Upcoming events.
Learn & Volunteer
We offer classes, volunteer projects, twice-annual plant sales, and other events like ecosystem outings and plant ID walks throughout the year.
McLane Creek Trail Maintenance
Join us and spend a few hours maintaining McLane’s trails, while appreciating the diversity in this wonderful example of a Puget lowland forest. We mindfully trim back growth along the trail, remove leaf debris from boardwalks, and clear the paths of any large debris.
Click the title for more information and to sign up!
Spring Twigs - a Winter Twig Foliage Follow-up
This course at McLane Creek Nature Trail is a follow-up to our popular winter twig course in January. Focusing on the woody species we learn in their “stick” state, we’ll check in on them with all their floral and leafy clothing on.
Plant Outing
These wanderings at McLane Creek Nature Trail are a great way to learn native plants, botanize with friends, and enjoy a beautiful afternoon outdoors! Our Outings observe the South Salish lowland forest and riparian ecosystems through the spring and summer seasons.
Click title for more information & tickets!
McLane Creek Trail Maintenance
Join us and spend a few hours maintaining McLane’s trails, while appreciating the diversity in this wonderful example of a Puget lowland forest. We mindfully trim back growth along the trail, remove leaf debris from boardwalks, and clear the paths of any large debris.
Click the title for more information and to sign up!
Excursion - South Salish Prairie
Explore a section of South Salish Prairie to identify the many native perennial and annual flowers, grasses, trees and shrubs (and maybe a few lichens!). Spring on our local prairies is spectacular, with an ever-changing bloom cycle, and we are timing this Excursion to capture the blooms of many special species. We will provide a detailed plant list, further reading recommendations, and laminated learning materials.
Click title for more information & tickets!
Excursion - Peatland Ecosystem
This is a limited-enrollment opportunity, as our hosts are offering us a special permit for access to study this unique ecosystem! We will spend a few hours exploring the unique flora (including carnivorous plants!) of a peatland in Mason County.
Click title for more information & tickets!
Plant Outing
These wanderings at McLane Creek Nature Trail are a great way to learn native plants, botanize with friends, and enjoy a beautiful afternoon outdoors! Our Outings observe the South Salish lowland forest and riparian ecosystems through the spring and summer seasons.
Click title for more information & tickets!
McLane Creek Trail Maintenance
Join us and spend a few hours maintaining McLane’s trails, while appreciating the diversity in this wonderful example of a Puget lowland forest. We mindfully trim back growth along the trail, remove leaf debris from boardwalks, and clear the paths of any large debris.
Click the title for more information and to sign up!
McLane Creek Trail Maintenance
Join us and spend a few hours maintaining McLane’s trails, while appreciating the diversity in this wonderful example of a Puget lowland forest. We mindfully trim back growth along the trail, remove leaf debris from boardwalks, and clear the paths of any large debris.
Click the title for more information and to sign up!
Plant Outing
These wanderings at McLane Creek Nature Trail are a great way to learn native plants, botanize with friends, and enjoy a beautiful afternoon outdoors! Our Outings observe the South Salish lowland forest and riparian ecosystems through the spring and summer seasons.
Click title for more information & tickets!
Excursion - Alpine Foliage & Wildflowers
Botanize with our team of eco-instructors as we discover the summer bounty of our near Cascade peaks. Timed to capture many species of native wildflowers and the early berries, we’ll geek out over ~100 species, tiny to grand. Part of the trail we’ll explore was burned in 2017, resulting in dense patches of extraordinary summer wildflowers (and special woodpeckers!). Other sections have forested patches with shade-loving specialties, and we’ll see some classic alpine meadows featuring heathers and their associates.
Click title for more information & tickets!
McLane Creek Trail Maintenance
Join us and spend a few hours maintaining McLane’s trails, while appreciating the diversity in this wonderful example of a Puget lowland forest. We mindfully trim back growth along the trail, remove leaf debris from boardwalks, and clear the paths of any large debris.
Click the title for more information and to sign up!
McLane Creek Trail Maintenance
Join us and spend a few hours maintaining McLane’s trails, while appreciating the diversity in this wonderful example of a Puget lowland forest. We mindfully trim back growth along the trail, remove leaf debris from boardwalks, and clear the paths of any large debris.
Click the title for more information and to sign up!
Excursion: Fall Colors: Duckabush River to Big Hump
Join us for this fall hike up the Duckabush River to enjoy the fall colors of three species of native maple trees dripping with mosses and lichens, and so much more! Of the ~120 native plant species found along this trail, many evergreen and deciduous trees, shrubs, perennials and ferns are all still in evidence to be enjoyed as the weather turns colder.
