October 2002 The Bay Leaf California Native Plant Society • East Bay Chapter • Alameda & Contra Costa Counties Calendar of Events Chapter Board Meeting Wednesday, October 2, 7:30 p.m. Home of Charli Danielsen, 10 Kerr Ave., Kensington. Kerr may be reached from Arlington. It is off Rincon, which is a semicircular road intersecting Arlington twice. As Kerr Ave. is a curved street, the house opposite #10 is #21 Chapter Plant Sale, p. 2 Saturday, October 5, 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. and Sunday, October 6, 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. Merritt College, 1255 Campus Drive, Oakland Native Here Nursery, p. 3 Tuesday seed collection continues, 9 a.m. from Native Here gate area. On Fridays 9 a.m. -noon, Saturdays 10 a.m.-l p.m.. Native Here is open for business. Field Trips, p. 3 Saturday, October 12, 10 a.m. Wildcat Creek Sunday, October 20, 10 a.m. Sobrante Ridge Re- gional Park Sunday, November 2, 10 a.m. Dia de los Muertos botanical pilgrimage Membership, p. 2 Fremont — Don Edwards San Francisco Bay National Wildlife Refuge Sunday, October 19, 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Membership Committee will be at the Native Plant Nursery Open House and Sale from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m., located in the Pavilion down the hill from the visitors’ center. Landscaping with California Native Plants, p. 4 Sponsored by the California Native Plant Society Sunday, October 20, 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. Sausal Creek Field Trip. Monday, October 21, 10 a.m. to 3:00 p.m. Confer- ence in Oakland. Membership Meeting Speaker: Bethallyn Black Rogers Wednesday, October 23, 7:30 p.m. Conference Center, University of California Botanical Garden, Berkeley Alameda and Contra Costa counties have been identi- fied as Sudden Oak Death positive counties, joining Humboldt, Marin, Mendocino, Monterey, Napa, San Mateo, Santa Clara, Santa Cruz, Solano, and Sonoma. The two leading Sudden Oak Death researchers, Dave Rizzo, U.C. Davis associate professor, and Matteo Garbelotto, U.C. Berkeley cooperative extension forest pathology specialist and adjunct professor of plant pathology, confirmed their findings through DNA analysis and laboratory culture. The Contra Costa County confirmations came from samples on California bay and coast live oak trees in Wildcat Canyon. Alameda County’s confirmation came from trees identified off Crow Canyon Road in Castro Valley. As confirmed counties. Contra Costa and Alameda now fall under state and federal regulations limiting the movement of host plant material. Host plant material is defined as any part of a plant known to be susceptible to Phytophthora ramorum, the aggressive pathogen that causes Sudden Oak Death. Currently, 14 native species have been identified as host plants. Before moving host plant material, individuals within a regulated county must first have that movement cleared through their local county agricultural com- missioner. Bethallyn Black Rogers, Urban Horticulture/ Master Gardener program manager for the Contra Costa County U.C. Cooperative Extension office, has been sampling trees throughout both Alameda and Contra continued on page 2 Membership Meeting continued from page 1 Costa counties for several years. She will talk about sampling techniques; the impact of this disease on California’s landscapes; and issues for homeoAvners, arborists, gardeners, and hikers. Should we stop planting the identified hosts? What should hikers and plant collectors do to decrease the possibility of spreading this disease? How can you tell if a plant is infected? Can this disease spread in compost? What is the difference between a foliar host and a cambial host? What about bay leaves? Can dried plants be sent to family and friends? 