plants
Presenters: NPSO Emerald Chapter Board members
Location: Amazon Community Center, Main Hall, 2700 Hilyard St, Eugene
Have you wondered whether gardening with native plants is for you? This class is meant to be an introduction to the benefits of gardening with native plants, from planning your garden to selecting your plants. We will have a hands-on time where you can see what many commonly used natives look like this time of year as well as when they’re in full bloom. You’ll come away with some ideas about what plants you might want to incorporate in your home and where to find them.
For more information and to sign up, see “Special Interest” at: https://rec.eugene-or.gov/OR/city-of-eugene-or/catalog

Presentation: Determinants of Flammability and Fuel Treatment Options in Sagebrush Ecosystems of the Great Basin
2026-02-16 19:00 - 21:00
Monday, February 16, 7:00 pm – 9:00 pm
Presentation: Determinants of Flammability and Fuel Treatment Options in Sagebrush Ecosystems of the Great Basin
Presenters: Sydney Turner, MS student at Ellsworth Lab, Department of Fisheries, Wildlife, and Conservation Sciences, Oregon State University; Dr. Sofia Koutzoukis, Postdoctoral researcher at: Ellsworth Lab, Department of Fisheries, Wildlife, and Conservation Sciences, Oregon State University, and US Forest Service Fire Science Lab
Location: Zoom https://us06web.zoom.us/j/83626265623?pwd=[REDACTED]
Sydney Turner is an Oregon State University graduate student whose research focuses on fire ecology in sagebrush ecosystems, with an emphasis on how plant physiology and community arrangements influence fire behavior. The goal of her work is to improve our predictions of fire behavior and to support sagebrush ecosystem conservation.
Dr. Sofia Koutzoukis is a rangeland ecologist who is interested in any question that centers around restoration and resilience in rangelands in the Intermountain West. As a postdoctoral researcher, she is currently studying community change, fire behavior, and management options to mitigate degradation and restore sagebrush ecosystems experiencing pinyon-juniper expansion in the Great Basin.
The presenters will describe how the spread of highly flammable invasive grasses and expansion of pinyon and junipers across the Intermountain West has altered the fire regimes of sagebrush dominated ecosystems, threatening the functioning and integrity of these systems as well as the efficacy of wildland firefighting operations. Changing community composition affects fire behavior both bottom-up via changes in combustion and fire spread and top-down through changing management paradigms that match actions to ecological settings to promote favorable outcomes.
Among the fundamental drivers of extreme fire behavior is the interaction between the woody sagebrush canopy and the herbaceous understory. However, the climate conditions and spatial arrangements of these fuel types that promote extreme fire spreads remain largely unknown. To address this gap, the researchers are conducting combustion experiments to examine how fuel moisture and grass invasion affects sagebrush canopy flammability to inform more effective wildfire management in sagebrush ecosystems. Management actions, via woody and herbaceous fuel reductions, must match abiotic and biotic ecosystem conditions to reduce fuels without promoting further invasion. By quantifying change in vegetation cover and mapping where treatment options would be likely to have favorable outcomes, we can facilitate ongoing planning in high priority landscapes. Managing fuels and fire behavior requires ongoing investigation to all processes, both ecological and management-centered, that contribute to fire spread and behavior.

Program: Street Trees of Eugene
2026-01-19 19:00 - 21:00
Monday, January 19, 2026, 7:00 pm – 9:00 pm
Program: Street Trees of Eugene
Presenter: Erik Burke, Friends of Trees
Location: Amazon Community Center, 2700 Hilyard St, Eugene
For updates on presentation details, check back at: https://emerald.npsoregon.org/emchapevents/

Event: December Holiday Social
2025-12-15 19:00 - 21:00
Monday, December 15, 7:00 pm – 9:00 pm
Event: December Holiday Social
Location: Amazon Community Center, 2700 Hilyard St, Eugene
Emerald Chapter celebrates our members and their wildflower discoveries as they share photos and stories of their wildflower destinations from the past year. Bring 10-15 slides of plants on a flash drive and share an adventure you had this year. Bring a snack to share. This is an opportunity to get to know your fellow plant enthusiasts a little better. We will have T-shirts and hats to buy if you like to give plant-themed gifts to your friends and family.

