April 2005 x ft yfs m The Bay Leaf California Native Plant Society • East Bay Chapter • Alameda & Contra Costa Counties www.ebcnps.org CALENDAR OF EVENTS Native Here p. 8 April 1, 8, 15, 22, & 29, Fridays, Native Here open 9- noon April 2, 9, 16, 23, & 30, Saturdays, Native Here open 10 - 1 May 3, Tuesday, Native Here seed collection begins 9 am Field Trips p. 5 Sunday April 3, 2 pm, Pioneer Tree Trail, Samuel Taylor State Park Saturday, April 9,11 am, Antioch Dunes National Wildlife Refuge Sunday, April 17, 2:30 pm, Sunol Regional Park Saturday, April 23, 10 am, Warm Springs vernal pools at S.F. Bay Refuge Plant Sale Activities p. 3 Tuesdays, April 5, 12, 19, 26, 9 am to noon, Merritt College, Landscape Horticulture Department Board of Directors’ Meeting Wednesday, April 6, home of Delia Taylor, 1851 Cata- lina Avenue, Berkeley Membership Committee Membership table at the Regional Parks Botanic Garden Plant Sale on Saturday, April 16, 2005 p. 5 Membership table at the Oakland Museum Annual Wildflower Show on Saturday, April 16, 10 am to 5 pm and Sunday April 17, noon to 5 pm P- 8 Membership Meeting, see below Wednesday, April 27, 2005, 7:30 pm MEMBERSHIP MEETING California’s Wild Milkweeds Speaker: Gene Thomas Wednesday, April 27, 2005, 7:30 pm Location: Conference Center, University of California Botanical Garden at Berkeley (directions below) While most people don’t know it, one of their favorite plants should be the milkweed. They may not recog- nize this widespread plant, but the showy orange and black insect whose survival depends on it is the most recognized insect in the U.S — the monarch butterfly. There are over 100 species of milkweed ( Asclepias ) in the U.S., and most of them serve as food sources for the monarch caterpillar. A few other insects have evolved to utilize milkweeds as a food source, but the milkweed’s toxic cardenolides ensure protection from most herbivores, including all vertebrate ones. With one exception, Gene Thomas has photographed all 14 of California’s Asclepias species in the wild (the exception was photographed in his garden). He will cover a bit of their etymology, biochemistry, floral morphology (highly specialized for insect pollination) , and their viney next-of-kin, including the rare Matelea parvifolia. Gene Thomas moved to California over 10 years ago, where he rekindled his botanical interests after a graduate career in plant pathology and plant breeding/ genetics. He teaches microbiology, biology, and envi- ronmental science at Solano Community College. He’s an avid gardener and propagator, and would like to see Asclepias in every garden. East Bay Chapter CNPS membership meetings are free of charge and open to everyone. This month’s meeting will take place in the Conference Center of the Uni- continued on page 2 continued from page 1 versity of California Botanical Garden on Centennial Drive, east of Memorial Stadium and west of the Law- rence Hall of Science, above the main campus of the University of California at Berkeley. The Garden gate will open at 7:00 pm; the meeting begins at 7:30 pm. Refreshments will be served after the meeting. Please contact Sue Rosenthal, 510-496-6016 or rosacaliforn ica@earthlink.net, if you have any questions. Next month’s program: Wednesday, May 25, 7:30 pm (at the UC Berkeley Bo- tanical Garden) Sue Bainbridge — Inventory and Conservation of East Bay Vegetation CALFLORA Dear East Bay Chapter, We at Calflora would like to thank you again for your support. Thanks to friends like you and the hard work of our staff and volunteers, 2004 proved a remarkably successful year for us. In recognition of the East Bay Chapter’s support, we invite any amateur plant enthusiast who is a member of the East Bay Chapter of CNPS to register as an amateur Calflora user for free. Please visit the Chapter web site for details on how to do this. Calflora started 2004 with a new financial plan, re- cently rewritten server software, a newly written user registration system, and a database infrastructure in dire need of attention. In 2003 we had been forced to suspend operations for a full month while we drasti- cally reorganized our priorities, laid off our staff, and moved our service to a new hosting facility. But with generous grants from the Resources Legacy Fund, Preserving Wild California program, from the East Bay and El Dorado chapters of CNPS, from the JiJi Foundation, and from many individual supporters, we rehired two key staff members on a part-time basis and they, our board, and other volunteers