Helping an Endangered Plant Thrive at Mountain Home

9/3/2026 

Helping an Endangered Plant Thrive at Mountain Home

At Chelan-Douglas Land Trust’s Mountain Home property, conservation sometimes means giving a small, rare plant a little more room to grow.

The Wenatchee Valley checker-mallow (Sidalcea oregana var. calva) is an endangered plant found only in central Washington. Since the species was listed as endangered in 1999, conservation partners have worked to protect existing populations and restore the plant in suitable habitat throughout the region.

Restoring Wenatchee Valley Checker-mallow at Mountain Home

In 2014, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service identified CDLT’s Mountain Home property as a suitable location to help reintroduce Wenatchee Valley checker-mallow. With funding from the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, approximately 120 plants were planted in two locations on the property.

Since then, CDLT staff and volunteers have regularly monitored the plantings, tracking plant survival and growth, and helping maintain the habitat they need to thrive.

Wenatchee Valley checker-mallow grows best in moist areas with plenty of sunlight. Over time, shrubs and trees can encroach on these sites, competing with the checker-mallow for sunlight and water.

In August, CDLT staff worked alongside Stuart Fety of the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service to remove some of this encroaching vegetation around the checker-mallow plantings. Stuart helps oversee recovery efforts for the species in Washington.

By carefully clearing competing shrubs and trees, the team is helping maintain the open, sunny habitat the plants need. This work may be small in scale, but it is an important part of giving an endangered species a better chance at long-term survival.

A Long-Term Conservation Effort

Restoring an endangered species does not happen overnight. It takes ongoing monitoring, habitat management, and collaboration among conservation partners.

The work at Mountain Home is one example of how protecting land can create opportunities not only to conserve habitat, but also to actively help rare species recover. CDLT will continue to monitor the checker-mallow plantings and care for the habitat that supports them.

Through long-term stewardship and partnerships with organizations like the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, we can help ensure that rare plants like the Wenatchee Valley checker-mallow have a place to grow for generations to come.