The Native Plant Salvage Alliance serves the Pierce County and Puget Sound basin. Offers opportunities for volunteers to access land scheduled for development to salvage beneficial plant materials.  Event details are provided below.

Registration is REQUIRED to obtain program details.

More Opportunities to Salvage Native Plants...

Thanks are due to Washington State University, Quadrant Homes, Weyerhaeuser, and the City of Bonney Lake for making additional salvaging and high quality forest plants possible! The Native Plant Salvage Alliance (serving Pierce County) invites you to take advantage of the digging to occur at the WSU Experimental forest in Bonney Lake on two dates from 9:00 am - 2:00 pm:

WHEN:

Sunday, February 26, 2012    9am to 2pm

Saturday, March 10, 2012    9am to 2pm

WHO BENEFITS?:

For 1 hour on each of these dates, volunteers are requested to dig plants on behalf of two recipients before digging for their own needs:

** Puyallup Tribe - Grandview Early Learning Center, in Tacoma

** Citizens for a Healthy Bay, also in Tacoma.

WHERE:

21301 State Hwy 410 - Bonney Lake, WA.

Look for yellow NPSA sandwich boards on 214th Ave East, and on Hwy 410.

The address is correct on MapQuest - It's a VERY easy site to find by vehicle. ** IF you get lost, feel free to call me on my cell phone: 253-227-4923 **

You will find the white NPSA registration/refreshment/1st Aid tents/tables BEHIND SAFEWAY at the above address. PLEASE PARK NEAR here BUT NOT NEXT TO THE TENT (it's a VERY BUSY alleyway)! DO PLAN to LOAD what you dig near this location.

PARKING on 214^th will now get you a ticket! PLEASE AVOID this expense.

ACCESS to the SITE is STRICTLY PROHIBITED beyond the permitted window of dates and time allotted to the NPSA. This salvage event is an authorized activity in the east area of forest (map available on site during events). PLEASE NOTE: the ENTIRE forest remains closed to the general public at all other times beyond our designated salvage dates/times.

Access to this site is otherwise available ONLY to people who have REGISTERED (see web links associated with each date, below) AND a signed waiver with the Native Plant Salvage Alliance (available on-site). Kids under the age of 16 are welcome with adult supervision and a co-signed waiver.  Attendees may dig until 2:00 p.m. on either date, at which time we'll all need to avoid traffic!

We ~may~ be returning to the site, but only as development allows.

HOW TO PREPARE FOR SALVAGING PLANTS AND FOR FUN:

We start promptly at 9:00 by covering details regarding effective digging; which plants are worth your sweat equity; and how to keep your plants alive after you take them with you. PLEASE CHECK-IN for registration and waiver at the tent BEFORE you start digging.

Plan to wear heavy shoes, and dress in layers of synthetic materials to accommodate for cold weather, and rain. Avoid cotton clothing : it cannot keep you warm if it gets wet - both of which are nearly assured. A change of clothes, or at least dry socks, is also recommended.

It helps us (but is not required) if you BRING YOUR OWN tools, wheel barrow and gloves; BE SURE to MARK your TOOLS with your initials +/or tape, or ?? (don’t forget them on the way out too)!   The NPSA does and can provide tools and gloves for people who need them. We will also have on hand two+ wheel barrows, first aid, water light refreshments and coffee. Also available at the registration table: plant ID books and samples for your reference and people who can knowledgably answer your questions!

DON'T FORGET your pots, boxes, burlap bags or flats in which to take home plants that you have salvaged for yourself or friends. Avoid plastic bags that can suffocate your plants along the way...

SITE DETAILS:

At this location, registered participants may salvage the following shrubs and trees:  big leaf maple (Acer macrophyllum), vine maple (Acer circinatum), red alder (Alnus rubra), cascara (Rhamnus purshiana), poplars (Populus balsamifera ssp. trichocarpa), Doug fir (Pseudotsuga menziesii), Western red cedar (Thuja plicata), willows (Salix spp.), ocean spray (Holodiscus discolor), osoberry/Indian plum (Oemleria cerasiformis), sword ferns (Polystichum munitum), bracken ferns (Pteridium aquilinum), wild roses (Rosa spp.), black-cap raspberries and salmonberries (Rubus spectabilis), hardhack spirea (Spiraea douglasii), snowberry (Symphoricarpos albus), and shade-loving mosses. If you're feeling lucky, you can also dig for salal (Gaultheria shallon), red huckleberry (Vaccinium parvifolium), evergreen huckleberry (Vaccinium ovatum), and grape hollies (Berberis/Mahonia spp.).

It's also possible that you'll also find special forest perennials including Vanilla Leaf (Achlys triphylla), Deer Ferns (Blechnum spicant), Fairy Bells (Disporum spp.), Roemer's fescue (Festuca roemeri), vining Honeysuckles (Lonicera spp.), Solomon's Seal (Mianthemum spp.), Licorice Ferns (Polypodium glycyrrhiza), Fringecup (Tellima grandiflora), Piggy-back Plants (Tolmiea menziesii), Trillium (Trillium ovatum), Nettles (Urtica Dioica), Violets (Viola spp.), mosses and other specialty natives.

TO REGISTER:
Please visit the appropriate web site for EACH date you’d like to attend:

Sunday, February 26^th   http://kwiksurveys.com?s=LJKILJ_2280eaa8

++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++

Saturday, March 10^th  : http://kwiksurveys.com?s=LJKIML_d2f87edc

=====================================================

** If you cannot attend, for whatever reason, please also let us know.**

Thanks again for your participation with the NPSA!! We are people promoting Nature and Community, for the sake of creating green and healthy communities, and for the sake of salmon and healthy prairie open spaces!

Anna Thurston, Volunteer Program Director