Columbia Basin Native Plant Society

05/18/2026

Heritage Garden Stroll - Hansen Park Tuesday May 19th 6:30-7:30 PM

Join field trip chair Cristen for a stroll through the Hansen Park Heritage Garden at golden hour. This established native garden features many hyperlocal plants suitable for home gardens. We’ll wander around the garden and get some inspiration for gardening with native plants. Stroll is on a paved garden path.

Where: The garden is located in the Southwest corner of Hansen Park (602 South Columbia Center Boulevard) in Kennewick. Available parking off South Georgia Street or off of S Columbia Center Blvd, Kennewick.

https://www.cbwnps.org/calendar/2026/4/18/garden-stroll-hansen-park-heritage-garden-jh5y4

Photo by Donna Lucas

05/14/2026

Volunteer Opportunity at Mid-Columbia River National Wildlife Refuge Complex this Saturday 5/16.

05/14/2026

🌱Partner Event 🌿-- Noxious W**ds Training - Friday May 15 9 AM- 11 AM

Where: Benton County Noxious W**d Control Board -- 1841 Terminal Dr Richland, Washington 99354

Training will be provided by the Benton County Noxious W**d Control Board, Friends of Badger Mountain and CBWNPS volunteers. The goal is education about invasive weeds, especially the particularly harmful ones classified as Noxious W**ds. We will focus on the several species that are infesting our local communities, including the ridgeline preserves of Badger and Candy Mountains. In addition, we will discuss how to distinguish native plants from noxious weeds and talk about control measures that preserve native plants. We expect the session to last for up to two hours, including an optional “field trip” at the end to observe noxious weeds growing among native plants in the wild.

FULL EVENT DETAILS:

Training will be provided by the Benton County Noxious W**d Control Board, Native Plant Society, and Friends of Badger Mountain. We expect the session to last for up to two hours, including an […]

05/07/2026

This Weekend-- Wildflower Walk with Ernie C.- Saturday May 9th 10 AM-12 PM in Horn Rapids Park - Purple Sage (Salvia dorrii), Prairie Clover (Dalea ornata) and Pale Evening Primrose (Oenothera pallida) will be in peak bloom. 🌸🌼🌱 Details + Directions below:

Join CBWNPS member and wildflower whisperer Ernie on Saturday, May 9, 10am to noon for a wildflower walk at Horn Rapids Park. This is a good spot to see plants that like sandy soil. The paths are unpaved. Water, sunscreen, closed toe shoes and walking poles are recommended. Meeting Poing - Horn

04/05/2026

Happy Native Plant Appreciation Month! Help us celebrate our native flora by engaging in our second annual Badger Mountain Preserve BioBlitz: April 1st - May 31st on iNaturalist. This is a great way to get to know our local flora while engaging in community science efforts to collect data on living organisms within the preserve.

How to Participate:
1- Download iNaturalist onto your device or create an account on your desktop
2- take a stroll on your favorite trail of Badger Mountain
3- Observe what you see (flowers, insects, critters, lichens and fungi) and take photographs -- Whole plant, flower, underside of leaf
4- upload your photos to the iNaturalist project.
5- Repeat!

Learn about iNaturalist here: https://inaturalist.freshdesk.com/en/support/solutions/folders/151000552105

Learn more about BioBlitz here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=N7Ms5xqgAf0

Join the iNaturalist Badger Mountain Centennial Preserve BioBlitz 2026 Project here: https://www.inaturalist.org/projects/badger-mountain-centennial-preserve-bioblitz-2026

Photo 1 - Longleaf Phlox (Phlox longifolia)
Photo 2- Rosy Balsamroot (Balsamorhiza rosea)
Photo 3- Low pussytoes (Antennaria dimorpha)
Photo 4 - Our volunteers at the Bioblitz 2026 kick off event 4.4
Photo 5 - Medley of shrub steppe blooms and grasses.

02/14/2026

What a great visual effect of how Badger Mountain and Candy Mountain would have appeared when Lake Lewis filled our area 15,000-20,000 years ago...🤯

Top of Badger Mountain was out of the fog on Friday. If you need a break from the gray, hike Badger Mountain. It looked just like an Ice Age Flood had filled our valley with temporary Lake Lewis surrounding Little Badger and Badger Mountain. The photo gives a great visual of the Lake Lewis Islands.

12/09/2025

Join Mickie from the CBWNPS chapter for a sagebrush seed dispersal event. We'll disperse locally collected sagebrush seed and seedballs we made along disturbed areas near the trailhead. This will also be an opportunity to check on the sagebrush our chapter planted a few seasons ago in a burn area.

When: Saturday December 13th 1 PM-2:30 PM
Where: McBee Grade Lower trailhead-- Horse Heaven Hills Recreation Area
19205 North McBee Road Benton City, WA, 99320

We'll be focusing our dispersal efforts near the low trailhead but walking trails are plenty if folks feel like meandering on a self guided winter walk. Low and high elevation trails abound.

11/29/2025

Thanks to all who joined us for our sagebrush seed collection! Together, we learned the ethics of collecting native seed and best practices. The seeds we collected will be used in local restoration efforts. We’re so grateful to share space with so many folks volunteering their time to give back to the shrub steppe. Many thanks to for allowing us permission to collect!

11/19/2025

Thanks to all the volunteers who joined us at the planting party this past Sunday at the Badger Mountain Westgate Trailhead! 500 plugs including yarrow, bluebunch wheatgrass, sandberg bluegrass, needle + thread, and sand dropseed joined the 400 sagebrush we planted last fall. Last fall's sagebrush planting had a 97% survival rate and we look forward to seeing how these new plants do in the space. Over time, this once weedy patch will fill in and become a lush. native planting thanks to the efforts of community volunteers! Stop by and check it out next time you're at the trailhead and stay tuned for future work parties at the site!

Shout out to our chapter's restoration chair, Alexis for coordinating this event in collaboration with .

Check out our chapter website for all the native plant happenings: https://www.cbwnps.org/calendar

09/07/2025

Thanks to all the partners, volunteers and community members who joined us in Amon Basin for our community walks yesterday! Conservation is a communal effort. 🥰🌱🌼🦫