January 2010 r The Bay Leaf California Native Plant Society • East Bay Chapter Alameda & Contra Costa Counties www.ebcnps.org www.groups.google.com/group/ebcnps MEMBERSHIP MEETING Speaker Jim Shevock looking at mosses in Tasmania. Jim is also leading a field trip on January 30 (see page 5) California Mosses Speaker: Jim Shevock Wednesday, January 27, 7:30 pm Location: Garden Room, Orinda Public Library (directions below) Mosses differ from seed plants in profound ways. They lack flowers, fruits, roots, seeds, and a defined system of vascular tissues. They reproduce sexually by single-celled spores and also vegetatively by a wide array of propagules that assist in distribution to new habitats. Since mosses have no roots, they are not confined to living on soil and are quite content to live on rocks, tree trunks, and rotten wood. Over half of the mosses recorded in North America are documented in California. Many mosses in California occur as widely disjunct populations and a few species are either California or Pacific Coast endemics. There remains a great need within California for additional localized moss invento- ries and florulas (floras of plants that grow in small, confined habitats). Such efforts offer both the professional and amateur botanist avenues for exciting scientific inquiry and study. This month's speaker, botanist and bryologist Jim Shevock, will provide a visual overview of the diversity of California mosses sure to inspire us to get down on our hands and knees and learn more about these fascinating little plants. Jim Shevock retired in 2009 with a botanical career spanning more than 30 years between the USD A Forest Service and the National Park Service. He is currently research associate with the Department of Botany, California Academy of Sciences, and the University Herbarium, UC Berkeley. By training a vascular plant taxonomist with a focus on the flora of the southern Sierra Nevada, Jim migrated to the study of bryo- phytes (primarily mosses) in the late 1990s. He is co-author of "Contributions toward a bryoflora of California part 1: A specimen-based catalogue of mosses, and part 2: A key to the mosses" {Madrono 51: 1-269) as well as the recently published book California Mosses (Micro-Optics Press, 2009). Copies of this beautiful, informative, and comprehensive pictorial guide will be available for purchase after the presentation ($68). Jim will sign the books. Jim's plant collections, currently more than 34,000 specimens, are housed at the herbarium of the California Academy of Sciences as well as at major bryophyte herbaria around the world. East Bay CNPS membership meetings are free of charge and open to everyone. This month's meeting takes place in the Garden Room of the Orinda Public Library at 24 Orinda Way (in Orinda Village). The Garden Room is on the second floor of the building, accessible by stairs or an elevator. The Garden Room opens at 7:00 pm; the meeting begins at 7:30 pm. Copies of California Mosses will be available for purchase after the presentation ($68). Please contact Sue Rosenthal, 510-496-6016 or rosacalifornica@earthlink.net, if you have any questions. Directions to Orinda Public Library at 24 Orinda Way From the west, take Hwy 24 to the Orinda/ Moraga exit. At the end of the off ramp, turn left on Camino Pablo (toward Orinda Village), right on Santa Maria Way (the signal after the BART station and freeway entrance), and left on Orinda Way. Continued on page 2 Continued from page 1 From the east, take Hwy 24 to the Orinda exit. Follow the ramp to Orinda Village. Turn right on Santa Maria way (the first signal) and left on Orinda Way. Once on Orinda Way, go 1 short block to the parking lot on the southeast side of the two-story building on your right. There is additional free parking beneath the building as well as on the street. From BART (4 blocks): Exit the Orinda station, turn right and cross a pedestrian bridge, then cross a second pedestrian bridge on the left. Go 1 short block on the sidewalk to the third pedestrian bridge. Go 2 blocks on Orinda Way to the Orinda Library. Upcoming Programs Wednesday, February 24: Toni Corelli— The Amazing Plants of Coastal San Mateo County Wednesday, March 24: Heath Bartosh— On the Edge of the Mount Hamilton Range: The Alameda Watershed's Rare Plants of Late Spring Wednesday, April 28: Bill Libby — Redwood and Giant Se- quoia: Why Are They Not Where They Are Not? Wednesday, May 26: Holly Forbes — Conservation Adventures of the UC Botanical Garden THE SAN FRANCISCO MANZANITA IS BACK! The San Francisco manzanita (Arctostaphylos franciscana) was driven extinct in the 1940s, as the 1849er cemeteries of San Francisco were developed for houses, shops, and tennis courts. The species was part of the diverse and miraculous Franciscan floristic region, the smallest region in California and one