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The prairie at American Camp looking toward the Haro Strait and Victoria, B.C. Mike Vouri photo |
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The dramatic open prairie landscape of American Camp is uniquely beautiful and rather unexpected in the western portion of the Pacific Northwest – a land usually characterized by thick forests growing to the shoreline. Prairies were once fairly common in the Puget Sound and Salish Sea regions. As glaciers retreated, grasses and other prairie plants were the first plant colonizers of the barren landscape. Forests eventually took hold where conditions were favorable. However, many areas remained prairie due to exposure to harsh conditions of direct summer sun, drying effects of wind, and low precipitation in the rain shadow of the Olympic Mountains The vastness of land and sea, the colors of spring wildflowers and waving grasses, and the winter mist scuttling over the water is timeless in its appeal. But the prairie is not a static environment. No landscape is static. Landscapes are constantly evolving in response to the forces of nature: climate change (changes in precipitation, temperature, winds, sunshine/cloud cover, and air currents); geologic processes (glaciation, volcanic activity, earthquakes); shifts in flora and fauna species and numbers; and human caused events. Humans have impacted the prairie environment from prehistoric time to the present. Prehistoric peoples routinely set the prairie on fire in order to enhance the growth of camas, a plant whose root was an important dietary component. These fires helped to maintain the prairie ecosystem. Europeans brought livestock and cultivation to San Juan Island, which dramatically altered and impacted the prairie ecosystem. Many invasive, non-native plants have been intentionally or accidentally introduced, which has contributed to the demise of many native prairie plants. The non-native European rabbit has also wrought havoc on the prairie. Finally human settlement and development continue to claim our open spaces; remnant prairies such as that found at American Camp become increasingly rare and valuable. San Juan Island NHP is in the initial stages of restoration of the prairie at American Camp. This exciting and ambitious project will involve many phases, components, hard work and time.
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