Little Romance on the Prairie

Dennis Plank and Michelle Blanchard are proof that more than flowers bloom on the South Puget Sound Prairies. The couple met at a Saturday work party at Glacial Heritage Preserve in Thurston County several years ago. It was several years before they became more than friends, but while sharing a carpool on a field trip, "We found out we were good traveling companions and that kind of kicked it off," explained Dennis. They were married last spring. Following is an excerpt from an interview with Michelle and Dennis, both long-time volunteers with The Nature Conservancy.

Nature.org: "Can you explain why you volunteer for the Conservancy? What do you gain?"

Michelle: "The thrill of taking on a ruined or damaged piece of landscape and restoring it. When I first saw the Glacial Heritage preserve, the Scotch broom was over my head. I didn't even know there was prairie there. You should see the difference we've made. It's also the opportunity to learn new skills. I've learned how to capture and band birds and now hold a Master Bander's Permit. I've learned how to properly burn grasslands. I can safely drop a tree. I've learned how to identify a lot of plants, both native and non-native. But mostly, I've gained a great number of friends, some of whom I've come to regard as family. Best of all, I met my husband, Dennis Plank, at the Glacial Heritage broom pulls. If nothing else, I can thank the Conservancy for giving me the opportunity to meet Dennis."

Dennis: "I've thought about this one a lot over the years. I think it's because this is my legacy. I want to leave the world in some way better than when I came into it. Whether we want to admit it or not, we are changing the planet. We have a responsibility to ensure that those changes don't destroy it. As a side benefit, I get to work in a lot of very beautiful places."

Nature.org: "You've volunteered at pretty much all of the Conservancy preserves in Washington. Which one is your favorite?"

volunteers Michelle and Dennis met on Washington's prairies

Dennis: "I don't do favorites."

Nature.org: "Really? Then it's surprising to me that you got married. Isn't that choosing a favorite?"

Dennis: "Yeah, but that took me 56 years!"

Nature.org: "What do you do when you're not volunteering?"

Dennis: "My main interest outside of my work at Boeing is probably my wife Michelle. Other than that, I dabble in studying natural history, evolution, Northwest history and anything else that happens to interest me."

Michelle: "Virtually anything to do with horses. I tell my friends the day I don't stop to look at a horse means you'd better cremate me, because it means I'm dead. I love biology, I eat and breathe it, and every day I'm in the field I'm absorbing another piece of this beautiful puzzle we call Earth."

Nature.org: "What are your plans for Valentine’s Day?"

Dennis: "We’ll be working that day, but on the weekend we’re planning to get outside. If the weather is good, we’ll most likely go to Glacial Heritage Preserve, where we met.”

volunteers Michelle and Dennis met on Washington's prairies

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