South Puget Sound’s native prairies are now listed as one of the state’s rarest ecosystems, as The Nature Conservancy confirmed prairie lands have dwindled to under 3 percent.
The Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife previously mapped an estimated 180,000 acres of native grassland in Western Washington. Much of that land has been converted to agriculture and development, eliminating habitat for some of the state's most imperiled species.
In response to the biome loss, the Thurston County Board of County Commissioners (BoCC) passed a proclamation, naming May 2025 as Prairie Appreciation Month at a meeting earlier this month.
In attendance were local conservationists and volunteers who voiced their passion and efforts for more than decades of restoring and defending South Sound prairie habitat.
The declaration is now an active countywide call to elevate public understanding of the prairie’s fragile survival, and, to shed light to its importance.
Both the BoCC and local advocates expressed appreciation to indigenous communities, particularly the Coast Salish, who are historically known for their role in the preservation of prairie ecosystems.
Jennifer Colvin, a fifth-generation rancher and descendant of 1849 settler Ignatius Colvin, shared how her family has sustained ranching for generations.
She said when her great-great-grandfather arrived in the region, he found prairie so tall “grass was as high as a horse’s belly.” The Colvin family has continued ranching on that land, raising beef while nurturing the soil and habitat in ways that keep the ecosystem healthy.
“Many of these same prairies are also working agricultural lands that contribute to a strong local food system. They provide jobs and support families,” she said.
She described the prairies as both a working environment and ecological system acting as an economic engine for local agriculture and multiple environmental roles.
“Thurston County's prairies provide wildlife habitat for threatened and endangered species, provides environmental benefits by sequestering carbon and filtering water in critical aquifer recharge areas,” she said.
Colvin Ranch runs under a conservation easement that protects the prairie.
She framed the prairie as more than a piece of land that forms a connection within generations, linking current residents to people who came before and to those who will come after.
“So, in all of these ways … prairies serve as a connection between people and nature. They are a link between our past and our future,” she said.
Dennis Plank, of Friends of Puget Prairies, talked about the weight of volunteerism in prairie conservation. He noted most restoration work has occurred without government funding.
He talked about the legacy of his group’s advocacy of preserving the prairies.
“My involvement in Thurston County started in 1998 when a friend said, come on down and help us plant some flowers on Glacial Heritage for the butterflies,” he said.
Friends of Puget Prairies now organizes the annual “Prairie Appreciation Day.” This year, it was held on May 10, at Glacial Heritage Preserve, one of the last native prairie parcels in the county.
The event started over 30 years ago under the direction of The Nature Conservancy. When the organization could no longer support the event, volunteers stepped in and formally established Friends of Puget Prairies in 2005, as shared by Plank.
Plank mentioned the volunteers remove Scotch broom, reintroduce native plants, and assist with prescribed fire. He added that past events have even topped 1,200 in past years.
In the official proclamation, the BoCC stated that Glacial Heritage and similar parcels are supported “through collaboration with local and Tribal governments, nonprofit organizations, and local ranchers.”
Plank then cited a figure once used by The Nature Conservancy to illustrate the scale of prairie loss.
Historically, prairie systems in the region spanned an estimated 150,000 acres. He said this was confirmed through archival toponymy, with historic place names like “Baker, Bush, Buttes, Chambers, Connors, Dodge, Violet, Watcher Woods, and Yelm” pointing to an expansive grassland matrix in the county's geographic memory.
“I don’t think there are 15,000 (acres) left now, unfortunately, because we keep paving it over,” he said.
Gail Trotter, also with Friends of Puget Prairies, relocated from Redmond to Thurston County where she volunteers.
“I came, I retired, and my retirement was to come down here and volunteer to do prairie restoration,” she said.
Trotter referenced the variation between regional soil types and noted the distinction between “glacial gravel outwash” and “the clay bit.” She said plants adapted to gravelly soils to prevent “canopy succession.”
She also explained the importance of oak species, especially the Garry oak as one of the species in prairie tracts. She said she regularly sees intact oak clusters as she drives through the Hawks Prairie area.
All three speakers addressed the impact of fire in prairie systems and the effects of its removal.
Prairie ecosystems developed with frequent low-severity fire, historically managed by Coast Salish communities to promote camas growth, restrict Douglas fir intrusion, and preserve soil openness.
“Fires had to stop because you got settlers on the land. So, it’s not practical to throw a match behind you when you leave your hunting grounds and let it burn,” Plank said.
Without fire, nonnative species, such as Scotch broom, spread rapidly, displacing native forbs and altering soil chemistry. Plank credited indigenous communities, local officials and volunteers for continuing to resist total loss.
