June 2005 r^. ■ The Bay Leaf California Native Plant Society • East Bay Chapter • Alameda & Contra Costa Counties www.ebcnps.org CALENDAR OF EVENTS Chapter Board of Directors Meeting Wednesday, June 1, 7:30 pm, home of Barbara Leitner, 2 Parkway Court, Orinda Native Here p. 4 June 3, 10, 17, 24, Fridays, Native Here open 9- noon June 4, 11, 18, 25, Saturdays, Nursery open 10-1 June 7, 14, 21, 28, Tuesdays: Native Here seed collec- tion, 9 am-?. Time varies depending on destination. Conservation Committee Field Trip p. 2 Friday June 3"^^, field trip to Concord Naval Weapons Station led by Laura Hanson from Watershed Nurs- ery Plant Sale Activities p. 4 Tuesdays, June 7, 14, 21, 28, 9 am to 2 pm, Merritt College, Oakland Native Plant Restoration Team p. 3 Saturday June 1 1th, 9:30 am, the NPRT joins Friends of Sausal Creek in their effort to eradicate a large patch of cape ivy located at the headwaters of Sausal Creek in Joaquin Miller Park in the Oakland hills. State CNPS Chapter Council Meeting Saturday and Sunday June 1 1 and 12, Chapter Coun- cil meeting. Sierra Friends Center, near Grass Valley. The theme is Rare Plants & Vegetation (Plant Science) . 40th Anniversary. Call the State CNPS office for fur- ther information: 916-447-2677. Conservation Committee Meeting see below Wednesday June 15*, 7:00 pm, at Laura Baker’s home at 76 Roble Road, Berkeley Field Trips p. 3 Saturday June 4, Sierra foothills driving trip Sunday June 26, 8 am-late afternoon. Mineral King (June 27-28 optional) CONSERVATION ANALYST'S REPORT New Volunteers Many thanks to Delia Taylor, Elaine Jackson, Carol Castro, and others for the outreach they have done in the past couple of months. Because of their efforts we have 1 1 new conservation volunteers! Robin Sandstad, Berkeley Barbara Frazier, Livermore Todd and Pam Lane, Livermore Paul Moscheth, Livermore and Richmond issues Sig Shapiro, Contra Costa County Ted Shapas, Contra Costa County Marian Porter, Contra Costa County Juan Sandoval, General interest Kathy Velasco, General interest Sharon Newman, Richmond Karen Ray, Richmond Stew Winchester Bob Case, Concord Liz Eng an, Richmond Barb Martien, Richmond Gwynn O’Neill, Richmond Gloria Chavarriv, Richmond Eric Gordon, Milo Baker Chapter Conservation Meeting To welcome our new volunteers and any others inter- ested, we are having a Conservation Committee meet- ing on June 15th at 7:00 pm at Laura Baker’s home near Claremont Avenue in Berkeley. Laura’s address is 76 Roble Road, Berkeley. Current Projects Contra Costa County Urban Limit Line Will the city and county leaders of Contra Costa County decide upon an urban limit line (ULL) to bring to the voters in November? Unfortunately it doesn’t look good. There is little common ground between the county and continued on page 2 continued from page 1 city leaders. New volunteer Robin Sandstad discovered that some of the County Board of Supervisors remain interested in keeping a tight urban limit line when she commented for CNPS at their meeting in Walnut Creek on April 26.1 consulted with David Reid from the Greenbelt Alliance and Mike Daley from the Sierra Club on this issue and submitted our comments regarding the ULL summit via email. Livermore /Springtown issues In the past couple of months I have been working with the Sierra Club, the Greenbelt Alliance and the Friends of Livermore to urge Livermore Council Members to delay the public vote until November. The outcome of this vote determines whether an expansion of the North Livermore urban growth boundary and 2,450 house development goes forward. After much scrutiny, the council determined the public vote will go on the November ballot rather than the June ballot. Even with this extra time, we CNPSers sprang into action by meeting on Tuesday April 12th to discuss the Pardee Homes Plan and the Irrigated Agriculture Alternative. We determined that we should continue to oppose both irrigated agriculture and the Pardee development. We decided to move forward by initiating a press release, letter to the editor and PowerPoint presentation to inform the parties involved. Each item is currently in the works and will be a collaborative effort between the Plant Science and Conservation Groups of the East Bay Chapter. We also attended a media event on May 