largely replaced by its namesake city— fortunately, portions are preserved in the Marin headlands. Mount San Bruno, and key natural cueas in San Francisco. Sixty years ago, it was not certain that Franciscan communities would be lost. Very well developed communities remained; many associated with the 49er cemeteries on Lone Mountain and Laurel Hill. As the forces of progress began developing San Francisco's remaining wild places, the legendary bota- nists of yesteryear fought to preserve some remnants. In 1906, Alice Eastwood rescued the type specimens of Arctostaphylos franciscana by throwing them out the windows of the burning California Academy of Sciences; decades later Alice begged San Francisco to save part of the old Laurel Hill Cemetery for a city botanical reserve. Before he was diverted into the war effort, James Roof salvaged Arctostaphylos franciscana plants from bulldozers, along with other plants which were moved to the Regional Parks Botanic Garden in Tilden. For the rest of his life he grieved at not rescuing more of the Franciscan region before it was ultimately lost. By the end of the 1940s, the old 49er bones had been moved to Colma and the San Francisco manzanita was extinct in the wild. Until last month. Driving home from representing Audubon Canyon Ranch at the Sonoma Climate Change conference, scanning the roadside for red alert invasive plants to report to BAEDN (http://BAEDN.org), I noticed a beautiful man- zanita flowing over a sharp green serpentinite rock outcrop just south of the Golden Gate Bridge. The manzanita looked suspiciously wild, and so the next time I drove by I tried to get a better look. I returned a third time, took a photo; think- ing the plant might be a Raven's manzanita {Arctostaphylos hookeri subsp. ravenii) I called Lew Stringer, a biologist with the Presidio Trust. The message I left on Lew's answering machine was garbled with excitement, and was cut off before I completed the story. No matter. When I called Lew again 15 minutes later he had already recruited his co-worker Mark Frey for a trip to the site. Lew and Mark didn't ignore the report. They didn't add it to their list of things to do if they ever have extra time. They went directly to the site, drove past again, and then sprinted across lanes of traffic to identify an extinct plant. Lew and Mark are conservation heroes. Without their quick response the plant would have been lost once again. Forever. We know the plant would have been lost because it is grow- ing on a small outcropping of serpentine rock adjacent to the highway and in the middle of planned highway construction for the Doyle Drive project. Fortunately, we have discovered it, identified it, and now an expert team of biologists is working to ensure its protection. Mike Vasey and Tom Parker, manza- nita experts from San Francisco State University, are analyzing DNA from the plant to further confirm its identity. Cuttings of the plant have been collected so that it can be propagated at conservation nurseries under the care of experts including Betty Young and Holly Forbes. Representatives from Cal- Trans, Presidio Trust, the Golden Gate National Recreation Area, and U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service are developing a conservation plan that will likely involve moving the plant and replanting it in a protected location within the Presidio. In another stroke of luck, we already have the elements of a plan for saving this species: National Park Service biologist Michael Chasse had already started work on his master's thesis project, a plan for reintroduction and restoration of the San Francisco manzanita. So far this is really a story about how the system worked. I discovered this subtly beautiful plant, reported it to colleagues at the Presidio Trust, who mobilized instantly to protect this tenacious survivor of another era. Presidio biologists brought in the manzanita experts to confirm the identification, and then Caltrans and other agency staff began working on saving it. Now Caltrans gets to save an extinct species! 2 THE BAY LEAF January 2010 But there is a lot of work ahead of us, and we need to make some decisions. We drove this species extinct once before, digging up the last couple of survivors and then exiling them to foreign soil in the East Bay hills. Now we have a second chance. To save it? To remove it again? It seems likely that we will have to dig up the last wild plant, once again, but if we simply dig and replant then it shows that little has changed since the 1940s. We must do something more, something that demonstrates our improved understanding of and commit- ment to biodiversity conservation. If we have to move the San Francisco manzanita, then we have an obligation to move it to a new home. We have to find an appropriate nearby site, do significant site prepa- ration