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Last documented in the wild in Oregon in 1938, golden paintbrush (Castilleja levisecta) was apparently extirpated from Oregon through agriculture, urban development and habitat invasion by exotic weeds. A few small populations remain in Washington and British Columbia, but even these have been in decline in recent years. The species was listed as Threatened by the federal government in 2000, and in 2004 became one of the first plants in the country to have a reintroduction plan. Since 2010, the Institute for Applied Ecology has teamed with the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service to reintroduce this iconic prairie plant to western Oregon grasslands in an attempt to bring it back to the state, and in the process contribute to its full recovery and potential removal from the threatened species list.The story of golden paintbrush and its science-based comeback will brighten your day!

Science Pub Corvallis offers thought-provoking presentations, now in a virtual format. Interact with experts, answer trivia questions and leave feeling more nourished and knowledgeable. Instructions for the event will be sent to those that RSVP via Science Pub’s website.

Dr. Tom Kaye is founder and Executive Director of the Institute for Applied Ecology (IAE), a nonprofit organization with a mission to conserve native habitats and species through research, restoration, and education. Tom serves on the board of directors of the Society for Ecological Restoration and he is a courtesy Associate Professor in the Department of Botany and Plant Pathology at Oregon State University. Tom conducts research on rare species reintroductions, habitat restoration, plant invasions, and plant population responses to climate change, and engages prison inmates in conservation through the Sagebrush in Prisons Project. Sourcing native plants for restoration is a key area of interest, research and publication for Dr. Kaye. He serves as a Commission Member on the IUCN SSC Seed Conservation Specialist Group.

This month, SITE Santa Fe teams up with some of Santa Fe’s most exciting restaurants to present:

Digest This!

in-person on patios across Santa Fe and virtually through livestreams. These programs look at the concept of displacement by focusing on cuisine and chefs displaced from their native lands to New Mexico, edible invasive species, and the public programs are displaced themselves at local restaurants instead of in the museum. The 2020 DigestThis! programs are made possible in part with support from the New Mexico Humanities Council.

IAE Southwest Director Melanie Gisler and field biologist, Jason Roback, will discuss edible invasive species at 315 Restaurant & Wine Bar on Saturday, September 19 at noon. Chef Louis Moskow will prepare a curated menu of edible Southwest invasives.

For the series, SITE will be presenting Digest This! at various Santa Fe restaurants during a prix fixe meal related to the presentation. Please reserve directly with the restaurant. SITE will live stream the programs.

Any questions? Please email Melanie “at” appliedeco.org.

Dr. Tom Kaye, founder and Executive Director of the Institute for Applied Ecology, will present this topic on Zoom. Members of Emerald Chapter will receive more information on registering in our September newsletter. Last documented in the wild in Oregon in 1938, golden paintbrush (Castilleja levisecta) was apparently extirpated from Oregon through agriculture, urban development and habitat invasion by exotic weeds. Several populations remained in Washington and British Columbia, but even these have been in decline in recent years. The species was listed as Threatened by the federal government in 2000, and in 2004 became one of the first plants in the country to have a written reintroduction plan. Since 2010, the Institute for Applied Ecology has teamed with the US Fish and Wildlife Service to reintroduce this iconic prairie plant to western Oregon grasslands in an attempt to bring it back to the state, and in the process contribute to its full recovery and potential removal from the threatened species list. This process has faced many challenges, including the need to restore habitat for the species in the process and unravel its basic biology, from seed germination to its hemiparasitic relationships with host plants through root-to-root connections. This presentation will provide a tour of the history of the species in Oregon, research into its habitat relationships, and a summary of reintroduction and habitat conservation successes (and failures) in Oregon and rangewide.