Full-time Seasonal, June-August
With a mission to promote sustainable land use, Oxbow Farm & Conservation Center includes a 25-acre organic farm, an education center, and native plant nursery located on 200 acres of forest and valley land in the Snoqualmie Valley, 25 miles east of Seattle. The farm supports a 700-member CSA and supplies local restaurants and independent grocery stores with local, organic produce. 

The stories of people and plants are intricately intertwined.  The plants of the University of Washington Botanic Gardens have many stories to tell, and here are just a few to wet your whistle.  Explore our website at to look up and locate plants in the Arboretum and learn more of our stories.

1)  Abies grandis – Grand Fir                “Fir Above It All”

This particular tree has witnessed the entire history of the Washington Park Arboretum.  

Catherine began volunteering to lead adult tours and youth programs for the UW Botanic Gardens in 2006 and in 2011, she received the Brian Mulligan volunteer of the year award.
More recently, she became employed part-time as a Tour Program Assistant, leading tours, training and coordinating volunteer guides, and contributing to the UW Botanic Gardens blogs. Adding to her long list of skills, Catherine also now helps with the adult education program, setting up private group tours, driving the tram and helping to lead youth and family programs. 

The Seattle farmers markets are dedicated to promoting healthy eating by
connecting low-income neighbors to farm-fresh fruits and vegetables.
 
 
 
 
Twentyone markets and farm stands across the city offer a program called Fresh
Bucks, through which EBT (Electronic Benefits Transfer, or food stamps)
customers can double their benefits when they shop at a city farmers market.
The Fresh Bucks Outreach Team will include three summer AmeriCorps VISTA
volunteers responsible for spreading the word about the program to the market
neighborhoods. 

By John A. Wott, Director Emeritus
Managing a large garden requires large equipment. Often tractors and trucks can be kept in great working order for many years, but eventually they too will need to be replaced. Shredders, mowers, and machinery with many working parts need to be replaced every few years. Machinery costs were once totally covered in state and city budgets. 

In Emma Relei’s extensive list of “favorite” plants, one of them is the simple crocus, meaningful for her because of its prominence in a much-loved children’s tale, The Runaway Bunny;  another is Ponderosa pine, because “it smells like vanilla!”
Emma’s energy and enthusiasm for all things extends in many directions, including her work with specimens at the Hyde Herbarium. There she helps sort the 23,000+ species, catalogs them on the database, mounts species for filing and makes greeting cards. 

1)  Acer mandshuricum                Manchurian Maple

The Manchurian Maple is native from Eastern Siberia into China and strongly resembles Acer griseum and Acer triflorum.
This species is located in the Asian Maples Collection.

2)  Distylium racemosum                Isu Tree

The flowers of Distylium racemosum are petalless, but have attractive red calyces (whorl of sepals) and purple stamens.
The Isu tree is native to southern Japan, but can be found in the Witt Winter Garden and in our Hamamelidaceae Collection, east of Arboretum Drive near the Pacific Connections gardens. 

Laura is an Information Specialist with the Elisabeth C. Miller Library. She works half-time, dividing her time between reference services, working on Leaflet newsletters, taking care of the library’s offerings for children and teachers (including monthly story programs), as well as choosing new curriculum and children’s books.
Laura is from Coeur d’Alene, ID. Her parents (retired from public library work with children, and teaching high school Latin and English) grew up in Seattle. 

Concerns about pollinator declines have grown in recent years, causing increased interest in pollinator conservation and research into improving bee community health. We seek part-time help to assist in a landscape ecology project that focuses on the impact of transitioning to small-scale diversified organic farming on wild/native bee communities in western Washington. The assistant filling this position will work with the project team of PhD students Elias Bloom and Rachel Olsson to understand the factors that influence the development of these communities. 

What a year this has turned out to be! Challenged by drought and record high temperatures, but sustained by an abundance of community support, we have accomplished a tremendous amount in 2015.
Thanks to a fabulous student staff, a great team of interns, and over 100 volunteers on the farm this year, we supplied 37 families, several campus restaurants, and community partners like the University District Food Bank, with an abundance of good food.