set out to rebuild Calflora. We enter 2005 with: • A sustainable financial footing. Our subscrip- tion model will keep the basic Calflora services afloat for the forseeable future. Of course, ad- ditional grant or contract funds will accelerate our current projects and allow us to accomplish more of what Calflora’s users have asked for, but the basic service is not at risk. • Significant additions to the database, includ- ing a 75,000-record plant-occurrence database from the UC Riverside Herbarium and the Pre- sidio Vascular Plant Database (GGNRA). • A restored online submission system. Calflora users can now contribute their own individual plant observations or plant checklists to the Calflora database. Submissions show up im- mediately in queries for those taxa in Calflora. We hope that many people with regional, park, species, invasive, or other project- or hobby- based lists will enjoy sharing them in this way with other Calflora users. We’re particularly eager to share this service with the invasive plant community and the burgeoning locally rare flora projects. • A much more robust server back-end. We have accomplished much needed rewrites to most parts of our aging software infrastructure, in- cluding our mapping software, our registration system, our web site logic, and our underlying database architecture. • A strong and growing body of supporters and volunteers, eager to assist Calflora in a variety of ways, from specialized labor (such as book- keeping, data processing, and photo curation) to small financial donations. Here are some of the projects we’re hoping to tackle in the coming year: • Integrate the database behind Dianne Lake’s Rare , Unusual and Significant Plants of Alameda and Contra Costa Counties into Calflora. This work has just started. We’d welcome volun- teers who’d like to work on this project. We also continue to seek financial assistance with this essential undertaking. • Enhance our online mapping feature: We’re ex- ploring a number of technologies that would draw observations on more interesting maps of different-sized areas of California. This is an area where we could particularly use some expert volunteer assistance or a small grant. • Continue to develop the online observation- submission service, with particular focus on serving people who are building regional floras and the invasive plant community. • Continue to solicit and integrate larger plant- 2 THE BAY LEAF April 2005 observation databases into Calflora. We know they’re out there. Why not encourage your favorite data holder to share with Calflora’s users? • Re-energize our development team: Our core is sustainable but we really need larger grants to increase our services. We’d particularly like to find a donor who would underwrite all amateur users’ $10 fees, so we can afford to eliminate this aspect of our financial model. What would you like to see added to Calflora to make it more useful to your work or interests? We’re always asking for ideas and are delighted to encourage anyone who’d like to take on a project to add features to Cal- flora, or to make it integrate better with other tools. Thanks again! Roy West Calflora volunteer and member of the Calflora Board of Directors 1635 Posen Avenue Berkeley 94707 v 510-559-9269 f 510-559-9133 c 650-906-1100 (best daytime number) e rwest@monocot.com SCHOLARSHIPS Each year, the East Bay Chapter of CNPS grants scholarships to worthy students. The money to sup- port these grants is raised by volunteers who work on the Chapter’s plant sale. Recent scholarships have supported students working in horticulture, plant evolution, park management, ecosystem management, conservation biology, plant ecology, plant physiology, and plant systematics. Our chapter will award five scholarships of $1200 each to undergraduate or graduate students in botany, horticulture, and related fields who are interested in working with California native plants. An outstanding candidate will be awarded the Myrtle Wolf Scholar- ship. Preference is given to students working in, or working with plants in, Alameda and Contra Costa counties, although other applications will be considered. The application Deadline is April 30, 2005. Applicants should submit the following information: 1. Your name and present address; 2. The school you are now attending; 3. The address where you can be reached at the close of school (particularly in May and June); 4. The school you will be attending in the summer or fall of 2005; 5. A description of your work with California