CALENDAR OF EVENTS Native Here p. 4 Fridays, September 3, 10, 17, 24, Native Here Nursery open 9-noon Saturdays, September 4, 11,18, nursery open 10-1 Tuesdays, September 7, 14, 21, 28: seed forays leave nursery at 9 am Plant Sale Activities p. 2 Please help set up for the sale. Work days at the nurs- ery in September: 9 am to 2 pm, all Tuesdays, all Saturdays, Thursdays September 16, 23, 30, Friday October 1 Solano Stroll p. 3 Sunday, September 12, 10 am - 6 pm, Berkeley and Albany Annual Chapter Picnic p. 6 Saturday, September 18, 2004. 3:00 pm, Regional Parks Botanic Garden Membership meeting see below Wednesday, September 22, 7:30 pm, Conference Center, University of California Botanic Garden at Berkeley CNPS Sale of Native Plants p. 2 Saturday, October 2, 9 am - 3 pm, Sunday October 3, 9 am - I pm Spice of Life Festival p. 4 Sunday, October 17, Shattuck Avenue, Berkeley MEMBERSHIP MEETING Speaker: Robin Grossinger Investigating the Historical Landscape of the East Bay Wednesday, September 22, 2004, 7:30 p.m. Location: Conference Center, University of California Botanical Garden (directions below) Despite its solid and impressive appearance, the urban Bay Area landscape remains a thin, freshly- constructed veneer over the native landscape. This underlying legacy of forests, marshlands, and shore- lines still largely shapes the region, defining the physi- cal spaces we experience each day and the potential future scenarios of construction, destruction, and restoration. Yet it remains mostly invisible, obscured by complicated layers of history. This month’s speaker, Robin Grossinger, has been studying how the East Bay landscape looked and func- tioned prior to Euro-American management through his work as Director of the Historical Ecology Program of the San Francisco Estuary Institute (SFEI). In his presentation, he will discuss both his findings about the pre-European landscape of the East Bay as well as the fascinating methods of historical ecology, in which old maps, photos, and documents are used to reconstruct the native landscape and analyze how it has been changed by land management practices and natural processes. The documentation of landscape ecological history is now an important tool for assess- ing restoration potential. SFEI’s innovative approach toward reconstructing landscape history has been recognized nationally and informs many restoration projects in our region. Robin Grossinger received his MS in Marine Sciences from UC Santa Cruz. He led the development of histori- cal data for the Bay Area Wetlands Ecosystem Goals Project and was a Contributing Author to the Baylands Ecosystem Habitat Goals Report, the long-term science plan for improving the ecological health of the Bay’s wetlands. Mr. Grossinger is also a member of the art/ science team Stillhere, which has received awards in the realms of map design and local education. continued on page 2 MEMBERSHIP MEETING continued from p. 1 East Bay Chapter CNPS membership meetings are free of charge and open to everyone. This month’s meet- ing will take place in the Conference Center of the University of California Botanical Garden on Centen- nial Drive, east of Memorial Stadium and west of the Lawrence Hall of Science, above the main campus of the University of California at Berkeley. The Garden gate will open at 7:00 pm; the meeting begins at 7:30 pm. Refreshments will be served after the meeting. Please call or email Sue Rosenthal, 510-496-6016, or rosacalifornica@earthlink.net, if you have any ques- tions. Sue Rosenthal PLANT SALE CNPS Sale of Native Plants October 2 6 b 3 Sat. 9 am - 3 pm, Sun. 9 am - 1 pm Come early Saturday morning for best selection. Fol- low the signs to Landscape Horticulture at Merritt College. A plant list will be available at the gate. You may want to check the list posted on the Chapter website about a week prior to the sale. Or be surprised — some plants few in number may not make the list. Many more native bulbs are available to tempt you this year: C alochortus, Brodiaea, Erythronium, Fritillaria, Camassia. more. . .We’d appreciate whatever skills and time you can offer, and you will get a thorough preview of what plants are available. People who can drop in to help for just half a day make a big difference in keeping us on schedule. Our work days at the nursery in September: 9 am to 2 pm: All Tuesdays All Saturdays