Botany Washington 2015

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Late Spring in the East Cascades

Chelan County, WA. June 5 – 7, 2015
Registration Deadline is May 1.  No refunds after May 15, 2015

East Cascades meadows of Swakane Canyon. Photo by David Giblin.

Botany Washington is co-sponsored by the Washington Native Plant Society (WNPS) and the University of Washington Herbarium at the Burke Museum (WTU). Our goal is to provide an outstanding learning opportunity for participants of all botanical skill levels. This year we will be exploring the floristic diversity of the East Cascades in Chelan County. Participants choose one field trip each day from the three areas of study offered: 1) taxonomic, where the classification and identification of a particular plant family is the focus; 2) improving plant keying skills in the field using Hitchcock and Cronquist’s Flora of the Pacific Northwest, and 3) general wildflower walks designed for individuals with less technical botanical backgrounds but who are interested in learning more about wildflowers of the area.  For more details on the activities of each day, please follow this link.

Base Camp

Located in the foothills of the East Cascades in Chelan County, Ingalls Creek Enrichment Center will be our center of operations. From here we will have ready access to a diversity of habitats to explore the flora, including Ponderosa pine forest understory, both dry and wet meadows, rocky ridges and talus slopes, and riparian areas. Ingalls Creek Enrichment Center is a privately-run facility and is ours for the weekend. [Seven cabins sleep 10 each. Participants will bring their own sleeping bags and other weekend essentials for a camp experience.] Six meals including Friday and Saturday evening’s dinner, Saturday and Sunday breakfasts, and Saturday and Sunday sack lunches will be provided and are included as part of the Botany Washington package. Attendees may also camp or bring their RVs (no hookups available) as part of the package cost.

Evening programs

Friday evening George Wooten will give a presentation on fire ecology in the East Cascades region. George is a Biochemist from Twisp, Washington with an affinity for plants and wetlands. He works with Pacific Biodiversity Institute on botanical surveys, ecological assessments and wildfire behavior analysis. He also works with Conservation Northwest on forestry and restoration projects and is an adjunct instructor for Wenatchee Valley College where he teaches Botany, Biology and Ethnobotany

On Saturday evening Dr. Robin O’Quinn, Associate Professor of Biology at Eastern Washington University will present on her research into the patterns and processes that shape plant diversity. Robin’s primary study system has been the small tribe Montieae in the Montiaceae (Miner’s Lettuce Family), but additional systems have included Loasaceae (Blazingstar Family) and more recently Asclepias (Apocynaceae – Dogbane Family).

Why register?

Botany Washington will provide botanists, ecologists, conservation biologists and other professionals with access to experts and an opportunity for in-depth study of selected taxonomic groups. It is also an opportunity for individuals new to the Flora of the Pacific Northwest to gain additional practice in technical keying with the support of expert guidance. The interested enthusiast wishing to learn more about regional floras of Washington will have two days in the field with knowledgeable local experts. Finally, it is an opportunity for botanists and others interested in our native flora to work together in a shared community of botanical learning. Membership in the Washington Native Plant Society is not required.

Cost

The cost of the weekend will be $250.00. This includes two nights rustic lodging, six meals and the opportunity to explore the flora of the East Cascades foothills with knowledgeable botanists who will help you enhance your botanical skills no matter where on the botanical spectrum you reside.

How to Register

Online: Follow this link to register for this event online with your payment processed through PayPal (PayPal account not needed).
Mail-in: Follow this link to a form that you can print and fill-out and mail with your payment

Lewisiopis tweedyi (Tweedy’s lewisia).  Photo by Dick Olmstead.