native plants to date and your plans for future work with California native plants; 6. Two letters of recommendation that substantiate your work with California native plants; and 7. A current transcript from the school you last at- tended. Send your application by April 30, 2005 to: California Native Plant Society, East Bay Chapter Grants Committee c/o McCoy 1311 Bay View Place Berkeley, CA 94708 By fax: c/o McCoy - 510-848-1789 By e-mail: wbmccoy@earthlink.net (please put “EBC- NPS Scholarship” in the subject line). Sandy McCoy WILDFLOWER SHOW It is a fantastic spring in the Mojave Desert — three times the normal rainfall! Come see Mojave Desert wildflowers, collected and beautifully displayed by staff and volunteers of the Oakland Museum, the UC Botanical Garden, the San Francisco Botanical Garden and the California Native Plant Society. The Oakland Museum Annual Wildflower Show will take place April 16 and 17. The times are 10 am to 5 pm on Saturday and noon to 5 pm on Sunday. Please sign up for a 2 -hour shift at our membership table. Volunteers will receive free entrance to the mu- seum and parking passes. Contact Delia Taylor at deliataylor@mac.com or 510- 527-3912 THE BAY LEAF April 2005 3 VEGETATION COMMITTEE Vegetation Sampling Orientation Session People interested in joining the East Bay Vegetation Committee are invited to attend a training and orienta- tion session on collecting vegetation data on Saturday, April 9, 9 am-3 pm. We will spend the day reviewing the CNPS protocol for data collection and collecting data in Mount Diablo State Park. Vegetation data are used in vegetation classification and mapping efforts in the East Bay. For more information contact Susan Bainbridge, email suebain@sscl.berkeley.edu or call 510-548-2918. Sue Bainbridge RARE AND UNUSUAL PLANTS Please Help Monitor and Protect Our Rare and Unusual Plants I would like to remind everyone that the Unusual Plants section of our Chapter website (ebcnps.org) now has a table of our A 1 -ranked rare and unusual plants with locations, habitats and last date seen at each site. These are the rarest of the rare and unusual plants in Alameda and Contra Costa Counties and the most in need of monitoring and updating. Please let me know if you encounter any of these species in our two counties this year or if you have recent information on them here, especially those species that have not been reported here in the last ten years or more. Please fill out the Unusual Plant form provided on the website and send it with a map of where the plant was found to Dianne Lake, 1050 Bayview Farm Road #121, Pinole, CA 94564. Or, if a map is not available, please notify me by email at diannelake@yahoo.com with the location (as specific as possible, including GPS coordinates if available), date seen, and number of plants. The more eyes we have scouring the landscape of the East Bay the better, and the more chance there is of finding new populations, rediscovering old popula- tions, and monitoring and protecting currently known populations. With all the rains we’ve had this year, there is a good chance that some of the plants that have not been re- ported for many years may resurface, just waiting to be found by someone. If we all work together we can continue to improve our knowledge of the local flora and work towards its protection and preservation. Please look at the table on the East Bay Chapter’s website under Unusual Plants and help us monitor these important plants. Dianne Lake, Unusual Plants Coordinator PLANT SALE ACTIVITIES As a follow-up on last month’s news of plant sale activi- ties, yes, the nursery at Merritt College will be moving. We must clear our current space by May 3 1 . The good news is that our plants and Tuesday work sessions may stay on through the summer outside of the fences — and we may set up a final on-campus plant sale for the first weekend in October. Various Board members are searching for a new nursery site. Even more important, they are in need of people to develop a nursery when a site is located, to manage the nursery and its volunteers, and to or- ganize plant sales. Different individuals for these key roles would be ideal in terms of time and energy required. Or is there one special person, or couple, within our membership wait- ing to be asked? Help! Propagating the plants is the fun part if you ask our current volunteers, and they stand ready to share their knowledge, welcome newcomers and continue on in a new location - but there will likely be a gap in plant production during this transition to new leadership. There will be no more sales on Tuesdays. We will be adding to our stock in order to offer as much variety as possible in a more limited space for the final sale. Don’t forget to visit the Plant Sale at the Regional Parks Botanic Garden in Tilden Park, Berkeley, Saturday, April 16. Tuesday sessions April 5, 12, 19, 26 9 am to noon Merritt College Landscape Horticulture Department Parking fee: 50 cents Shirley McPheeters Nature is painting for us, day after day, pictures of infinite beauty. John Ruskin, (1819-1900). 