Thursdays 9/16, 23, 30 Friday 10/1 Campus parking does require two quarters in the machine. Volunteer at the Sale, Saturday and Sunday, morn- ing or afternoon! Also, an experienced Calochortus grower will be on hand Saturday to demonstrate potting bulbs in con- tainers. We need many volunteers, especially on Saturday during the plant sale to cashier, sell plants, and as- sist people. Visit the tables of books, seeds, and posters. Be prepared: • Bring a friend to help you collect, move, and load your plants. • A wagon or small cart will be handy: sturdy boxes will work. • Plan on using the loading zone at the curb after retrieving your car unless you have brought a wagon with you. • Bring cash or personal check (we can’t process credit cards) . Help us set up for the Sale! September is a very busy month as we move every plant at least once before the sale, put price tags on every plant, groom them, replace labels, assemble temporary structures, arrange furniture, and much If you’ve helped us in recent years you should receive a reply postcard soon. Please respond, even if only to let us know you aren’t available this year but would like to stay on the mail- ing list. If you don’t hear from us, or you’d like to volunteer for the first time, please call 925-376-4095 or 510-525-6614. Shirley McPheeters A tree is beautiful, but what’s more, it has a right to life; like water, the sun and the stars, it is essential. Life on earth is inconceivable without trees. Forests create climate, climate influences peoples’ character, and so on and so forth. There can be neither civilization nor happiness if forests crash down under the axe, if the climate is harsh and severe, if people are also harsh and severe . . . What a terrible future! Anton Pavlovich Chekhov (1860-1904), Letter to A.S. Suvo- rin, October 18, 1888. 2 THE BAY LEAF September 2004 y &kyh Hd. % ■f Ca-mpm &r. vy . M&rritt & Collect. To Wwy. (s v. Ha v ^ frOM-Hut £< 7is~tL: yK £jc it C&r$OH.( RutuJvodL V0K- ffre k)stH c: ,\t fftdUooocL £r3£ rl *M CONSERVATION Jessica Olson is now working for the chapter as East Bay Conservation Analyst. Come meet her at the Chap- ter Picnic on September 18th. Jessica is busy researching all the CNPS policies re- garding conservation and reviewing what the chapter has been working on. She will be contacting planning agencies regarding proposed planning and develop- ment projects and correlating information from our plant science efforts to propose chapter participation. Her work is a tall order for a half time position, and conservation committee members will not get to just sit back and watch her do it all. She’ll be calling on us to attend meetings, but we will be better prepared through her efforts. If you are interested in working with the conservation committee, or have concerns about local areas that need saving, contact the committee through its chair, Charli Danielsen, charlid@pacbell.net. For updates to conservation news, check the chapter web site, www.ebcnps.org. Charli Danielsen REGIONAL PARKS BOTANIC GARDEN Docent training at Regional Parks Botanic Garden If you love our native plants and enjoy working with people, this training is for you. Regional Parks Botanic Garden is the premier venue for displaying California natives in the Bay Area. The training includes classes on keying, flower parts, pollination, seed dispersal, plant communities, Indian uses of natives, and much more. The training takes place on Tuesday mornings from 9 am to 12:30. It starts on September 7, and goes until February 8. The cost is $125, payable to Glenn Keator. If you’re interested, send a check to Glenn at 1455 Catherine Drive, Berkeley CA 94702. Questions? Phone 510-527-9802 or email gkeator@aol.com. Glenn Keator SOLANO STROLL September 12, 2004 This year’s theme is “A Pearl of a Stroll”. Who has some pearly everlastings, Anaphalis margaritacea, to deco- rate our booth? Help is needed at the Solano Stroll, Berkeley and Albany’s annual street fair that attracts 100,000 people each year. We need members to greet people who stop in to learn about our chapter and spread the word about the up- coming plant sale, and our good works. No experience or special knowledge is needed. Plan on a couple of hours between 10 am and 6 pm on September 12. Please call me to volunteer your time, plants or ideas. Delia Taylor 510-527-3912, deliataylor@mac.com THE BAY