Bristlecone Chapter of the California Native Plant Society

Spring Flower - Mojave Woodyaster

Mojave Woodyaster, Black Canyon,
Photo by Larry Blakely

The California Native Plant Society (CNPS) is a state-wide non-profit organization of lay persons and professionals who share an interest in California’s native plants. The Society, working through its local chapters, seeks to increase the understanding of California’s native flora and to preserve this rich resource for future generations. Membership is open to all.

The Bristlecone Chapter covers all of Mono and Inyo Counties and northeastern Kern County, an area that includes the east slope of the Sierra Nevada, the Northern Mojave Desert, the Inyo and White Mountains, and the Owens Valley. The southern end of the Bristlecone Chapter’s geographically large territory, in and around the Indian Wells Valley, has its own sub-chapter, Creosote Ring.

News:

The May-June 2012 Bristlecone Chapter Newsletter is online - read online or download and print.

The deadline for submitting articles for the next issue is June 25th.

Newsletter editor sought – if interested, please contact current editor, Daniel Pritchett, at newsletter@bristleconecnps.org

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Summer Plant Hunting in Rock Creek

Rock Creek has earned well-deserved recognition as a "Wildflower Hot Spot" of the Eastern Sierra. As part of her thesis research at Claremont Graduate University, Joy England will be producing a plant checklist for the Upper Rock Creek watershed which includes Little Lakes Valley and Rock Creek Canyon. Joy is looking for plant enthusiasts to accompany her on field trips. An amazing variety of habitats will be explored including alpine, streamside riparian and montane meadow. For 2012 field dates and more information, contact her at jengland@rsabg.org

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Upcoming CNPS Events

Field Trips, Meetings, and other events of interest scheduled for the next month – for more events, including non-CNPS events which may be of interest to our members, see our Events Page.

CNPS EventMay 12, Saturday– Sawmill Road, Greenhorn Mountains, led by Jane McEwen. This is a Creosote Ring Sub-Chapter event.

The highlights of this trip in the Greenhorn Mountains include driving through several plant communities, from Grey Pines and Oaks up into Pines, Firs and Cedars, exploring a mountain meadow, and driving down Sawmill Road with spectacular views of Lake Isabella.

We will leave Inyokern Post Office parking area at 9:00 am; Drive along the South side of Lake Isabella on Hwy 178; and meet others from the Kern River Valley at 10:30 a.m. at Tillie Creek Campground (Elevation 5000) on Tuttle Road, off Highway 155, just south of Wofford Heights (57 miles from Inyokern). From there we will drive along Hwy 155 up into the Greenhorn Mountains; Travel south on Forest Route 25S15/Rancheria Road, past Shirley Meadows Ski Area, traveling south along the ridge, through a beautiful forest of cedar trees to Evans Flat Meadows (Elevation 6040; 16 miles from Tillie Campground); and then double back and head down Sawmill Road back to Highway 155 on the west side of Lake Isabella. The drive down Sawmill Road requires high clearance vehicles. A plant list for the area along Rancheria Road is available on the CNPS Kern County Chapter, website: http://www.kerncnps.org/PlantLists/rancheria.html. Contact person: Jane McEwan at mcewanmj@gmail.com or 760-264-6206 (cell).

CNPS EventMay 20, Sunday - Highway clean-up. Leader: Scott Hetzler.

Meet at the intersection of Highway 395 and Pine Creek Rd., west of 395, at 9.00 AM. We will try to be done by 1:00 PM. For more information contact Scott at (760) 873-8392.

CNPS Event May 30, Wednesday, 7pm: Bristlecone Chapter General Meeting: Loss of Coastal Sage Scrub from western Riverside County (and lessons for the Owens Valley)

Wednesday, May 30, 2012, 7:00 pm at White Mountain Research Station, 3000 East Line St. in Bishop.

Dr. Yonne Wood, president of the Bristlecone Chapter will give a talk entitled “Loss of Coastal Sage Scrub from western Riverside County.” Her talk will examine the conversion of a unique California plant community to one dominated by invasive grasses. She will show how combined pressures from air pollutants and fire dynamics lead to soil loss across hillsides supporting this community. Lessons learned may be applicable throughout California, including Owens Valley.

CNPS EventJune 2, Saturday – Alakali Meadow, Black Rock. Leader: Daniel Pritchett.

As recently as the mid 1980’s the area south/southwest of Blackrock Springs was alkali meadow, a rare plant community in California. Continuous pumping for the Blackrock hatchery with the assistance of the 2007 Inyo Complex Fire is now converting part of the area into a dustbowl. Come see what an Inyo County Water Department-certified pumping impact looks like, as well as an example of very successful groundwater-dependent meadow management. We will explore an area from the Fort Independence reservation north to 8-mile Ranch/Blackrock hatchery area. Sense of humor and capacity for outrage required. 4x4 not necessary but high clearance never hurts. Meet at Fort Independence travel plaza/casino parking lot at 8:45 am. Bring water, snacks, hat, and sunscreen. Trip will end by noon. Contact person: Daniel at 760-873-8943.

CNPS EventJune 10, Sunday – Bodie Hills. Co-host with Friends of the Inyo, Drew Foster.

Come on out for an all day floral adventure in the Bodie Hills. Let’s see what’s in bloom in this mélange of the floras of the Sierra Nevada and the Great Basin high desert. Viewscapes are guaranteed to impress, sagebrush will be present and plentiful, and good times to be had by all! This will be an all day hike, moderate to strenuous, so please bring plenty of water, a lunch, snacks, and the usual outdoor stuff (sunscreen, hat, hiking shoes, etc.) Meet at the end of the pavement at Highway 270 (the rd to Bodie State Park) to carpool, 8:30am (subject to change). Don’t forget your hand lenses! Call Drew at (805) 405-7577 for more information.