McLane Creek Trail Maintenance
Join us and spend a few hours maintaining McLane’s trails, while appreciating the diversity in this wonderful example of a Puget lowland forest. We mindfully trim back growth along the trail, remove leaf debris from boardwalks, and clear the paths of any large debris.
Click the title for more information and to sign up!
Hedgerows Workshop
Join Thurston Conservation District, WSU Extension, and Oyster Bay Farm for another hedgerow-related learning opportunity. We’ll be planting over 1,000 plants in multiple strips, with templates created using the methods in the Hedgerow How-to Handbook.
Hedgerows Webinar: Part II - Planning & Implementing Your Hedgerows
Join us as we build on lessons shared in our first Webinar, “Discover Hedgerows Part 1 – Hedgerows: What & Why?”
Highlights will include:
Design for your goals
Size & placement
Site assessment basics
Site preparation
Planting plan examples
Native Plant Salvage #4
During our salvages, volunteers save small native trees, shrubs, and herbaceous plants from local areas scheduled for clearing. NPS Salvages are a great way to practice plant identification and meet fellow plant nerds!
Click through for more info!
Native Plant Salvage #3
During our salvages, volunteers save small native trees, shrubs, and herbaceous plants from local areas scheduled for clearing. NPS Salvages are a great way to practice plant identification and meet fellow plant nerds!
Click through for more info!
Native Plant Salvage #2
During our salvages, volunteers save small native trees, shrubs, and herbaceous plants from local areas scheduled for clearing. NPS Salvages are a great way to practice plant identification and meet fellow plant nerds!
Click through for more info!
Native Plant Salvage #1
During our salvages, volunteers save small native trees, shrubs, and herbaceous plants from local areas scheduled for clearing. NPS Salvages are a great way to practice plant identification and meet fellow plant nerds!
Click through for more info!
Winter Twig ID Field Class
We invite you join us and discover the same appreciation and delight that learning this unusual skill brings to your winter outings!
Field-day Workshop & Volunteer Event - Hedgerow Installation, Start to Finish!
Join in this hands-on learning experience while installing a 500-foot long by 15-foot wide hedgerow in a field where Helsing Junction Farms grows a bounty of organic produce for our region!
Featured topics for this field-based workshop include:
Laying out a hedgerow design and practicing use of a planting plan diagram;
How budget and goals affect plant choices, including bare-root plants, livestakes, and containerized plants (and experience the specific techniques for planting each type); and
How the hedgerow will support habitat for different types of pollinators and other beneficial insects that sustain healthy organic vegetable crops, presented by an expert from the Xerces Society.
Webinar: Discover Hedgerows!
Join us for this online overview of:
Hedgerow benefits
Design principles & plants
Site prep & maintenance
Planning for the field-day workshop on November 4th
This webinar can be enjoyed independently as a complement to our WSU Ext. Hedgerow Toolkit, or in preparation for participating in our companion learning & volunteer event on November 4th at Helsing Junction Farms.
Fall Plant Sale '23
Our annual online Fall Plant Sale will be open for purchases from September 24th - October 1st, and in-person pickups will be October 6-8th!
McLane Creek Trail Maintenance
Join us and spend a few hours maintaining McLane’s trails, while appreciating the diversity in this wonderful example of a Puget lowland forest. We mindfully trim back growth along the trail, remove leaf debris from boardwalks, and clear the paths of any large debris.
Click the title for more information and to sign up!
McLane Creek Trail Maintenance
Join us and spend a few hours maintaining McLane’s trails, while appreciating the diversity in this wonderful example of a Puget lowland forest. We mindfully trim back growth along the trail, remove leaf debris from boardwalks, and clear the paths of any large debris.
Click the title for more information and to sign up!
Excursion - Alpine Wildflowers & Berries
Botanize with our team of eco-instructors as we discover the summer bounty of our near Cascade peaks. Timed to capture many species of native wildflowers and the early berries, we’ll geek out over ~100 species, tiny to grand. Part of the trail we’ll explore was burned in 2017, resulting in dense patches of extraordinary summer wildflowers (and special woodpeckers!). Other sections have forested patches with shade-loving specialties, and we’ll see some classic alpine meadows featuring heathers and their associates.
Click title for more information & tickets!
Excursion - Outer Coastal Backshore & Saltmarsh
Join our team of eco-instructors to discover the unique plants of these outer coastal substrates, from the sandy backshore to the mucky saltmarsh. We’ll discuss the natural processes that shape these ecosystems and study the unusual plants that can withstand the rigors of life in this zone — an ever-changing beach profile with the seasons, extreme storms and tides, and water/nutrient-limited substrates.