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 University of California Botanical Garden on Centennial Drive, east of Memorial Stadium, above the main campus of the University of California in Berkeley. The Garden gate will open at 7;00 p.m.; the meeting begins at 7;30 p.m. Refreshments Avill be served after the meeting. If you have any questions please contact Sue Rosenthal, 510-496-6016 or rosacalifomica® earthlink. net . Upcoming Programs November 20, 2002; Pete Holloran - San Francisco’s Sand Dunes December, 2002; No meeting (happy holidays!) January 22, 2003; Ronald banner - Conifers of California February 26, 2003; John Game (our very OAvn!) - Topic to be announced March 26, 2003; Alan Kaplan - The New Kingdoms of Life Sue Rosenthal East Bay Chapter Plant Sale October 5 and 6 Saturday 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. Sunday 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. Merritt College, Oakland 1255 Campus Drive, off Redwood Road Before the Sale . . . Very warm weather in August and September brought a profusion of color to the nursery — the sages, zauschnerias, buckwheats, monardellas are all irresistible to the hummingbirds and butterflies. We volunteer workers have been impressed, too, and are doing our best to keep it all looking good until the first weekend in October, when you are all invited to come. During the week leading up to the sale (Tuesday through Friday), last-minute tasks prevail and it’s the best opportunity to preview the plants and take part in a few easy chores too. During the Sale . . . Come early Saturday morning for a full selection. A plant list Avill be available. Bring a wagon, boxes, and/or a friend for help in handling your plants. The usual loading zone will give space for curbside loading. After . . . Our Tuesday work sessions resume; October 8, 15, 22, 29 9 a.m. to noon Merritt College Landscape Horticulture (same location as plant sale) Buy more plants. Plants remaining after the big sale weekend may be purchased on Tuesday mornings until the end of January. Shirley McPheeters Membership We had a successful booth at the Solano Stroll. Alya Davidman showed how to make origami pots that were then filled Avith soil and seeded AAdth Avildflowers or the native purple needle grass from Charli Danielson’s garden. Dorothy Frantz provided an excellent collection of invasive weeds that fascinated the public. This was balanced by a colorful bouquet of native plants. Linda Vorobik demonstrated botani- cal art and had lovely native plant paintings to see. Mel Erskine, Sarah Ginskey, Janet GavThrop and Linda NeAvton greeted hundreds of people, giving information about the upcoming plant sale and other chapter activities. Holly Forbes visited our booth with a packet of Bay Leaf newletters just when we were running out of them. John Taylor helped set up and take down. It was the best Stroll effort yet. Thank you to all who helped. continued on page 3 2 Membership continued from page 2 Saturday, October 19. Native Plant Nursery Open House and Sale 10 a.m. to 4 p.m., located in the Pavilion doAvn the hill from the visitors’ center at the Don Edwards San Francisco Bay National Wildlife Refuge in Fremont. On the same day there will be a Pier Fishing Derby at the Dumbarton Fishing Pier (8 a.m. to 12 noon, reservations required, call 510-792-0222). This is a chance to get to know the animals in the Bay. If you can help out sometime during the day, please call or email Delia Taylor at 510-527-3912 or deliataylor@mac . com . Delia Taylor Field Trips There will be two field trips in October, both led by Dianne Lake. The first will be Saturday, October 12 in Tilden Park from Grizzly Peak down to Wildcat Creek. This will be a leisurely walk to look at some of the more common trees and shrubs of the Berkeley Hills, AAdth a couple of less common plants throAAm in for good measure. Afterwards we will drive over to the Meadows Picnic Area for lunch and look at a few more things, and finally, if time and interest haven’t waned, we will drive over to Bear Creek and Happy Valley Roads to briefly look at one of the few places Avith fall color in the East Bay. This is an introductory field trip for people who may be new to the area or unfamiliar with East Bay flora and want to learn more, but people of any level are welcome. Meet at 10 a.m. at the first pulloff on the east side of Grizzly Peak Blvd. north of South Park Drive. There is an electrical tower on the south side of the parking lot. From the south, take Ashby to Claremont up to Grizzly Peak Boulevard and turn left. South Park Drive is about 2 miles north and the pulloff is on the right, about Va mile past that intersection. From the north, take Centennial Drive up to Grizzly Peak Boulevard and turn right. The pulloff is be on the left after you wind around for a little over a mile. Look for the electrical tower. The trip is limited to 10 people because it is a single-file trail. Please call Janet GaAvthrop at 510-654-3066 for reservations. The second field trip will be on Sunday, Oct. 20 to Sobrante Ridge