4 THE BAY LEAF March 2005 FIELD TRIPS Sunday April 3, 2 pm, Pioneer Tree Trail, Samuel Taylor State Park David Margolies returns to the Pioneer Tree Trail for a hike of about two miles, with several hundred feet of elevation change. There are old growth redwoods and logged redwood groves, and there should be many spring flowers in bloom. After the hike, those interested can drive a few miles further to Point Reyes. Directions: From the East Bay, cross the Richmond Bridge and take the Sir Francis Drake exit (second exit from 580 after the bridge). From San Francisco, take the Golden Gate Bridge, continue north on 101, and then exit at the San Anselmo/ Richmond Bridge exit (well past Sausalito). Stay to the left at the exit ramp, and turn onto Sir Francis Drake Boulevard. Once you reach Sir Francis Drake Boulevard, you follow it straight across nearly all of Marin County. However, you need to follow the bend to the left to stay on Sir Francis Drake where it intersects Red Hill Road. After passing the town of Lagunitas, you enter Samuel Taylor State Park, soon after you enter redwood groves. After a mile or two, look for the park headquarters and main picnic area on the left. Enter the park headquarters area and pay the entrance fee, whether or not the booth is staffed. Park in the main picnic area and walk over the footbridge toward the campground and group pic- nic area. Meet David in the group picnic parking lot to the left, over the bridge where the trail starts. For more information, please contact David Margolies at 510-654-0283 or divaricatum@aol.com. Saturday, April 9, 11 am, Antioch Dunes National Wildlife Refuge Meet Rachel Hurt of the US Fish & Wildlife Service for this walk through both of the units of the Antioch Dunes refuge. We will begin at the Sardis Unit of the refuge and head to the river shore for the first portion at low tide. After leaving the Sardis Unit, we will drive back to the Stamm Unit, which has less river access but more land. The rare Antioch Dunes evening prim- rose, gilias, poppies, bush lupines, and much more should be in bloom at both units. Directions to the Sardis Unit: From most points in the East Bay, take Highway 4 east and exit at A Street in Antioch. Turn north onto A Street. Proceed on A Street to Wilbur Avenue and turn right. Drive on Wilbur Av- enue past Fulton Shipyard Road, past Tri-City Transit, and then cross a small bridge and park at the second gate on the left. The area at the second gate is between two PG&E towers. Look for the brown sign marking Antioch Dunes National Wildlife Refuge. Sunday, April 17, 2:30 pm, Sunol Regional Park Meet David Margolies at the trailhead by the bridge crossing Alameda Creek, near the visitor center. We will walk the Canyon View Trail and then back on the fire road from Little Yosemite. This walk of several miles has about 500 feet elevation gain, and will take in meadow wildflowers such as linanthus, gilias, on- ions, blue dicks, IthurieFs spears, and also some oak and mixed woodlands. This year should provide a nice flower display. Bring water. Directions: From San Francisco/ Oakland/Berkeley, take 580 east (stay to the right if you cross the Bay Bridge), all the way to the 580/680 junction in Pleas- anton, a distance of at least 25 miles. At the 580/680 junction, go south on 680 and exit at Calaveras Road/ Highway 84. Turn left onto Calaveras Road and proceed to Geary Road, which leads directly into the park. There is a fee to park, and parking is often tight on pleasant Sundays. Allow sufficient time to get to the park and note the 2:30 start time. For more information, please contact David Margolies at 510-654-0283 or divaricatum@aol.com. Saturday, April 23, 10 am, Warm Springs vernal pools at S.F. Bay Refuge Come to see the flower rings around some of the last intact vernal pools in the East Bay. Visitors from past years can compare the vernal pool flowers before and after winter grazing. For the first time in