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County, conservation groups mark Prairie Appreciation Month and call for ongoing prairie protection
Summary
Speakers at the Thurston County commission meeting praised prairie stewardship, described conservation easements and volunteer restoration, and invited the public to Prairie Appreciation Day events including an anniversary celebration at Calvin Ranch.
Thurston County commissioners proclaimed May 2025 as Prairie Appreciation Month on April 29 and heard several local stewards describe restoration and conservation work on the county’s native prairies.
"Today, less than 3% of those native prairies remain," Jennifer Colvin, a longtime ranching-family steward, told the board as she invited the public to a May 18 conservation celebration at Calvin Ranch.
Conservation context: Speakers said native prairie once covered large areas of the county and now serves multiple community functions — wildlife habitat for threatened species, aquifer recharge and water filtration in critical areas, working agricultural land, and recreational open space. Dennis Plank of Friends of Puget Prairies and other volunteers described decades of volunteer restoration at Glacial Heritage Preserve and the long-running Prairie Appreciation Day events that draw residents for tours and stewardship work.
Public invitation and events: Colvin invited commissioners and residents to a May 18 twentieth-anniversary celebration of the Calvin Ranch conservation easement; Friends of Puget Prairies announced Prairie Appreciation Day at Glacial Heritage Preserve on May 10 from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. Speakers urged volunteers to carpool due to limited parking.
Why it matters: Presenters said remaining prairie fragments are ecologically significant and that conservation easements, volunteer restoration, and county management together support habitat for species and the county’s local food system.
Speakers and acknowledgments: Several presenters acknowledged the historical stewardship of the Coast Salish peoples and noted that prairies are part of a shared regional heritage. Volunteers and nonprofit groups emphasized the role of landowners, nonprofit partners, and county protections in keeping prairie remnants intact.
Outcome: The board issued the proclamation but did not adopt new policy or funding at the meeting. Organizers asked residents to attend upcoming events and to support prairie restoration and conservation easements.