Regional Park in El Sobrante. We Avill look at Arctostaphylos pallida, Quercus paruula var. shrevii and other interesting species in this unique biological island. If it’s not too hot we will go up to the top for some spectacular views. Meet at 10 a.m. at the end of Heavenly Ridge Lane off of Amend Avenue in El Sobrante. Take 80 north to the San Pablo Dam Road exit. Head east on San Pablo Dam Road a few miles to Valley View. Turn left, then right onto Amend, and left onto Heavenly Ridge. Follow Heavenly Ridge all the way to the end. No reserva- tions are needed. Dia de los Muertos botanical pilgrimage, 10 a.m. Sunday, November 2. This year CNPS will celebrate Dia de los Muertos (Day of the Dead) AAdth a pilgrim- age to the gravesites of our botanical predecessors who have been laid to rest locally. The pilgrimage will be led by Barbara Ertter, who will give a brief history of the botanists we will honor, including Albert Kellogg, John Gill Lemmon, and Katherine and Townshend Brandegee. Meet at the entrance to Mountain View Cemetery in Oakland, at 10:00 a.m. After visiting the sites there, we will continue to Sunset View Cemetery in El Cerrito. A journey to Willis Linn Jepson’s grave in Vacaville afterwards is an option if time and interest allow. Directions: From Highway 13 in either direction, exit at Thornhill/Moraga Ave., and follow Moraga Avenue downhill (generally southwest) to its end, at the traffic light on Pleasant Valley Road. Turn right onto Pleas- ant Valley Road, and continue 1 block uphill to the traffic light at Pleasant Valley Road and Piedmont Avenue. Turn right onto Piedmont Avenue and follow it one block to the cemeteiy entrance. From 580 northbound, exit at Harrison Street/ Oakland Avenue; the exit ramp becomes MacArthur Boulevard. Follow MacArthur straight until its intersection with Pied- mont Avenue (another traffic light). Turn right onto Piedmont and follow it slowly and straight, through all traffic lights and Sunday traffic, to the entrance to Mountain View Cemetery. AC Transit Bus #51 stops at College and Pleasant Valley Road, 3 long blocks from the cemetery entrance. Janet Gawthrop and Dianne Lake Native Here Nursery Volunteers collect seeds Tuesday mornings through October. So many things were already ripe, but there will be some “late bloomers” that are also late seed producers. Most of the places we frequent don’t look like they Avill have much of an acorn crop this year. If you know of some better producers, call the nursery and let us in on that secret. 510/549-0211 or e-mail charlid@pacbell.net. We usually take one or two cars and leave the nursery gate around 9 a.m. Depending on how far we go, we return anytime between noon and 2 p.m. Anyone interested in being named on the collecting permits in order to collect at other times, continued on page 4 3 Native Here continued from page 3 please contact Charli so your name, address and phone can be included on the applications for 2003 permits. As the best time to plant natives into the ground is approaching (November- Febmaiy in the East Bay), there is a lot of potting up to be done and seeds to be sown for next year’s stock. Volunteers may just show up and will be put to work any Friday or Saturday morning. We will train you as you work. The nursery sales floor looks a little bare right now because we have voluntarily stopped offering for sale plants of species known to host Phytophthora ramonim, the organism responsible for Sudden Oak Death. Host species include most of our Bay Hills trees — Aesculus caltfornica. Arbutus menziesii, Quercus agrtfolia, Q. kelloggii, Acer macrophyllum, Sambucus mexicana and Umbellularia caltfornica; popular shrubs Rhamnus califomica, Heteromeles arbuttfoUa, Arctostaphylos spp., and Vaccinium ovatum; and the vine Lonicera hispidula. The county is still working out inspection cycles, and we hope to be able to offer healthy plants of these species again soon. In the meantime, please do not buy such plants from commercial nurseries without assurance that they have been inspected recently and declared free of the disease causing organism. The membership meeting on October 23 will be of particular interest to anyone interested in growing those species. Charli Danielsen CNPS Regional Membership Meeting The new CNPS Executive Director, Pam Muick, will be the evening speaker at a Northern California Regional Membership Meeting scheduled for No- vember 2, 2002 at the Calistoga