Welcome, Rachel Kato!

Yamhill SWCD is delighted to welcome Rachel Kato as our Miller Woods Nursery Caretaker as of December 2022. After earning a degree in jazz dance and teaching for years, her interest in nature compelled her to pursue a new direction. Rachel’s love for plants began at an early age with home gardening and grew as she learned about native plants while out hiking. She began photographing her favorite plants, such as Lomatium macrocarpum, and has even had her photos featured in the Oregon Native Plant Society’s Native Plant Appreciation Month Poster. Rachel started her nursery career with Bosky Dell Native Plant Nursery, and after years of experience, she is thrilled to work with the Miller Woods nursery while pursuing her master’s degree in environmental science.

After planting thousands of native plants for the Miller Woods nursery in her first few months, Rachel hopes to grow even more plants with an expanded variety for future Native Plant Sales. She would especially like to find more drought tolerant species, emphasize the importance of pollinator conservation, and inspire more people to integrate native plants into their own yards. Rachel works with an amazing group of dedicated volunteers at Miller Woods and would love to see even more volunteers get involved to help achieve long term goals such as a Native Plant Walk and an edible native plant focus area. For 2023, Rachel is excited to participate in the Earth Day event and Fall plant sale at Miller Woods, both of which will showcase the amazing native plants she is eager to share with all. 

Welcome to the Yamhill SWCD team, Rachel.