Volume 25 No. 2 March/April 2005
THE CALIFORNIA NATIVE PLANT SOCIETY |
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Chapter Board and Regular Meetings Our next Board meeting will be Wednesday, March 16, at Hal Klieforth's Natural History Library in the old BLM office in Bishop (contact Sherryl for directions). The March meeting is March 30 at 7:00 p.m. at the White Mtn. Research Station and our speaker will be Ilene Anderson who will be talking about desert belly flowers. Our May meeting will bc May 7, 2005 at 2:00 p.m. at the Mary DeDecker native plant garden. All are welcome to attend! PRESIDENT'S MESSAGE Thanks for all of the great participation in our field trip planning meeting. So many good ideas of places to go and almost not enough weekends! What an exciting season ahead! If you have done your website "homework" you can scnd it to Jo Bacon. Her email address is: jbacon22@verizon.net. On our May meeting during the heart of wildflower season, we will check in on the tamed inhabitants of the Mary DeDecker Native Plant Garden at the Eastern California Museum in Independence. Karen Ferrell-Ingram will lcad a tour of the garden, discussing propagation and culturc of the various spccics planted there. Information will be shared on the basics of native plant gardening, along with growing tips on our most beautiful, wildlife-friendly and garden-worthy species. Thanks for all the good work everyone is doing. ........ Sherryl Taylor UPCOMING EVENTS 2005 BRISTLECONE CHAPTER EVENTS CALENDAR - 2005 ANNUAL MEETING OF AMERICAN PENSTEMON SOCIETY TO BE HELD IN BISHOP The 2005 Annual Meeting of the American Penstemon will be held in Bishop over the weekend of June 10-12, 2005. One day will be spent botanizing in the White Mountains and another in the Sierra in the vicinity of Rock Creek. Members of the Bristlecone Chapter will be helping out and you are invited to help with selecting the field trip locations, monitoring plant blooming and helping with the guiding. In addition to the field trips, which are the principal function of the meetings, there will be two dinner meetings. One will be held at Whiskey Creek on Saturday June 11 and the principal speaker will be Stephen Ingram of our Chapter. The Annual Meeting will be held on Sunday evening at the Crowley Lake Community Center where Dr. Dale Lindgren of the University of Nebraska will talk on his experience with hybridizing penstemons for the horticultural trade. The APS is very appreciative of the help that Karen Ferrell-Ingram and her husband Stephen have given in developing plans for the meetings. They led preliminary scouting trips to the Whites and Sierra last June to help decide just where to go. Now we are just hoping that the weather and Mother Nature cooperate to provide a wonderful blooming season next June. If you would like to help please contact Karen. If you would like further information on the trip or the APS please contact the leaders of the meeting, Bob and Phoebe McFarlane in Denver at 303-740-8110 or at denvrbob@aol.com. CONSERVATION Take the Battle to Los Angeles! Last year around this time, the Bristlecone Chapter sent a list of seven questions regarding the Inyo-LA Water Agreement (Water Agreement) to all candidates for Inyo County Supervisor. We posted the answers on our chapter website and encouraged voters to read them. Only one incumbent answered (at the last minute) while all three winning candidates answered our questions promptly. This year, Los Angeles elects a new mayor and several city council members. Because they appoint members of the Board of Water and Power, which, in turn, controls DWP, the mayor and city council have as much control over Inyo County as do Inyo County Supervisors. That's why, by the time you read this, our chapter will have submitted questions regarding DWP's flagrant abuses of the Water Agreement to candidates in Los Angeles. Questions and answers will be posted on our website at www.bristleconecnps.org/Conservation/LA_elections.htm. Please contact anyone you know who cares about Owens Valley and is either a DWP ratepayer and/or a voter in Los Angeles and ask him/her to visit the website and send the questions to mayoral and the city council candidates of his/her choice. The more frequently candidates receive requests to answer the questions, the more likely they are to take the trouble to think about and answer them. ... . ....Daniel Pritchett, Conservation Chair Botanical Grant Program Awards to Local Projects The Bristlecone Chapter of the California Native Plant Society has recently awarded three grants for botanical projects. The Mary DeDecker Botanical Grant Program annual1y awards funding for projects that increase the understanding and appreciation of our region's unique native flora. Local project recipients are: The Lee Vining Schools Native Plant Interpretive Garden Project, submitted by Ilene Mandelbaum. The garden project goal is to honor the cultural traditions of our diverse community groups through the selection of traditional food and medical crops for study and or propagation. It is the first and only school and community garden in Mono County. Mono County Eastern Sierra Watershed Program, Riparian Vegetation Component, submitted by Bartshe Miller, Education Director of the Mono Lake Committee. Students will learn in small groups at various hands on stations measuring data along the riparian system. 