Community Center (about 20 miles North of Napa). She will speak on the state of CNPS and where we are headed. This day- long meeting is designed to focus on the needs of chapters and members. All members are invited and encouraged to attend. Learn about the new CNPS. Hear about what CNPS does and about the new Chapter Council. Learn some basics of running an effective chapter and share information between the most experienced members and the newest members. Learn about volunteer opportunities. The meeting is scheduled from 9 a.m. to 9 p.m. There will be morning speakers on the various pro- grams and activities of CNPS. The afternoon will have a chapter roundtable and workshops with presentations on topics of chapter concern such as how some chapters have solved specific problems and success stories of volunteer cultivation and develop- ment. Lunch and dinner will be available. Details will be sent to chapter presidents and/or newsletter editors. Local campgrounds are available for those who may want to stay over. Local hotels are available but tend to be in the pricey range. We are doing surveys to determine interest in specific training workshops for chapter positions and activi- ties. Tentative workshops include: nuts and bolts (product sales, programs, field trips, publicity); building effective chapters; technology and tips for: treasurers/ newsletter editors/ membership chairs; horticulture (plant sales/school gardens); plant science /conservation (vegetation/ stewardship / forestry). If there is a specific issue or topic that you would like to see included in the workshops, now is the time to let us know. There will be a buffet dinner. We will need to have an idea of the number of attend- ees, and 1 am asking each chapter president to have someone gather that information for us. If you have no contact, please contact us directly. If you would like to help with the dinner or with setup or with any other aspect of the meeting let us know. Patt McDaniel w. 805-646-9948, h. 805-921-0823, mcins@west.net or Lynn Houser 707-568-3230, rodlynn@northbay.com. Native Plant Conference The California Native Plant Society presents A Conference on Landscaping with California Native Plants Sunday, October 20, Sausal Creek Field Trip 10;00 - 3:00 Monday, October 21, Conference 9:00-5:30 The field trip and conference will take place in Oak- land. Sunday, October 20 Sausal Creek Restoration Project Field Trip Michael Thilgen, Four Dimensions Landscaping 10:00 -3:00. Limit 30 Participants will tour a 15,000 square foot demon- stration garden with more than 80 species of plants native to California, then walk up the adjacent creek to see the 2.2 acre creek restoration project. Through this project, which was carried out primarily by volunteers, invasive weeds were removed by hand, and more than 60 species of plants propagated from remnant native plant populations found in the water- shed were planted on the banks of the creek and upland slopes. We’ll picnic at the restoration site, then carpool to the Joaquin Miller Park Nursery, where more than 20,000 plants native to the water- shed were grown for use in the restoration project. 4 continued on page 5 Native Plant Conference continued from page 4 (See Avww.sausalcreek.org for more information on the project.) The registration fee for the conference is $20. This includes morning and afternoon refreshments, lunch, and a wine and cheese reception. The field trip is $10. Attendance is limited to 80 at the conference and 30 on the field trip. This event is expected to fill, so don’t be disappointed; register early! Please make your checks out to CNPS. Send your check and a self-addressed, stamped envelope (or e- mail address) to: Kathy Kramer, CNPS Education Coordinator, 1718 Hillcrest Road, San Pablo, CA 94806. Questions? Call (510) 236-9558 between 9 am and 9 pm, or e-mail Kathy@KKramerConsulting.net. The East Bay Chapter Rare Plant Program 1 recently accepted the position of Rare Plant Coordi- nator for the East Bay Chapter. As part of my actm- ties, 1 will continue to contribute to the Bay Leaf, and \a4U comment here on some of the most urgent priori- ties for our Rare Plant Program. 