The RPMN is a community science effort to find, monitor, and conserve rare plants throughout southwest Oregon. We collaborate with the US Forest Service and Bureau of Land Management to identify plants of concern, then partner with community volunteers to visit and monitor historic plant populations. Become a volunteer to help us find and conserve these important, yet understudied plants.
Umpqua Mariposa Lily (Calochortus umquensis) in the Umpqua National Forest. Photo credit Tuula Rebhahn, 2022.
Learn about the Rare Plants of Oregon
Learn more about these important, yet understudied plants through the links on our Resources page.
A volunteer monitors Ranunculus austro-oreganus in the Cascade Siskiyou National Monument. Photo by Tuula Rebhahn.
Volunteer with the Rare Plant Monitoring Network & Adopt A Rare Plant Project
Community scientists are needed to visit rare plant populations across Southwest Oregon. If you have basic botany skills, a passion for native plants, and the ability to hike off-trail while recording data, we need you!
Group or independent volunteer opportunities are available. The Understory Initiative has also partnered with the Siskiyou Chapter of the Native Plant Society of Oregon to offer unique opportunities to Adopt a Rare Plant. Though this program is full for 2024, you may sign up now to be on the list for 2025. Use the button below to learn more and get registered!
California plumseed (Astragalus californicus) in the Cascade Siskiyou National Monument. Photo by Vanessa Robertson-Rojas.
Annual Reports & Species Priorities
Thanks to our dedicated community volunteers, we have been able to monitor dozens of rare plant species over the past three years. Click below learn more about these species and their habitats in our annual reports and species priority lists.