HOOD RIVER — December’s Sense of Place lecture is “Mountaintop to Backyard: The Beauty of the Gorge’s Native Plants.” This event will be offered in-person at the Columbia Center for the Arts, 215 Cascade Ave., Hood River, and via livestream on Dec. 13. Doors open 6 p.m. and the presentation begins at 7 p.m. Tickets are $12 at SenseOfPlaceGorge.org.
“In the Columbia Gorge there exists a variety of native landscapes, from forests densely canopied by the evergreen branches of hemlocks and firs, to dry, open Oregon oak savannas, saturated wetlands, sunny rocky balds, and mountain meadows riotous with wildflowers,” said a Sense of Place press release. “Native plants characterize the natural landscape, mark the seasons, and attract wildlife iconic to an area. These plants occur naturally in the geographical region in which they evolved, thus shaping the landscape as much as they are shaped by it. And because these plants have co-evolved along with the insects, birds, mammals, and even the soil of a particular place — they are uniquely adapted to support the diversity of life and healthy functioning of the local, natural world.
“But native status is not enough to ensure survival. Land development and invasive plants fragment and threaten local habitats and native plant populations, and as a result, threaten the insects, wildlife, and even the people that rely on these places,” continued the press release. “But this Sense of Place presentation seeks to turn this narrative of challenge into one of opportunity, offering insights into how we can collectively support biodiversity and environmental health.”
Join Kristin Currin and Drew Merritt, experts in native plant ecology, as they share their knowledge and passion for Gorge-area native plants, from balsamroot to vine maple, buckwheat to mock orange.
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