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"...I think it's important, in this time of cutting, to show the value of an ecosystem."
-Don McVay, Seattle Times Archives
Don McVay was a Professor at Shoreline Community College. He was part of the initial, and unsuccessful, effort in the 70s to turn the Shoreline Community College campus into an Arboretum. Decades later McVay pushed for renewing this goal. In 1990 McVay went on sabbatical and created the "A Guide to the Flora of the Shoreline Community College." He also spearheaded a walk-through campus plant tour.
The Seattle Times, during an interview with McVay, said he had a child-like enthusiasm for plants and their importance. "He has degrees in biology and zoology plus a greenhouse full of orchids at home, and minding nature is his thing." said interviewer Mark Ramirez.
This guide is the result of a survey in 1990 of the land Shoreline Community College. McVay explains that the Shoreline Community College was once known as the "Concrete Campus." Highlighted is the role Edward Watanabe played in changing that. the landscape and the architecture of the college. McVay also speaks to the collaborative effort of the entire college community to create the current landscape. The focus of this guide is the presence of native Northwest flora. Some key vegetation represented in this guide is the Western Red Cedar, the Douglas Fir, and the Spruce.
Special thanks to the Shoreline Community College President's Office for providing the Shorline Community College Library access to this work.
Darlene Lytle, April 2022
