December 2010 ❖ SAGE NOTES ❖ A Publication of the Idaho Native Plant Society Vol. 32 (4) Attend the 2011 Annual Meeting The Loasa Chapter will host the 2011 INPS Annual Meeting at City of Rocks National Reserve and Castle Rocks State Park, both headquartered at Almo, Idaho and located in south-central Idaho near the northern edge of the Great Basin. From 1-84 the parks can be reached by driving south on Highway 77. Our gathering, scheduled June 24 - 26, 201 1, affords great opportunities to observe native flora and unusual rock formations in southern Idaho. The Saturday evening dinner and meeting will probably occur at the Ranch House within the state park, just northwest of Almo, while field trips will explore the City of Rocks and Castle Rocks lands. There are numerous trails available for studying the different ecosystems and their flora - including lower elevation sagebrush, pinyon pine and juniper; middle elevation quaking aspen, mountain mahogany and cottonwood; and higher elevation lodgepole pine, limber pine and Douglas-fir. There is evidence of historic use by Native Americans, and the area was a landmark for California-bound emigrants. For meeting attendees, Loasa Chapter President Kelvin Jones has reserved the only group camping sites available at City of Rocks. These spaces in three separate locations within the shade-limited reserve can accommodate everyone in our group, although none of the sites have hookups for motor homes or trailers. The Smoky Mountain Campground in Castle Rocks State Park does not accept group reservations but does provide full hookups, paved roads and spurs, flush toilets, and showers. This new, full-service campground also offers shower facility access for day-use visitors and two rentable yurts. If you would like to reserve individual state park campsites, call 888-922-6743 or contact http ://parksandrecreation. idaho . gov/ as soon as possible, as these spaces can fill quickly. You can find more information about this area, including other accommodations and sparse camping opportunities, at the City of Rocks National Reserve website, http://www.nps.gov/ciro , and at the Castle Rocks State Park website, http ://parksandrecreation. idaho . gov/parks/castlerocks . aspx . Please contact meeting organizer Valdon Hancock with your questions on his cell phone, 208-420-9042, or at his home, 208-734-6935, or by email at valdonh at yahoo dot com . More information including a reservation form and activity scheduling information will be available in the next Sage Notes issue and on the state website www.idahonativeplants.org . In this Issue 2011 Annual Meeting 1 Letter from the Secretary & Treasurer 2 Membership Renewal Form 3 Photos from the field 4 Fruits 5 INPS News 6 Announcement for 2011 ERIG proposals 6 Chapter News 8 Sage Notes is in color on the INPS website: http://www.idahonativeplants.org/ {Articles contributed to Sage Notes reflect the views of the authors and are not an official position of the Idaho Native Plant Society} Winter 2010 1 December 2010 ❖ SAGE NOTES ❖ A Publication of the Idaho Native Plant Society Vol. 32 (4) Letter from the Secretary and the Treasurer Dear Society Members, As you may notice, this letter is not from the society president. We’d like to thank Wendy Velman for all her hard work and enthusiasm during her time as president, and we wish her and her family well. She accomplished much in her time as president. Thanks, Wendy! The board of directors of INPS would like to thank everyone for the work done this year by volunteers at both the state and the chapter levels. There are too many officers, committee members, presenters, field trip leaders, etc. to mention names, but we hope you will take the opportunity to thank those who have contributed their time and resources in support of Idaho’s native flora and unique habitats. We would especially like to thank those who successfully hosted the first Native Flora Workshop in Pocatello this spring. We were all impressed with the efforts of the Sah-Wah-Be members who organized it and with the many presenters who traveled from the four-state region. We hope this will be an event that continues to occur in alternate years with the Rare Plant Conference. We look forward to seeing many of you at the Rare Plant Conference in February if it is held. Please plan also to attend the Annual Meeting in June - see the announcement on the front cover. We have an immediate need of a candidate to volunteer to be temporary president of the Society until the 2011 Annual Meeting when the next elected presidential candidate would take office. As you may recall, there was not a vice presidential candidate last election, so we also have need of a candidate for vice president of the society until the 2012 Annual Meeting when the next elected vice -presidential candidate would take office. Please let your chapter president, or either of us know if you are interested in either of these positions or if you know of someone who would be an excellent candidate. A number of standing and ad hoc committees also have need of members, so please step up where you have an interest. The success of