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February 2013

The

Bay Leaf

California Native Plant Society • East Bay Chapter
Alameda & Contra Costa Counties

www.ebcnps.org

www.groups.google.com/group/ebcnps

MEMBERSHIP MEETING

CNPS and plant conservation in California: Protecting
California's native flora in the 21st Century
Speaker: Greg Suba

Wednesday, February 27, 7:30 pm

Location: Garden Room, Orinda Public Library (directions
below)

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The native flora of California is unlike any other in the world.
From the richly colored expanse of spring wildflowers in the
desert to groves of Monterey cypress on the coast, California's
wild gardens are immensely diverse and awe inspiring in
their beauty. They define the landscape and offer Californians
a sense of place, pride, and stability.

Since 1965, members of the California Native Plant Society
have worked to protect California's native plant heritage and
preserve it for future generations. Our work continues at a

most critical time. Urban and agricultural growth, the spread
of normative weeds, expanding knowledge regarding sustain-
able timber and grazing practices, and frequently inadequate
land use planning all elevate the essential need to prevent the
decline in California's native plant diversity.

To reverse this trend, the CNPS Conservation Program pro-
motes sound plant science as the backbone of effective natu-
ral areas protection. We work closely with decision-makers,
scientists, and local planners to advocate for well-informed
and environmentally friendly policies, regulations, and land
management practices.

Greg Suba, CNPS Conservation Program Director in Sac-
ramento, will describe the work of the CNPS Conservation
Program. His presentation will give special emphasis to the
challenges associated with advocating effective plant conser-
vation while addressing the planning and development of
desert wind and solar projects, and ongoing work to develop
ecological standards for California's forests.

Greg Suba has been the CNPS Conservation Program Director
since 2009. Prior to joining CNPS, Greg worked as a water-
shed coordinator, science educator, and biological consultant
in northern California, and spent several years monitoring
streams and surveying forests throughout the state. He has a
B.S. in Biology and an M.S. in Marine Science, and began his
professional career as a research scientist in marine botany.

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
Garden Room opens at 7 pm; the meeting begins at 7:30 pm.
Call 510-496-6016 or email rosacalifornica (at) 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

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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.

REPORT FROM THE CONSERVATION CHAIR

Once again we have some action and activities going on re-
lated to our remnant coastal prairie places, along the North
Richmond Shoreline and beyond. On Jan. 21st, for the Martin
Luther King Jr. Day of Service, our East Bay Chapter of CNPS
had a successful weeding project out at Ft. Pinole Regional
Park, collaborating with The Watershed Project and with the
Park District.

We piggybacked onto The Watershed Project's public vol-
unteer event, which consisted of approximately 150 people
from the community coming out for this Day of Service to
pick up trash along the shoreline and remove ice plant. The
Watershed Project folks diverted about a dozen people from
their stream of incoming volunteers to help at a nearby site
we had identified in the grassland at Pt. Pinole. At this site,
in a swale, there is a nice stand of a small native Juncus that
was being overrun by invasive velvet grass (Holcus lanatus)
and sheep sorrel. Our intensive and focused weeding effort
successfully removed the velvet grass (and much of the sorrel)
where it had completely colonized some of the Juncus area,
and where it was just starting to penetrate a thicker, healthy
stand of this Juncus. We decided to mulch the adjacent weedy
embankment with all the material we pulled out, rather than
bagging up the weeds and removing them. The area that we
weeded was about 125 feet long, bordered on one side by the
road, and on the other side by a thick stand of native wild rye
(or some sort of interesting hybrid of wild rye). The width of

the area weeded was about 25 to 30 feet across. The volunteers
from CNPS and from The Watershed Project worked steadily
on hands and knees for the 21/2 hours of the event. We had
breaks to stretch as well as a nice educational component in
the middle, presented by Jim Hanson, regarding the value
and richness and wonder of the coastal prairie and what our
goals were specifically for this morning of weeding. Thanks
to Jim and to David Amme for their contributions toward
making this a successful event.