Click title for more information & tickets!
McLane Creek Trail Maintenance
Join us and spend a few hours maintaining McLane’s trails, while appreciating the diversity in this wonderful example of a Puget lowland forest. We mindfully trim back growth along the trail, remove leaf debris from boardwalks, and clear the paths of any large debris.
Click the title for more information and to sign up!
McLane Creek Trail Maintenance
Join us and spend a few hours maintaining McLane’s trails, while appreciating the diversity in this wonderful example of a Puget lowland forest. We mindfully trim back growth along the trail, remove leaf debris from boardwalks, and clear the paths of any large debris.
Click the title for more information and to sign up!
Plant Outing #3
These wanderings at McLane Creek Nature Trail are a great way to learn native plants, botanize with friends, and enjoy a beautiful afternoon outdoors! Our Outings observe the South Salish lowland forest and riparian ecosystems through the spring and summer seasons.
Click title for more information & tickets!
Excursion - Ombrotrophic Bog Ecosystem
This is a limited-enrollment opportunity, as our hosts are offering us a special permit for access to study this unique ecosystem! We will spend a few hours exploring the unique flora (including carnivorous plants!) of a rarely-visited “true” (or ombrotrophic) bog in Mason County.
Click title for more information & tickets!
McLane Creek Trail Maintenance
Join us and spend a few hours maintaining McLane’s trails, while appreciating the diversity in this wonderful example of a Puget lowland forest. We mindfully trim back growth along the trail, remove leaf debris from boardwalks, and clear the paths of any large debris.
Click the title for more information and to sign up!
29th Annual Volunteer & Donor Recognition Gathering
Join us as we recognize our Volunteers & Donors, and celebrate 28 years of action & education in our community, including 22 years as a non-profit organization!
Click title for more information & registration!
Excursion - South Salish Prairie
Explore a section of South Salish Prairie & associated Garry Oak woodland to identify the many native perennial and annual flowers, grasses, trees and shrubs (and maybe a few lichens!). New location for 2023, with access to rare plants! Spring on our local prairies is spectacular, with an ever-changing bloom cycle, and we are timing this Excursion to capture the blooms of many special species.
Click title for more information & tickets!
Plant Outing
These wanderings at McLane Creek Nature Trail are a great way to learn native plants, botanize with friends, and enjoy a beautiful afternoon outdoors! Our Outings observe the South Salish lowland forest and riparian ecosystems through the spring and summer seasons.
Click title for more information & tickets!
Plant Pot & Tray Drop-off!
Clear your driveway and garage of unwanted pots of all sizes and plant trays & bring them to us during this special drop-off event. Email info@nativeplantsalvage.org for details, directions & if you need a different date or time to bring back pots from us or other suppliers. Event will be held at our NPSF nursery near the corner of RW Johnson Blvd. SW & 21st Ave SW, Olympia, 98502.
McLane Creek Trail Maintenance
Join us and spend a few hours maintaining McLane’s trails, while appreciating the diversity in this wonderful example of a Puget lowland forest. We mindfully trim back growth along the trail, remove leaf debris from boardwalks, and clear the paths of any large debris.
Click the title for more information and to sign up!
Plant Outing #2
These wanderings at McLane Creek Nature Trail are a great way to learn native plants, botanize with friends, and enjoy a beautiful afternoon outdoors! Our Outings observe the South Salish lowland forest and riparian ecosystems through the spring and summer seasons.
Click title for more information & tickets!
Spring Plant Sale ‘23
Our annual online spring plant sale will preview mid-April, open for purchases April 23rd - May 1st, and in-person pickups will be May 5-8th!
Check out our sale here
McLane Creek Trail Maintenance
Join us and spend a few hours maintaining McLane’s trails, while appreciating the diversity in this wonderful example of a Puget lowland forest. We mindfully trim back growth along the trail, remove leaf debris from boardwalks, and clear the paths of any large debris.
Click the title for more information and to sign up!
Plant Outing #1
These wanderings at McLane Creek Nature Trail are a great way to learn native plants, botanize with friends, and enjoy a beautiful afternoon outdoors! Our Outings observe the South Salish lowland forest and riparian ecosystems through the spring and summer seasons.
Click title for more information & tickets!
Native Plant Salvage #4
During our salvages, volunteers save small native trees, shrubs, and herbaceous plants from local areas scheduled for clearing. NPS Salvages are a great way to practice plant identification and meet fellow plant nerds!
Click through for more info!