Trotter said the signs of successful restoration are visible in what returns. At Glacial Heritage, she once encountered a herd of elk in a restored area.
“They would not have been there if it had been Scotch broom," she said.
Thurston County’s 2024 Climate Change Vulnerability Assessment affirmed prairie systems contribute to flood control, soil retention, and pollinator habitat.
They are also home to the Oregon vesper sparrow, streaked horned lark, western pond turtle, and mardon skipper, among other sensitive species.
The BoCC names Glacial Heritage, Mima Mounds, Scatter Creek Preserves and Early Blue Violet Prairie as prairie lands included in the May observance.
The proclamation coincides with agri-tourism activities throughout May, in celebration of the native prairie lands and the people working to preserve them.
On May 17, Wolf Haven International will host a Prairie Celebration at 3111 Offut Lake Road SE in Tenino. The event includes guided walks, exclusive trail access, educational booths and crafts. Admission is free.
On May 18, Colvin Ranch will open to the public from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. for its annual celebration, also the 20th anniversary of the Colvin Ranch Conservation Easement.
“We’ll have live music with Oly Mountain Boys. We’ll have great Colvin Ranch beef, wild flower walks, ranch tours and fun activities for kids,” Colvin said.
The ranch day will also feature USDA Natural Resources Conservation Service and U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service experts for wildflower walks.
Colvin Ranch will offer steak sandwich lunch boxes for $20, which include beef, sides and dessert.
Exhibitors listed include 24 Carrots 4-H, Center for Natural Lands Management, Community Farm Land Trust, Ecostudies Institute, Joint Animal Services, Southwest Washington Food Hub, Thurston Conservation District, Thurston County Cattlewomen, Thurston County Noxious Weed Control Board, Thurston County Stream Team, Washington Conservation Commission, Washington Farm Bureau, WSU Extension, and others.
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The_Armed_Gardener
That's super neat to hear the same thing over and over again over the decades. Politicians don't care beyond their term, sorry. And you all thought liberals cared. It's all about money and tax revenue. Less government equals more conservation in the hands of WE THE PEOPLE.
Monday, May 12 Report this
Southsoundguy
Under the current liberal democratic political regime this land will inevitably be destroyed to make way for urbanization and suburbanization. I encourage people to read into A Pattern Language by Christopher Alexander for a means to better guide development. I also encourage people to strongly question whether a democratic system of control over land is really the ideal way to go about things. A traditional way of living is far superior.
Monday, May 12 Report this
RondaLarsonKramer
This is such an important subject. Thank you to JOLT and the county commissioners for giving it attention. And for anyone who has not been to Prairie Appreciation Day at Glacial Heritage Preserve, I highly recommend you go next year. If you can't walk very far, they have a slow-moving vehicle with a trailer with hay bales that you can sit on. The various organizations that staff tables are really cool. One was Firecraft Northwest (https://www.firecraftnw.com/). It teaches people survival skills, naturalist skills, and wild crafting. For example, I learned how to create an arrowhead from rock using deer antlers. At another table, I learned how to take care of mason bees, and at another table, I got wildflower seedballs to create a native prairie flower meadow at my house. If you missed the event, you should go to the one at Wolf Haven or Colvin Ranch. We're lucky to have the chance to see this rare ecosystem, and it's right in our own county.
Monday, May 12 Report this
Georgewalter
What a couple of weird comments this article provoked, not about prairies but about politics. Our Thurston County government, which ultimately means our elected politicians, whether liberal or not, have acted numerous times to implement sound conservation measures. Funding of the Glacial Heritage Preserve didn't happen by accident - the citizens of our county, following the leadership decisions made by our politicians, invested funds to make it happen.
Have you ever driven through the Nisqually Valley and noticed how it remains agricultural despite all the growth and development pressures? It was the county "politicians" who acted in the mid-1980's to purchase the development rights from that farmland and place it in permanent conservation status. They took bold action - made that investment - in response to requests from 'we the people.'
Thurston County has in place a reasonable growth management program, including urban growth areas where the needed services are available to meet the essential needs that urban living requires. That same program, along with the county's critical areas ordinance, serves to discourage and limit urban-style growth in the rural areas of Thurston County. I've been following the actions, and sometimes inactions, of the county's elected officials for over 40 years. These commissioners, and city council persons as well, almost always are thinking long term, well beyond their current term.