Presentation: Climate and Vegetation of Oregon Over the Past 50 Million Years
2025-11-17 19:00 - 21:00
Monday, November 17, 7:00 pm – 9:00 pm
Presentation: Climate and Vegetation of Oregon Over the Past 50 Million Years
Presenter: Dr. Greg Retallack, Geology Professor Emeritus, Department of Earth Sciences, University of Oregon
Location: Amazon Community Center, 2700 Hilyard St, Eugene
Oregon has a long fossil record of fossil plants and soils revealing dramatic paleoclimatic changes over the past fifty million years. Central Oregon 45 million years ago supported tropical soils and vegetation like that of central America, and the advent of temperate climate and deciduous forests goes back thirty-three million years. The rise of grassland vegetation over the past twenty million years is also revealed in Oregon. Richly organic grassland soils coevolved with grazing mammals to sequester carbon in anticipation of the Pleistocene ice age. Carbon farming aims similarly to enlist soils and livestock to curb modern global warming.

Program: Lichen Habitats in the Pacific Northwest
2025-10-20 19:00 - 21:00
Monday, October 20, 7:00 pm – 9:00 pm
Title: Lichen Habitats in the Pacific Northwest
Presenter: Dr. Daphne Stone, Lichenologist
Location: Amazon Community Center, 2700 Hilyard St, Eugene
Lichens grow all over the Pacific Northwest, but most are restricted to specific habitats. This is because they are very sensitive to the moisture, light, and nutrients available to them. The talk will cover a few habitats in which Dr. Stone has worked during her career, showing interesting lichens found in each.

Field Trip: Ramble at Wild Iris Ridge Park
2025-10-04 10:00 - 12:00
Saturday, October 4, 10:00 am – 12:00 pm
Field Trip: Ramble at Wild Iris Ridge Park
Organizer: Karl Anderson
Location: Wild Iris Ridge Park, Summit Sky Trail Head, 3184 Summit Sky Blvd, Eugene
Rambles are leaderless walks where participants point out plants they see to each other and share their knowledge about them. Rambles are a fun way to meet other botanists in the community and check out local parks in the “off” season. Come join organizer, Karl Anderson, and explore what plants Wild Iris Ridge Park has on display. You can be a beginner or advanced- everyone is welcome! Sign up here

Presentation: Oregon Native Seed Strategy
2025-09-25 19:00 - 21:00
Monday, September 25, 7:00 pm – 9:00 pm
Presentation: Oregon Native Seed Strategy
Presenter: Danielle Marshall, Oregon Department of Agriculture
Location: Amazon Community Center, 2700 Hilyard St, Eugene
The Oregon Native Seed Strategy is a new guidance document developed by numerous government, non-profit, and academic partners to address native seed needs in Oregon. Come learn from Dani Mitchell, state conservation biologist, how Oregon is planning to coordinate and expand the state’s native seed supply chain to implement landscape-scale restoration as our state experiences unprecedented environmental pressures such as the 2020 fires, a depleted seed bank, and various impacts of climate change.

Field Trip: Three Mile Prairie County Park, Florence
2025-08-23 09:00 - 17:00
Saturday, August 23, 9:00 am
Field Trip: Three Mile Prairie County Park, Florence
Leader: Ed Alverson
Join leader Ed Alverson for a cool exploration of the urban sand dune ecosystem at Three Mile Prairie County Park in Florence. The 170-acre park supports native plants associated with open dunes, seasonal ponds/wet meadows, shore pine forest, as well as several rare native plant communities.
Meet at South Eugene High School at 9:00 am, or at 10:30 am at the parking lot just north of the Fred Meyer store on Hwy 101 in Florence. Bring lunch and water, and appropriate gear for wind and sun while walking on bright open sand. Look for the sign up under events at the Emerald chapter website: https://emerald.npsoregon.org/emchapevents/

Field Trip: haich ikt'at'uu, a tidal estuary restoration
2025-07-30 08:00 - 14:00
Wednesday, July 30, 8:00 am – 2:00 pm
Field Trip: haich ikt’at’uu, a tidal estuary restoration
Leader: Nathan LeClear, McKenzie River Trust
Join Emerald Chapter member Nathan LeClear of McKenzie River Trust on a tour of haich ikt’at’uu, a project that is returning a diked and drained pasture to a network of tidal channels, marsh, and tidal swamp. The vegetation is still primarily non-native, but the planting plan for the revegetation phase will be shared for discussion. Meet at Lowe’s parking lot in west Eugene under the tall conifers to carpool to the site. The tour will begin around 9:30 am and go until around noon. We’ll walk about 2.5 miles round trip on a road with some forays into marshy habitat. Bring lunch, water, hat, and shoes that can get wet. Sign up here

