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Welcome to The New South Sound Prairies Working Group Website!

South Sound Prairies — Sat, 14 Jan 2012 22:50:00 +0000

This website is here to educate the public about the unique prairie and oak woodland habitat that we have in South Puget Sound, and the work that is being done to conserve it.

Captive Rearing in Prisons

South Sound Prairies — Fri, 13 Jan 2012 22:50:00 +0000

The new Taylor's checkerspot captive rearing program at the Mission Creek Correctional Center for Women was highlighted in a recent article in the well-regarded Conservation Magazine. The article also featured the Oregon spotted frog captive rearing program at Cedar Creek Corrections Center, where frogs are being reared for release into a protected wetland at Joint Base Lewis-McChord.

These innovative programs are the work of the Sustainable Prisons Project, a partnership between The Evergreen State College and the Washington State Department of Corrections. Read the article here.

South Sound Program Transition Complete

South Sound Prairies — Tue, 20 Sep 2011 00:36:00 +0000

The Center for Natural Lands Management (CNLM) officially took over the South Puget Sound Program of The Nature Conservancy on July 1, 2011. CNLM has a 20 year history of conservation, and will continue the South Sound program’s focus on conserving prairies, oak woodlands and freshwaters in the South Sound. The change has been seamless, with the staff and programs of the South Sound program continuing as before.

Pat Dunn, the head of CNLM's Washington Program, said, "We have a new name, but it's still the same faces here at our South Sound office. We're thrilled to have the collective expertise and experience of CNLM behind our program, and we look forward to reaching even greater heights in prairie conservation from here."

Streaked Horned Lark Egg Swapping

South Sound Prairies — Mon, 19 Sep 2011 00:36:00 +0000

The Center for Natural Lands Management and its partners are using a novel technique to ensure that South Sound streaked horned larks are not becoming inbred. They are swapping eggs from lark populations in Oregon's Willamette Valley into South Sound lark nests. So far, several birds from the swapped eggs have successfully fledged. Listen to or read an NPR report on the project here.