I suppose we could name them all, but let's just use one example - Gary Edwards. After serving multiple terms as County Sheriff (an elected office), he then was elected to several terms as county commissioner. I did not agree with every vote Gary took, but I am confident that he always was thinking of what was best for Thurston County, and not for his political career. Our system of county governance may not be perfect, but I cannot imagine a better one. For decades it has served us very well by maintaining a reasonable balance between habitat conservation and the growth pressure.
Monday, May 12 Report this
CobraCommander
To The_Armed_Gardener:
Do you hear yourself?
https://apnews.com/article/west-public-lands-sale-republicans-e153dcb4d4391dd849e4409123bfecfe
Tuesday, May 13 Report this
CarlaWul
Thank you JOLT for the in-depth review of our local prairie and the efforts by WDFW, volunteers and others to preserve it. Glacial Heritage Preserve is a gem. Of course the conservation of prairies by Coast Salish indigenous people is well established and revered. A more recent documentation of prairie history dates back over a century ago when the Northern Pacific railroad was making its way north from Portland to reach salt water. Tracks were laid across 110 miles of prairie from Kalama to Tacoma. The train reached Tacoma in December 1873. Historical documentation of the railroad's route confirms the extent of prairies that once existed. Downtown Tacoma now interprets the end of the Northern Pacific's "Prairie Line" with historical markers and art. https://www.prairielinetrail.org.
Tuesday, May 13 Report this
Southsoundguy
George Walter, it’s because issues of land are inherently political.
Tuesday, May 13 Report this
sonshi
We've been going to prairie appreciation day for the past few years, and originally it was only randomly put across one of my social feeds. I shared with several other people, many of whom have lived here for decades, none had even heard of it. Regardless, it still appears to be *very* well attended. I was glad to see the community interest and enthusiasm for a once-yearly free opportunity to experience an exceptionally rare Washington ecosystem.
Tuesday, May 13 Report this
Boatyarddog
The words of D. Sanders our Awesome Sheriff come to mind " We've got some Real Nutcases in Thurston County", and these first two Comments are what he Meant. REAL NUTCASES THERE!
Tuesday, May 13 Report this
Southsoundguy
Boatyard, you literally don’t know anything about anything.
Tuesday, May 13 Report this
Boatyarddog
What I DO know SS POTATO HEAD is that your comments are usually off topic, off color, and either BS or Misleading, incoherent and lacking any factual meaning. The community has commented and agrees with these truths.
Wednesday, May 14 Report this
Etsukowho
It is nice for naming the Proclamation May 25 as Prairie Appreciation Month. I am very happy that people have interests and recognize about prairie’s importance. My On & Off volunteer work was changed for necessity by the time. I have seen and learned many things, I am still learning.
There were/are many programs. Removing/pulling Scotch broom – there were 7 feet tall ones at Glacial Heritage, Planting native prairie plants, Recovering and increasing rare plant – Golden Paintbrush, Seed collection, Cleaning seeds, Seeding in plugs, Weeding, Planting the host plants for butterfly and insects, Removing other invasive plants, Releasing rare butterfly larvae – Taylor’s Checkerspots, Bird watching and Bird house building, Giving nesting area for birds and keeping eyes on endanger specie – Streaked honed lark, Removing trees that invade in prairie and Slash pile burning, Prescribed fire – Prairie restoration, Bat house/nest, Native plant farm, Scats of bear and deer and elk at GH, Alligator lizard, Pacific Chorus frog, Mushrooms and Lichens, Walking and searching and botanizing plants, Keeping eyes on hole of Mozama pocket gopher, Setting up and having Prairie Appreciation Day event, seeing and communicating and lunch with other volunteers, Working at other prairies, Sunny day, Rainy day, Windy day, Snow on prairie, etc. There must be more to list.
School field trips – students learning activities, Research by University / College, Science study / research by Americorps & CNLM, etc. Prairie is a place to learn too.
It is / was a teamwork of many people. The Nature Conservancy, Friend of Puget Prairies, Center for Natural Land Management, Government, Volunteers, Communities, Organizations, Schools, AmeriCorps, In-mates (Sustainability in Prisons Project), Military, Veterans, etc. It took a long time to be the current prairies. Without support, we could not have the current beautiful prairies. Prairie needs our continuing support. If you did not have a chance to visit PAD event, next year 2nd Saturday in May for you, or you may visit prairie near you. You will find something new on every visit and season.
Thursday, May 15 Report this
Etsukowho
Also we can not forget about Tribe conservation history - who took care prairies, and who is taking care now too.
Thursday, May 15 Report this
Boatyarddog
Some here would tell, you that Liberials are the reason for Urbanization, forgetting conveniently that GROWTH of the Population is really the issue here. Politically polarized comments are just trashy.
Friday, June 6 Report this