and restoration. Then we must bring the other San Franciscan manzanitas back from the diaspora, plant them alongside their natural neighboring species, and give them a new home where they can flower, bear seed, and produce baby manzanita plants to continue the lineage. That will cost some money, but ultimately will be something of which we can all be proud. If you save someone's life you are responsible for them. I feel that responsibility for the San Francisco manzanita. I've learned a lot about this plant in recent weeks, and the more I learn about this plant and its history the more I feel a respon- sibility to make sure we do right. The special thing about this plant is that it is a natural plant, born of a seed that fell on the ground and germinated and has grown ever since. Our measure of success for this opportunity isn't saving this indi- vidual plant, but saving that phenomenon. We have to make a place where San Francisco manzanita plants exchange pollen, their seeds fall to the ground, germinate, and grow long after humans have moved on to something else. If we don't do that then we have blown this rare chance for a do-over. At this point, Caltrans and other agencies are really trying to do the right thing. I'm going to stay involved to make sure that this will continue to be a real success story, with Caltrans leading a solution that reclaims a home for the shrub named after my city. I hope you will join me in thanking Caltrans and the Presidio Trust for going the extra step — not just rescuing this single individual, but providing leadership to restore a site and rescue the species. Daniel Gluesenkamp Dr. Gluesenkamp is Director of Habitat Protection and Res- toration for Audubon Canyon Ranch's 30 Marin and Sonoma sanctuaries. RESTORATION TEAM AT POINT ISABEL In a race to beat the forecast rain storms, the Pt. Isabel resto- ration team (sometimes known as "Greens at Work", shown below in a photo by Jane Kelly) met on Saturday, December 5th. In just 4 hours we prepared two sites along the Bay Trail and planted a total of 50 California native plants: 3 Rhamnus califomica (California coffee berry), 17 Heteromeles arhutifo- lia (toyon), 3 Mimulus aurantiacus (sticky monkeyflower), and 27 Nassella pulchra (purple needlegrass). Three of the 10 volunteers also cleared an additional 100-foot stretch of trail in preparation for planting at the next work party. We welcomed three new volunteers all of whom amazed us with their knowledge, work ethic, and abilities. One new volunteer from UC Berkeley is also interested in the measurement of gases produced by some of the invasives we are removing, so with a little luck we could become a study site. We continue to collect seed from the site and during this work party, managed to find ripe seed from a large Rhamnus califomica which we will propagate and plant out at the trail next fall. (Same with Baccharis pilularis (coyote bush) seed that is now ripening.) The stand of Rhamnus is being choked by weeds so we've added its rescue to our priority task list for the next work party. The EBRPD staff— as always — was available with tools and support. It's a pleasure working with Kevin, Bruce, Scott et al. Their participation makes our efforts there much more enjoyable and effective. Jane and Tom Kelly Photo by Jane Kelly THE BAY LEAF January 2010 3 MEMBERSHIP REPORT Natives group, led by Glenn Keator, as long as it lasted. I love to garden. Spending time weeding or pruning or any of the other garden chores refreshes my spirit and gives me perspective. My favorite natives are mostly riparian species, unfortunately, so my garden requires more water than suitable for our droughty climate. Physiologic questions interest me. For instance, I have two lady ferns which emerge at differ- ent times in the spring and go dormant at different times in the fall. One was purchased from Native Here and the other from the Tilden Park Plant sale, and both have the same spe- cies name, but they don't behave the same, right next to each other in the garden. Why is that? I grew two buckeyes from seed — one is about 8 feet tall now, and the other is barely 3 feet, both started the same year. Is that all genetic variability? Maybe not— I think roots of the short one have hit a layer of clay. I enjoy hiking on the hill behind my house — there is a perfect buckeye to the west of the path going up the hill, which I enjoy in all seasons. At the top is a trail that runs south all the way to Tilden Park, a hike of about 4 hours. Meet Martha Booz, our EBCBPS News List Google Group facilitator. (Photo of Martha by Julia Booz Ulrey.) I grew up in the 1950's, that nostalgic time in the life of our nation when women had three career options outside the home: beautician, teacher or nurse. I wanted to be an engi- neer. Oh well! I managed to break out of that mold, though