We look forward to more collaboration with The Watershed
Project. Also we are aiming to put together another weeding
party, this time for an area of rich coastal prairie out at Pt. Mo-
late. We hope to put this on in a month or two (depending on
whether we get more good rains and all permissions necessary
to work out there). The views are absolutely spectacular at Pt.
Molate, looking out upon the upper portion of San Francisco
Bay and directly across the water is Mt. Tamalpais.

Please call me if you are interested in participating in this
upcoming weeding party or e-mail.

Jean Robertson
Conservation Chair
East Bay Chapter, CNPS
510-655-1653

gaiajean@yahoo.com

FUNDRAISING FOR THE CNPS CONSERVATION PROGRAM

The CNPS Conservation Campaign is a year-long effort to
raise money to sustain the statewide CNPS Conservation
Program. The East Bay Chapter asks its members to support
this campaign. The Chapter believes that local conservation
and statewide conservation work hand-in-hand. "State"
CNPS is well aware that the East Bay Chapter is working to
fund the Chapter's own Conservation Analyst position and
is actively supporting the Chapter's fundraising.

For those who want to know more, CNPS's Conservation
Director, Greg Suba, will speak on February 27 at 7:30 pm at
the Orinda Library on "Protecting California's Native Flora
in the 21st Century."

CNPS advocates for the protection of native plants across
California. The Conservation Program is concerned with
statewide and regional issues such as desert and forest pro-

tection and also supports chapters on many significant local
projects. The Program provides science-based information
to federal, state, and local agencies to help them form sound
policies for the protection of native plants and their habitat
throughout California.

Why CNPS Needs Your Help

The budget for the CNPS Conservation Program is roughly
$120,000 per year. These costs are partially met from founda-
tion grants and from the program's endowment, but most
of the funding comes from donations made by members.
The goal of the Conservation Campaign is to raise $100,000
for the Conservation Program this year. CNPS is working
diligently to take advantage of all funding opportunities, but
the simple truth is that the Conservation Program needs your
gift to reach its goal.

THE BAY LEAF February 2013

REPORT FROM THE CONSERVATION ANALYST

Lawrence Berkeley Laboratory Campus at Richmond Field
Station

On February 4th, the East Bay Chapter of the California Native
Plant Society (EBCNPS) submitted comments on the Notice of
Preparation for the Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory's
"Richmond Bay Campus 2013 Long Range Development Plan
and Phase 1 Development Environmental Impact Report."
As I reported in my 2012 review article, I have been working
with representatives from Lawrence Berkeley Labs and UC
Berkeley to provide input regarding a new Lawrence Berkeley
Laboratory at the UC Richmond Field Station, which makes
up part of our Richmond Shoreline BPPA. We are hopeful
that the forthcoming EIR includes complete avoidance and
protection measures for the remnant native coastal prairie
grassland at the site. You can view our comment letter on the
conservation webpage: http://tinyurLcom/autq89b

Tesla Park

I am continuing to work with our "Friends of Tesla Park"
coalition partners to ensure that the State Parks Depart-
ment properly consider the botanical value of its 3,400 acre
"Alameda-Tesla" parcel in its forthcoming General Plan
Update for Carnegie State Vehicle Recreation Area in Eastern

Alameda County. The Alameda-Tesla parcel, which is often
referred to as "Tesla Park", makes up a large section of our
"Corral Hollow" Botanical Priority Protection Area and is a
critical migratory corridor for plants and wildlife. Unfortu-
nately this special area is currently being considered for off
road vehicle access as part of the new Carnegie State Vehicle
Recreation Area General Plan. In the past month, I have met
with representatives for State Parks in Sacramento to discuss
the botanical value of this parcel and the need for the General
Plan to consider alternatives to expanding off road vehicle
access into Tesla from the already environmentally degraded
Carnegie SVRA. In the coming months I will continue these
meetings in preparation for the forthcoming EIR on which
EBCNPS will be submitting detailed comments. EBCNPS
has commented on the NOP for this project: http://tinyurL
coin/by2xkoy

To learn more about these and other projects,
and to read EBCNPS's comment letters, please visit:
http:/ / ebcnps.wordpress.com/ .