6th, 7th, and 8th grade students in Mono County will be involved in the program. Valentine Eastern Sierra Reserve (VESR) Native Plant Project, submitted by Leslie Dawson and Sherry Taylor. Objectives include to enhance Mammoth Elementary School biological science curriculum through hands on learning, continue the current VESR Native Plant Project curriculum, diversify the plants in the VESR nursery, and expand the curriculum to include a botany lesson on flowers, pollination and plant survival. As a final project, the students will restore a site with multiple species of plants. Karen Ferrell Ingram, DeDecker Grant Chairperson and the California Native Plant Sale Chairperson stated that proceeds from the annual September Native plant sale fund the DeDecker Grants. The grant program is a fitting way to remember Mary's many contributions to the people and plants of the Eastern Sierra. NEW MEMBERS Thank you for all our many Bristlecone chapter renewals and a warm Eastern Sierra welcome to new members: Bill Danielson -Mountain View Wendy & Joe Duncan -Bishop Rich Thiel -Sequoia National Park Thomas Kufta -Upland Paul & Gail Verdugo -Coleville
Next Newsletter Deadline: April 28th
2005 Bristlecone Chapter Events Calendar March 5, Saturday. Death Valley. Leader: Mark Bagley. Meet at 9:00 a.m. in the parking lot in front of the Furnace Creek Visitor Center in Death Valley National Park. Exactly where we'll go will be determined just prior to the trip so we hit the areas in peak bloom. Fall and winter rains have been fairly abundant this year and it looks to be an excellent or possibly fantastic year for wildflowers in the park. Annuals have already started to bloom in some abundance in February at the lowest elevations. Easy walking from the cars. Standard car OK. Bring lunch, water, good walking shoes, etc. Trip will end about 4 p.m. March 13, 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 l:00 PM. For more information, call Scott Hetzler at 873-8392. March 26, Saturday. Mary Dedecker Native Plant Garden Spring Cleaning. Leader: Jerry Zatorski. This is an annual spring cleaning for the garden. March is a great time to jump on any exotic weeds and get them out before they drop their seed as well as trim up anything that might need it. We'll meet at the garden at the Eastern California Museum in Independence at 9:00 AM, bring garden gloves, trowels, hand pruners, and wear sturdy work clothes. For more information contact Jerry Zatorski at 872-38 18 or jerryzat@yahoo.com. April 9, Saturday. Alabama Hills & Manzanar NHS. Leader: Richard Potashin. Meet at the Lone Pine City Park (N side of town, W of 395) at 9:00 AM. We'll explore the Alabama Hills (Hollywood Hills) to see spring color. We're likely to see primrose, Mojave Aster and the famous Roy Rodgers daisy. The trip will follow the back roads through the hills to Moffat Ranch. In the afternoon we'll mix wildflowers with history at Manzanar National Historic Site. Bring lunch, water and dress for weather. Regular cars are fine on all roads. For more information contact Richard at 878-2194 x 12. April 16, Saturday. Indian Wells Canyon. Leader: Naomi Fraga. Indian Wells Canyon is situated on the east side of the southern Sierra Nevada, and ranges in elevation from 3000-5500 ft. We will explore the full length of the canyon and explore three different habitats along the way. We will meet at the Indian Wells Steak House and Brewery at 9:00 am, From there we will caravan up Indian Wells Canyon to view the creosote bush scrub, where a wide array of desert annuals will be present, including the desert dandelion, desert pincushion, and several Camissonia and Phacelia species. From there we will return to our vehicles and continue to drive along the canyon, until we reach the Joshua Tree woodland, where SaIazaria mexicana and Tetradymia stenolepis are also abundant. Our final destination is the pinyon woodland, where Great Basin sagebrush, foothills pines, and canyon live oak are abundant. This is a full-day outing with light to moderate hiking. Participants should wear layered clothing, bring plenty of water, and a lunch. From the Indian Wells Steak House and Brewery carpooling is recommended, so we may have as few cars possible. 