Sunday, October 13, 2024
1:00 - 3:30 PM
Free
In-person and via live-stream
Advance Registration Required

The Garry oak, also known as the Oregon white oak, is the only oak species native to Washington state, mostly found west of the Casades. Closer to home, the Garry oaks in Seward and Martha Washington Park and also scattered in the surrounding neighborhood exist because of the traditional land management practices of the Duwamish people who lived on the shores of Lake Washington. But since European settlement, those practices have stopped, and the oaks in Seward Park are gradually being outcompeted by conifers.

Warren King-George is an enrolled member of the Muckleshoot Tribe and is employed as the tribal historian. He was raised with a deep appreciation of the cultural ecosystems of our region and the resources they provide. Warren currently serves on a team funded by the University of Washington, restoring native oak savannas in the Puget Sound Region in support of food sovereignty and conservation in a changing climate.

Tim Billo is on the faculty of Environmental Studies at the University of Washington. Throughout his career, he has worked on the ecology of birds and plants and has recently been involved with a study of western sword fern die-off syndrome in Seward Park.

David Perasso has been restoring natural areas and nurturing oaks for several decades. His experience includes plant propagation and meadow creation and maintenance. His most recent project is the camas understory in the Garry oak stand at Martha Washington Park.

Join us for Science, Nature and a Biscuit, when our guests share the cultural significance of oak ecosystems to Coast Salish peoples, review the vegetation history and ecology of remnant Garry oak savannas, an important "cultural ecosystem" in Seward Park and adjacent suburban neighborhoods, and examine several models for management of Garry oak ecosystems in the Puget Sound Region and discuss possibilities for management and use of Garry oaks at Seward park. Our program includes a vibrant panel discussion and an opportunity to hear questions from program attendees.