this organization is riding on your help and your talents. Standing committees needing members include the Nominating, Conservation, and Membership Committees. The vice president will be a non-voting ex-officio member of all standing committees and will help coordinate their activities. We have selected a new Sage Notes editor who will be introduced in the next issue. We are very grateful to Dylan Levy-Boyd for so ably editing Sage Notes the last few years and particularly for stepping in to continue to edit during this transition period. As you will see on the membership renewal form, the board intends to eventually provide each member with the option to either view Sage Notes on the web in color or to continue to receive a paper copy if they are unable to view it online. Printing Sage Notes is the largest expense for INPS, so electronic delivery is very important in maintaining our positive fiscal position and allows us more resources to devote to supporting native flora. An INPS calendar is again in the works for 2012, and we can look forward to the excellent photos that members will submit. It’s not too early to start - a fall or winter scene can be a beautiful background for that special photo of native flora! If you would like to help with the production of the 2012 calendar the ad hoc Calendar Committee would welcome your participation. As you can see, the board has many plans and opportunities for your participation. Your help is needed if the Society is to succeed. A gift of your time for the coming year would be a perfect holiday gift! Enjoy the holiday season with your family and friends. Sincerely, Nancy Miller, Secretary Jody Hull, Treasurer Winter 2010 2 Cut here & mail whole page December 2010 ❖ SAGE NOTES ❖ A Publication of the Idaho Native Plant Society Vol. 32 (4) INPS Annual Dues / Membership Renewal Form It is that time of year again to renew your INPS membership! If you have not already done so, please send this form along with your check to the address below or to your chapter treasurer. 2011 Annual Membership Dues ^ □ Patron* p $100+ ? □ Sustaining* $35+ □ Household* $22 □ Individual $17 □ Senior Citizen $10 □ Student $10 ! Additional donation: * Memberships in these categories are allocated two votes when they represent a household. Name(s): Organization: Street Address: City/State: Zip: Phone(s): Email: Sage Notes Option **: Electronic only Paper copy only Chapter affiliation? (check one) □ Calypso (Coeur d’Alene; please include $6 newsletter dues) □ Loasa (Twin Falls) □ Pahove (Boise) □ Sah-Wah-Be (Pocatello) □ Upper Snake (Idaho Falls) □ White Pine (Moscow) □ Wood River (Ketchum-Sun Valley) □ None. Those who do not live near a chapter are encouraged to join. We can put you in touch with other members in your area, and can coordinate with you on any state level activities you may wish to be involved in. Send dues to: INPS Treasurer, PO Box 9451, Boise D 83707 Please send this form along with your check payable to INPS. This form is also available on our website if you wish to print it from there: www.idahonativeplants.org ** Sage Notes is currently available in color on the website and a printed copy is sent to each member. Printing Sage Notes is the biggest expense for INPS and in order to reduce this expense, in the future INPS plans to offer those members with adequate Internet service the option to view Sage Notes electronically rather than receive a printed copy. An email would be sent to announce that Sage Notes is available online. Paper copies would continue to be printed in black and white for those who choose the paper only option. Winter 2010 3 December 2010 ❖ SAGE NOTES ❖ A Publication of the Idaho Native Plant Society Vol. 32 (4) Photos from the field View of the Idaho City of Rocks from the south. Come explore this amazing place and share in a fun filled weekend at the Idaho Native Plant Society Annual Meeting, June 24-26, 2011. Photo by Dylan Levy-Boyd. Conditions in North Idaho have been fantastic for fungi diversity and abundance this fall. Hopefully all were able to view, photograph and maybe even partake of some beautiful specimens. Photo by Nancy Miller taken on Moscow Mountain. On August 28 the White Pine Chapter visited Moscow Mountain. The forest community is quite distinctive, supporting old growth western red cedar ( Thuja plicata ), pictured here, and an array of trees and understory plants more typical of higher elevation forests. Photo by Nancy Miller. On October 21, botanist and naturalist Kevin Taylor spoke to the Upper Snake River chapter about ethnobotany in the Greater Yellowstone Ecosystem. He discussed the many historical uses of plants and described how to make friction fire, ropes, basketry, shelter, and tanned hides. Winter 2010 4 December 2010 ❖ SAGE NOTES ❖ A Publication of the Idaho Native Plant Society Vol. 32 (4) / • .. * Left: Led by professor emeritus of forest ecology Paul Alaback, White Pine members tour Canyon Creek. Photo by Paul Alaback. Right: A lichen, Peltigera sp. (possibly P. membranaceae). Photo by Nancy Miller. Fruits By Dr. Karl Holte The term “fruit” has a different meaning to a botanist