Three Cheers to our Volunteers!
A Thank You from the Board President:
letter by Kim Klint, edited by Samantha Elie Friday, Dec. 21st 2018
As I look back at 2018, I continue to be amazed by the commitment of Native Plant Salvage Foundation volunteers, and the real and meaningful differences we made together in our community.
Volunteers salvaging sword fern.
To begin our year we donned our winter gear, and dug into the mud through four winter salvages. Noticing the biological richness of the salvage site, we completed two additional spring salvages, saving hundreds of native trillium and other spring plants and helping them find new homes through our spring plant sale.
Our ever-impressive Nursery Volunteers, led by Andy and Amy, prepared our salvaged treasures for their new ‘homes.’ The leadership team expanded their nursery activities to include more instructional opportunities on native plant propagations, so our limited resources could have larger impacts.
Saturday morning propagation workshop.
Volunteers pulling Scot’s broom at Darlin Creek.
We expanded our annual spring sale to include two very successful on-line plants sales. Please look forward to the first Sunday in May and the first Sunday in October for pick-up! Already, hundreds of Thurston County gardens are homes to salvaged and propagated native plants, tended to by our small team.
We continued our partnership with Capitol Land Trust and through 14 spring and fall work parties, we restored over two acres at Darlin Creek to a native species composition from fields of Scot’s Broom. Additionally, we worked with Stream Team, and organized 11 work parties to maintain McLane Creek, one of our community jewels.
We offered many community educational options through our January Twig Identification Class, and our summer native plants walks at McLane Creek. Finally, about 100 community supporters joined us in July for great music, food, and conversation at our Garden Party.
All this work could not be completed without our dedicated volunteers.
Almost 4,000 volunteer hours were logged in 2018.
Oly HS students planting at McLane Creek.
Over two hundred Olympic High School Students donated nearly a thousand hours supporting our nursery activities and work parties.
Families come with their children for ‘fun’ days digging in the dirt or planting young trees. Seniors make space in their busy retirement lives to weed, and dig, and set-up plant sales.
Working adults make it priority to dedicate precious time to prune trails and pull broom. Our impressive Americorps Volunteers commit 10 months of their lives, for very little pay (but a valuable education stipend), to help support the organization and our many volunteer activities.
Setting pots in preparation for planting.
So, on behalf of the Board, thank you to each and every one of you.
The Board has a very active schedule organized for 2019.
More sales, more educational opportunities, more chances to get dirty and wet with a great group of people.
As with most, all, non-profit organizations we do a lot on a very small budget. Community donations are always appreciated, and a donor can trust that her/his donation is making this community we share healthy and more beautiful.
Thank you again for being a part of the Native Plant Salvage Foundation success in 2018, and see you in 2019.
