Wade King Native Plant Showcase Garden

Amount Awarded: $4,348.00 

Academic Year: 2023-2024 

Implementation: Spring 2024

This project transformed a high-traffic space next to the Wade King Rec Center – a space that has been severely impacted by invasive species encroachment – into a small native plant showcase garden. By replacing noxious weed species with a diverse native ecosystem, the project offers a space for rest and education for the campus community. 

Implementation was led by the LEAD program. LEAD (Learning Environment Action Discovery) is a longstanding ecorestoration and service-learning program at WWU that has been directed by College of the Environment graduate students since the 1990s. They partner with campus organizations such as WWU Buildings and Grounds, the Outback Farm, and the Sehome Arboretum Board of Directors to help maintain and restore vegetated areas around campus. This showcase garden was planted during Earth Week in April 2024, after careful work in weeks and months prior to remove ivy and other invasive species.