Calendar of Events
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For our Google Calendar of Events, click here
Official
CNPS Events and those of special interest to plant-lovers!
Upcoming Events:
Please see our new website for the latest news and events at chapters.cnps.org/bristlecone/news-and-events/
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About Events
All events are subject to change - please check back here often for updates, additions, cancellations, etc. For trips involving traveling any distance to meet, it's also a good idea to check with the trip leader the day before to make sure nothing has changed.
April 2024
- April 19-21, Friday-Sunday: Owens Lake Bird Festival
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Since 2015, Friends of the Inyo’s Owens Lake Bird Festival in Lone Pine, CA has been celebrating the migration of thousands of birds as they alight at Owens Lake to replenish their strength before continuing their transcontinental journey along the Pacific Flyway, which extends from Alaska to Patagonia. Owens Lake has been designated a Nationally Significant Important Bird Area by the National Audubon Society and the American Bird Conservancy. This Festival is more than just about birding, and outings are designed to cover topics that include botany, photography, geology, local history and culture, and more to complement the experience. To find out the scheduled activities and register, go to: https://friendsoftheinyo.org/birdfestival/
- April 27, Saturday, 9:30am: Chalk Bluff and Fish Slough. Bristlecone Chapter Field Trip with Steve Matson
Meet behind (southside) of Von’ gas station at 9:30 AM.
We will be driving on dirt roads so plan accordingly. No high clearance necessary. BLM Spring in Fish Slough will be our ultimate destination. You may car pool here if you so desire. Driving distances out of Bishop will be short, roughly 30 miles round trip.
Bring lunch, water, sun protection, cameras. There will not be a lot of walking. If time allows, we can practice using iNaturalist app on your smart phone.
The plan is to witness the spring flora near the Owens River north of Bishop and have a look at a species of plant only recently found in California.- May 4, Saturday, 11-2: Native Plant Sale at ESLT Gardenfest, Bristlecone Chapter and Eastern Sierra Land Trust Event
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A fun family-friendly community event to celebrate spring with Eastern Sierra Land Trust, right in the office’s backyard. Purchase native plants, learn gardening tips and tricks, and enjoy local food and kids activities and more. GardenFest will also offer opportunities to learn about ESLT’s Eastside Pollinator Garden Project, which is helping local gardeners bring their gardens to life by attracting hummingbirds, butterflies, and other important pollinators. Held at 250 North Fowler in Bishop.
- May 11, Saturday, 8:30 am: Eureka Valley and Lime Hill. Bristlecone Chapter Field Trip with Steve Matson
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Meet at 8:30 AM at the kiosk in Big Pine at the Junction of Hwy 395 and Hwy 168. You may carpool here if you care to.
We will be driving on paved roads only, expect about a 60 miles round trip.
Bring lunch, a lot of water, sun protections, cameras.
We will explore a few spots on the way to Eureka Valley and drive no further than the end of the pavement. We hope to find a recently described species in the genus Nemacladus, everyone’s favorite! - June 1, Saturday: Pollinator garden tours, ESLT and Bristlecone Chapter Event
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Pollinator garden tours starting at the Eastern Sierra Land Trust Office at 250 N. Fowler in Bishop. Locals across the Eastern Sierra have been hard at work creating beautiful native plant and pollinator gardens. During the Garden Tour, you can see these lovely gardens in bloom, and learn more about pollinator-friendly gardening.
- June 15: July-August Bristlecone Chapter Newsletter Deadline
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Today is the deadline for submissions for the March-April Bristlecone Chapter Newsletter to our Newsletter Editor, Elaine Chow, at newsletter@bristleconecnps.org. Contact Elaine with any questions.
May 2024
June 2024
Being Planned:
Check the CNPS state website at https://www.cnps.org/education/workshops for 2024 workshops or to sign up to get their announcements.
In the past, the Bristlecone Chapter has hosted two events on alternate years – a Spring or Summer Sojourn and the Bristlecone Chapter Banquet. We haven't held these in a number of years, but they could be revived if there are more volunteers and interest! In 2013 we held a Spring Sojourn in Big Pine. The Sojourn is a weekend of field trips, evening programs and visiting. In 2009 it was held in July at the Crooked Creek Facility in the White Mountains. In 2011 and 2012 we did not hold a special event due to lack of available volunteers. The 2010 Banquet was held in July at the Crowley Lake Community Center. In order to continue hosting these events, we need volunteers. If you are interested in volunteering to help organize events or to lead a trip, contact any board member!
About Bristlecone Chapter Events
Bristlecone Chapter Field Trips:
Every year the Bristlecone Chapter plans a variety of excursions to interesting and floriferous places. Our trips usually begin in late March to points in the low desert of our region, such as Death Valley or the Mojave Desert, where the flower display begins in early spring. We generally follow the flowers up in elevation as spring and summer progress, ending our quest for blooms in the highest regions of our awesome surrounding mountains in mid-summer. Our explorations usually finish with an appreciation of fall colors displayed in the extensive aspen groves found in the Eastern Sierra. We also schedule seed collecting or cleaning trips and work parties at the Mary DeDecker Native Plant Garden in Independence.
Everyone is welcome on our field trips, whether or not you are a member of CNPS, and whether or not you know a turnip from a scarlet monkeyflower!
Please keep in mind that all events, especially field trips which rely on outdoor conditions, are subject to change. Check back here often for updates, additions, cancellations, etc. Also, especially for events requiring travel, consider contacting the trip leader the day before the trip to confirm.
Field Trip Policies
Event Photos
Annual Bristlecone Chapter Events:
The Bristlecone Chapter hosts two events on alternate years – a Sierra Spring or Summer Sojourn, and the Bristlecone Chapter Banquet. Whether we hold these special events or not in a given year depends on how many dedicated volunteers step up to organize and help make them happen. If you are interested in volunteering to help us put on one of these events, or for any other reason, contact any board member!Our chapter members are encouraged to attend both events. The public is also welcome.
The Sojourn is a weekend of field trips, evening programs and visiting. In 2013 it was held at the end of May at the Sierra Adventure Center at Bernasconi Ranch located in the foothills of the Sierra Nevada Mountains west of Big Pine at an elevation of about 5000 feet. In 2009 it was held in July at the Crooked Creek Facility in the White Mountains. Watch the newsletters and events page for when the next event is planned!
Also don't miss our Annual Native Plant Sales!
General Bristlecone Chapter Meetings and Presentations:
Membership meetings include brief discussion of chapter business, followed by a presentation by a guest speaker. Presentations are geared to appeal to persons of a wide range of knowledge of native plants, from beginners to professional botanists. The November meeting each year is a pot luck, often with a members’ slide show in lieu of a speaker.
Unless otherwise announced, General Chapter Meetings will be at the White Mountain Research Station (3000 E. Line St. Bishop).