1 1th sponsored by Greenbelt Alliance to show who is opposing the development project. Mary Ann Hannon attended the Livermore city council meeting on April 1 1th to present our comments on the Mitigated Negative Declaration for the Catholic High School proposal in North Livermore. On Tuesday April 19th, I met with Eric Gordon, a hydrologist and vineyard expert with the Milo Baker Chapter of CNPS, to discuss the implications of allow- ing vineyards around the Alkali Sink. Point Molate Recently, David Amme led a field trip out to the relict coastal grassland found at Point Molate. This increas- ingly rare plant community narrowly escaped the plow and urbanization in the past. Unfortunately it is now under threat from a proposal to build the Point Mo- late Casino. I submitted a scoping letter regarding the Point Molate Casino Environmental Impact Report Report/ Environmental Impact Statement (EIR/EIS) in early April, and volunteers Gregg Webber and Elaine Jackson attended the scoping meeting. Dianne Lake assisted us by providing a plant list for the area and with surveys done by Chris Thayer, Dianne, Barbara Ertter, and others. Arrowhead Marsh While the comment period for the Arrowhead Marsh Casino EIS closed in December, the lead agency still allowed me to submit scoping comments this month. Dianne Lake provided a plant list for the area. East Contra Costa HCP/NCCP Dick VrMeer attended the monthly Coordination Group meeting. I reviewed the materials for the meeting and offered suggestions and questions to present at the meeting via email. Field Trips Spring has sprung! The first of four conservation field trips was led by Heath Bartosh and Chris Thayer to Springtown’s Alkali sink. Despite the rainy weather and low turnout, those who attended seemed to have a great time. The next field trips will be on May 21st to the Mangini property led by Seth Adams from Save Mount Diablo and Sue Bainbridge, and on June 3rd to Concord Naval Weapons Station lead by Laura Hanson from Watershed Nursery. State Duties This month, I wrote up an internship proposal for CNPS to be implemented at the state and chapter level. To do this I consulted various environmental organizations that currently have internship programs: the Sierra Club, the Greenbelt Alliance, and Save the Bay. As always, we are looking for volunteers to help with outreach, research, and attending local meetings. Please contact Jessica atjjolson@ebcnps.org or 510- 734-0335 if you are interested. I look forward to hear- ing from you! The Conservation Analyst's position is funded by a grant from the San Francisco Foundation, contributions from chapter members and anonymous donations. Jessica Olson Out of damp and gloomy days, out of solitude, out of loveless words directed at us, conclusions grow up in us like fungus: one morning they are there, we know not how, and they gaze upon us, morose and gray. Woe to the thinker who is not the gardener but only the soil of the plants that grow in him. Friedrich Nietzsche 2 THE BAY LEAF June 2005 FIELD TRIPS Saturday June 4, Sierra foothills driving trip Bob Case will return to Route 88 to lead a Calochortus hunt, with a number of stops and short walks in spring vegetation near 88 at increasing elevations. Cameras and hand lenses are encouraged. To find out more about foothill vegetation, see Wildflower Walks and Roads of the Sierra Gold Country by the late, great Toni Fauver. The limit is 20-25 people, depending on how many will carpool to very limited parking areas. To reserve a spot and get a map, e-mail Bob Case at bobcase@astound.net, or call 925-689-6528. Meet at the Safeway parking lot at the intersection of Highway 88 and 49 in Jackson. We will travel east towards Car- son Pass all day, but you can turn back early at any time. Bob will leave from Pleasant Hill BART at 7:40 am and can take 3 people, but will probably not return to the BART station before 10:30 pm. Sunday June 26, 8 am-late afternoon. Mineral King (June 27-28 optional) Mineral King is a “secret Yosemite”, a dramatic valley with spectacularly varied geology, and many options for day hiking up to higher lake basins. Lariy Abers has spent years exploring (and photographing) the area, and has offered to show us some of his favorite fiowery spots. An all-day, approximately 