LEAF September 2004 3 SPICE OF LIFE FESTIVAL Sunday, October 17, 2004 I think the CNPS East Bay will fit right in at this festival, a north Berkeley celebration of healthy lifestyles. This is the second year of this festival and it promises to be less crowded than the Solano Stroll. It will be located on Shattuck Avenue between Virginia and Vine Street, including the section of Vine between Shattuck and Walnut. There will be dancing, music, arts, food and wine sampling, benefits for the Edible School yard and Berkeley High School. It is a good thing to promote our organization to the general public in compatible venues. The web address for the Spice of Life festival is www . norths hattuckas s o ciation . org . Helpers will be needed from 10 am to 6 pm. Please call me to volunteer. Delia Taylor 510-527-3912, deliataylor@mac . com NATIVE HERE Fridays, September 3,10,17, 24, Native Here Nursery open 9-noon Saturdays, September 4, 11,18, nursery open 10-1 Tuesdays, September 7, 14, 21, 28: seed forays leave nursery at 9 am. September, the end of summer, and planting time is ahead. It is time to start purchasing plants, but keep them protected until the rainy season starts. What a selection of plants at Native Here this fall! Come see what’s new. Volunteers are welcome any Friday or Saturday morn- ing. New seed collecting volunteers are welcomed on Tuesday mornings. Most Tuesdays we just go out for the morning, but occasionally go further afield and take lunch, returning around 3 pm. If you’d like to find out which, send me an e-mail charlid@pacbell.net a few days before. Volunteers and customers are welcome to stop in whenever the nursery is open: Fridays 9 to noon, and Saturdays 10 am to 1 pm. No need to phone ahead, just show up at 101 Golf Course Drive in Tilden Park and Charli, Margot or Janice will put you to work or sell you some plants. Books are also available at the nursery. We also have an interesting library of references you can browse while the nursery is open. Teachers are welcome to take plant pots from the container outside our upper gate for use in school projects. Come visit while the nursery is open, and think about ways the nursery can fit in with your sci- ence curriculum. We offer a 20% discount on plants for school projects. Charli Danielsen NATIVE PLANT RESTORATION TEAM Saturday, July 3, 2004, the Restoration Team was out at the Mitchell Canyon entrance to Mt. Diablo State Park. I had not been there before so I was not sure of the exact location of the meadow that we would be working in. I followed the instructions that Jim Sharp so kindly emailed to us. As I was driving up the road, I noticed a couple of moving hats in the meadow to my left. Still not sure if that was the location, I stopped in at the Visitors Center to see if anyone I knew was around. A ranger began chatting with me about the area, asking what I was planning to do here, and en- couraging me to be very careful as there were reports of rattlers about. I thanked her for her information and headed out. The closer I got to the meadow, the more hats I saw, convincing me that I was in the right place. As I ap- proached the group I heard friendly chatter about spots to concentrate on in order to get as much seed as pos- sible so that we retard, not promote, the propagation of our target, Italian thistle. After introductions and welcomes, we pulled on our gloves, grabbed a tool of some sort and a bag to place our booty in and began concentrating on our Saturday morning mission. It was getting warmish, time to stop for a moment and look around. An odd looking car or truck was approaching. It stopped, two young women jumped out and yelled at us, “Are you thirsty?” We were, but hesitated as we thought at first it was a beer truck with the name Red Bull on its side. The women approached the fence carrying a cooler with cans in it; we walked slowly to them to see what this product was that they were so eager for us to try. Turned out it was an energy drink and we all decided to partake in the fluid. As we were sipping, some of the crew started to tell the women who we were, all about CNPS and what our mission was. As Peter Holloran said in the new Weed Worker’s Handbook, “Talking to passers-by while you’re work- ing can be even more important than getting the work done.” (p. 13). As we finished our drink and started heading back to our brimming