I am a big fan of the shrub-steppe ecosystem. I was excited to create a short shrub-steppe video for the Cascadia Conservation District’s Kid’s In the Forest education program. My friend and colleague, Eliza Lopez, translated and narrated a Spanish language version, El Ecosistema de la Estapa Arbustiva. We both filmed our videos in the Wenatchee Foothills on the Jacobson Preserve.
For me, spending time in the shrub-steppe provides respite, relaxation, scientific inquiry, inspiration, healing, and joy. 27 years ago today, our family arrived in Wenatchee after a long drive from the midwest. We had selected our new home chiefly because it adjoined an undeveloped sagebrush grassland hill that beckoned exploration. Ever since, I have been strengthened by a daily connection with “the hill,” officially named the Chelan-Douglas Land Trust Jacobson Preserve. Each day sharpens my understanding of the intense beauty of our shrub-steppe valley.
The most amazing thing about the Jacobson Preserve is its limitless capacity to provide these gifts to all people who visit, not just to me. Here are a few glimpses of a July morning walk in the shrub-steppe.
SHRUB-STEPPE RESOURCE FOR TEACHERS, PARENTS, and STUDENTS
CDLT Land Trust Website Illustration of Shrub-steppe: https://www.cdlandtrust.org/sites/default/files/pdf/Ecosystem%20Key_v2.pdf https://www.cdlandtrust.org/sites/default/files/pdf/Ecosystem%20illo%20wo%20labels.pdf
Links for Teachers: https://www.wenatcheenaturalist.com/teachers/teacher-resources-citizen-science-nature-journaling-project-based-learning-field-experiences/
Conserve our Western Roots poster https://www.sagegrouseinitiative.com/roots/
Conserve our Western Roots postcard: https://www.wenatcheenaturalist.com/teachers/teacher-resources-citizen-science-nature-journaling-project-based-learning-field-experiences/
Animals and Plants of the Shrub-steppe flashcards: https://www.wenatcheenaturalist.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/07/BLM_ID_SagebrushSteppeCards_2017_lowres.pdf
Resources for Teachers and Families on the CDLT Website:
A English and Spanish Hiking Challenge Brochure Map for population trails in the Wenatchee Foothills, by Chelan-Douglas Land Trust.
Let’s Take Care of Our Foothills Poster (using Leave No Trace principles) https://www.cdlandtrust.org/sites/default/files/publications/LNT%20Poster.pdf
Wenatchee Foothills Wildflower Guide https://www.cdlandtrust.org/sites/default/files/publications/Wenatchee%20Foothills%20Wildflowers%202018.pdf