fourteen years, 25 head of cattle grazed the Warm Springs area this past winter, from November 15- April 1. Directions: Meet at the visitor center parking lot for the San Francisco Bay National Wildlife Refuge in Fremont, to consolidate and carpool to Warm Springs. From most points north of Fremont, take 880 south to the 880/84 junction (also marked Dumbarton Bridge). Go west on 84 until you reach the Paseo Padre Parkway exit, which is the last exit before the Dumbarton Bridge toll plaza. At the end of the ramp, turn left over 84 and go straight past the stoplight at Gateway. Turn right at the sign for the refuge turnoff past Gateway and proceed to the main parking lot, not the first turnoff at the right side of the access road. Sunday, April 24, 1 1 am, field trip to Point Molate grassland continued on page 6 THE BAY LEAF April 2005 5 FIELD TRIPS continued from page 5 Join David Amme and fellow CNPS members from the Yerba Buena chapter to tour this relict coastal prairie in an urban shadow. Apparently, this small grassland has escaped plowing and development so far, and its short boundaries contain Molate red fescue, Califor- nia oatgrass, purple needlegrass, squirreltail, and junegrass. Herbaceous grassland plants will likely be in flower. If time permits, after the Point Molate walk David will lead a second tour of relict grassland areas at the UC Richmond field station. Directions: Take 580 toward the Richmond-San Ra- fael Bridge. Just before the bridge toll plaza, take the Western Drive /Point Molate exit. Proceed straight at the first 3-way fork, as the hill gradually rises, curving more toward the north. This road is a bustling parking area for the Caltrans Richmond Bridge retrofit project. As the road descends the hill, park at the parking lot, just before the “Point Molate Restricted Area” open gate. Bring water and lunch. For more information contact David Amme at seed@tdl.com, or see a longer description at www.cnps-yerbabuena.org. Janet Gawthop and David Margolies CONSERVATION East Bay Conservation Analyst's Report Springtown Alkali Sink One of the East Bay’s most treasured botanical spots, the Springtown Alkali Sink area, is once again threat- ened by development. The Springtown Alkali Sink contains one of the last seven mega-populations of pal- mate-bracted bird’s beak ( Cordylanthus palmatus) and has the most genetically diverse population known in the world. Pardee Homes has proposed several amend- ments to Livermore’s General Plan to allow for the movement of the Urban Growth Boundary to include a portion of the Springtown Alkali Sink. The develop- ment proposal is called Livermore Trails and includes 2450 homes, two schools, ballparks, and horse trails. I am recruiting local volunteers / members to help in- crease public awareness of the botanical devastation this development would cause. Friends of Livermore, Greenbelt Alliance and Sierra Club join us in opposing the amendments and in supporting the delay of public vote until November. Urban Limit Line Holding the urban limit line is a key conservation strat- egy. Without strict designations of the boundaries of urban spaces, open space and botanical diversity are threatened. Elaine Jackson and I have been partner- ing with Greenbelt Alliance, the Sierra Club, and Save Mount Diablo in opposing an extension of the existing line in Contra Costa County. The line drawing process was supposed to end at the summit meeting on Feb- ruary 26 th , when city officials and county supervisors got together to decide from three plans developed by consultants and environmental groups. The decision was delayed to allow for further negotiations between subgroups. CNPS backs plan C, put together by a coali- tion of business, building and environmental leaders, which calls for holding the line at its current location for the next decade. Breuner Marsh, Point Molate, Arrowhead Marsh, Richmond Field Station Protection of the last remaining pieces of intact land and saltwater marshes surrounding the San Fran- cisco Bay is becoming increasingly important. Sev- eral projects are underway that could threaten these East Bay treasures. Recently I have been coordinat- ing with Sierra Club, which has been closely follow- ing the projects occurring at Breuner Marsh, Point Molate, and Arrowhead Marsh. The California Native Grass Association recently gave me a heads up about a project that could affect one of the last coastal ter- race grasslands in the Bay. Michele Lee also gave me a detailed account of the botanical resources