my career took a 10-year detour via high school teaching, and additional years for graduate school in German and English language and literature. Once I realized high school teaching was not for me, it took a couple more years trying various jobs (and getting fired for asking "why?" too many times in a legal office) before I decided to reach high and obtained an M.S. and a Ph.D. in plant physiology from UC Davis. I am not a botanist— I don't know very many plant names, and don't even know the names of the plant families. Learning plant names and their families does not come easy to me, but I'm very interested in how plants grow. It is important to me to understand how the plants relate to each other, below ground as well as above, and how the fauna in their environment affects them. Before graduate school, I married James Ullrey. We had two children during graduate school, both grown women today, and our older daughter has two sons, 4 and 7. After two years as a Post-doc at the USDA Lab in Albany, I started work with Bio-Rad Laboratories, a world leader in chemicals, equipment and supplies for life science research and diagnostics. I spent 24 years at Bio-Rad, doing some product management, and also starting the technical service department for life science products. I was most recently a Project Manager for the web site team, retiring in April 2008. I have had both hip joints replaced since then. About 20 years ago I converted my yard to mostly Califor- nia native plants and was a member of East Bay's Growing More recently, I have realized that the key to the success of civilization is living sustainably with a small carbon footprint. With that in mind I am growing much of my own produce. I put up 12 quarts of canned tomatoes in August, for instance, and have a winter garden growing as well. The trick is grow- ing the food plants so that there is always something ripe and ready to eat, or being able to put up the excess in a tasty manner. Currently, I am working with the local authorities to start a Farmers Market in my town, El Sobrante. If all goes as planned, that should be up and running, with farmers from East Contra Costa County as the vendors, by early May 2010. Also, I am volunteering as keeper of the Chapter email list on Google Groups for East Bay CNPS. I have wanted to volunteer for the Chapter since joining the Society years ago. We send out announcements of events of interest and I would be glad to add you to the list. Please contact me at mlbooz@calnatives. com if you would like to join. Martha Booz New Members Please join us in welcoming our new members that signed up in October and November. Bridget Uanes, Meredith Nielsen, Carol Bier, Anya Milano, Lisa Lazar Martha Staskawicz, Cyn- thia Houng, Natasha Liv, & Eisbeth Sites. A special thank you to our renewing members. May you enjoy many more years with EBCNPS. Think Globally, Volunteer locally Martinez— Native Plant Garden and Strentzel Meadow lo- cated at the John Muir Historical Site in Martinez, ongoing weeding, planting, & learning about our local environment. 4 THE BAY LEAF January 2010 Contact Elaine Jackson at 925-372-0687 or email elainejx® att.net. Pleasant Hill— Volunteers are always welcome at the Pleasant Hill Adult Education Center Garden. Contact Monika Olsen at 925-937-1530 or email phecgarden@prodigy.net or go online to http://phig.webs.com. Walnut Creek— Native demonstration garden on The Iron Horse Trail in Walnut Creek near the Walnut Creek Intermedi- ate. Contact Judy Adler, jadlermtnmama@sbcglobal.net. Do you have or know of a local event coming up in your neighborhood that would be a good location for CNPS to have a display table? You can host it. Come on up to our Native FIELD TRIPS Sunday, January 3, 2010, 2:00 pm, Huddart County Park, 1100 Kings Mountain Road, Woodside (San Mateo County) California. Meet in the parking lot just past the pay station. David Margo- lies (510-654-0283, 510-393-1858 (cell) divaricatum@gmail.net) will lead a hike looking for Scoliopus bigelovii (fetid adder's tongue, Liliaceae), which blooms in early January. This is a gentle hike, losing about 200 feet over about 1/2 mile to the creek. How to get there: Go to Woodside: cross the Bay Bridge, get on 1-280 south and take it to the 84 west/ Woodside Road exit. Go west through the town of Woodside. Soon after the main part of the town, take a right onto Kings Mountain Road. The park entrance is on the right after a few miles. Go past the pay station into the main parking lot. We will meet there. Note that you must pay the parking fee even if the station is not staffed (use the envelopes provided). Saturday, January 30 at 9:30 am, bryophytes at Huckleberry Regional Preserve This half-day trip on the Huckleberry loop trail is for all who want to learn more about mosses and liverworts, not just those who attend Jim