Special Event: Emerald Chapter’s Annual Picnic at Amazon Park
2025-07-14 17:30 - 19:00
Monday July 14, 5:30 pm – 7:00 pm
Special Event: Emerald Chapter’s Annual Picnic at Amazon Park
Location: Grassy area in front of Amazon Community Center
Join your botanical friends for a picnic! We will brainstorm presentations and field trips for next season and share information about great places to see wildflowers. Bring a potluck item to share, your own plate/utensils, a folding chair, and drinks. Emerald Chapter will provide dessert.
So that we know how many desserts to provide, please RSVP to Claudia Crawford at: cg*******@*****st.net

Field Trip: Groundhog Mountain and Waterdog Lake
2025-07-12 08:30 - 18:00
Saturday, July 12, 8:30 am – 6:00 pm
Field Trip: Groundhog Mountain and Waterdog Lake
Leader: Tanya Harvey
Spend a leisurely day with Tanya Harvey botanizing along wetlands, a small lake, and rocky roadcuts in the Groundhog Mountain area, southeast of Oakridge. There are no trails, but we’ll probably walk about a mile up a gravel road to a great butterfly viewing spot. The wetlands are by the road, but bring rubber boots if you want to explore them more carefully. Bring lunch, snacks, and plenty of water. Meet at South Eugene High parking lot (19th & Patterson) at 8:30 am or Lowell covered bridge at 9:00 am to carpool. Road is somewhat rough, so high clearance vehicles are suggested. Sign up here.

Field Trip: Rescheduled Slow Hike on Cone Peak Trail
2025-06-25 08:00 - 17:00
Wednesday, June 25, 8:00 am – 5:00 pm
Field Trip: Rescheduled Slow Hike on Cone Peak Trail
Leader: Jenny Lippert
Location: Meet at South Eugene High School to carpool
We will head up through Sweet Home and start on the back side of Iron Mountain, looking for some fabulous wildflower displays. Bring your camera, lunch, lots of water, sun hat, and sturdy boots. We’ll stay on a relatively level trail (it follows the mountain contours) and will walk approximately 2 miles out and back. On the way home, we’ll loop over to the McKenzie Highway and stop at Fish Lake if time allows. Sign up here.

Field Trip: Create a Plant List for Golden Gardens Park
2025-06-07 09:30 - 11:00
Saturday, June 7, 9:30 am -11:00 am
Field Trip: Create a Plant List for Golden Gardens Park
Leader: Ramble
Location: Meet at Golden Gardens Road and Jessen Drive Entrance
Rambles are leaderless walks through a designated park where everyone shares their knowledge about plants you see. All skills and abilities are encouraged to participate. The only thing you need is to enjoy native plants!
City of Eugene ecologist Laurie Holts has encouraged us to create a plant list for Golden Gardens Park. We have the beginnings of a list from an I-Naturalist Project that the City of Eugene set up (you’ll get a copy if you come on the walk!), but there are many missing species. On our walk, we will look for any blooming flowers to add to our list, and we will also try to identify a few grasses and aquatic species. Sign up here.

Volunteer Outreach: Westmoreland Park Wetlands Enhancement Work Party
2025-05-31 09:00 - 12:00
Saturday, May 31, 2025, 9:00 am – 12:00 pm
Volunteer Outreach: Westmoreland Park Wetlands Enhancement Work Party
Leader: Nancy Bray
Location: Westmoreland Park, East wetland on Polk St., South of the pickleball courts on W. 20th Ave, Eugene.
Please join our work parties. The tasks are simple and geared for all ages and physical abilities.
This is the fourth year of our enhancement project to remove invasive weeds from the Westmoreland Park wetlands to help our native plants to flourish. These wet prairie remnants have protected status, with significant native plants including two species with the largest populations anywhere in Eugene.
If you can help out on May 3 and/or May 31, please RSVP to br****@***il.com. Parks and Open Space provides all the tools, so RSVP’ing allows us to let them know how many tools to bring. Hope you can join us!

Central Coast Dunes
2025-05-25 08:00 - 12:00
Explore the different plants and plant habitats of the Oregon dunes!