on site. I will be coordinating with Sierra Club and volunteers to cover these projects into the future. Vernal Pool Recovery Plan While we are not providing a comment letter reviewing the plan, volunteer Carol Castro and I submitted com- ments to State CNPS vernal pool expert and President of the Board Carol Witham. Dianne Lake provided us with a detailed plant list of the locations of each vernal pool species in the East Bay as well as comments on the vernal pools in the area not included in the map of the area. John Game also provided input on plant and vernal pool location. Union/ Enviro Group Staff members from Save Mount Diablo, East Bay Regional Parks, Sierra Club and Greenbelt Alliance and EBCNPS get together on a monthly basis with local union members to collaborate on open space and development issues in the East Bay. The purpose of the meetings is to form partnerships between the environmental groups and union groups in order to have a greater effect on policy and land use plans in the East Bay. For example, an environmental organi- zation can ask for union support in opposing or sup- porting a project or policy while the unions can also ask for environmental support on a project or policy. The support can be shown by writing a comment letter on a particular plan, attending a public meeting and declaring support or opposition, or even airing a com- 6 THE BAY LEAF April 2005 mercial on television. There is not always agreement between the two groups, but the meetings provide a way to get on the same page before publicly declaring opposition or support. Currently, we are collaborating on the East Oakley Specific Plan, Point Molate, Zeneca, and Urban Limit Line issues in Contra Costa County and Alameda County. Field Trips I am currently organizing conservation-oriented fieldtrips to our most treasured botanical spots in the East Bay. The trips will be for planners, members of the County Board of Supervisors and legislators, and will focus on explaining the importance of preserving the plant communities as well as rare and common species. The trips will take place between April and August. Heath Bartosh and Chris Thayer will be leading a trip to the Springtown Alkali Sink on April 8th. East Oakley I was alerted to the East Oakley plan by the Greenbelt Alliance. The environmental checklist in the Notice of Preparation for a DEIR indicated that the proposed housing development has the potential to cause a “sig- nificant impact” in almost every category. Surrounded on two sides by the Sacramento River Delta and related waterways, the project area is below sea level and on a 100-year flood plain. Because the environmental checklist made it clear to the lead agency that an EIR was required, they did not do an Initial Study, leaving a lot of unknowns in the Notice of Preparation. After meeting conservation committee member Heath Bar- tosh, who is familiar with the area, I learned that there are several known state and locally rare plant species on site, as well as an Alkali Meadow Community which is listed as “very threatened” by the California Natu- ral Diversity Data Base (CNDDB). Dianne Lake also provided a plant list. I recently submitted a comment letter to the agency. Carnegie Off-Highway Vehicular Expansion In Alameda County, California Department of Parks and Recreation have proposed an expansion of the Carnegie State Off-Highway Vehicular (OHV) Recre- ation Area into 1500 acres of Corral Hollow. Along with federally listed California red legged frog, Alameda whipsnake, and California tiger salamander, Corral Hollow contains two list IB plant species, 40 locally rare species, and four plant communities listed as “very threatened” by the CNDDB. Opinions about the effects of the current OHV on the area vary greatly; proceed- ing with the expansion without conclusive information regarding the impacts of OHV activities will likely be a detriment to this unique area. We are joined by Bay Area Open Space Council, Sierra Club, and Center for Biological Diversity in opposing the expansion and will comment on the draft EIR/HCP when it is completed this spring. The Conservation Committee visited the site in mid March with State Parks employee Jennifer Buckingham. State Conservation Planning A phone meeting with CNPS Executive Director Pam Muick in mid-December confirmed that I would in- crease my hours to assist with State Conservation planning. In early January, we completed the first of five conservation planning/ visioning meetings to take place throughout the