Tenino-based Wolf Haven International has renamed its prairie in memory of a beloved and renowned conservationist, Patrick Vance Dunn, who died last year. Around 40 acres of critical Mima Mound prairie and oak woodlands is now known as the Patrick Vance Dunn Memorial Prairie.
“For over 25 years, Pat led prairie conservation and restoration efforts in the South Sound. Pat’s legacy will continue through the innovative conservation strategies he helped implement, the wildlife protection he facilitated, the partnerships he cultivated,” read a news release from the organization.
Dunn died July 28, 2020. He was 61.
According to a blog post by Friends of Puget Prairie, which is hosting a memorial July 20, he died from a heart attack.
Diane Gallegos, executive director of Wolf Haven International, told The Chronicle that Dunn worked with the Center for Natural Lands Management doing prairie conservation work when their paths crossed. Through his work, he helped remove invasive Scotch broom weeds from Wolf Haven’s prairie and transform it into the critical habitat it is used for today.
“He had a career of conservation work, most recently over the last two decades here in the South Sound area. He was behind the vision to preserve a lot of the mounded and prairie area here in the area,” she said. “Pat has had a lasting impact on the region and we’re just so honored to have a prairie named after someone so special to us.”
Dunn, Gallegos said, had been an innovative figure in conservation over the past few decades and his work was lasting. He was also a collaborator who inspired minds from all around the region — from British Columbia down to the Willamette Valley.
He had many accomplishments from his work, according to Wolf Haven. Dunn secured more than 15 critical prairie acquisitions in an effort to preserve and restore them to their natural habitat. He also developed infrastructure needed to scale up restoration, such as conducting prescribed burns and developing a native seed nursery. His philosophy of collaborative conservation was mirrored by the Cascadia Prairie-Oak Partnership.
His prairie conservation efforts first started with work on the prairies surrounding Joint Base Lewis-McChord. He reportedly helped the Army improve its training grounds to help both conservation efforts and military training.
“He meant a lot to us, and the South Sound, with the conservation work he did,” Gallegos said. “He was amazing. He championed a lot of the efforts that have had a lot of lasting impacts in this area.”
Dunn’s namesake grassland is home to a number of endangered species — including the Mazama pocket gopher, golden paintbrush flower and Taylor’s checkerspot butterfly — and the area is deemed critical habitat.
Friends of Puget Prairie will host a memorial event to remember Dunn and the lives of two other conservationists who recently died Don Guyot and Doug Whitlock, at 3:30 p.m. Tuesday, July 20, at the Glacial Heritage Preserve, Gallegos said.