7-mile hike /botany crawl, starts at 8 am on Sunday June 26 at the parking lot at the very end of the road (Eagle-Mosquito Parking Area) . We are rating the hike as strenuous due to the elevation gain; the valley fioor is 7,500 feet, and we expect to climb into the subalpine zone at 10,000 feet elevation. The full suite of Sierran wildfiowers should be blooming, and we may see Fritillaria pinetorum and Allium abramsii. First come, first serve camping (no res- ervations) is available near the trailhead; Cold Springs Campground 1 mile away (a bit cramped), and Atwell Mills Campground 4 miles further. Cabins are available at Silver City Resort. If one day of subalpine botany isn’t enough for you, Larry will lead the hunt for more botanical gems on Monday and Tuesday, June 27-28. Each day is limited to 25 people; please call to reserve your spot. Larry Abers 510-799-6234 Janet Gawthrop NATIVE PLANT RESTORATION TEAM Saturday June 11th finds us once again returning to Joaquin Miller Park in the Oakland Hills to join Friends of Sausal Creek in their efforts to eradicate a large patch of cape ivy located at the headwaters of Sausal Creek. It is a shady site that contains poison oak, so appropriate precautions should be taken. The work party starts at 9:30 am and will continue until 1 pm or so. Directions From Highway 13 take the Joaquin Miller exit and turn east up the hill. 3/4 miles up the hill, look for Sanborn Road on your left. This is easiest to find by looking for the sign in the median of the road that says “Native Plant Nursery”. The road is labeled Sanborn to the left and Robinson to the right. (Note that Sanborn Road loops and connects to Lincoln further below but it’s not a real road entrance.) Park along Joaquin Miller near Sanborn and walk to the northeast corner of the intersection (uphill left). There you will see a locked yellow fire gate. The Cape ivy infestation is down the fire road and just over the bridge. For further information contact Greg Wolford at 510- 848-6489 or at californica@mac.com. Greg Wolford STATE CNPS ELECTIONS One of the most important things that CNPS members can do is to volunteer for service on the State Board of CNPS. The State Board of CNPS works to ensure that the policies of the Chapter Council become reality and that the work of the Chapters is strongly supported. Eveiyone who loves CNPS should consider running! The positions that need to be filled are Board President, Board Secretary, five Directors, and two Chapter Coun- cil Representatives on the Board (see the note on the new positions below), and Chapter Council President, Vice-President, and Secretary . . . These positions are open to any CNPS members. To become a candidate, it is necessary to complete a nomination petition. To read the rest of this article, which contains the job descriptions and an application form, please go to: http://cnps.org/Election_Memo_05.pdf The authors are the members of the CNPS Leadership Development Committee: Sandy McCoy, Carol Witham, Halli Mason, Eva Butler, Spence McIntyre, Lynn Houser, and Charli Danielsen. [Ed.] A garden is a grand teacher. It teaches patience and careful watchfulness; it teaches industry and thrift; above all it teaches entire trust. Gertrude Jekyll THE BAY LEAF June 2005 3 PLANT SALE ACTIVITIES Tuesdays June 7, 14, 21, 28 9am to 2pm Merritt College, Oakland Landscape Horticulture Department Parking fee: 50 cents This is a busy month at the nursery as the rooted cuttings come out of the greenhouse to the potting table. It looks like we will have lots of plants in 4” pots to choose from at the October sale. Others are filling out their 1 -gallon containers beautifully. With the May rains came an abundant weed crop to surround the nursery, and we are pulling and cutting. There is a job for each and every one who shows up on Tuesday mornings. Join us for a couple hours and find out what you have been missing. Shirley McPheeters NATIVE HERE June 3, 10, 17, 24, Fridays, Native Here open 9- noon June 4, 11, 18, 25, Saturdays, Nursery open 10-1 June 7, 14, 21, 28, Tuesdays: Native Here seed collec- tion, 9 am-?. Time varies depending on destination. Every Tuesday through the end of October, collection trips start at 9 am from the nursery entrance on Golf Course Drive in Tilden Park. Each week we go to a dif- ferent destination for which we have a collection per- mit. Usually we return around 1 pm, but some further destinations can keep us out until mid-afternoon. We provide seed envelopes, but bring your favorite hand protection, sun hat and liquids. 