November 2013 r *\ The Bay Leaf California Native Plant Society • East Bay Chapter Alameda & Contra Costa Counties www.ebcnps.org www.groups.google.com/group/ebcnps V MEMBERSHIP MEETING Oaks Among Us Speaker: Katherine Jones Wednesday, November 20, 7:30 pm Location: Garden Room, Orinda Public Library (directions below) California is home to 10 native tree oaks, 12 native shrub oaks, and many hybrids. Remnant oaks of great age reside in California cities along with newly planted native and non- native oak species. Katherine's presentation will discuss ways of identifying California oaks — form, foliage, acorns, and bark— with an emphasis on oaks in urban settings. Katherine Jones is a retired University of California Coopera- tive Extension Horticulture Program Representative from San Mateo and San Francisco counties. She is a co-author with Laurence Costello and Bruce Hagen of Oaks in the Urban Landscape: Selection , Care and Preservation. Currently she is the Database Manager of the California Tree Failure Report Program. 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 room opens at 7 pm; the meeting begins at 7:30 pm. Call 510-496-6016 or email rosacalifornica2@earthlink.net if you have 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. 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 pedes- trian bridge. Go 2 blocks on Orinda Way to the Orinda Library. Please note: There will be no meeting in Decem- ber (happy holidays!) Coast live oak, black oak, and valley oak in a Sunnyvale, CA, park Photographer: J. Kehoe, used by permission. 2014 CONSERVATION ANALYST APPEAL IS UNDERWAY! 2014 Conservation Analyst Appeal Is Over Halfway to the Goal! $13,600 is needed to meet our goal of $40,000. The Conservation Analyst Fund supports the East Bay Chapter's half-time Conservation Analyst, Mack Casterman. Along with the Conservation Committee, Mack is working on many fronts to conserve high value native plant habitats in our two counties. Please contribute as generously as you can. Donations may be made using PayPal on the East Bay Chapter website or send a check to the Chapter's address (PO. Box 5597, Elmwood Station, Berkeley, CA 94705). Please write "Conservation Analyst Fund" in the memo. All contributions are tax deductible. We would like to thank the following generous donors for their contributions to the 2014 Conservation Analyst Fund. John Alcorn Lisa Anich Laura Baker and Lewis Lubin James Barse Laura Beckett David Bigharn and Howard Arendtson Christine Boczanowski Martha Booz Barbara and Robert Brandriff Carroll Brentano Margaret Brostrom Albert Chung Patricia Coffey Carol and Robert Coon Nancy Crane Elizabeth Crews Margot Cunningham Clytia Curley Mary Frances Dahlquist Charli and John Danielsen Elizabeth Davidson William Davis Sally de Becker Gene DeMar Mark Detterman Thelma Dixon Sue Duckies Melissa Edwards Chris Erickson Annmarie Finneral Gerald Ford and Holly Forbes Norman Frank Gordon Frankie Clara Gerdes Toby Gidal Paul Grunland Judith Ann Gurbaxani Christine Hagelin Jim Hansen and Nancy Allen Richard Harland and Marietta Dunaway Marguerite Harrell Mary Ellen Harte Miao He John Heckman Claudia Hein June Hight Peter Hopkinson Marian Huntoon Robert Jolda Jane and Tom Kelly Bohun Kinloch Arti Kirch and Cindy Siegel Gudrun Kleist Marcia Kolb Jill Korte Kathy Kramer Christopher Kroll Watson Laetsch David and Evelyne Lennette Ed Leong Vera Lis David Loeb Lois and Harry Lutz Matthew Madison Tarnia Marg William McCoy and Natasha Beery Dann McCright Shirley McPheeters Christina McWhorter Jamie Menasco Jon Merkle Louise Miller Richard O'Donnell Charles and Anne Olsen Anita Pearson Donna Preece Genevieve Prlain Alma Raymond Kelly Reuba JoEllen Rice Jean Robertson/ Earthly Delights Gene Rochlin Celia Ronis Sue Rosenthal William Schramer Judy Schwartz Karen Smith Robert Sorenson Lionel and Ann Sorenson Nicki Spillane Donald Stang and Helen Wickes Ruth and Donald Stiver Michael Strandberg Emile Strauss Ann Sullivan Aaron Sunshine Ted Tawshunsky Delia and John Taylor Liz Varnhagen Patty and W. Waddington Phoebe Watts Cecile Weaver Roy and Carolyn West Karen Wetherell Shirley White Susan Wickham Joe and Doris Willingham Elaine Worthington-Jackson Robert Zorzynski CNPS STATE OFFICE HIRES HORTICULTURE