Our Bedrock
Mission Statement: Gardens and programs that inspire, educate and enrich our lives and our community.
Purpose Statement: To educate and encourage citizens on the importance of developing, restoring, maintaining and conserving wildlife habitat and the native plants that comprise that habitat.
Membership:
Welcome new members!! We hope to see you at our monthly classes and upcoming events.
Renewal Information:
Renewal notices (for the most part except for exceptionally large volume months, in which case they are emailed) are sent out via USPS during the month in which it is due.
Note: We can now accept memberships and renewals online with this link: Membership/Renewals.
However, to help us cover our processing costs for the convenience of using online payments, it is necessary to include those costs in our online membership fees. Amounts remain the same as before for checks/cash.
Separate donations can also be transacted online!
Donations/Memorials.
Memberships/renewals help support our organization and our volunteer maintained gardens! Thanks to those who have renewed and have done so continuously and generously.
June Class
Please review the attached flyer for our class at the CASEE Center on Saturday June 28th at 10:00am ~ entitled Ecology, Edibles and Ethnobotany ~ conducted by Hannah Schrager, owner Good Year Farms native plant nursery (www.goodyearfarms.com).
The flora species that pre-date western settlement evolved with the soils, climate, indigenous people and wildlife of our region. This class will cover some basic ecology (interactions between the living and non), local ethnobotany (relationships between humans and plants), and highlight the abundant edible plants we have surrounding us at all times!
If time and weather permits, we may go outdoors to supplement the class for those who may be interested.
Please let me know if you would like to attend this class to
ensure proper chair set up and materials–members are
always welcome.
Note: The June class is a week later than our usual time frame of the 3rd Saturday of the month due to the conflict with the Pollinator Festival (see the attached News Nuggets PDF for more information). We will have a table at the event, come see us there!
Great photos and information given at our class, Boost Biodiversity in Your Garden with Insect-Friendly Habitat, conducted by Amy Campion. Hopefully we all picked up ways we can improve our yard to encourage insects to visit–lots of “good bugs” out there!
Art in the Garden
The 13th anniversary of Art in the Garden will be Sunday July 13th from 10am – 4pm. (maybe 13 will be our lucky number this year). This family event and fun day perusing art and listening to music has, in the past, introduced the gardens to folks who were not aware of us before. For some past attendees, it is an event they anticipate. It is a great way to showcase the gardens and gain support for our efforts.
Various artists will be strategically located among the gardens and the (gravel) Expansion Area behind the gardens, displaying and selling their creations. We will have new and returning artists this year. We hope to have the yarn spinning demonstration back with us and some musicians to entertain. We will have a perennial min-plant sale too! The Clark County Composters will be in their Demonstration area to the west of the gardens to answer your recycling and composting questions. Let’s hope for good weather!
Work Parties
With the Art in the Garden event coming up as mentioned above, there is lots to do in the gardens to get things in tip-top shape! Where did all of those weeds come from?
We could undeniably use some extra help prior to the event. Please consider spending a few hours volunteering at the gardens, this would be a great time to do so–we need your help!
On work days, volunteers are guided by one of our garden coordinators to work on needed tasks/projects in the various gardens. We have a sign-up system using SignUpGenius. Additional sign up dates will be routinely added. To sign up to work on listed days, here is the link: SignUpGenius. We’d love to have you join us!
Tours/Talks
Meredith, our president and Water Wise Garden Coordinator, was busy talking with groups recently…..
Meredith spoke at the Clark Conservation District’s Watershed Stewardship Volunteer Organization presentation along with other partners on May 8th to share information about the gardens to graduates of the program and to promote volunteering opportunities with us.
Meredith gave a presentation on May 21st to the Curtin Creek Neighborhood Association on native pollinator plants that support our native wildlife through the seasons.
Most of the attendees had never visited the Wildlife Botanical Gardens. Brigg Franklin, our Mason Bee Herder, also attended this meeting—he and Meredith encouraged everyone to visit the gardens and look for the native plants, Mason Bee housing and other features.
In partnership with the Watershed Alliance, The Backyard Habitat Certification Program presented the 2025 Clark County Open Gardens Tour. The Wildlife Botanical Gardens were part of the event on May 16th and 17th and Meredith (Water Wise Garden) and Celeste (NW Natives Garden) hosted. They answered many questions about habitat for our native wildlife and plants, showed native plants, wildlife habitat features, and shared community resources.
Garden Tidings…..
A baby shower was held in the Cottage Garden in May (see pic). Coincidentally, the same gal who organized the party, held a bridal shower (for a different person) last year in a different garden. The gardens seem to be part of family traditions!
Did you notice….
New rock fountain in Flying Flowers Garden is streaming a plume of water going off for two minutes around the top of each hour from 9 am to 4 pm.
A new Native Hedgerow sign adjacent to 149th Street near the border of the Sensory and Cottage Gardens. See Pic. Karen, (Cottage Garden) recently planted an Oceanspray shrub and Oregon Sunshine ground covers near the sign…watch your step when checking it out!
Congratulations to The CASEE Center who had an open house in May celebrating 20 years of amphibian data collection! This was a huge milestone for their program in which students presented their research. The Columbian and
The Reflector both had articles featuring this event.
Sharing……
Booklet
With funding from a Washington Native Plant Society (WNPS) grant and with many volunteer hours from committee members (you know who you are) a longtime dream has been fulfilled.
We have created a free 52-page booklet as an educational tool that includes dozens of high-quality photos, descriptions and other information regarding native plants found at The Wildlife Botanical Gardens and reasons to incorporate them in your landscape. Here is the link to finding it on our website:
Comments:
From Google Business:
**Wa–4 stars, no comments
**Kayla–5 stars & comment: “Took my best friends maternity pics here! They turned out so great.”
**Panna–5 stars, photos & comments: “My favorite garden. This is the place where I love to come to relax.”
**Frances–5 stars, no comments
**Betty Jo–3 starts, no comments
From Comment Cards:
**Emily & David–5 stars & comments: “What a beautiful place! So many lovely growing things and some many beautiful creatures!”
**Max–Excellent rating & comments: “Had a blast! Saw a deer.”
**Quinn–Excellent rating & comments: “I worked at Yard n Garden Land for about 3 years.I’m now planning to go to Oregon State to study the plant sciences! I would love to gain more experience and Knowledge!!”
**Eliza–Excellent rating & comments: ” And so the lion fell in love with the lamb.”
**Anonymous (1)–Excellent rating
**Anonymous (2)–Excellent rating & comments: “This place is pure magic. Thank you for curating such an oasis of beauty.”
**Don–Excellent rating
**Besty & Larry–Excellent rating, donation & comments: “Special place that causes great happiness.”
From Online donations with comments:
“Thank you for this beautiful space!”
“Very nice nature experience. Thank you!“
Nature Related Quote of the Month
From Ralph Waldo Emerson: Every particular in nature, a leaf, a drop, a crystal, a moment of time is related to the whole, and partakes of the perfection of the whole.
Enjoy the extra daylight!