Shevock's program earlier in the week. Alongside its unusual flora of vascular plants, a rich mix of bryophytes also thrives at Huckleberry Regional Preserve. Meet at the parking lot of Huckleberry Regional Preserve. Bring water for drinking and also a small (1-2 oz) spray bottle (available empty at pharmacies) to wet moss leaves for better viewing. Be ready for hands and knees viewing; camera lenses PLANT FAIR 2009 RECAP, 201 Were you part of the 2009 Plant Fair? Would you like to share feedback about what went well? Are you thinking about something we could do to make it even better in 2010? Come to the Danielsens' home, 10 Kerr Avenue, Kensington 94707 at 2 pm on Sunday, January 17th, 2010 to share ideas and make plans for Plant Fair 2010. Here Nursery (during business hours) and pick up supplies to pass out. Call us with any questions. Chapter Jobs Bulletin The East Bay Chapter needs a dedicated Outreach person. Can you help? You would be in charge of reaching out to our membership for volunteers to cover all of our requested tabling events throughout the year and possibly finding other venues we could share in. All materials, tables, chairs, canopies, flyers etc. are readily available at our Native Here Nursery. A current membership list would be supplied as a resource for seeking volunteers. Please contact elainejx@att. net or any Board Member. with close-up focus, hand lenses or magnifying glasses will also help in seeing plant details. For a fairly brief introduction, you can start with Vol. 31 of Fremontia (July 2003), devoted to bryophytes, and available for viewing any time at www.cnps. org/ cnps/ publications/ index. php. Or, if you have purchased the new California Mosses book from CNPS, this is a chance to "road test" the book with one of the authors and some mosses. There may be some early tracheophytes (i.e. vascular plants like ferns and flowers) in flower, too. Directions: From points north of Oakland, take Highway 13 to the Moraga/ Thornhill exit. Follow Moraga Boulevard south from the exit ramp, parallel to 13. Moraga will change its name to Mountain Boulevard. Proceed straight until you reach the traffic light at Mountain and Snake. Turn left (up- hill) onto Snake and then make another left to stay on Snake at its intersection with Shepherd Canyon (if you see the sign for Shepherd Canyon Park you missed the 2nd turn; turn around and go back to Snake.) Follow Snake to its end at the intersection with Skyline, where you will turn left onto Skyline Boulevard. Follow Skyline as it winds north to the Huckleberry parking lot, perhaps 1/2 mile. From the south, take 580 to 13, and exit at either Park or Moraga/ Thornhill. From the Park exit ramp, turn left (uphill) and turn left again at the traffic light for Moraga and Park. Follow Moraga north parallel to 13 for 2 blocks to the traffic light for Snake and Moraga. Turn right (uphill) onto Snake, and follow the same directions to Huckleberry Preserve. Janet Gawthrop O PLANNING If you want to be on the committee but can't come to the meeting, e-mail nativehere@ebcnps.org or leave a message on the nursery phone, 510-549-0211. Charli Danielsen THE BAY LEAF January 2010 5 NATIVE HERE Bulbs will go out for sale as their stems peek up from dor- mancy. Soap roots have already been put out, but others will follow: Dichelostema capitatum, Disporum hookeri, Triteliea laxa, and others. Following the snow and frost in early December, Dodecatheon hendersonii, and Delphinium californicum were emerging from summer dormancy. We have several plant labels and markers for sale. They are the same ones we sold at the plant fair. The labels are non- rusting metal and come in different lengths. The three types of markers are grease pencils, which will withstand all types of weather. Check out our selection. We also still sell a CD of native plants of the East Bay, many of them plants we stock. It has beautiful photos and descriptions and is cross-referenced by common name, scientific name, and plant type. Pick one up if you haven't already. Volunteers have been busy sowing seeds and potting up plants, as well as cleaning up the nursery and spreading the big mound of wood chips from our fall tree cutting. Some people haven't noticed that we had three Monterey pines cut down in the fall because there are still other trees casting some shade: coast live oaks, bays, a toyon, and an alder. And with the sun low in the sky this time of year, the nursery gets more shade from the larger trees outside the nursery fence. Days are shorter and colder now. We have to bundle up with many layers, walk around, and drink warm beverages. Fingers don't work as well, making transplanting and writing harder. Margot Cunningham and Charli Danielsen INTRODUCING BILL HUNT, CANDIDATE FOR CHAPTER VP Bill Hunt has been nominated for Chapter Vice President. Since he is