bags of Italian thistle, a wonderful peaceful feeling came over the meadow work party. We looked up in the direction of the sun and there before us was a beautiful rainbow. We all felt there was some thing very special about this place; 4 THE BAY LEAF September 2004 we needed to find out more about it. “Hey Charli,” we said in unison, “you’ve got to tell us about the history of this spot.” “OK”, she said, “the project at Mitchell Canyon was started in 1992. That year seeds were collected, planted in flats by volunteers from CNPS, Save Mt Diablo, Mt Diablo Interpretive Association and Lindsay Museum. Those seedlings were planted out in the fall of '92 and '93. Plots were laid out, some were planted with seed- lings, some had seeds sown. The things that have done well and persisted are Nassella pulchra, Ranunculus californicus, Nassella lepida, and Elymus glaucus. Melica californica and Poa secunda have done all right but aren’t as abundant. Sisyrinchium helium and Asclepias fascicularis were on site and have increased with the maintenance regime practiced for several of the years since the project began. Partly because of the disking to create a fire break by the road, yellow star thistle, Italian thistle and mustard continue to germinate annually and threaten to spread into the field. Lolium species have been the major deterrent to successful establishment of the natives. Oats and non-native bromes are present but just compete with the other annuals, not the bunch grasses.” What a success story. I’ll bet you would like to visit this wondrous place. Perhaps you can join us there again sometime or at any of the other locations that we visit throughout the year. All are welcome and needed. The Native Plant Restoration Team has a new coordi- nator, Greg Wolford. See the directory on page 7 for Greg's contact information. Elaine Jackson, Charli Danielsen, and Jim Sharp THE BAY LEAF September 2004 5 ACTIVITIES OF OTHERS Bringing Back the Natives Garden Tour Gardens are now being sought to participate in the Spring 2005 Bringing Back the Natives Garden Tour, which will showcase attractive native plant gardens that require a minimum of water, don’t need pesticides of fertilizers, and provide habitat for wildlife. The gar- dens featured in this tour will demonstrate that, from postage stamp sized yards to large lots, beautiful Cali- fornia native plant gardens are possible for anyone. To receive a Host Application or to be added to the mailing list, please email or call Kathy Kramer at Kathy@KathyKramerConsulting.net, 510-236-9558 between 9 am and 9 pm. Native Plant Garden Tour Saturday, Sept. 18, 4:00 - 7:30. The private gardens of Christine Schneider and Glen Schneider (both live in Berkeley, but there is no relationship except their shared passion for natives) will be open. We will start at Christine’s at 4:00, depart about 5:30 and drive the 5 minutes to Glen Schneider’s house. Questions? Call Kathy Kramer at 510-236-9558. Christine Schneider’s garden 1651 Tyler Street, Berkeley Directions: From 1-80 take the Ashby Avenue exit, turn east and continue approximately 1.7 miles. Turn right on California Street and go 0.1 mile, then turn left onto Tyler Street. Christine wanted a home where she “could start from scratch, and use native plants in a way that made the landscape look like a cared-for garden.” The backyard is 6 years old, and the front 2 1/2 years. The garden, which is 75% native, was designed and installed by Christine. Glen Schneider’s garden 2325 California Street, Berkeley Directions: From the 1-80 take the University Avenue exit east, and continue about 1.7 miles. Turn right on California Street and go 0.3 miles. Glen, a landscaper, designed and installed this local native plant garden. The more than 100 species of woodland and grassland plants in the garden were col- lected as seeds and cuttings as Glen was out hiking. Each plant has a history, one of hiking in Strawberry Canyon with his daughter, another of a camping trip. Once established, the natives receive no summer wa- ter. The driveway has been removed and turned into a vegetable garden. Bay-Friendly Garden Tour Seeks Host Gardeners The 2nd annual Bay-Friendly Garden Tour is cur- rently looking for home gardens to feature in the spring 2005 tour. Plant enthusiasts and other local gardeners shared their native plant gardens, creek- side gardens and