than it does to the public in general. To a botanist, a fruit is a matured or “ripened” ovary. The ovary is the enlarged portion of the pistil in a flower. The ovary contains the ripened ovules called seeds. In common or “laymen” language, the term “seed” often refers to what the botanist calls the fruit. For example, the winged fruit of a maple is often called a seed by the general public. In actuality, it is the matured ovary which is derived from the flower of the maple tree. It contains two “seeds.” Inside an orange, which is a fruit because it is derived from the matured ovary of an orange tree flower, one finds several seeds which are derived from ripened or matured ovules. In this case, the layperson correctly calls the orange a fruit and the seed, seeds. However, in the case of a green bean or tomato, there is again a difference. To the layperson the green bean and tomato are vegetables. To a botanist, the green bean and tomato are fruits because they are derived from the matured ovaries of those plants. They both contain seeds which are derived from matured ovules. In strict botanical terms, the fruit is the maturation product of the ovary of a single flower. In more loose terms, it may include the structure which opens to release the seeds for dispersal, or falls or is removed from the plant for that purpose. In the latter case, it may include other parts of the plant such as bracts, or flower parts such as sepals, styles, stigmas or stamens. Sometimes what we call a fruit is actually derived from several flowers. In what we call a pineapple, the “fruit” is composed of parts of several flowers including bracts, sepals, stamens, styles and stigmas, ripened ovaries, and aborted ovules, all attached to a stem and terminated by actual leaves. Botanists call a pineapple a multiple fruit because the result is from several flowers. Sometimes fruits are derived from several matured ovaries from one flower all clustered together. Examples are raspberries, strawberries, and blackberries. In raspberries and blackberries, each contains one seed with a hardened seed coat. Examination with a magnifying glass reveals that each fleshy bump is terminated by a style and stigma. The central portion, which removes from the raspberry, is the receptacle. In the blackberry, one usually eats the receptacle as well as the ripened ovaries. In the strawberry, the red portion is an enlarged receptacle. The small brown specks on the outside are pistils, each complete with a one-seeded ovary, style, and stigma. Botanists call fruits which are derived from more than one pistil from only one flower aggregate fruits. This article is taken from a handout that Saw-Wah-Be members Karl Holte and Janet Bala gave to attendees of their October 4, 2010 presentation on the fruit structures of plants. Winter 2010 5 December 2010 ❖ SAGE NOTES ❖ A Publication of the Idaho Native Plant Society Vol. 32 (4) INPS NEWS Announcement for 201 1 Education, Research, and Inventory Grant proposals The Idaho Native Plant Society (INPS) is soliciting proposals for its Education, Research, and Inventory Grant (ERIG) program. Grants of up to $1,000 will be awarded in 201 1 to support projects that contribute to the appreciation, conservation, or knowledge of Idaho’s native flora or vegetation. The purpose of the ERIG program is to stimulate and lend support to educational, research, and conservation activities that promote an appreciation for native plants and plant communities in Idaho. The ERIG committee encourages you to submit a proposal if you have a project that may qualify. The deadline for submitting proposals is March 3 E 2011 . Grant guidelines - The ERIG program is intended to support direct project costs. Grant proposals should not include expenses for salary and personal benefits, the purchase of personal equipment, or other expenses not essential to the project. Here are some examples of costs the grant may cover: • Direct costs of travel, meals, and lodging for the project. • Supply and service expenses used for the sole purpose of the project (e.g., film, photocopying, phone, lab materials) • Printing costs for public outreach material or research publications. Application procedure and requirements - Proposals should contain the following information: • Project title. • Contact information - name, address, phone number, organization/affiliation, and email (if available). • Project description - outline the project objectives, methods, and final product. Explain how the project will benefit the appreciation, conservation, or knowledge of Idaho’s native flora or vegetation. Describe how project success will be evaluated. • Itemized budget - outline an overall project budget, including the amount you are requesting (up to $1,000), as well as other funding sources. • Timeline - please provide a time line for completion of all major tasks associated with the project, including presentation of the results. Project proposals must pertain to native plants of Idaho. The total amount of money available for the ERIG program in 201 1 still needs to be determined. Please limit grant requests to a maximum of $1,000, and be aware that less may be rewarded due to INPS budget constraints and the number of applications submitted. Successful applicants will be required to submit a final report to the INPS documenting project accomplishments and a summary of the project to be published in the INPS newsletter, Sage Notes. We encourage applicants to become an INPS member if they are not already so, however, membership is not a prerequisite to apply for, or receive an ERIG. Please submit proposals by email to Janet Bala at balaiane at isu dot edu or by post to: Idaho Native Plant Society ATTN: ERIG Committee Chair P.O. Box 9451 Boise, ID 83707 This announcement will also be posted on the INPS website: http ://www .idahonativeplants . or g/ . INPS Committee Update 2011 INPS Standing Committees (from the bylaws) are listed below with the chairperson’s name. Other members are not listed except for the Annual Meeting and the Newsletter Committees. Annual Meeting Committee: Vice President (Chair), Valdon Hancock, Kelvin Jones Ballot Committee: Vacant Conservation Committee: Vacant ERIG Committee: Janet Bala (Chair) Membership Committee: Vacant New editor, Jody Hull, Newsletter Committee: Nancy Miller, Susan Ziebarth Winter 2010 6 December 2010 ❖ SAGE NOTES ❖ A Publication of the Idaho Native Plant Society Vol. 32 (4) The Vice President is a non- voting ex-officio member of all standing committees. The Treasurer is an ex-officio member of the ERIG and Membership Committees. Duties, terms and other pertinent information about the standing committees can be read in the bylaws on the state website: http ://w w w . idahonativenlants . org/inns/inps bylaws .pdf . In addition, ad hoc committees are appointed by the board as needed. INPS Ad hoc Committees for 2011 are listed below with the chairperson’s name: Photo Contest Committee: Linda Johnson and Calendar Design Editor INPS 2012 Calendar Committee: Vacant Bylaws Committee: Nancy Miller If you would be able to help with any of these committees, the board would very much appreciate your participation. Please contact one of the state officers or your chapter president. 2012 Calendar Photo Contest The INPS Calendar Committee is planning to produce a calendar for 2012, again featuring the best photographs of Idaho wildflowers, habitats, and scenery. The photos submitted may also be used on the website, in Sage Notes, or other INPS publications. The rules for the photo contest, as well as the entry form to accompany the submitted photos, will be posted on the state website by January 15, 201 1. The deadline for the photo submittal will be July 31, 201 1 in order to give the committee time to judge the photos and produce the calendar. We know you will have many photo opportunities to take the perfect photo representing a month of the year. We will require photos submitted to be in high- resolution digital format so if you have slides or printed photos to enter they will need to be digitized. The calendar will use 12 photos, one per month, and possibly some additional smaller photos. All photographers whose photos are used will be acknowledged. The calendar design will be similar to the 2010 Calendar. Our plan is to use one photo approximately 6” in height x 9” in width (landscape mode) for each month. It is possible the design will be able to incorporate vertical shots as well so please do not hesitate to include these. The state website (http://www.idahonativeplants.org/) will have the entry form and the rules for submission. Thanks in advance for your photo contributions. Attention photographers who use Flickr Two Flickr ( www.flickr.com) groups have been created for your use. A group is a way to organize photos from different photographers that have a common characteristic. Adding (or sending) your photo to a group can be done several ways. Right clicking on the photo on one of several pages should bring up a list of actions to choose from. The first group, Idaho Native Plants, is a group for sharing photographs of plants native to the state of Idaho. There are several purposes for this group. One purpose is to provide excellent images of native plants whether the plants are rarely seen or commonly found. A second purpose is to give photographers a group to which they can link their Idaho Native Plant images and to provide a forum for others to view, search, and comment upon both the photos and the plants. There are rules associated with this group which may be read in Flickr. The primary one is that each photo should be named and tagged with a scientific name, if known, as well as the common name. The genus alone can be used as a tag also. If the scientific name is not known, then the tag ‘unidentified’ should be used so that others might follow-up and provide additional information. Another tag photographers should supply is the location, at least to the county level. Exact location is helpful, although the exact location should not be indicated if the plant is rare or only known to a few sites. The second group Idaho Native Plant Society is a group for sharing photos related to an INPS event or activity such as a chapter meeting, field