Request for Additional State Operational Funding

UW Botanic Gardens, College of Forest Resources

We are requesting additional state funding for three programs managed by UW Botanic Gardens. The mission of this center in the College is “Sustaining managed to natural ecosystems and the human spirit through plant research, display, and education”.

The three areas of our organization north of UnionBay most in need of additional State Operational Funding are as follows. The Union Bay Natural Area is effectively a nature reserve created through restoration of derelict land, a nature reserve in the middle of a major city. The Otis Douglas Hyde Herbarium is the official herbarium for the Washington State Noxious Weed Control Board and through its collections documents the changing flora of the urbanizing Pacific Northwest. Our Rare Plant Care and Conservation Program is a practical application of sound science to the problems posed by urbanization and changing management practices across the State.

As a package, the request is aimed at bringing fully on line the Gardens’ efforts to address in very practical ways issues of environmental and resource sustainability in the context of an urbanizing world. Moreover, our organization is one of the UW’s most accessible to the people of this State.

In short, our request addresses the UW’s challenging aims of both sustainability and engagement.

UnionBay Natural Area

The Union Bay Natural Area (UBNA) is used by the Seattle community for recreation; it is superb bird habitat and is part of an extensive watershed along UnionBay. Through its waters will pass every salmon that travels to streams along Lake Washington and LakeSammamish. UBNA is used by the University as a teaching laboratory for restoration ecology, wildlife science, biology, and other disciplines. The management charge to the UW Botanic Gardens is to manage the area for wildlife habitat and native plant diversity. As part of their learning experience, students in restoration and other classes have been restoring UBNA for over a decade. Such student groups are excellent at site preparation and plant installation, but because classes end each quarter, it is not easy for them to maintain such projects. Approximately ten acres of the over-50-acre site have been restored to date, and new areas are added to this total each year. After installation, a restoration project requires nearly as much annual effort for maintenance as was expended to start the process. Because of this we have a growing need for staff to be responsible for weeding, replacement of plants, mulching, and other maintenance and preventative activities. Since we currently have begun restoration on only a fifth of the site, and new projects continue as part of our education mission, the need for staff support will grow. The DouglasConservatory and associated nursery facilities are used to teach students about plant propagation and production; we have made this experience more meaningful by having students help produce plant material that is later used in the restoration of UBNA. A permanent, four-quarter RA is needed to care for the plant material produced, work with classes, work with volunteers, and maintain nursery facilities. The RA will also monitor problems, in both UBNA and the nursery, including weed outbreaks, plant water stress, herbivory, and deteriorated mulch. The UBNA RA will also conducts tours of the area for schools, community groups, and other visitors and creates interpretive signage.

In addition, short-term operating expenses to support the operation of UBNA and longer-term investment is needed to meet the following needs: tractor attachments for unearthing blackberry root systems, updated mapping of the site, support for a new master plan, wildlife structures, photo blinds, and temporary nursery facilities. Expendable materials that are needed every year include plants, mulch, fencing, tree shelters, signage, tools, plant containers, container mix, and irrigation system supplies.

BUDGET:

Salaries:

RA (0.5 FTE) 4 quarters/yr (with tuition waiver):

$1,406*/month x 12 months: $16,867/yr

(*includes 2.6% pay raise scheduled for 7/1/06)

Gardener 2, Permanent, 1.0 FTE (Table B1, Range 29, mid Step):

$2,202/month x 12 months: $26,420/yr

(*includes 1.6% pay raise scheduled for 9/1/06)

Sub-Total for Salaries: $43,287/yr

Gen Ops: $10,000/yr

GRAND TOTAL FOR UBNA: $53,287/yr ($106,574/biennium)

Otis Douglas Hyde Herbarium

The Otis Douglas Hyde Herbarium (WTUH: Index Herbariorum registration symbol), collects and houses voucher specimens of all accessioned plants in the University of Washington Botanic Gardens, horticulturally significant plants, and plants that reflect the research and project efforts of faculty, staff and students at CUH and WPA. The Hyde Herbarium is developing an extensive weed collection and is also the official herbarium for the Washington State Noxious Weed Control Board. The Herbarium is currently adding to its collection of herbaceous species by collecting specimens at the MillerGarden and other cooperating gardens in the region.

