Monday, June 16 at 3:30 p.m. at the Eastsound Fire Hall
— by Jennifer Brennock —
The Orcas Master Gardeners will host San Juan County Land Steward Eliza Habegger to discuss a new project in the county: a wildflower nursery. The presentation will be held on June 16 at 3:30pm at the Eastsound Fire Hall. The 15 to 20-minute presentation is open to the public.
The nursery is a volunteer-driven project to aid in the restoration of imperiled Garry oak and grassland habitats in our islands. The first nursery of its kind, the project has been spearheaded by Habegger.
“In 2013, The Land Bank started a small nursery for local wildflowers and other native plants at its Friday Harbor office. Many of these plants are in decline due to the gradual loss of Garry oak and native grassland habitats. The nursery will support the Land Bank’s efforts to restore these habitats. Volunteers collect seed, tend the nursery, and plant them into restoration zones on Cady Mountain Preserve and other Land Bank preserves. We’re excited to see these efforts grow into wildflowers like chocolate lily and others to dapple the landscape in numbers once again. They are one of the natural wonders of our unique home,” explains Eliza.
The San Juan County Land Bank exists to preserve in perpetuity areas in the county that have environmental, agricultural, aesthetic, cultural, scientific, historic, scenic, or low-intensity recreational value.
“The islander identity is somehow unique and different, and that is because we’re so interconnected with the land in our daily lives. That’s why we chose to live here. So, protecting the land’s diverse character, from tiny wildflower to the huge octopus-arms of a Garry oak, is important to all of us,” said Land Bank outreach coordinator Jennifer Brennock.
Habegger’s earliest memories include grazing in her grandparents’ vegetable garden on Waldron Island and learning the names of the wild plants in the woods nearby. She applies her lifelong love of plants to a career stewarding native plants and habitats. With a bachelor’s degree in botany from Cornell University, she has worked at the New York Botanical Garden, The Nature Conservancy, and with the Land Bank for the last ten years. She lives on San Juan Island with her husband and son where she tends an ever-expanding vegetable garden, berry patch, and orchard.
Contact Eliza at eliza@rockisland.com and visit the Land Bank at sjclandbank.org.