4-wheel drive is advisable, high clearance required. Directions: The Indian Wells Steak House and Brewery is on the west side of the 14 just south of the terminus of Hwy 14 at Hwy 395. Contact Naomi Fraga for details at naomi.fraga@cgu.edu or (909) 625-8767 x231 April 24, Sunday. The Owens River Clean-Up. Leaders: Sara Steck & Joan Benner. The clean-up is co-sponsored by Eastern Sierra Audubon, Bishop Rotary, Bristlecone Chapter of CNPS, CalTrans, and Sierra Club. Meet at the junction of East Line Street and the Owens River Bridge at 9:00 AM, for safety reasons, park in the open area south of the bridge and E. Line Street. CalTrans will supply trash bags, pick-up tools and a truck to haul the trash. Participants should wear long pants (for walking through brush), bring sturdy gloves and carry water. The clean-up will last for two hours. At 11:00 AM, return to the parking area for prizes and to turn in trash bags not picked up by the CalTrans truck. After the awarding of prizes, we will proceed to the back of the Bishop City Park, across the road from the Senior Center for a potluck lunch. Bring lunch food to share and a folding chair. Audubon will provide cold drinks. It will be a great opportunity to share food and conversation. For additional information, contact Sara Steck @ 873-4320 or Joan Benner @ 938-2929. April 30, Saturday. Sage Flat, southwestern most end of the Owens Valley. Leaders George Waite and Mark Bagley. Meet at 9:30 a.m. along Sage Flat Road, about 40 minutes south of Lone Pine, a few miles south of Olancha. Turn west on Sage Flat Road, about 5 miles south of Hwy. 190 on 395. Proceed to the meeting spot 4.5 miles up the road at a corral on the right, just before the road turns from paved to dirt. The dirt roads are a little rough in places, high-clearance vehicles recommended but not required. We can carpool at the corral. We'll explore George's 500-acre property and surrounding Forest Service land which is located at the base of the Sierra Nevada where the desert meets the mountains. We'll check out George's recent efforts at planting natives to rehab some of the areas near the old ranch buildings. Easy walking from the cars. Bring lunch, water, good walking shoes, etc. Trip will end about 3 or 4 p.m. May 7, Saturday. Independence Wildflower Walk. Leader: Jerry Zatorski. This will be a morning walk to explore the spring bloom on the alluvial fan just west of independence. We will meet at the Eastern California Museum in the back parking lot at 9:00 AM. Bring fluids, snacks, camera, etc.. . We should be done around noon. This field trip will coincide with the General Meeting at the Museum at 2:00 PM. For more information contact Jerry Zatorski, 872-3818 or jerryzat@yahoo.com. May 13-15. Sierra Spring Sojourn. See announcement in this newsletter May 21, Saturday, Swall Meadows area. Leader: Karen Ferrell-Ingram On this annual wildflower wander, we will spend the morning somewhere on the Sherwin Slope where the blooms are most diverse and abundant. More details will follow in the May newsletter. Please contact Karen at ingram@bishopwireless.net or 387-2913 for more information. June 4, Saturday. Take the Owens Valley Challenge -attend a field trip on the valley floor! Leader: Daniel Pritchett. Meet at the Laws Museum parking area at 8:30 AM. Learn about native alkali meadow vegetation; learn about relationships between vegetation and water table depth; learn about exempt wells and the Inyo-LA Long Term Water Agreement and EIR! Not for the faint-hearted! 4x4 not required but high clearance will help. Temperatures may be high. Bring water, snacks, hat, sunscreen, sense of humor, and capacity for outrage. Trip will end by noon. PS: we will see several CNPS-listed species including Owens Valley endemics Calochortus excavatus and Sidalcea covillei. June 5, 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, call Scott Hetzler at 873-8392. June 10-11, American Penstemon Society Annual Meeting and field trips. See announcement in this newsletter for more details or contact Karen at ingram@bishopwireless.net or 387-2913 for more information. June 18, Saturday. Meadows of Fish Slough. Leader: Jerry Zatorski. This area is known for its excellent assortment of alkali meadow species. We will explore some of the meadow habitats in Fish Slough, and see what we find. Bring snacks, plenty of fluids, and sun protection. We will meet at the Y at Highways 395 and 6 at 7:00AM. We will be done by noon. For more information contact Jerry Zatorski, 872-3 818 or jerryzat@yahoo.com. June 25, Saturday, Witcher Meadow Wildflowers and Weeding. Leaders: Karen Ferrell-Ingram and Stephen Ingram. We will drive to the edge of Witcher Meadow, situated at 7640' on the northeast slope of Wheeler Crest, where we will wander around the meadow to see what is blooming. We may see shooting stars, spike mallow, pussy-toes, orchids, monkey flowers, among many others. After botanizing for an hour or so, we will eradicate the invasive goat's beard, Tragopogon dubius, and other weeds we may find. Lunch at the