trip, Winter 2010 7 December 2010 ❖ SAGE NOTES ❖ A Publication of the Idaho Native Plant Society Vol. 32 (4) workshop, etc. Please tag with the chapter name and the activity, such as White Pine, Canyon Creek Field Trip. Photos linked to the Flickr groups may be used on the Idaho Native Plant Society website or on brochures - but in either case the photographer’s permission will be requested. INPS should not be expected to pay for rights to use the photographs for which it receives permission. Questions about the two groups can be sent to nmiller at moscow dot com. Advertise in Sage Notes Advertisements to help support Sage Notes. If you would like to reach environmentally minded, native plant loving customers, please consider taking out an ad in our next issue. Prices are: $5 for 1/8 page, $8 for 1/4 page, $15 for 1/2 page, and $25 for full page. Ads should be electronic (JPEG, TIFF, publisher) and sent to the editor. Payment should be sent separately to P.O. Box 9451, Boise ID, 83707. CHAPTER NEWS Calypso Chapter The Calypso Chapter meets on the first Wednesday of March, April, May and October. Field trips are scheduled during the spring, summer, and fall. PREVIOUS EVENTS The final meeting of the Calypso Chapter for 2010 was held on October 6 at the Life Care Center in Coeur d’Alene. In addition to regular members in attendance, two guests came for the presentation. Bob Flager approached the chapter with a project to assist some property owners in restoring native plants to their properties. Chapter members made suggestions about resources for seeds and plants. Mr. Flager is to send more information to club members about the type of habitat on the property so research can be done about just which native plants would do best on the sites. 2011 officer elections were held. Derek Antonelli, a Master Naturalist Program alumni, will be the president and Karen Williams will be the secretary. Congratulations to them for their acceptance of these offices. UPCOMING EVENTS March 2, 2011 - Calypso Chapter Meeting will be held at the Life Care Center. April 16, 2011 - Tubbs H ill Field Trip - meet at 10 a.m. at the 1 1 th street parking lot. May 7, 2011 - Q’emiln Trails Field Trip - meet at 10 a.m. A potluck at Asbell’s home is to follow. The alternate rain day for the field trip is May 14, 201 1. Loasa Chapter All INPS members and the public are welcome to attend Loasa’ s events. Meetings are held the third Thursday of each month in room 258 of the Taylor Building at CSI. If interested or for further details, contact Kelvin Jones at (208) 886-7051. Pahove Chapter In years past, the Pahove Chapter has met on the 3 rd Thursday of every month from September through April typically at the MK Nature Center. This year we are changing it up a little and we will be having most of our remaining meetings (with the exception of the December meeting) on the 2 nd Thursday from January through April. This change was made to encourage more participation from members who may have previous engagements on the 3 rd Thursday of each month. For more information about the Pahove chapter activities please visit the website: www.idahonativeplants . or g or contact Susan: susan dot ziebarth at idfg dot idaho dot gov . Pahove Chapter has a new Vice President! Our chapter would like to send a warm welcome to our newest board member, Elaine Walker, elected at our September meeting. Elaine is an Idaho Master Naturalist and an Advanced Master Gardener. She also writes a weekly column for the Idaho Statesman’s online gardening newsletter. Thanks, Elaine, for accepting this office! Karen Colson, our out-going VP, has agreed to remain a Pahove Chapter member-at-large. Thank you Karen for all of your years of commitment and service to our chapter as former President and VP. Winter 2010 8 December 2010 ❖ SAGE NOTES ❖ A Publication of the Idaho Native Plant Society Vol. 32 (4) PREVIOUS EVENTS The October 2010 meeting on Firewise Landscaping was held at the Firewise Garden located at the Idaho Botanical Garden. Brett VanPaepeghem, a CWI Horticulture Student, spoke with the group about controlling noxious weeds, selecting fire resistant plant materials, and creating a defensible space around your home. Participants that attended were able to walk through the various zones of the Firewise Garden and view fire resistant native and cultivated plants. Keeping with tradition the November meeting Movie Night featuring Queen of the Sun , a stunning movie about Colony Collapse Disorder of bees. The movie is an inspiring and intriguing look at the natural world and the role humans play in it. The meeting was well attended, with members of the Treasure Valley Beekeepers Club enlivening the discussion afterward. UPCOMING EVENTS December 10, 2010 - Pahove Chapter Annual Holiday Party at 6:30 p.m. Bring friends and family to this festive party in celebration of the holiday season and of native plants. This is a great chance to share stories, gifts, and great food. January 13, 2011 - Entomology presentation: Pollinators and Native Plants at 7 p.m. Do not miss this follow-up presentation from the movie featured in November. We will learn about the interaction between insect pollinators and native plants. February 10, 2011 - Meeting TBA. Keying Workshops: As promised, Dr. Don Mansfield and Dr. Jim Smith will be holding identification workshops to identify plants from the 2010 Idaho Botanical Foray to the Yankee Fork. The plants are all sorted to family and in most cases to genus. Participants can either choose a genus to work with or they will be directed to a family or genus. WHERE: Some of the workshops will be held in Caldwell at The College of Idaho herbarium and some at the BSU herbarium. Do not hesitate to call (208-459-5287) or email Don (dmansfield at collegeofidaho dot edu ) for more information. WHEN: Mark your calendar for these Thursday evening dates: 2010: December 9. 