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. If you haven’t volunteered with us before, it is good to come on a Friday the first time for training. Margot gets pretty swamped with customers on Satur- days, so it helps to already "know the ropes”. At a recent Chapter Board meeting the idea of tak- ing Native Here plants to various farmers’ markets throughout the chapter area came up. A few members are researching what would be required. One thing we know would be required is a volunteer willing to take the plants to the farmer’s market and sell them. If you are at all interested in providing the chapter with this service, hopefully starting this autumn, email charlid@pacbell.net or bleitner@pacbell.net or leave a message on the nursery phone 510-549-0211. There are so many plants germinating that we will need to build more platforms to hold them all. If you or someone you know is dismantling a deck or fence and has one or two inch redwood, cedar or pressure treated fir that can be trimmed to 2’, 4’, 6’ or 8’ lengths, let the volunteers know by leaving a phone message so we can arrange to have you drop it off. Although it isn’t the greatest time to put new plants in the ground, summer is a good time to pick up those plants you really want to plant in the fall. You can keep them in a partially shaded place that is easy to water while they wait for the first fall rains when you’ll plant them out. The 2004 seed collection was much broader than in previous years, so you may find some pleas- ant surprises. Our Livermore section, for instance, has some interesting plants. El Sobrante and Orinda members will also find treasures for their gardens. Of course, we have not neglected the Oakland-Berkeley-El Cerrito hills, so a wide selection is being grown from there, as well. The nursery is located in Tilden Park, across from the Golf Course, at 101 Golf Course Drive. Telephone is 510-549-0211. Charli Danielsen ACTIVITIES OF OTHERS Discover and protect rare plant populations. Enjoy the wildflower season while preserving one of California’s botanical marvels. On the weekend of June 4th and 5th Point Reyes National Seashore will host its seventh Rare-Plant- A-Thon and we are searching for enthusiastic volun- teers. For those of you who have never attended this event, the Rare- Plant- A-Thon is an effort to preserve and inventory rare plant populations throughout the Seashore. Over the past 4 years, 200+ volunteers have helped document more than 60 rare popula- tions. So mark your calendars. We welcome all levels of botanical experience. Participants can volunteer for one or both days. Free overnight accommodations are available at the Point Reyes Historic Lifesaving Station at Chimney Rock so RSVP to reserve a space. Please pass on this message to anyone you think may be interested. Email or call Mark Rogers for details: mark_rogers@partner.nps.gov or 415-464-5223. 4 THE BAY LEAF June 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 Lbake66@aol.com Treasurer Holly Forbes 7128 Blake Street, El Cerrito 94530 hforbes@. 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@. 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 Grants Sandy McCoy 1311 Bay View Place, Berkeley 94708 wbmccoy@mindspring.com Hospitality Irene Wilkinson 440 Camino Sobrante, Orinda 94563 925-254-3675 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 223 Kentucky #3, Petaluma 94952 510-734-0335 cell: 415-238-1143 jjolson@ebcnps.org Stewardship Native Plant Restoration Team Greg Wolford 2945 Otis Street, Berkeley 94703 510-848-6489 californica@mac.com Membership Delia Taylor 1851 Catalina Avenue, Berkeley 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 1 050 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 5 Chlorogalum pomeridianum (soap plant) Photo by Joe Willingham California Native Plant Society East Bay Chapter P.O. Box 5597, Elmwood Station Berkeley CA 94705 Nonprofit Org. U.S. Postage Paid Oakiand, CA Permit No. 2018 Time Vaiue June 2005 issue