state in the next nine months. Representatives from most of the southern chapters were in attendance, along with representatives from the Department of Fish and Game, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, Joshua Tree National Park, and a couple of members from the chapters in the northern counties. Participants were given the opportunity to comment on the status of the conservation program, what has worked well in the program, and what the program needs to work on for the next 3 to 5 years. The next meeting was held on March 12th in Sacramento. I also talked with Ileene Anderson, the state CNPS Southern California Regional Botanist about opportu- nities for CNPS to partner with Americorps or intern- ship programs. With help from numerous volunteers, the EB conserva- tion program continues to protect the botanical beauty remaining in the grasslands, woodlands, shrublands, and waterways of the East Bay. For more information or to volunteer (we would love your help!) please contact me at: jjolson@ebcnps.org. Jessica Olson Conservation Analyst The East Bay chapter’s Conservation analyst position is funded by a grant from the San Francisco Foundation, contributions from chapter members and anonymous donations. If I wished to see a mountain or other scenery under the most favorable auspices, I would go to it in foul weather, so as to be there when it cleared up; we are then in the most suitable mood, and nature is most fresh and inspiring. Henry David Thoreau, The Maine Woods I would not have every man, or every part of a man, cultivated, any more than I would have every acre of earth cultivated: part will be tillage, but the greater part will be meadow and forest, not only serving an immediate use, but preparing a mould against a distantfuture, by the annual decay of the vegetation it supports. Henry David Thoreau, “Walking” THE BAY LEAF April 2005 7 NATIVE HERE April 1, 8, 15, 22, & 29, Fridays, Native Here open 9- noon April 2, 9, 16, 23, & 30, Saturdays, Native Here open 10 - 1 May 3, Tuesday, Native Here seed collection begins 9 am Is your garden ready for some native bulbs? Years of seed collection have yielded some mature plants of Triteleia laxa (Ithuriel's spear). We also have Chloroga- lum pomeridianum (soap plant) and Zigadenus fremontii (death camass). It’a not too late to plant herbaceous perennials, Del- phinium (larkspur), Sidalcea malvaeflora (checker mallow), and native grasses. We will continue to sell Iris douglasiana (Douglas iris) in gallon cans during April, then they will be withdrawn from the sales floor until fall. Native Here’s volunteers have planted nearly all the seeds collected in 2004, just in time to begin this year’s collection. We will start May 3, collecting each Tuesday through the end of October. Collection trips start at 9 am from the nursery entrance on Golf Course Drive in Tilden Park. Every Friday (9 to noon) and Saturday (10 to 1) the nursery is open and welcomes visits from plant shop- pers and volunteers. There is always plenty of work to go around. No need to phone first, just show up willing to work. The nursery is located in Tilden Park, across from the Golf Course, at 101 Golf Course Drive. Telephone is 510-549-0211. REGIONAL PARKS BOTANIC GARDEN PLANT SALE Volunteers Needed for Regional Parks Plant Sale Our Chapter would like to have a membership table at the East Bay Regional Parks Plant Sale on April 16, 2005. We will be giving away Redwood Flora posters to anyone who joins that day. If you can help out for even one hour please contact De- lia Taylor at 510-527-3912 or deliataylor@mac.com. Delia Taylor ACTIVITIES OF OTHERS Spring Plant Sale, University of California Botanical Garden at Berkeley Friday, April 29, 2005, 5 pm-7:30 pm, sale for mem- bers only. Includes our Silent Auction of plants and garden-related tools and art. Saturday, April 30, 2005, 9 am-2 pm, public sale Ex- tended hours — Start shopping early. Choice and spe- cial plants for a wide range of horticultural uses. Check our website close to the sale date to see a list of featured plants, http: / /botanicalgarden. berkeley.edu The Oakland Museum Annual Wildflower Show will take place Saturday, April 16 and Sunday, April, 17. The times are 1 0 am to 5 pm on Saturday and noon to 5 pm on Sunday. See the article on page 3. Bringing Back the Natives Garden Tour. Registrants will receive free passes to 56 Alameda and Contra Costa County native plant gardens, and a printed garden guide. Garden talks will be scheduled throughout the day. A