DIRECTOR The CNPS State Office announced that Susan Krywicki has been hired as the fulltime staff Horticulture Program Director (see http:/ / cnps.org/cnps/press/20130924_cnps_hort_di- rector.pdf for the official announcement). Susan comes from the San Diego chapter, where she helped to grow that chap- ter's horticulture program. In San Diego, she also worked with other groups (such as Surfrider Foundation, San Diego County Water Authority, and Port of San Diego) promoting California native plant horticulture. Her new duties will in- clude the promotion of native plant horticulture in general, and assistance to chapters in their horticultural efforts, both logistics and marketing. Please welcome Susan and send any suggestions or ideas to skrzywicki@cnps.org. 2 THE BAY LEAF November 2013 ELECTIONS FOR THE CHAPTER BOARD The Chapter Board is elected once a year. The five elected posi- tions are President, Vice President, Treasurer, Recording Sec- retary, and Corresponding Secretary These elected members appoint additional board members at the first board meeting in January. The election is in December. The December Bay Leaf will be printed and mailed to members with the ballot inserted. Members who have asked for the Bay Leaf only in electronic form will receive just the ballot in the mail. All current elected board members except Robert Sorenson, the Corresponding Secretary, have agreed to run again and FIELD TRIPS Friday, November 29, 9:30 am, Mt. Olympia at Mt. Diablo State Park Meet Janet Gawthrop at the end of Rialto to scope out the east and north sides of the mountain. All are welcome, but especially those who have taken this route in February with Gregg Weber, so that we can compare landmarks and changes from the September fire. If you can, bring a camera, phone, or other gear to record the route and compare it with the scene next February. This will be a strenuous walk with a 2300-foot elevation gain outward, with the same downhill going back. The round trip distance is about six miles, so bring water, lunch and be ready for a trip of 6-7 hours. We will go out in light rain, but heavy rain will postpone the trip until Saturday November 30 at 9:30. Directions: Take 24 east or 680 to exit at Ignacio Valley Road. Continue east on Ignacio Valley Road out of Walnut Creek into Clayton, where you will reach the intersection of Ignacio Valley and Clayton Road. Turn right onto Clayton Road, and follow Clayton Road past the first intersection with Marsh Creek Road; in about a mile it becomes Marsh Creek Road. RESTORATION PROJECTS Saturday, November 2, 9 am. Redwood Regional Park. Meet at Wayside parking lot (Redwood Road Gate): take Redwood Road off Highway 13 and go over the hill. The park entrance is on the left a couple of miles into the valley. Tuesday, November 5, 10 am-noon and Saturday, November 16, 10 am-noon Garber Park habitat restoration workdays for November Please join us in November as we continue to remove invasive weeds (Himalayan blackberry. Cape ivy, veldt grass (Ehrharta erecta ) from our restoration sites and along the Loop Trail. We will also focus on our big Algerian ivy pull along the Sylvan Path from Fireplace Plaza to Claremont Avenue in preparation for winter planting season in December and January. Meet at the Evergreen Lane entrance to Garber Park. will likely be nominated by the Nominations Committee. Any member interested in becoming Corresponding Secretary should contact the chapter president, Lesley Hunt (ldhunt@ astound.net). Any member may be nominated for any board position by submitting a petition with five signatures nomi- nating a member along with confirmation that that member is willing to serve. Such nominations can be sent to the president (ldhunt@astound.net) who will forward it to the Nominations Committee. The deadline for such nominations is November 18, 2013. Continue straight on Marsh Creek Road and then turn right onto Regency Drive. Go three blocks on Regency Drive, turn left onto Rialto Drive and follow it to the trailhead at the end. Regency Drive also ends at a trailhead, but that is for a dif- ferent trail— be sure to turn left onto Rialto. Meet the group at the end of Rialto. Other Activities Support your friendly neighborhood federal wildlife