1 hope to coordinate Rare Plant actMties Avith those of our Unusual Plant and Vegetation programs, which are currently doing well under the dedicated leader- ship of Dianne Lake and Sue Bainbridge. In a forth- coming Bay Leaf, we plan to put out a joint call for volunteers for tasks relating to each and any of these three separate programs, since they have in common the need for field work in the East Bay. Volunteers are crucial for the success of the field programs, and there are many opportunities to participate for people Avith all levels of knowledge from novice to profes- sional. 1 also hope to coordinate our actiAdties Avlth those of our neighboring chapters, especially the Santa Clara Valley Chapter, AAdth whom we share a common border and several rare plant species. Fortunately, the Santa Clara Valley Chapter has leadership AAdth a vigorous commitment to consendng plant species and habitat, and our two chapters interact frequently. 1 see the most critical goal of our Rare Plant Program as being to ensure the long-term sundval of plants in our area that are so rare, restricted, or threatened throughout their world range that they might become extinct. In practice, this means focusing on plants that are either unique to our two counties or are rare enough elsewhere that their loss here would have a significant impact. As a second goal, we should try to conserve populations of other species that are rare overall, even if not apparently threatened, so that they do not become threatened through gradual decline, and so that people iMng in our counties can appreciate them here in the future. The same logic applies to our unusual plant program, which seeks to conserve plants that are rare in our two counties but are more common elsewhere. Of several very rare plants unique to the East Bay, one that stands out is Livermore tarplant, Deinandra bacigalupii (see photo). Tarplants, also knoAAm as tarweeds, are a distinctive and largely Californian group AAdth many rare species. Bruce BaldAAdn’s work AAdth DNA sequence analysis and experimental hy- bridization has shoAvn that a Californian tarplant was the ancestor of the well-knoAvn silversword plants, a group of about thirty species unique to the Hawaiian Islands. Livermore tarplant is the most restricted of five rare tarplant species recorded from our two counties (see the July /August Bay Leaf for photos of two others) . It was only recently recognized and described as new, by Bruce BaldAAdn at the Jepson Herbarium. The genus Deinandra represents plants that until recently were placed in the genus Hemizonia. Bruce’s earlier research on tarplants showed that the genus Hemizonia as recognized in The Jepson Manual in fact consists of three separate genera, now called Hemizonia, Centromadia and Deinandra. The nearest relatives of Deinandra bacigalupii may be Deinandra corymbosa and Deinanadra increscens (Hemizonia increscens and H. corymbosa in The Jepson Manual}. Neither of these occur in the East Bay, although two other Deinandra species, D. lobbii and D. kelloggii, do occur here. Earlier botanists had collected plants of Deinandra bacigalupii from near Livermore, but had misidentified them as Hemizonia increscens. How- ever, Rimo Bacigalupi, first curator of the Jepson Herbarium, noted in 1967 that a specimen of the plant Bruce named for him did not seem to match any then published species. Livermore tarplant is knoAvn only from one substan- tial population in the SpringtoA\m Alkali Sink area, and one veiy small and disturbed population in the same region but to the south of Freeway 580. It is a tall tarplant Avlth golden-yellow flowers that open in summer and early fall. One of the goals of the Rare Plant Program Avill be to work on issues relating to the sundval of this plant and to survey for additional populations. It is the most restricted of several very rare and many more unusual plants at the species - rich SpringtoAAm site, and flowers after the seasonal wetlands have dried. Two raire species of Cordylanthus flower nearby at the same time. Secur- ing permanent protection for the entire SpringtoAAm Alkali Sink area should continue to be a long-term goal of our Chapter. John Game 5 Activities of Others Aquatic Outreach Institute Thirteenth Annual Creeks, Wetlands, and Watersheds Conference Saturdays, October 19 & 26, November 2 & 16, 2002 Various locations throughout the Bay Area This fall the Aquatic Outreach Institute will hold its Thirteenth Annual Creeks, Wetlands, and Watersheds Conference. The conference offers exciting workshops by local experts about the aquatic ecosystems around the Bay Area and provides inspiration and techniques to protect these resources. Participants may