CNPS EventJune 17, Sunday – Rodeo Flat & Lower Fish Creek Meadow on the Kern Plateau led by Kathy LaShure. This is a Creosote Ring Sub-Chapter event.

Although, in this so-far dry year, it is unlikely that there will be a repeat of last summer’s glorious carpets of wildflowers in these locations, we still might see some rare plants such as Fritillaria pinetorum, Phacelia orogenes, or Viola pinetorum ssp. grisea that were documented from these locations in 2011. Other rare plants we’ll also be looking for are Erigeron multiceps, 2 species of Astragalus and Cordylanthus eremicus ssp. kernensis.

We will meet at the Inyokern Post Office at 8:00 am to carpool. Be prepared for sun, wind, hot and cold. Bring food and drink, and have your fuel tanks full. Those coming from points north can meet the group at 8:30 am at the 9-Mile Canyon Rd turnoff from Hwy 395. Contact person: Kathy LaShure; 760-377-4541 or desert_encelia@verizon.net).

CNPS EventJune 23, Saturday: Oak Creek, Leader: Jerry Zatorski.

This will be an exploration of the lower Oak Creek area. Oak Creek hosts two native tree oak species found in the Eastern Sierra, and one is only found in this drainage. The 2007 fire and 2008 flood has greatly changed the landscape in many places, and after a few years of recovery we’ll see what’s there now, what survived the major disturbances, and maybe get an idea of what may be there in the future. From the trail head we will also hike up the canyon to see what may be happing further up in elevation. The hiking portion is moderate to slightly difficult and it could be warm at the lower elevations, bring plenty of water, lunch, field guide, hand lens, sunscreen and hat. We should be done by late afternoon. We will meet at 8:00 AM at the intersection of Fish Hatchery Rd. and US 395, 2.3 miles north of Independence and 0.5 mile south of the Fort Independence gas station. For more information contact Jerry Zatorski at (760) 3987-2920 or jerryzat@gmail.com.

CNPS EventJune 24, Sunday, 9am: SNARL Weed Pull and Tour, Sierra Nevada Aquatic Research Lab, Convict Creek area, Mono County.

SNARL is the only known locality in California for scalloped-leaved lousewort (Pedicularis crenulata). Bristlecone Chapter member Ann Howald has monitored this species at SNARL for more than 30 years. Woolly mullein is a weed that invades the lousewort’s meadow habitat. To reduce the presence of woolly mullein in the area and limit its potential for invading SNARL, we will spend a couple of hours removing mullein on land adjacent to SNARL. Weed removal will include only physical methods. Following the weed-pull, we will eat our lunches at SNARL’s picnic tables, then Ann will lead of tour of SNARL’s meadow and sagebrush habitats, including visits to lousewort colonies, and other rare plant populations.

Bring lunch, water, hat, sunscreen, work gloves, and a dandelion digger or trowel if you have one. Expect this activity to be completed by about 2 pm. Carpooling from Bishop is recommended; meet at the intersection of Rovana Rd and 395 at 8:30 am. Please let Sue Weis or Ann know if you are planning to attend. Ann can be reached at: annhowald@vom.com or 707-721-6120. Contact Sue at 760-873-3485 or sueweis@aol.com.

For more events, see the Bristlecone Chapter Events Page

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Creosote Ring Subchapter wins awards in Rare Plant Treasure Hunt!

The results are in for the 2011 Rare Plant Treasure Hunt, a state-wide collaboration between CNPS & the Department of Fish and Game to update data on rare plants and their associated habitats. The Red Jeepsters team (Kathy & Rich LaShure of Inyokern & the Creosote Ring subchapter) were declared Intrepid Treasure Hunters, the Second Place designation for team awards. Rich also received a Third Place for his photograph of the subchapter field trip to Osa Meadows in late August. Read More about their adventures and see photos on the Creosote Ring Subchapter page...

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We now have a Facebook Page and a Wildflower Hotspot Forum!

Facebook Page

The Bristlecone Chapter now has a Facebook Page! If you are on Facebook, head on over and "like" us (or click "like" in the box at left) to get updates in your Facebook newsfeed. While you are there, post a message on our wall, share photos or links of interest, let us know what you think!

New! Even if you are not on Facebook, you can still see our Facebook page updates on this website, so you won't miss anything!

Wildflower Hotspots Google Group

Google Groups
Wildflower Hotspots
Visit this group

For those of you not on Facebook, who would like to share wildflower sightings, photos, etc, join our Google Group, Wildflower Hotspots. You can control the number of messages you receive, from none (view on the web only) to emails for every new post (recommended at first, so you don't miss anything - and since this is a new group, there may not be very many messages at first). After you join, you may post your reports and/or photos and view other posts either by email or online. If you do not have a Google account, you will have to create one, but it's free, easy, and you can use your normal email address. You may also see the latest posts on this website on our Wildflower Hotspots page.

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Conservation Alerts

New! Conservation Alerts from the Bristlecone Chapter: if you'd like to receive occasional emails alerting you to conservation issues which directly affect the Eastern Sierra, contact Steve McLaughlin at conservation_alerts@bristleconecnps.org and request to be added to the email list. Our first Conservation Alert was sent on 2/1/2011 about the Bodie Hills - read more about it here.

Current Conservation issues to be aware of include:

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But Wait! There's More:

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