The Proposed Veva Stansell Botanical Area

Veva enjoying the Darlingtonia californica

The proposed Veva Stansell Botanical Area is located in the mountains east of Gold Beach, Oregon in the vicinity of Signal Buttes. 

In 2013, the Kalmiopsis Audubon Society and the Native Plant Society of Oregon submitted a nomination for designation of a botanical area at Signal Buttes in honor of Veva Stansell, a life-long Curry County resident and retired U.S. Forest Service botanist, widely-known and respected for her contributions to understanding and conserving botanical resources of the Siskiyou Mountains.

The mosaic of diverse plant communities in the proposed

Veva Stansell Botanical Area includes pine savannas —unusual on the west slope of the Coast Range, oak savannas featuring several species at their westernmost extent, dwarf forests, and a suite of other unique plants that grow in nutrient-poor serpentine soils, including Howell's or Gasquet manzanita, Piper's bluegrass, and Siskiyou sedge.

In addition, the area contains the largest-known population of

Veva's erigeron

the recently described Veva’s Erigeron (Erigeron stanselliae), a small daisy-like wild flower, first collected by Veva in 1982, and recently named in her honor.

The total acreage for the proposed Veva Stansell Botanical Area is 4,094 acres. The area lies between Hunter Creek and the Rogue River and adjoins the existing North Fork Hunter Creek Area of Critical Environmental Concern (ACEC), designated by the BLM for its botanical values in 1995 along with the nearby Hunter Creek Bog ACEC. The proposed Veva Stansell Botanical Area would complement existing designations by recognizing the sweep of vegetational communities at different elevations in the northern part of the Hunter Creek watershed.

Veva enjoying a hike near Signal Buttes.

Designation of the Veva Stansell Botanical Area will both protect and foster awareness and stewardship of our region's extraordinary botanical resources. 

Members of each of our organizations have known Veva and her enthusiasm for wild plants for over 30 years. We've learned from her and been inspired by her.

Veva has walked, botanized, and collected specimens in the proposed Botanical area. 

One friend, noting Veva’s close association with this place, said: “her physical presence is stamped on the area.” 

View to Rogue River mouth from Signal Buttes

You are listening to "Veva's Erigeron," a song composed and performed in Veva's honor. (not available in all browsers)




Please join us in supporting designation of the Veva Stansell Botanical Area. Click here to add your name to our petition.


For more information, contact Kalmiopsis Audubon Society