choose one or more workshops on topics such as gardening with native plants, school gardens, bay wetlands. creek tours and restoration site visits. The conference is open to educators and the general public. Academic credit is available through California State University, Hayward. A non-refundable pre-registration fee of $25 is re- quired per workshop. Additional fees charged for academic credit. For more information about the conference, please contact Martha at Aquatic Outreach Institute at (510) 231-9566 or martha@aoinstitute.org, or you may download a registration flyer from the Institute’s web site at www.aoinstitute.org/conference/ conference . html . Livermore tarplant, Deinandra bacigalupii, photographed at Springtown near Livermore 6 Board of Directors Elected Officers ■ Committee Coordinators President: Tony Morosco, 2329 7^ St., Berkeley 94710, 549-2238, w/528-5426, tony-morosco@calflora.org Vice President, Administration: Elaine Jackson, 3311 Estudillo St., Martinez 94553, 925-372-0687, elainejx@mindspring.com Treasurer: Holly Forbes, 7128 Blake St., El Cerrito 94530, 234-2913, w/643-8040 Secretaries: Recording: Michele Lee, 2923 Sheldon Dr., Richmond 94803, 243-1265 Corresponding: Joanne Kerbavaz, 1709 Berkeley Way, Apt. B, Berkeley 94703, JKERB@parks.ca.gov Past President Barbara Ertter, 1859 Catalina Ave., Berkeley 94707, h/526-4592, w/ 643-0600 Advisors Members at iarge: John Game, 1155 Spruce St., Berkeley 94707, 527-7855 Jim Sharp, 2663 LeConte Ave., Berk. 94709, 644-9344, itsa@dnai.com Bay Leaf Editor Joe Willingham, 2512 Etna St., Berkeley 94704, 841-4681, pepel 066@attbi.com Committee Coordinators Bay Leaf Mailing: Holly Forbes, 7128 Blake St., El Cerrito 94530, 234-2913, w/643-8040, hforbes@uclink4.berkeley.edu Bryophytes: Dan Norris, 802 Lexington Ave., El Cerrito 94530, 435-2004, dhnorris@uclink.berkeley.edu Conservation: Steve Asztalos, 839 York St., Oakland 94610, asztalos1@llnl.gov Grants: Sandy McCoy, 1311 Bay View Place, Berkeley 94708, wbmccoy@earthlink.net East Bay Public Lands: Peter Rauch, 526-8155, peterr@socrates.berkeley.edu Education: Vacant Field Trips: Janet Gawthrop, 360 Monte Vista Ave. #214, Oakland 94610, 654 3066, Janetg24@excite.com Grants: Sandy McCoy, 1311 Bay View PLace, Berkeley 94798. wbmccoy@earthlink.net Hospitality: Irene Wilkinson, 440 Camino Sobrante, Orinda 94563, 925-254-3675 Media: Elizabeth Bade, 2151 Carrol Rd., Walnut Creek 94596, 925-531-7896 Membership: Delia Taylor, 1851 Catalina Ave., Berkeley 94707, 527-3912, deliataylor@mac.com Native Here Nursery: Charli Danielsen, 101 Golf Course Dr., Berkeley 94708, 549-0211, charlid@pacbell.net Native Plant Restoration Team: Sarah Ginskey, 1096 Miller Avenue, Berkeley 94708, 510-558-8139, sawginskey@sbcglobal.net Plant Communities: Susan Bainbridge, 2408 Parker St., Berkeley 94704, 548-2918 Plant Sale: Shirley McPheeters, 104 Ivy Dr., Orinda 94563, 925-376-4095 Phoebe Watts, 1419 Grant St., Berkeley 94703, 525-6614, phoebewatts@cs.com Plant Sale Publicity: Elaine Jackson, 3311 Estudillo St., Martinez 94553, 925-372-0687 Posters: Heather Koshinsky, 2033 Carquinez Ave., El Cerrito 94530, w/522- 8180, hak@dnai.com Programs: Sue Rosenthal, P.O. Box 20489, Oakland 94620, 496-6016, rosacalifornica@earthlink.net Rare Plants: John Game, 1155 Spruce St., Berkeley 94707, 527-7855 Regional Parks Botanic Garden Liaison: Sue Rosenthal, P.O. Box 20489, Oakland 94620, 496-6016, rosacalifornica@earthlink.net Unusual Plants: Dianne Lake, 1050 Bayview Farm Rd. #121, Pinole 94564, 741-8066, diannelake@yahoo.com Recorded Chapter Information: 464-4977 CNPS Home Page: http://www.cnps.org East Bay Chapter CNPS Home Page: http://www.ebcnps.org Bay Leaf & Board meeting minutes online Chapter CNPS-EB-Alerts E-mail List: Find out more; email to listserv@usobi.org with: INFO CNPS-EB Alerts Membership Application Name Address I wish to affiliate with: East Bay Chapter (Alameda and Contra Costa Counties) Other Membership category: Student, Retired, Limited income, $20 Individual, Library, $35 E-mail Household, Family, or Group, $45 (optional] Supporting, $75 Plant lover, $100 Benefactor, $500 Life, $1000 Mail application and check to: California Native Plant Society, 1722 J Street, Suite 17, Sacramento CA 95814 7 ^he (S^ast Chapter of the &alfomia emotive "^lant ^^ociotp roofuests the honor of pour presence at its Sa A^mmr^lant Q^ak (October and d'' oWaritt &olbp6, (E)akland Time Value October 2002 issue