2011: January 20, February 3, March 3, and April 7. Feel free to bring goodies to share. Plants, scopes, floras, etc. will all be provided. Sah-Wah-Be Chapter PREVIOUS EVENTS We finished off our field trip season on a special day, September 25, 2010. It was National Public Lands Day. The day was the nation’s largest hands-on volunteer effort to improve and enhance the public lands Americans enjoy. Goodenough Campground, five miles west of McCammon, Idaho, was our destination. Twenty Sah-Wah-Be members and friends walked through the orange and red leaves of Bigtooth Maple trees (Acer grandidentatum) while finding many other native plants. Along the way we picked up a small amount of litter that was on the trail. After the walk, we shared the picnic area with BLM volunteers, scouts and their families. They were there to clean up the area and make the stream free flowing. It was a beautiful day to enjoy the native plants and clean the area we were using as part of National Public Lands Day. On October 4, Dr. Karl Holte (Professor Emeritus of Botany, ISU) and Janet Bala (Collection Mgr, Ray J. Davis Herbarium) discussed the origin of the edible fruit parts of various plants. Members of the audience were passed parts of different plants to examine with provided hand lenses as the speaker identified and discussed each plant component. There was also a display of fruits and their parts for examination, including fresh produce, flowers, and inflorescences. On October 21, Kevin Taylor presented "Ethnobotany in The Greater Yellowstone Ecosystem.” Kevin Taylor, botanist and naturalist, had presented this topic to the Upper Snake River chapter and, as a special favor, agreed to travel to Pocatello to present the information to our chapter as well. He discussed the many historical uses of plants in the Greater Yellowstone Ecosystem. Using a PowerPoint format, he described how to make friction fire, ropes, basketry, shelter, tanned hides, and more. This topic brought 45 people out to the meeting, about half of whom were not (yet) members ofINPS. Winter 2010 9 December 2010 ❖ SAGE NOTES ❖ A Publication of the Idaho Native Plant Society Vol. 32 (4) PROGRAM SCHEDULE All meetings are held at 7:00PM in classroom 1 14 of the Plant Science Bldg 69 at Idaho State University, Pocatello. The public is welcome. For more information call 208-716-0218. December 6, 2010 - Sagebrush Land Trust Joselin Matkin, Director of the Sagebrush Land Trust, will discuss the work they are doing on conservation in the Bear River Range of Southeast Idaho. The Sagebrush Land Trust is a non-profit organization. More information about them is available at their website, http://www.sagebrushlandtrust.org/ . January, 2011 - Holiday Party, date TBA Because the full moon holiday party we had in January 2010 was a huge success, we decided to have our holiday party again in January 2011 rather than in busy December 2010. To keep it botanical, we would like everyone to talk about their favorite native plant. The date and location for this potluck dinner party will be finalized and advertised soon. February 7, 2011 - Photo Share. We are giving our members the opportunity to be the program this month. Our members will be able to share their native plant or field trip and travel photos. It is always fun to see other people’s eyes on the world through a camera lens. March 7, 2011 - Mushroom Mania. Do you know where they are hiding? This presentation will be by Michael Piep, Assistant Curator, Intermountain Herbarium, Utah State University, Logan, Utah. Upper Snake Chapter The Upper Snake Native Plant Society usually meets the third Wednesday at 7:00 at the Idaho Falls Fish and Game office. Field Trips are scheduled in the spring and summer. PREVIOUS EVENTS October 20, 2010 - This fall meeting was well attended with 51 people coming to hear Kevin Taylor speak about ethnobotany. Kevin gave a presentation about edible and medicinal plants and talked about primitive skills such as fire starting, rope making and basket making. UPCOMING EVENTS November 17, 2010 - Members will bring slides of the field trips to share and Wendy Velman and Sue Braastad will bring fossils that they collected at the INPS State Annual Meeting in June. December, 2010 - No December Meeting January 19, 2011 - Gene Weller from BYUI will talk about restoring habitat with natives for the benefit of birds. February 