meadow among Jeffrey pines, and return by early afternoon. Meet at the gravel pit on Sky Meadow Rd. in Swall Meadows at 9 am. We will carpool in 4WD vehicles from the gravel pit for the 15-minute drive up to the meadow. Well-behaved dogs also welcome. Please contact Stephen and Karen at ingram@bishopwireless.net or 387-2913 for more information. July 16, Saturday. Silver Peak Range in Nevada. Leader Scott Hetzler. Meet at the Y in Bishop (intersection of highways 395 & 6) at 9:00 AM. Bring a lunch and fluids, we will be on our own all day. There will be very little hiking, and we will see most of the plants near the road. We hope to see some really cool Buckwheats. For more information, call Scott Hetzler at 873-8392. July 30, Saturday. Tioga Pass Area. Leader: Cathy Rose. We'll hike via Bennettville to Crystal Pass by the Mine Creek Chain of Lakes, enjoying wonderful views, plants, abundance of birds, and geology. Bring lunch, water and a camera. Be sure you are ready for a high elevation ramble. Meet at 8:30 AM at Tom's Place for carpooling or at 9:30 AM at the junction of Tioga Pass Rd. (hwy 120) and Saddlebag Lake Rd., about two miles east of the entrance of Yosemite NP. August 13, Saturday. Grunion Plateau. Leader: Denise Waterbury. Join Denise for a botanical exploration to an alpine meadow in the Coyote area. Starting at South Lake, the group will "hike the pipe" to get to Brown and Green Lakes. From Green Lake, a short, steep trail (with good flowers) leads up to a meadow in the sky, known as the Grunion Plateau. If the Grunion are running, the flowers will be stunning. If not, there are still spectacular views to be got! Meet at the South Lake parking lot at 8:30 AM. This is a moderate hike of about 8-9 miles with approximately 2,500 feet of elevation gain. Bring plenty of water and food, sunblock, and insect repellant. Wear sturdy shoes and bring your rain gear (just in case)! For more information call Denise at (760) 920-5204. August 27, Saturday. White Mountains. Leader: Cathy Rose. We'll walk the new 3-mile Cabin Trail. Bring lunch, water and a camera. The walks are not difficult, but the elevation is all above 10,000 feet. Meet at 9:00 AM at the Edith Mendenhall Park in the north end of Big Pine on the Sierra side of the Highway 395. We'll carpool there to the trailhead at the Schuman Grove visitor center. September 24, Saturday. Native Plant Sale. Locally grown grasses, perennials, and shrubs will be offered for sale. Check the website, future newsletters, or contact Karen at ingram@bishopwireless.net or 387-2913 for more information. October 1, Saturday. Take the Owens Valley challenge - attend a field trip on the valley floor! Field trip leader: Daniel Pritchett. Meet at the Blackrock Fish Hatchery raceway parking lot at 8:30 AM. Learn about native alkali meadow vegetation; learn what trout have to do with dying meadows; learn about relationships between vegetation and water table depth; learn about exempt wells and the Inyo-LA Long Term Water Agreement and EIR! Not for the faint-hearted! 4x4 not required but high clearance will help. Temperatures may be high. Bring water, snacks, hat, sunscreen, sense of humor, and capacity for outrage. Trip will end by noon. October 16, Saturday. Mary DeDecker Native Plant Garden planting and cleaning. Leader: Jerry Zatorski. Fall is the best time to plant native plants, and we will be enhancing the Mary DeDecker Garden with some new plants. We will be planting and installing rabbit-proof cages around the new plantings. There will also be some general cleaning to do. We'll meet at the garden at the Eastern California Museum in Independence at 9:00 AM, bring garden gloves, trowels, hand pruners, fluids and snacks, and wear sturdy work clothes. For more information contact Jerry Zatorski at 872-38 18 or jerryzat@yahoo.com. October 23, 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, call Scott Hetzler at 873-8392.
FIELD TRIP POLICIES: For all field trips, be sure to bring plenty of water, lunch, good walking shoes or boots, and appropriate clothing for hot sun and/or inclement weather. Also useful would be a hand lens, binoculars, camera, floras, and plant lists. Trips will leave at the time announced, so please arrive at the meeting sites a few minutes early. Unless indicated, the average car should do fine. Car pooling is encouraged. Everyone is welcome, but not pets. For general question on field trips or if you would like to lead a trip, please call Jerry Zartoski (760) 872-3818 or write jerryzat@yahoo.com BRISTLECONE CHAPTER DIRECTORY -2005 PRESIDENT SECRETARY TREASURER
MEMBERSHIP HISTORIAN EDUCATION NEWSLETTER EDITOR PUBLICITY BOOK SALES
POSTER SALES T-SHIRT SALES FELD TRIPS PROGRAMS
PLANT SALE
DEDECKER MEMORIAL NATIVE PLANT GARDEN CONSERVATION LEGISLATION INVASIVE WEEDS PLANT COMMUNITIES RARE PLANT COORDINATOR
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