COUPEVILLE, Wash. -- A small meadow near Coupeville represents a microscopic remnant of the thousands of acres of open prairies that once covered Whidbey Island.
It is also represents one of the last hopes for a struggling native plant.
The golden paintbrush once thrived in the waterfront meadows of Puget Sound. People and other plants also thrive in those areas and as they moved in, the golden paintbrush was squeezed out.
The Whidbey Camano Land Trust made preserving the golden paintbrush a priority. It harvested seeds from the wild plants and grew them in protected areas within the same meadows.
The project is working and the plants are taking hold, but the group is hoping for a broader protective measure and it may get it soon.
The Washington State Department of Natural Resources is proposing an expansion of the Admiralty Inlet Natural Area Preserve (NAP) to include the small meadow near Coupeville and a nearby stand of old growth forest.
DNR will hold a public hearing on the proposal on June 15 at 6:00 p.m. at the SPU Camp Casey Conference Center, 1276 Engle Road, Coupeville, Island County, Washington.
To add a comment, please register or login.