16, 2011 - Steve Love from the University of Idaho will speak, topic TBD. March 9, 2011 - (Not the usual day of the month). Michael Piep Assistant Curator, Intermountain Herbarium, Utah State University, Logan (see Saw- Wah-Be’s March 7 presentation) will be giving a presentation on mushrooms. White Pine Chapter The past year has provided abundant opportunities for INPS White Pine members and our communities to experience, understand, appreciate, and advocate north central Idaho’s diverse native flora. We offer our collective thanks to all of our colleagues, who expanded our knowledge and skills through their INPS presentations, field trips, site tours, and conversations during 2010, as we eagerly anticipate seeing you again at chapter and state gatherings in the coming year. PREVIOUS EVENTS Herb Walk & Moscow Mountain Foray Two to three dozen participants converged just outside Moscow on Saturday, August 28, to learn first about wild edible and medicinal plants at Robinson Park and then about an ancient cedar/larch grove and nearby summit on Moscow Mountain. During her herb walk in the park, herbalist Dr. Linda Kingsbury highlighted about twenty native and naturalized plant species, from dandelions to yarrow, and described how to identify, gather, and utilize them as holistic health aids and food. After carpooling to 4,800 feet on landmark Moscow Mountain, we explored with botanist Juanita Lichthardt the unique plant community of a relatively moist, old-growth forest, where usually lower- elevation western red cedars, up to ten feet wide, have thrived for over 1000 years with western larches Winter 2010 10 December 2010 ❖ SAGE NOTES ❖ A Publication of the Idaho Native Plant Society Vol. 32 (4) and understory ferns, forbs, and shrubs. Lastly, conservationist Mark Solomon met us at the adjacent rocky peak of East Moscow Mountain, near where a state agency would build a proposed communication tower. While enjoying spectacular panoramas of the surrounding Palouse Prairie and Range, we considered alternative protective measures for this locally cherished public land. University of Idaho Arboretum Tour Among colorful, early autumn foliage on Saturday, September 25, retired professor and arboretum director Richard Naskali led 18 members and guests through the UI Arboretum and Botanical Garden in Moscow. Since 1982, this small valley has hosted over 1 1,000 accessioned trees, shrubs, and plants, grouped into geographically-based sections representing Asia, Europe, and eastern and western North America. As we visited the 102-year-old barn, the Xeriscape Garden, and larger botanical displays, Dr. Naskali explained the natural and social history of the arboretum, its distinctive plants and features, and how generous private donors have sustained this living museum. While circumnavigating the creek and two central ponds, we marveled at specimens from around the globe as well as the uncommonly warm, sunny weather and Dick’s enthusiastic humor and knowledge of plant physiology. Tour attendees look forward to a reconstructed Palouse prairie planned for an arboretum hillside and to future plantings that bring the beauty and inspiration of the world’s plants to Idaho. Lochsa Research Natural Area Field Trip Co-sponsored by four conservation organizations, our October 16 excursion into the lush forests along Highway 12 near Lowell, Idaho, revealed dense concentrations of regionally endemic native plants and Pacific coastal disjunct species. While guiding the hike, University of Montana professor emeritus of forest ecology Paul Alaback noted that area ecosystems once served as original source habitats and ice-age refugia for many of the wet-climate dependent plants in the Northwest. The comparatively warm, moist, and lowland conditions in Clearwater basin valleys now harbor isolated remnants of interior, temperate, coniferous rainforests, a globally rare and threatened forest type that, if preserved as wild corridors, could foster plant species migrations spurred by climate change. Along the Canyon Creek trail and Lochsa river banks, 12 intrepid naturalists observed and documented native plants whose limited distribution make them vulnerable to destructive disturbances. During our Saturday adventure with Dr. Alaback, we delighted in seeing fragile ferns ( Cystopteris fragilis), northern maidenhair ferns (Adiantum pedatum ), various lichens (Lobaria and Peltigera species), late- blooming Claytonia, huge western red cedar ( Thuja plicata ), Pacific yew ( Taxus brevifolia), and cascara buckthorn ( Rhamnus purshiana ). White Pine Chapter Annual Meeting & Potluck On Saturday afternoon, November 13, Nancy and Reid Miller hosted the Annual Chapter Meeting at their Viola, Idaho, home. Together, 17 White Pine members shared a delicious potluck lunch of casseroles, pizzas, salads, and desserts, while reveling in views of golden larch within the coniferous slopes and brief snow showers encompassing our hillside perch. After extensive socializing among good company, participants gathered for the meeting led by president Helen Yost and elected new board officers for 2011: James Riser as president, Pat