The Oregon Dunes National Recreation Area is one of the largest expanses of temperate coastal sand dunes in the world. Join us for a guided hike with members of the Oregon Dunes Restoration Collaborative (ODRC) to learn about this special place. Hike leader Dina Pavlis (ODRC and NPSO-Portland member) will lead us through the forest and across open sand, sharing about the history, ecosystems and plants of the Oregon dunes. We will explore several different habitats, including tree islands, forest, open sand areas and wetlands. During the hike, Dina will discuss how the dunes formed, the importance or the open sand habitat for native plants and animals, why open sand is disappearing, and efforts in place to try to save the open sand habitat.

* Hike length – Leave 9:00 am – Noon (3 hours max)

How to Register: Email di**@**cr.net. Please indicate this is for the NPSO hike when emailing.

What to wear: Weather can change quickly on the dunes. Dina recommends closed-toe shoes, layers (in case the wind picks up or dies down), hats and/or sunscreen, and water.

Directions to the Oregon Dunes Day Use Area: The entrance to the Oregon Dunes Day Use is located on the west side of Highway 101 near mile marker 201 (approximately 12 miles SOUTH of Florence, Oregon).

Parking pass required: A parking pass ($5) is required for this event. If you already have a NW Forest Pass, Oregon Coast Passport or Golden Age Pass, that will be accepted. If not, please purchase a one-day digital pass ahead of time here: https://www.fs.usda.gov/r06/siuslaw/passes

Site details: A restroom is available at the site as well as picnic tables should you wish to bring a lunch to enjoy after the hike. Restaurants are also available 12 miles north in Florence, Oregon, or 11 miles south, in Reedsport.

Special Event: Mt. Pisgah Arboretum Wildflower Festival
2025-05-18 10:00 - 17:00
Sunday, May 18th, 10:00 am – 5:00 pm

Location: Mount Pisgah Arboretum, 34901 Frank Parrish Rd, Eugene
This Festival is a great, family-friendly event with activities including an expansive wildflower display in the White Oak Pavilion highlighting over 200 local species, live music featuring local bands, the Art in Nature Trail with ephemeral art installations, guided nature walks by local experts, and local vendors (food, beverages, arts and crafts, and plants).
Come find our booth to the left of the entrance to the wildflower display.
More information and tickets are available at https://mountpisgaharboretum.org/festivals-events/wildflower-music-festival/

Event: Mount Pisgah Wildflower Show: Collection, Set up, and Show Booth
2025-05-16 - 2025-05-18
May 16, 17, and 18
Event: Mount Pisgah Wildflower Show: Collection, Set up, and Show Booth
Leader: Jenny Lippert
Location: Mount Pisgah Arboretum, 34901 Frank Parrish Rd, Eugene, Oregon 97405
If you’d like to volunteer, there are several opportunities. If you know your plants and have a special place in mind to collect, bring them to the Arboretum by noon Saturday, May 17th. If you are just learning your native plants, come help set up the show at the Arboretum on Saturday morning any time after 9:00 am. Or if you just want to come to the Show, visit our booth by the entrance to the Wildflower display and buy a t-shirt or one of our new NPSO hats on Sunday.
Please reach out if you would like to help. Jenny Lippert (jl**********@***il.com) can help set you up with a place to collect and permits, if necessary.
For more Mount Pisgah Wildflower Show information, visit: https://mountpisgaharboretum.org/festivals-events/wildflower-music-festival/

Volunteer Outreach: Survey for rare Lathyrus holochlorus at Mt. Pisgah Arboretum
2025-05-13 10:00 - 15:00
Tuesday May 13, 2025, 10:00 am – 3:00 pm
Volunteer Outreach: Survey for rare Lathyrus holochlorus at Mt. Pisgah Arboretum
Leader: Dr. Nora Dunkirk, ORBIC’s director of Citizen’s Rare Plant Watch (CRPW) out of Portland State University
Location: Buford Park, exact start location to be announced
Citizen’s Rare Plant Watch will be conducting a survey of the rare plant Lathyrus holochlorus – thin-leaved pea – near Eugene at the Mt. Pisgah Arboretum on Tuesday, May 13. We will meet at 10:00 am at Buford Park for an all-day survey. Please wear hiking boots, bring lunch and water, and be prepared for some off-trail hiking. Please reach out to CRPW coordinator Nora at nd******@*dx.edu if you are interested in joining us.

Event: West Eugene Wetland Walk
2025-05-12 10:00 - 11:30
Monday, May 12, 2025, 10:00 am – 11:30 am
Event: West Eugene Wetland Walk
Leader: Rachel Schneiderman
Location: WREN Headquarters, 751 Danebo Ave, Eugene, Oregon 97402
Join us on a walk in the west Eugene wetlands, led by WREN (Willamette Resources and Education Network) staff, at the peak of bloom. We’ll get to see some rare Willamette Valley prairie species along with the more common natives. Bring your cameras and binoculars too. Sign up here.

