Ranking the Rare and the WIRS-t Plants in Washington

Molly Wiebush of the Washington Department of Natural Resources will present “Ranking the Rare and the WIRS-t Plants in Washington” in a free Zoom talk Wednesday, March 19, from 7-8 p.m. The event is sponsored by the Columbia Basin chapter of the Washington Native Plant Society.

Wiebush, a vegetation ecologist with the Natural Heritage Program, will share an overview of the Natural Heritage Program and discuss the process and importance of identifying and ranking at-risk species and ecosystems of Washington State. She also will discuss the new Washington Invasive Ranking System (WIRS) program that helps catalog invasive species and the ecological impact they have on native ecosystems.

While the event is free, advance registration is requested at https://us02web.zoom.us/meeting/register/vy9QA2_pSWSrnvU_XgDx2Q.

The Richland Public Library also celebrates Native Plant Appreciation Month throughout the month of March. A display at the main library, 955 Northgate Drive, Richland, will include five educational posters created for the event by students at Washington State University-Tri Cities.

For more information about the Washington Native Plant Society-Columbia Basin Chapter, visit https://www.cbwnps.org/.