More than 400 potted native plants, including salal, sword ferns and red currant, are being tended by Admiralty Audubon Society volunteers until the rainy season comes this fall, when they will be …
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Admiralty Audubon volunteer Bob Gray helps pot native plants for Salish Coast Elementary School. Photo courtesy Craig Wester
More than 400 potted native plants, including salal, sword ferns and red currant, are being tended by Admiralty Audubon Society volunteers until the rainy season comes this fall, when they will be planted at their future home – Salish Coast Elementary School.
The planting is a project of the Admiralty Audubon Society, which received funds from the National Audubon Society.
Rick Jahnke, president of the local chapter, said he is happy to have the opportunity to help out with the new elementary school, which is replacing Grant Street Elementary School, and also educate the public on the benefits of native plants to wildlife.
“We would have done it anyway,” Jahnke said, noting that providing native plants is part of the society’s mission. “Then the opportunity (for funding) came along,” he said.
Jahnke is also on the executive committee for the planning and building of the new school.
The project is one of three in Washington to receive a grant, and one of 35 to be awarded nationally.
“The other two Washington Audubon organizations that received grants are Tahoma Audubon (Tacoma) and the Seward Park Audubon Center (Seattle),” said Debbie Jahnke, Admiralty Audubon membership chair. “Our small, all-volunteer chapter competed well against much larger organizations.”
The plants will provide landscaping for the new elementary school and also help to promote education.
“It's all (part of) our vision for place-based education and the value of gardening and farm-to-table – and birds!” said school Principal Lisa Condran, noting how birding is part of the Audubon Society’s work. Plants were purchased from the Jefferson County Conservation District and were potted in 1- to 3-gallon pots. The plants are being watered and tended by volunteers through the summer.
Jahnke said they will most likely be planted in October, as September tends to be a drier month. “We’ll start planting … when it starts to rain,” he said.
The native plants will be located adjacent to the school’s administrative and service entrances, off Old Discovery Road and up the hill from the teaching and production gardens.
“My hope is that the students will study the difference between the culinary and garden plants and the native plants,” said Jahnke.