Event: Bikes to Blooms, Emerald Chapter Booth Volunteering and Botany Walk
2025-05-10 08:00 - 13:00
Saturday, May 10, 8:00 am – 1:00 pm
Event: Bikes to Blooms, Emerald Chapter Booth Volunteering and Botany Walk
Location: Bake Stewart Park, Dorena (12 miles east of Cottage Grove)
All activities are accessible by car; carpooling is encouraged as parking is limited. If cycling, wear a helmet and be cautious of variable trail conditions. Please leave dogs at home. Bikes to Blooms is hosted in partnership with the Coast Fork Willamette Watershed Council, U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, Bureau of Land Management, Walama Restoration Project, Native Plant Society of Oregon, Eugene Chapter of the North American Butterfly Association, and Kennedy High School – Youth Conservation Corps.
8:00 am: Guided Bird Walk
9:00 am – 1:00 pm: Educational Booths and Self-Guided Walk Materials
10:00 am ,11:00 am, and 12:00 pm: Guided Wildflower Walks
For additional event information, visit coastfork.org, CFWWC Facebook page (@CoastFork), or call the CFWWC office at 541-767-9717.

Field Trip: Amazon Community Center Wildflower Walk
2025-05-03 10:00 - 12:00
Saturday, May 3, 10:00 am – 12:00 pm
Field Trip: Amazon Community Center Wildflower Walk
Leader: Emerald Chapter Native Plant Society of Oregon Volunteers
Location: Amazon Community Center, Front Lawn, Eugene
Come meet the Native Plant Society at Amazon Community Center as we take a nature walk to identify plants around the park. Bring comfortable shoes and appropriate outerwear. Attendees must register each family member; children must be accompanied by an adult.
Register with Eugene Parks and Recreation at: https://rec.eugene-or.gov/OR/city-of-eugene-or/catalog/index?filter=dGFiJTVCNjM5OCU1RD0xJnNlYXJjaD0mY2F0ZWdvcnklNUIxMTkwNCU1RD0xJnJlbnRhbCU1QmZyb20lNUQ9JnJlbnRhbCU1QnRvJTVEPSZkMjJlYmMzZjRkNDVhNDg2NTM1MzQwMjJhZDM3MGFhZD0wZDU3MTBjYTEyYTczNTFiMzYyMjFhYmJiY2U4NWY2ZQ==
For questions, email em.president@npsooregon

Event: Prairie Plant Research and Restoration at Wild Iris Ridge
2025-04-26 09:30 - 11:30
Saturday, April 26, 2025, 9:30 am – 11:30 am
Event: Prairie Plant Research and Restoration at Wild Iris Ridge
Leaders: Katelin Kutella and Sarah Erskine, University of Oregon (UO) Ecologists
Location: Wild Iris Ridge
Join Katelin and Sarah to tour an experimental prairie research site at Wild Iris Ridge. This site is one of six research plots embedded within Eugene’s public parks, a collaboration between UO researchers in the Diez Ecology Lab, Eugene Public Parks, and community naturalists. The project studies how climate impacts native prairie species and aims to enhance biodiversity and inform future restoration efforts. Emily Steele from Eugene Parks will join to share insights into restoration work at Wild Iris Ridge, while researchers will discuss how planting and tracking plant growth, flowering times, and interactions help investigate environmental impacts on native species.
Meet at Bailey View Drive trailhead for a short walk to the plot. https://maps.app.goo.gl/uAEywaLeLBybSa5t8
For more information check out:
iNaturalist Project to view the sites, species, and current blooms.
Project website for more details about the project, all the sites, and a map.
Diez Ecology Lab at UO to learn about our lab group and our research projects.
Sign up here

Program: Taking Care of Oregon’s Kelp Forests
2025-04-18 19:00 - 21:00
Friday, April 18, 7:00 pm – 9:00 pm *Please note this is a Friday.
Program: Taking Care of Oregon’s Kelp Forests
Presenter: Sara Hamilton
Location: 221 Allen Hall, University of Oregon (UO), *Please note meeting is not at Amazon Community Center
Sara is a marine ecologist who studies how ocean ecosystems in the Pacific Northwest are changing and what it means for the critters and people who depend on them. Her PhD work on kelp forests was conducted through the Department of Integrative Biology at Oregon State University. She has also studied spatial patterns in the effects of ocean acidification and hypoxia on commercially important shellfish species. She decided to leave academia to find new ways to use her scientific skills to help create healthier ocean ecosystems and communities. Currently she is the science coordinator for the Oregon Kelp Alliance.
Parking for UO events is available at the UO Physical Plant lot: From Franklin, turn north onto Onyx and go 1 block to the lot.
This meeting is co-sponsored with the Eugene Natural History Society. For updates and details on location for this event, please visit: Eugene Natural History Society.