wildlife gardens during this spring’s successful tour. A Bay-Friendly Garden incorporates at least 3 of the following practices: • Nurtures living soil and healthy plants • Conserves water and other resources • Is free of synthetic pesticides • Provides wildlife habitat • Features native and Mediterranean plants • Reuses plant trimmings through mulching and composting. The Tour provides participants the opportunity to visit healthy and attractive gardens showcasing natural gar- dening techniques. A free five-part workshop series will follow the tour during the spring and summer of 2005. Contact Jeanne Nader at jnader@stopwaste.org or 510-614-1699 to receive an application. Completed applications should be returned by August 13, 2004. Host gardeners receive a free compost bin, t-shirt and other garden goodies. Sponsored by the Alameda County Waste Manage- ment Authority. Garden must be located in Alameda County. The shrinkage in the flora is due to a combination of clean- farming, woodlot grazing, and good roads. Each of these necessary changes of course requires a larger reduction in the acreage available for wild plants, but none of them requires, or benefits by, the erasure of species from whole farms, townships, or counties. There are idle spots on every farm, and every highway is bordered by an idle strip as long as it is; keep cow, plow, and mower out of these idle spots, and the full native flora, plus dozens of interesting stowaways from foreign parts, could be part of the normal environment of every citizen. Aldo Leopold (1886-1948), A Sand County Almanac, 1948 6 THE BAY LEAF September 2004 Board of Directors Elected Officers President: Joe Willingham, 2512 Etna St., Berkeley 94704, 841-4681, pepel 066@comcast.net Vice President, Administration: Laura Baker, 79 Roble Road, Berkeley, 94705, 849-1409, Lbake66@aol.com Treasurer: Holly Forbes, 7128 Blake St., El Cerrito 94530, 234-2913, w/643-8040 Secretaries: Recording: Barbara Malloch Leitner, 2 Parkway Ct., Orinda 94563, 925-253-8300, bleitner@pacbell.net Corresponding: Nathan Smith, 545 Everett St., El Cerrito, 94530, 559-8286, ncsmith@berkeley.edu Past President Tony Morosco, berkbotanist@onebox.com Bay Leaf Editor Joe Willingham, 2512 Etna St., Berkeley 94704, 841-4681, pepel 066@comcast.net Committee Coordinators Bay Leaf Mailing: Holly Forbes, 7128 Blake St., El Cerrito 94530, 234-2913, w/643-8040, hforbes@uclink4.berkeley.edu Book and Poster Sales: Vacant Bryophytes: Dan Norris, 1549 Beverley Place, Berkeley 94706, 707-839-4261, norris_daniel@hotmail.com Conservation: Charli Danielsen, 10 Kerr Ave., Berkeley 94707, 549-0211, charlid@pacbell.net Jessica Olson, P0 Box 257, Woodacre, CA 94973, cell phone: 415-238- 1143, home: 415-488-4851, jessicajeanolson@hotmail.com East Bay Public Lands: Peter Rauch, 526-8155, peterr@socrates.berkeley.edu Education: Joyce Hawley, 631 Albemarle St, El Cerrito, CA 94530, 524-5485, jwhawley@aol.com Field Trips: Janet Gawthrop, 360 Monte Vista Ave. #214, Oakland 94611 , 654-3066, Janetg24@excite.com Committee Coordinators Grants: Sandy McCoy, 1311 Bay View Place, Berkeley 94708, wbmccoy@earthlink.net Hospitality: Irene Wilkinson, 440 Camino Sobrante, Orinda 94563, 925-254-3675 Media: Vacant 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: Greg Wolford, 2945 Otis St., Berkeley CA 94703, 510-848-6489, californica@mac.com Plant Communities: Susan Bainbridge, 2408 Parker St., Berkeley 94704, 548-2918, suebain@SSCL.Berkeley.EDU Plant Sale: Shirley McPheeters, 104 Ivy Dr., Orinda 94563, 925-376-4095 Phoebe Watts, 1419 Grant St., Berkeley 94703, 525-6614, phwatts@cs.com Plant Sale Publicity: Elaine Jackson, 3311 Estudillo St., Martinez 94553, 925-372-0687, elainejx@mindspring.com Posters: Vacant 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, jcgame@lbl.gov 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: www.cnps.org East Bay Chapter CNPS Home Page: www.ebcnps.org Bay Leaf online 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 September 2004 7 ANNUAL POTLUCK PICNIC for the EAST BAY CHAPTER of CNPS Saturday, September 18, 2004, beginning at 3:00 p.m. At the Regional Parks Botanic Garden (Intersection of South Park Drive and Wildcat Canyon Road in Tilden Park, Berkeley) All are welcome — bring your friends and family and a dish to share 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 September 2004 issue