ref- uge. Sunday, November 17, 10 am-2pm Don Edwards San Francisco Bay National Wildlife Refuge will have its fall plant sale at the volunteer-run native plant nursery, located near the visitor center complex at 2 Marsh- lands Road in Fremont. To get there, exit 84 at Paseo Padre Parkway (last East Bay exit before Dumbarton Bridge toll booths). Turn left onto Paseo Padre Parkway, and go straight to its intersection with Marshlands Road. Turn right onto Marshlands Road to go into the refuge. Directions: From Ashby take Alvarado Road to Slater Lane, turn right onto Evergreen Lane. The entrance is at the end of the street. For a google map and directions go to www. garberparkstewards.org, or contact Shelagh garberparkstew- ards@gmail.com. Saturday, November 2, 10:00 am. Point Isabel (Eastshore State Park). Meet at the end of Rydin Road just off the 1-580 next to Hoffman Marsh. Contact e-mail: kyotousa@sbcglobal. net, cell: 510-684-6484. Saturday, November 9, 9:30 am. Huckleberry Regional Park. Meet at the main parking lot, just to the right of Skyline, north of the intersection with Snake Road. Sunday, November 17, 9:00 am, Sibley Regional Park. Meet at Oakland-side parking lot off Skyline, about 1/4 mile north of the Huckleberry parking lot. THE BAY LEAF November 2013 3 NATIVE HERE REPORT Greetings EBCNPS, Thank you all for making this year's Plant Fair a big success. The volunteers were wonderful and I was impressed with the enthusiasm and kind demeanor of our customers. Our sales revenues are up from those of the last few years, and I think the plants will be happy to have space to grow and thrive in people's backyards. Thank you to everyone who has given constructive feedback regarding the Plant Fair and nursery operations. Steve Toby has invited everyone who volunteered with the plant fair to a meeting at 1 pm on Saturday November 2nd. Please come to the meeting or email Steve or myself with anything further. Thank you to everyone who has contributed to building what I see as the currently well-honed plant fair. We sold a lot of plants, but never fear. There are more. These green things are a persistent bunch and our volunteers have recovered from the plant fair and are hard at work on sowing and bumping up all of the little goodies in four-inch pots. We have a host of checker mallow ( Sidalcea malviflora) in propagation and growing fast, along with many yerba buena (Clinopodium douglasii) growing to replace the gallons that we have on the floor. With the planting season underway, we are hoping for a wet winter season so come up and get your plant lists filled. We are also planning a propagation workshop for Saturday, September 16th. Time and further details will be provided on our Facebook (Native Here Nursery) and Meetup (East Bay CNPS) pages. If anyone is interested in volunteering to help teach basic propagation techniques (sowing, transplanting and layering) please contact Theo at nativehere@ebcnps. org. Theo Fitanides Native Here Nursery founder Charli Danielsen welcomes Theo Fitanides as the new manager for Native Here Nursery. Photo by Janice Bray. 4 THE BAY LEAF November 2013 POINT ISABEL RESTORERS GO TO BROOKS ISLAND Point Isabel volunteers "establish a beachhead" on Brooks Island — expand Caspian Tern nesting area On October 22nd, in appreciation of the volunteer work done at Point Isabel over the past seven years, the East Bay Re- gional Park District took fourteen Point Isabel volunteers on a voyage on the Siri Queen to Brooks Island. When we came ashore Scott Possin from the District gave us an introduction to the Island's history and introduced us to the Island care- taker, Matt. Matt filled us in about his role on the Island and told us about the wildlife it supports. The fog was lifting as we took a brief tour along a trail lined with California native buckeyes, purple needle grass, roses, blackberry, sagebrush, morning glory and more to the highest point where we spot- ted Bird Island with its pelicans. After a picnic lunch hosted by the District, we made our way down to the Caspian Tern nesting area that is being encroached upon by masses of ice plant and trash that washes up on the beach. We set to work. Rob tackled the beach trash and the rest of the crew, includ- ing District staff, started