Volunteer Outreach: Westmoreland Park Wetlands Enhancement Work Party
2025-04-12 09:00 - 12:00
Saturday, April 12, 9:00 am – 12:00 pm
Volunteer Outreach: Westmoreland Park Wetlands Enhancement Work Party
Leader: Nancy Bray
Location: Westmoreland Park, East and West of Dr. Edwin Coleman Jr. Center, Eugene, Oregon
Friendly Area Neighbors Sustainability Team, in collaboration with Parks & Open Space (P&OS), is seeking volunteers to help with enhancement of the wetlands to the east and west of the Dr. Edwin Coleman Jr. Center in Westmoreland Park. This is the fourth year of the project, with the goal of removing non-native grasses and weeds on designated plots to allow the native plants to flourish. These wetlands are remnants of the wet prairies that used to cover our area and have significant native plants, including two species with the largest populations anywhere in Eugene.
This month’s work party will focus on invasive plant removal. Wear waterproof footwear if available; all tools are provided by P&OS. We meet on Polk St., south of the pickleball courts on W. 20th Ave.
If you can help out, please RSVP to br****@***il.com. This helps P&OS know how many tools to bring. All ages are welcome — we hope to see you there!

Program: Lane County Rare and Endangered List Update: New Species to Look for this Field Season
2025-03-17 19:00 - 21:00
Monday, March 17, 2025, 7:00 pm – 9:00 pm
Program: Lane County Rare and Endangered List Update: New Species to Look for this Field Season
Presenters: Jenny Lippert, Tanya Harvey, Bruce Newhouse, and Ed Alverson
Location: Amazon Community Center, 2700 Hilyard St., Eugene
Jenny will introduce the list and quickly show how to access the new Rare and Endangered plant list and sortable table on our website. Tanya Harvey, Bruce Newhouse, and Ed Alverson will introduce you to the species that they proposed for listing, detailing which habitats to look in and how to distinguish the species from look-alikes.
The R&E Committee convened a team of botanists in fall 2023 to review and add species to the outdated 2013 R&E plant list. The Emerald Chapter actively follows R&E plants in Lane County as doing so is critical to the preservation of rare plants and their habitats. The data for these plants are presented on our webpage under the Rare Plants section. Jenny Lippert will introduce this list and show how to quickly access the new R&E plant list and sortable table on our website. Tanya Harvey, Bruce Newhouse, and Ed Alverson will introduce you to the species that they proposed for listing, detailing which habitats to look for and how to distinguish the species from look-alikes so you can help us look for new populations this season.
To preview this list prior to the monthly meeting, please see: https//emerald.npsoregon.org/rare-plants/.

Volunteer Outreach: Westmoreland Park Wetlands Enhancement Work Party
2025-03-15 10:00 - 11:30
Saturday, March 15, 2025, 10:00 am – 11:30 am
Volunteer Outreach: Westmoreland Park Wetlands Enhancement Work Party
Leader: Nancy Bray
Location: Westmoreland Park, East and West of Dr. Edwin Coleman Jr. Center, Eugene, Oregon
Friendly Area Neighbors Sustainability Team, in collaboration with Parks & Open Space (P&OS), is seeking volunteers to help with enhancement of the wetlands to the east and west of the Dr. Edwin Coleman Jr. Center in Westmoreland Park. This is the fourth year of the project, with the goal of removing non-native grasses and weeds on designated plots to allow the native plants to flourish. These wetlands are remnants of the wet prairies that used to cover our area and have significant native plants, including two species with the largest populations anywhere in Eugene.
This work party will focus on monitoring training. Wear waterproof footwear if available; all tools are provided by P&OS. We meet on Polk St., south of the pickleball courts on W. 20th Ave.
If you can help out, please RSVP to br****@***il.com. This helps P&OS know how many tools to bring. All ages are welcome — we hope to see you there!