not known by many Chapter members we asked him to write a brief autobiography. David Margolies, Nominating Committee Member A bit about me (Bill Hunt) I grew up on a farm in Mississippi, doing the normal hunting and fishing and outdoor stuff. I did my share of farm work with hand tools and drove a tractor when I was big enough. Growing up on a farm gave me a sense of place and an appreciation for the natural world. I earned a B.S. in Chemistry from the University of Mississippi and a PhD in Chemistry from Cal Tech. I have lived in the Bay Area since leaving graduate school. Until retirement in late 2002, 1 wrote computer software and wrote about computers and software to earn a living. I have always been interested in nature ~ places, plants and animals. Lesley and I belong to CNPS, the Nature Conservancy, Save Mount Diablo and other conservation organizations. Since Lesley and I began to travel together, we have taken many outdoor-oriented vacations. I am a regular visitor to many of the units of the East Bay Regional Park system. Lesley and I have taken spring wildflower trips to southern and central California in recent years. I record what I see (www.naturelover.smugmug.com has a small amount of that record) as a casual photographer. In 1991, we began volunteering on Ralph Kraetsch's Oak Habitat Restoration Project in Walnut Creek's Open Space. (WCOSF.) I have continued to work in that project and a number of other Foundation projects including controlling invasive plants by mowing and spraying, planting native grasses, flowers and shrubs and restoring riparian habitat. I lead a project in Walnut Creek's Heather Farm Park restoring a nature area which serves as an educational resource and provides an easy introduction to local native habitat to park visitors. I have years of experience planning projects, getting grants, organizing for work days and supervising first time volunteers on a work day. I find that a group of 20 or fewer volunteers is comfortable with 2-4 experienced workers present to train newcomers but I have worked with 50 volunteers in a single session. I have been a customer of the Native Here Nursery for several years for my project and have worked there during a couple of plant sales. I served six years on the board of the Walnut Creek Open Space Foundation in the 1990s with two years as board president. I am now in my sixth year of a second round on the WCOSF board and in the second year of being board president. Listening to monthly updates from Dan Cather, Public Services Director responsible for Walnut Creek's Open Space, has given me insight into the policy and operations issues that face a (government) organization managing public open space land. I served for six years on the Walnut Creek PROS Commission with one year as its chairman. I have served on other Walnut Creek city committees and task forces including the Advisory Task Force on Telecommunications and Computing, As an outgrowth of that task force, I organized and ran monthly. Wired Creek meetings to talk about computer and commu- nications issues. As a result of that work. Walnut Creek has more than one internet plus cable TV provider rather than a single monopoly provider.. I created the WCOSF website (www.wcosf.org) in 2003 and have maintained it since them. Bill Hunt 6 THE BAY LEAF January 2010 East Bay Chapter, California Native Plant Society Ballot for Chapter Officers for the January 2010-December 2010 Term Vote for each office. Place a check mark or x in the box beside each name. President and Chapter Council Delegate Delia Taylor Vice-President and alternate CC Delegate Bill Hunt Treasurer David Margolies Recording Secretary Carol Castro Corresponding Secretary Janet Gawthrop Why vote in an uncontested election? The CNPS members who have agreed to serve as officers deserve the support of the membership. These are volunteer positions requiring dedication and a considerable amount of time. Please vote and send your ballot to PO Box 5597, Elmwood Station, Berkeley CA 94705 before January 31, 2010. Along with your ballot please give us you opinion: What do you like about the East Bay Chapter ? What would you change or improve? How would you increase membership? THE BAY LEAF January 2010 7 CALIFORNIA ■^.5 .. VEGETATION John O. Sawyer Todd Kecler-Wolf I Julie M. Evens 8 THE BAY LEAF January 2010 THE NEW MANUAL OF CALIFORNIA VEGETATION IS HERE! Exciting news! The long-awaited second edition of the Manual of California Vegetation, written by John O. Sawyer, Todd Keeler-Wolf, and Julie Evens, has just been released. This book replaces the original Manual which was published in 1995. Vegetation classification has come a long way since 1995, and this second edition has been widely expanded and improved. This reference book is of interest to any native plant enthusiast and is an absolute must-have