Posted on Feb 6, 2023
Students make a prickly proposition that sticks: Designate an official Washington state cactus
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Responses: 1
PO1 William "Chip" Nagel
..."“People don’t know very much about this cactus,” Sen. Warnick said in a separate interview Friday. “They’re going to help us all learn more about it.”
The author of a primer on Washington’s native cacti, Ian Barclay, said the plants are increasingly imperiled in the wild because of invasive species and the expansion of agriculture.
“Cacti are now absent from large areas of eastern Washington where they used to grow,” Barclay wrote online. “Non-native grasses have out-competed the cacti for light and nutrients in many places. Lesser threats to their preservation include the expansion of suburban development, over-collection by irresponsible individuals, and sheer carelessness by property owners where cacti are found.”
If Warnick’s bill passes, Washington would become the fourth state with a cactus among its official symbols. Arizona put the saguaro on its license plate and anointed the saguaro cactus flower as its official flower. In 1995, Texas lawmakers designated the prickly pear cactus as the official state plant. In 2014, Colorado chose the claret cup cactus as the state cactus at the suggestion of a Girl Scout troop.
In Olympia, the state cactus proposal was referred to the Senate State Government Committee where it awaits scheduling for a public hearing. In January, a state House committee gave a favorable vote and moved along a separate measure to designate an official state dinosaur. As was the case with the cactus legislation, the state dinosaur proposal was brought forward by an elementary school class."
..."“People don’t know very much about this cactus,” Sen. Warnick said in a separate interview Friday. “They’re going to help us all learn more about it.”
The author of a primer on Washington’s native cacti, Ian Barclay, said the plants are increasingly imperiled in the wild because of invasive species and the expansion of agriculture.
“Cacti are now absent from large areas of eastern Washington where they used to grow,” Barclay wrote online. “Non-native grasses have out-competed the cacti for light and nutrients in many places. Lesser threats to their preservation include the expansion of suburban development, over-collection by irresponsible individuals, and sheer carelessness by property owners where cacti are found.”
If Warnick’s bill passes, Washington would become the fourth state with a cactus among its official symbols. Arizona put the saguaro on its license plate and anointed the saguaro cactus flower as its official flower. In 1995, Texas lawmakers designated the prickly pear cactus as the official state plant. In 2014, Colorado chose the claret cup cactus as the state cactus at the suggestion of a Girl Scout troop.
In Olympia, the state cactus proposal was referred to the Senate State Government Committee where it awaits scheduling for a public hearing. In January, a state House committee gave a favorable vote and moved along a separate measure to designate an official state dinosaur. As was the case with the cactus legislation, the state dinosaur proposal was brought forward by an elementary school class."
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