The Herbarium collection of over 15,700 dried, pressed specimens of horticultural plants is used for research and reference by faculty, students, staff and the gardening public. This represents one of the most significant collections of cultivated plants in the western United States. The herbarium is curated by faculty at the Center for Urban Horticulture, and is supported by a part-time graduate student research assistant. The graduate student research assistant serves as the Collections Manager and manages the daily activities for the Herbarium.

Volunteers (which include a Herbarium Committee and individual plant collectors) play an important role in collecting and processing plant specimens. In the past year we have had 20 active volunteers, contributing a total of 752 hours. Beside our local collections, we also have developed our collection by trading duplicate collections with other herbaria, such as the Bailey Hortorium, the U.S. National Arboretum, and the Morton Arboretum.

Services

The Otis Douglas Hyde Herbarium provides many services including:

  • Reference for plant identification and plant use in urban landscapes
  • Free plant identification services for the general public
  • Plant identification and assistance for the Miller Library
  • Working with Master Gardener clinics held at the Center for Urban Horticulture
  • Supporting students and faculty with keying and vouchering of research specimens

The Herbarium lacks sufficient staffing to accommodate the services offered and to manage the 20 volunteers, much less expanding services such as an enhanced web page and participating in written flora of cultivated species.

BUDGET:

RA (0.5 FTE) 4 quarters/yr (with tuition waiver):

$1,406*/month x 12 months: $16,867/yr

(*includes 2.6% pay raise scheduled for 7/1/06)

GRAND TOTAL FOR HERBARIUM: $16,867/yr ($33,734/biennium)

Washington Rare Plant Care and Conservation Program

Today, nearly 20% of the flora of WashingtonState is considered to be endangered, threatened, or sensitive to species decline. Several factors are causing this decline, but the primary cause of endangerment can be traced to human population growth. Currently, the human population of Washington state is about 6 million individuals, and U.S. Census Bureau projections indicate that the number of residents state-wide is expected to double within the next 50 years. With a larger population, we can expect more roads, more houses, more landscaping leading to increased numbers of invasive species, and more expansion into the previously under- and undeveloped areas of our state. This population growth places considerable pressure on our natural ecosystems and ultimately causes the loss of native plant species and their habitats. Plants comprise the structural component of habitat utilized by many species of animals. Plants provide roosting, sheltering, nesting, foraging opportunities, and in most cases the food required by animals.

The University of Washington Botanic Gardens has the expertise and facilities to partner with federal, state, local, and private landowners to intervene and work to protect these rare plant species. We have undertaken research projects on five of the rarest species, ranging from determination of threats to methods of propagation for reintroduction into safe areas. We have also trained nearly 200 volunteers in the last five years to monitor rare plant populations and to collect seeds of the species in order to protect them from catastrophic loss of populations. To further this latter work, we built a state-of-the-art seed storage facility and laboratory; it is completely unique among peer institutions.

Our volunteers are one of our greatest strengths. In the last year 73 people from all over the state contributed 2,515 hours of work. This represents a significant investment of people throughout Washington in the College of Forest Resources and the University of Washington Botanic Gardens.

Currently, all of the 1.6 FTE salaries come from outside sources, primarily federal and local foundations. In addition, the seed vault was built entirely with outside sources. We request that 50% of the program manager's salary come from state sources. The program manager trains and oversees all volunteers and a program assistant, assists in writing grant proposals, and acts as a liaison with the partner agencies. The additional salaries for the manager and program assistant, as well as supplies and most equipment will continue to come from outside sources. This shift will enable us to increase the services of the program while maintaining the current service level by freeing up the program manager's time. It will also address the concern we have heard from several of our supporters that they are funding us while our own institution is not.

BUDGET:

Salaries:

Cont Ed Coord, Grade 6, Permanent, 0.5 FTE:

$1,725*/month x 12 months: $20,703/yr

(*current pay rate adjusted for FY05/06 Merit Increase of 3%, scheduled for 9/1/06)

GRAND TOTAL FOR RARE PLANT CARE & CONS.: $20,703/yr ($41,406/biennium)