for botanists, consultants, and land use planners. The Manual contains descriptions of over 480 vegetation types. The description for each vegetation type is one to several pages long and contains details about habitat, life history traits, fire characteristics, regional status, and management considerations. There are also maps that show the distribu- tion of each vegetation type across the state. The Manual also contains an excellent introduction that discusses what vegeta- tion is, the history of classification, and the CNPS approach to classification. California buckeye (Aesculus californica) is one of my favor- ite trees. This time of year it has lost its leaves to show its intricate branching pattern and hanging fruit. I looked up California buckeye in the Manual and it is listed as "Aesculus californica Woodland Alliance, California buckeye groves." Reading through the description I find that for this vegeta- tion type, California buckeye is dominant or co-dominant (greater then 50 percent relative cover) in the tree canopy and often occurs with flowering ash (Fraxinus dipetala), toyon {Heteromeles arbutifolia), foothill pine {Pinus sahiniana), interior live oak (Quercus wislizenii), and California bay (Umbellularia californica). I learn that buckeye is fire-hardy and sprouts after fire. Plants produce fruit when they are 5 to 10 years of age and the large seeds are dispersed mainly by gravity or water and rarely by animals. I also learn that trees may retain their leaves through fall in coastal populations when soil moisture remains available. The map shows that this vegetation type is distributed throughout California, along the coast and in the Sierra foothills. Another, less common, vegetation type that interests me is desert olive {Forestiera pubescens), which is an uncommon vegetation type in the East Bay. The East Bay Vegetation Committee paid a visit to Corral Hollow, east of Livermore, in May 2009 (in 100 degree heat!) to sample the desert olive patches that occur there. In the Manual, this vegetation type is described as "Forestiera pubescens Shrubland Alliance, Desert olive patches." Looking at the map, I see that our oc- currences in the East Bay are the northernmost occurrences of this vegetation type, and that most occurrences are in the southern portion of the state including the Great Basin. I read that in California desert olive patches occur as scattered, small stands. They are not common and usually occur in slightly drier conditions upslope from flowing water. I think back to the Corral Hollow population, and remember the stand we sampled was just above the bottom of a canyon floor. This vegetation type is one example of several vegetation types and rare plants that reach their northernmost limit in the East Bay in the vicinity of Mount Diablo. I highly recommend this book for your native plant library. It is available on the CNPS website in the bookstore. Happy botanizing and vegetationizing! Erin McDermott Beach-bur, Ambrosia chamissonis, native, Molate Beach, Contra Costa Co., 11/7/09. Photo by Bob Sikora Acmon Blue, Plebejus acmon, m. CNPS field trip. Point Molate, Contra Costa Co, 11-7-09 Photo by Bob Sikora THE BAY LEAF January 2010 9 Wayne Roderick Lectures 2009-2010 Regional Parks Botanic Garden Wildcat Canyon Road and South Park Drive (South Park Drive is closed November-March) in Tilden Regional Park, Berkeley, CA (510) 544-3169 E-mail Address: bgarden@ebparks.org www.nativeplants.org Saturday mornings 10:30 Free The Wayne Roderick Lectures winter 2009-2010 are dedicated to the memory of Larry Abers. Notice: Seating is limited. To be sure of a seat, come early and save a chair. 2010 Jan. 2: East of Eden: images from the flora of the Sierran crest and the arid lands beyond — Aaron Schusteff Jan. 9: Roundabout the Walker Ridge burn of 2008 and sites near Clear Lake in Lake County — Steve Edwards Jan. 16: Natural history of Hokkaido, Japan — Ron Felzer Jan. 23: Flora of the Carquinez Strait — Dean Kelch Jan. 30: Wild Lewisias of California and even wilder hybrids, in stereo. 3D glasses will be provided — Jack Muzatko Feb. 6: Plants of Teddy Roosevelt National Park, North Dakota, and the Beartooth Plateau, Montana- Wyoming — Bob Case Feb. 13: Very close to home: wildflower hiking in Del Valle Regional Park, Sunol, and Ohione Wilderness — Steve Edwards Feb. 20: Some botany and history in coastal Monterey — Steve Edwards Feb. 27: Shifting baselines in Bay Area oak woodlands and savannas: historical patterns and restoration potential — Alison Whipple Free tours of the Botanic Garden every Saturday at 2:00 pm and Sunday at 11:00 am & 2:00 pm (when it's not raining). No tours when we conduct our annual plant sale on the third Saturday in April; no tours when the garden is closed (Thanksgiving, Christmas Day, New Year's Day). THE BAY LEAF January 