A sanctuary in the city

By Soncirey Mitchell
Reader Staff

The dream of the North Idaho Native Plant Arboretum in Lakeview Park began in 1997, when Master Gardener Lois Wythe sought out a community of kindred spirits with whom to share her love of native flora. By 1999, the group had formed the Kinnikinnick Native Plant Society and, with the support of the city of Sandpoint, a team of dedicated volunteers planted the 1.18 acres where the arboretum would flourish for the next 25 years.

“It is a precious corner of Lakeview Park, offering the shelter and magnificence of 75- to 100-year-old trees,” Mary Toland, KNPS member and longtime volunteer, told the Reader.

The KNPS Native Plant Sale is an annual event held by the society. Courtesy photo.

The arboretum is a pocket of nature in the city, and has always helped residents connect with the area and understand the importance of local flora. Still, the small sanctuary doesn’t look the same as it did at its grand opening.

“The arboretum is a living thing, and like all living things it changes with changing conditions,” KNPS board member Robin Campbell told the Reader. “Over the last 25 years, some areas have become more shady while others have become more sunny. Moisture is less of a problem as we can water plants in the arboretum, but rising temperatures in the summer and more erratic winters have also had an effect.”

Fallen trees and climate change are just a few of the challenges the arboretum has weathered, but through it all they maintain a diverse host of plants and represent the uniqueness of the Northern Rockies Ecoregion, which includes the largest inland temperate rainforest in the world.

“We have pockets of truly coastal rainforest, with plants found in that area, and we have areas that are dry, and we have areas where these two mix. We have incredible diversity because of that,” Campbell said.

KNPS, a 501c3 nonprofit, not only tends the arboretum through the Arboretum Leadership Team, but also advocates for conservation, habitat restoration and responsible planning. Their educational programs use the arboretum as a tool to teach the importance of biodiversity and the interconnectedness of different members of the ecosystem — be they plant or animal.

With only one seasonal paid worker, the arboretum is always in need of volunteers to tend the plants and look to the future. KNSP met in January to discuss the next 25 years, and will continue to update their plans to suit the needs of the community. Next, they intend to replant certain areas of the arboretum and update their identification placards to better reflect the changing climate.

“Once we have new signage for plants and reorganize those plantings to reflect climate and ecological zones, the opportunities for deepening the understanding of our precious place on this planet will benefit us all for more generations to come,” Toland said.

For more information, or to volunteer, visit nativeplantsociety.org.