Fuerst as secretary, and Elisabeth Brackney as treasurer. The vice president position is still vacant. Several active members who agreed to continue in other roles were Juanita Lichthardt as conservation chair, Patricia Hine as website editor, Michele Leavitt as newsletter editor, Maggie Ely as publicity chair, and Helen Yost as past president. The assembled members also discussed ideas for 2011 field trips, monitoring workshops, guest presentations, and other chapter activities. Finally, we celebrated the many successes of our productive members over the last year, before returning in carpools to rainy Moscow. UPCOMING EVENTS For further information about any of these past events or for descriptions and schedules of future chapter endeavors, please visit the INPS White Pine website at www.whitepineinps.org or contact president Helen Yost at helen vost at hotmail dot com or vice president Elisabeth Brackney at elisabeth dot brackney at gmail dot com . Wood River Chapter Contact chapter president Carol Blackburn at blackbumcrl at yahoo dot com for possible activities and gatherings. Winter 2010 11 Idaho Native Plant Society Plant 6 P.O.Box 9451 Boise, ID 83707 ADDRESS SERVICE REQUESTED Non Profit Organization U.S. Postage Paid Boise, ID Permit No. 679 Sage Notes is published four times a year in February, May, September, and December by the Idaho Native Plant Society, incorporated since 1977, under the laws of the State of Idaho. Editor, to be introduced in the next issue of Sage Notes. Newsletter ads: personal ads $2; commercial ads $5 for 1/8 page, $8 for 1/4 page, $15 for 1/2 page, and $25 for full page. Ads should be sent with payment. Submissions: members and others are invited to submit material for publication. Articles in any form, even hand-written, are welcome, as is art work. Please provide a phone number in case there are questions. Material will not be returned. Send submissions directly to P.O. Box 9451, Boise, ID 83707, or < info3 at idahonativeplants dot org >. Submission deadlines are January 8, April 1, August 1, and November 1. Officers: President, VACANT; Vice President, VACANT; Secretary, Nancy Miller; Treasurer, Jody Hull; Member-at-large, Mel Nicholls. Calypso Chapter, P.O. Box 331, Careywood, ID 83809. President, VACANT; Vice President, VACANT; Secretary, Gloria Wurm; Treasurer, Janet Benoit; Newsletter, Phil Hruskocy. Loasa Chapter, 340 E 520 N, Shoshone, ID 83352. President, Kelvin Jones; Vice President, LaMar Orton; Secretary, Lois Rohay; Treasurer, Steve Paulsen. Pahove Chapter, PO Box 9451, Boise, ID 83707. President, Susan Ziebarth; Vice President, Elaine Walker; Secretary, Karie Pappani; Treasurer, Jody Huh; Members- at-large, Cyndi Coulter, Karen Colson, Chris Colson. Sah-Wah-Be Chapter, 146 South 17 th Avenue, Pocatello, ID 83201. President, Linda Johnson; Vice Presidents, Bob McCoy and Chris McCoy; Secretary, Barbara Nicholls; Treasurer, Cathy Frischmann; News, Ardys Holte; Members-at-Large, Mel Nicholls, Karl Holte, Dick Anderson, Janet Bala, Catalina Steckbauer, Pauline Havens, Judy Minshall. Upper Snake Chapter, President, Sue Braastad; Vice President, Rose Lehman; Secretary, Alan Crockett; Treasurer, Heidi Heyrend. White Pine Chapter, PO Box 8481, Moscow, ID 83843. President, Helen Yost; Vice President, Elisabeth Brackney; Secretary, Patricia Hine; Treasurer, Nancy Sprague; Newsletter Editor, Michele Leavitt; Landscaping and Restoration Plants, Juanita Lichthardt; Publicity Chair, Margaret Ely; Website Editor, Nancy Miller; Past Co-Presidents, Janet Campbell & Nancy Miller. Wood River Chapter, PO Box 3093, Hailey, ID 83333. President, Carol Blackburn; Vice President, VACANT; Secretary, VACANT; Treasurer, VACANT. The Idaho Native Plant Society (INPS) is dedicated to promoting interest in native plants and plant co mm unities and to collecting and sharing information on ah phases of the botany of native plants in Idaho, including educating the public to the values of the native flora and its habitats. In keeping with our mission, it is the intent of the INPS to educate its membership and the public about current conservation issues that affect Idaho’s native flora and habitats. Membership is open to anyone interested in our native flora. Dues are payable annually in December for the coming year. Send dues to Jody Hull, INPS Treasurer, Box 9451, Boise, ID 83707. Website address: IdahoNativePlants.org. Category Patron * Sustaining* Household * Individual Student Senior Citizen Annual Dues $100+ $35+ $22 $17 $10 $10 Name(s) Address City/State Zip Telephone E-mail Sage Notes option: Electronic only Paper copy only Chapter affiliation? (check one) Calypso (Coeur d’Alene; please include $6 newsletter dues) Loasa (Twin Falls) Pahove (Boise) Sah-Wah-Be (Pocatello) Upper Snake (Idaho Falls) White Pine (Moscow) Wood River (Ketchum-Sun Valley) None. Those who do not live near a chapter are encouraged to join. We can put you in touch with other members in your area, and can coordinate with you on any state level activities you may wish to be involved in. * Memberships in these categories are allocated two votes when they represent a household