variety of bird- and butterfly-friendly, pesticide- free, water conserving, low maintenance gardens that contain 30% or more native plants will be open on Sunday, May 1, 2005, from 10 am to 5 pm. Free admis- sion; registration is required at www.BringingBackThe Natives.net. Register early to receive the garden guide by mail. (Late registrants will need to pick guides up at specified public gardens) . Ten participants will win free landscape consultations from a noted landscaper. Native plants will be given away at some gardens, and sold at others. The Bringing Back the Natives Garden Tour is seek- ing volunteers who will spend a morning or afternoon greeting tour participants and answering questions at this free native plant garden tour, which will take place on Sunday, May 1, 2005. Volunteers can select the garden they would like to spend time at by visiting the “Preview the Gardens” section at www.BringingBa ckTheNatives.net, then by completing the simple, on- line volunteer form. For more information, please e-mail Kathy Kramer at Kathy@KathyKramerConsulting.net, or call 510-236- 9558 between 9 am and 9 pm. 8 THE BAY LEAF APRIL 2005 President Elaine P. Jackson 3311 Estudillo Street, Martinez 94553 925-372-0687 Elainejx@mindspring.com Vice President Laura Baker 79 Roble Road, Berkeley 94705 510-849-1409 Lbake@aol.com Treasurer Holly Forbes 7128 Blake Street, El Cerrito 94530 hforbes@uclink4.berkeley.edu h 510-234-2913 w 510-643-8040 FAX 51 0-642-5045 Recording Secretary Barbara Malloch Leitner 2 Parkway Court, Orinda 94563 925-253-8300 bleitner@pacbell.net Corresponding Secretary Heath Bartosh 112 Gilbert Court, Martinez 94553 925-957-0069 hbartosh@nomadecology.com Past President Joe Willingham 2512 Etna Street, Berkeley 94704 510-841-4681 pepel 066@comcast.net Education/Outreach Bay Leaf Editor and Web- master Joe Willingham 2512 Etna Street, Berkeley Board of Directors 94704 510-841-4681 pepel 066@comcast.net 94707 510-527-3912 deliataylor@mac.com Bay Leaf Mailing Holly Forbes 7128 Blake Street, El Cerrito 94530 510-234-2913 hforbes@uclink4.berkeley.edu Education Joyce Hawley 631 Albemarle Street, El Cerrito 94530 510-524-5485 jwhawley@aol .com Field Trips Janet Gawthrop 360 Monte Vista Avenue #214 Oakland 94611 510-654-3066 Janetg24@excite.com Gardens Regional Parks Botanic Garden Liaison Sue Rosenthal PO Box 20489 Oakland CA 94610 510-496-6016 rosacalifornica@earthlink.net Plant Sale Shirley McPheeters 104 Ivy Drive, Orinda 94563 925-376-4095 Programs Sue Rosenthal P.O. Box 20489, Oakland 94620 510-496-6016 rosacalifornica@earthlink.net Publicity/Media open Conservation Conservation Committee Chair Charli Danielsen 10 Kerr Ave. Kensington 94707 charlid@pacbell.net Conservation Analyst (Staff) Jessica Olson, Conservation Analyst P. O. Box 257, Woodacre 415-258-1143 (cell) jjolson@ebcnps.org Grants Sandy McCoy 1311 Bay View Place, Berkeley 94708 wbmccoy@mindspring.com Hospitality Irene Wilkinson 440 Camino Sobrante, Orinda 94563 925-254-3675 Membership Delia Taylor 1851 Catalina Avenue, Berkeley Stewardship Native Plant Restoration Team Greg Wolford 2945 Otis Street, Berkeley 94703 510-848-6489 californica@mac.com Native Here Nursery Project Manager Charli Danielsen 101 Golf Course Drive, Berkeley 94708 510-549-0211 charlid@pacbell.net Sales Manager Margot Cunningham Plant Science Rare Plants John Game 1155 Spruce Street, Berkeley 94707 510-527-7855 jcgame@lbl.gov Unusual Plants Dianne Lake 1050 Bayview Farm Road #121, Pinole 94564 510-741-8066 diannelake@yahoo.com Vegetation Susan Bainbridge 2408 Parker Street, Berkeley 94704 510-548-2918 suebain@ssci.berkeley.edu California Native Plant Society East Bay Chapter PO Box 5597, Elmwood Station Berkeley CA 94705 Chapter web site www.ebcnps.org Recorded Chapter Information 510 - 464-4977 State CNPS web site www.cnps.org Membership Application Name Address Zip Telephone I wish to affiliate with: East Bay Chapter (Alameda and Contra Costa Counties) Other Mail application and check to: California Native Plant Society, Membership category: Student, Retired, Limited income, $20 Individual, Library, $35 Household, Family, or Group, $45 Supporting, $75 Plant lover, $100 E-mail Patron, $250 (optional) Benefactor, $500 Mariposa Lily, $1000 ' K Street, Suite 1 , Sacramento CA 95816 THE BAY LEAF April 2005 9 Lupinus sp. Photo by Janice Bray California Native Plant Society East Bay Chapter P.O. Box 5597, Elmwood Station Berkeley CA 94705 Nonprofit Org. U.S. Postage Paid Oakland, CA Permit No. 2018 Time Value April 2005 issue