removing the ice plant. Gudrun also found a small patch of Russian thistle that she pulled out and bagged. We cleaned a huge area, pulling out tons and tons of ice plant (or so it seemed!), working quickly since we had to catch the tide to allow us to motor back to the Richmond Marina. That's when the unexpected happened. The Siri Queen wouldn't start. After some speculation as to whether Matt had satellite TV in his house and what he would make us for dinner, we realized we were in the company of some very talented and resourceful frontline District staff who, together with Island caretaker Matt, calmly set about coming up with alternatives that resulted in all volunteers and staff returning safely to the Richmond marina launch site. What an incredible day! And what an amazing group of volunteers and District staff. If all goes well, we will return at a future date to finish our work. The District does arrange occasional guided trips out to Brooks Island. Check http:/ / www.ebparks.org/parks/brooks_island for details about when future trips are planned. Pelicans resting on the bay, off Brooks Island, photo by Janet Kelly. Restoration crew dealing with ice plant on Brooks Island. Photo by Gudrun Kleist. THE BAY LEAF November 2013 5 MORE IMAGES FROM BROOKS ISLAND RESTORATION Brooks Island Shanty (To the tune of Sloop John B.) We sailed Siri Queen for free The weed workers and me Around Brooks Island trails we did roam Working all day Alongside the Bay We feel so happy Don't wanna go home 6 So clean up the nesting site Make it inviting and bright Give the heave-ho to the piles of nasty ice plant So much did we learn Of the Caspian Tern Weed warriors listen up! It's time to go home Lyrics by Jane, Tom, Joanne, Penny October 22, 2013 THE BAY LEAF November 2013 DIRECTORY Officers President Lesley Hunt lldhunt@astound.net Vice President and Chapter Council Delegate Bill Hunt wjhunt@astound.net Recording Secretary Sue Duckies spduckle@uci.edu Corresponding Secretary Robert Sorenson rls@sorensonvision.com Treasurer David Margolies 510-654-0283 dm@franz.com Committees Bayleaf Newsletter Bay Leaf Editor and Webmaster, Chair Joe Willingham 510-705-1798 pepel 066@comcast.net Bay Leaf Assistant Editor David Margolies 510-654-0283 dm@franz.com Bay Leaf Mailing Holly Forbes hforbes@berkeley.edu h 510-234-2913 w 510-643-8040 Conservation Jean Robertson, Chair gaiajean@yahoo.com Conservation Analyst Mack Casterman conservation@ebcnps.org 510-734-0335 Funds Development Delia Taylor, Chair deliataylor@mac.com Field Trips Janet Gawthrop, Chair janetgawthrop47@gmail.com Hospitality Marilyn Catterton Information Infrastructure Peter Rauch, Chair peterar@berkeley.edu Membership Emma Jack 408-391-2454 emma.jack@gmail.com Volunteer coordinator Delia Taylor volunteer@ebcnps.org Programs Sue Rosenthal rosacalifornica2@earthlink.net 510-496-6016 Publicity vacant Rare Plants Heath Bartosh, Chair 925-957-0069 hbartosh@nomadecology.com Bryophytes John Game, Chair 510-527-7855 jcgame@stanford.edu Unusual Plants Dianne Lake, Chair 510-691-1428 diannelake@yahoo.com Vegetation Megan Keever, Co-Chair megan@stillwatersci.com Nicole Jurjavcic, Co-Chair nicole@stillwatersci.com EBCNPS Sponsored Ac- tivities East Bay Chapter News list Emailed announcements of upcoming EBCNPS events List manager-Martha Booz mlbooz@calnatives.com Native Here Nursery 510-549-0211 Manager — Theo Fitanides nativehere@ebcnps.org Sales — Margot Cunningham bunchgrassmarg@gmail.com Plant Fair Steve Toby Chair 510-236-1063 stevetoby@comcast. net Restoration Huckleberry Regional Preserve Janet Gawthrop, leader janetgawthrop47@gmail.com Point Isabel Tom and Jane Kelly, leaders 510-704-8628 (w) 510-684-6484 (c) kyotousa@sbcg lobal . net Marsh Creek Heath Bartosh, leader 925-957-0069 hbartosh@nomadecology.com John Muir NHS (Martinez) Elaine Jackson, leader 925-372-0687 elainejx@att.net Walnut Creek Lesley Hunt, leader 925-937-6791 ldhunt@astound.net Membership Application and Renewal Form 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 Patron, $300 Benefactor, $600 Mariposa Lily, $1500 Limited Income or student, $25.00 Other Mail application and check to: California Native Plant Society, 2707 K Street, Suite 1, Sacramento CA 95816 THE BAY LEAF November 2013 7