Contribute to rare species conservation in Oregon
Based out of Portland State University's Institute for Natural Resources and Rae Selling Berry Seed Bank, and data provided by Oregon Biodiversity Information Center, Oregon Rare Species Spotters (formerly Citizen's Rare Plant Watch) has been enabling community members to contribute to conservation for 13 years.
Search for rare species
Describe how they’re doing
Contribute to their conservation
Our primary targets for ORSS
A new aspect of our program
This program is housed at PSU by the Berry Seed Bank and Institute for Natural Resources,
and we are supported by many conservation advocates in Oregon:
Hosted at PSU, the Rae Selling Berry Seed Bank focuses on conservation of native plants in Oregon.
NPSO is a major supporter of plant conservation in Oregon, and NPSO members are active participants in ORSS activities.
The rare species database for Oregon. ORBIC helps preserve these species and habitats in Oregon by cataloging rare species locations, ranking species by their rarity and risk of extirpation, mapping ecosystem types and habitats, and so much more.
The home department for ORBIC, based at Portland State University with a sister dept. at Oregon State University.
A new project in 2026 partners with COLT in Oregon and the Greenfield-Hartline Foundation of the Nature Conservancy.
Nora (far right) teaching volunteers about rare fungi, including Helvella elastica, the slender stalked Helvella.
If you are interested in contributing to plant and fungi conservation in Oregon, please fill out the form below to be added to the ORSS email list.