2010 Chapter Directory Officers President and Chapter Council Delegate Delia Barnes Taylor 510-527-3912 deliataylor@mac.com Vice President Carol Castro 510-352-2382 carollbcastro@hotmail. com Recording Secretary Barbara Leitner 925-253-8300 bleitner@pacbell.net Corresponding Secre- tary Janet Gawthrop janetgawthrop47@gmail. com Treasurer Holly Forbes hforbes@berkeley.edu h 510-234-2913 w 510-643-8040 Assistant Treasurer (not an officer) David Margolies 510-654-0283 dm@franz.com Committees Bayleaf Newsletter Bay Leaf Editor and Web- master Joe Willingham, Chair 510-841-4681 pepel 066@comcast.net Bay Leaf Assistant Editor David Margolies 510-654-0283 dm@franz.com Mailing Holly Forbes Conservation Laura Baker, Chair 510-849-1409 Lbake66@aol.com Conservation analyst Lech Naumovich conservation@ebcnps.org Field Trips Janet Gawthrop, Chair Funds Development Carol Castro, Chair Grant Management Sally de Becker 510-841-6613 sallydebecker@comcast. net Horticulture Planning Sue Rosenthal, Chair 510-496-6016 rosacalifornica@earthlink. net Information Infrastruc- ture Peter Rauch, Chair peterar@berkeley.edu Membership Elaine Jackson, Carol Castro Co-Chairs Volunteer coordinator Delia Taylor volunteer@ebcnps.org Programs Sue Rosenthal, Chair Publicity Dinah Russell, Chair 510-528-0547 maphappy@sonic.net Rare Plants Heath Bartosh, Chair 925-957-0069 hbartosh@nomadecology. com Unusual Plants Dianne Lake, Chair 510-741-8066 diannelake@yahoo.com Vegetation Erin McDermott, Chair erinmcd2004@yahoo.com EBCNPS Sponsored Activities Book & Poster Sales Joanne Orengo greentheglobe@juno.com Grant Awards Sandy McCoy sandymccoy@mindspring. com Native Here Nursery 510-549-0211 Manager — Charli Dan- ielsen nativehere@ebcnps.org Sales — Margot Cunning- ham bunchgrassmarg@gmail. com Seed Collection — Gregg Weber 510-223-3310 Plant Fair Gudrun Kleist 510-222-2320 gkleist@sbcglobal.net and Charli Danielsen Coordinators Restoration Projects Leaders: Huckleberry — Janet Gawthrop Point Isabel — Tom and Jane Kelly 510-704-8628 (w) 510-684-6484 (c) kyotousa@sbcg lobal . net Strawberry Creek — Tom and Jane Kelly Officers and Committee Chairs serve on the Board. Committees are formed based on chapter needs and the interests of volunteers. Proposals for committees and projects are welcome and will be considered by the Board. UPGRADE RECEIVE YOUR MEMBERSHIP TO A HIGHER LEVEL to the S45 level: CN Pi Bumper Sticker to the $75 level: WildHower Poster li, -'2 If Mm WITH OUR THANKS CO che S 100 level: CNPS Hat to (he $300 level: CNPS stain le.H steel Kleen Kanteen to the $600 level: ^ Bonk: The Best . Spring Ever CNPS needs your support more than everl www.cnps.or^cnps/joln THE BAY LEAF January 2010 11 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 January 2010 issue CALENDAR OF EVENTS Field Trips (see page 5) Sunday, January 3, 2:00 pm, Huddart County Park. Saturday, January 30, 9:30 am. Huckleberry Preserve, mosses led by Jim Shevock. Membership Meeting (see page 1) Wednesday, January 27, 7:30 pm. Garden Room, Orinda Library, Jim Shevock on California Mosses. Native Here (see page 6) Open for business & volunteer help: Fridays (closed Jan 1), 9 am - 12 pm, Saturdays 10 am to 2 pm, and Tuesdays 12 pm - 3pm. Plant Fair 2009 recap/2010 planning meeting (see page 5) Sunday, January 17* 2:00 pm, Danielsens' home, 10 Kerr Avenue, Kensington. Board of Directors' Meeting Wednesday, January 29, at 6:30 pm, at the home of Delia Taylor, 1851 Catalina Ave., Berkeley. To sign up to be notified of Chapter events: go to www.groups.google.com/group/ebcnps. You can also find out about Chapter events by going to www.ebcnps.org and clicking on "Activity Calendar" in the banner at the top. Find the newest conservation topics on our Chapter Conservation web page: www.ebcnps.org/ conservation.html. longer give a three-month extension. All lapsed members receive up to three renewal reminders. You can join or renew on line at www.cnps.org. Automatic renewal with your credit card is now available. Please renew your membership. Starting in January, the state office will mark members as lapsed immediately and will no Membership Application and Renewal Form To keep CNPS strong and able to accomplish its mission, the Board of Directors has challenged us to grow to a statewide membership of 15,000 by 2012. For the East Bay Chapter this means growing by 200 members per year. We will obtain this goal if every member renews. Name Address Zip Telephone Email I wish to affiliate with: East Bay Chapter (Alameda and Contra Costa Counties) Other Membership category: Individual, $45 Family, Library, Group or International, $75 Plant Lover, $100.00 Plant lover, $100 Patron, $300 Benefactor, $600 Mariposa Lily, $1500 Limited Income or student, $25.00 Mail application and check to: California Native Plant Society, 2707 K Street, Suite 1, Sacramento CA 95816