Mack Casterman

Mitchell Ravine, Tesla Park. Photo by Mack Casterman

THE BAY LEAF February 2013

FIELD TRIPS

Saturday, Feb 23, 9:30 am. Mount Diablo State Park, Knob-
cone Point Road. We will go through woodland, grasslands,
chaparral areas, with Pickeringia, Salvia, Arctostaphylos, Garry a.
We should see Arctostaphylos auriculata in flower and three oth-
er manzanita species, and knobcone pines. We should arrive
back at the parking lot at 1pm. The trip leader is Gregg Weber,
and you can call him at 510-223-3310 with questions.

Directions: Take 680 to the Diablo Road exit, and go east
on Diablo Road. At Green Valley Road, only one lane goes
straight ahead. After Green Valley Road, go past and do not
turn at the Diablo Country Club sign. In about a mile, turn
left at the Mt. Diablo State Park sign. Continue to the end
of Mt. Diablo Scenic Boulevard, which becomes South Gate
Road as it enters the park. Be prepared to pay the fee (now
$10?) at the main entrance station, or have your state parks
pass ready. Continue for about a mile, and park at the large
parking area at Curry Point, where we will meet.

Sunday, February 24, 2:00 pm. Redwood Regional Park,
Oakland. David Margolies will lead a walk along the stream
and on the slopes above Redwood Creek in this large East
Bay redwood forest, looking at early flowering plants and
the trees and shrubs of the redwood forest. We will also look
for newts and rainbow trout in Redwood Creek. The whole
walk is about 2.5 miles with steep uphill and steep downhill
portions. Walkers who want to avoid the steep trails can return
along the stream trail about halfway through the walk. Meet
at the Redwood Gate parking area at 2:00 pm.

Directions: To get there from the northern East Bay, get on 13
South (go east on Ashby Avenue in Berkeley, for example) and

take the Redwood Road exit. From Oakland, go east on 35th
Avenue (which turns into Redwood Road). From the south-
ern East Bay, take 580 West to 13 North and exit at Redwood
Road (immediately after the junction). From San Francisco,
take the Bay Bridge, staying to the right (but do not go to
San Jose). Take 580 East, and then 24 East (towards Walnut
Creek). Take the 13 South exit from 24 and then the Redwood
Road exit. Once on Redwood Road, go east (uphill). At the
top of the hill you will cross Skyline Boulevard and then pass
various equestrian facilities. Go down into the valley. About
two miles from Skyline Boulevard, turn left into Redwood
Regional Park, following the entrance road to the end to the
parking lot. Walk takes place rain or shine.

Sunday, March 17, 9:30 am, Seafoam Loop and Black Oak
Loop at Kennedy Grove, El Sobrante. Gregg Weber will be
leading this trip to a botanically rich area in El Sobrante. In
the shady areas under bay trees, there is more plant diversity
than you would expect, with many common natives, and
some unusual ones. This is a short 2.5 mile walk, with only a
400 feet elevation gain up to the ridge, and 150 feet elevation
gain on Black Oak Loop.

Directions: From 1-80, exit at San Pablo Dam Road and turn
left onto Castro Ranch Road in El Sobrante. From Orinda,
follow San Pablo Dam Road to El Sobrante. Turn right onto
Castro Ranch Road. Go two blocks on Castro Ranch Road, and
then turn right onto Hillside Drive. Go about Vi mile to the
end of Hillside Drive, and then turn left on Patra Drive and
park near the trailhead. No entrance fees. Do not turn into the
Kennedy Grove park entrance on San Pablo Dam Road.

John Taylor surrounded by puffballs in Knowland Park. Photo by Delia Taylor.

THE BAY LEAF February 2013

NATIVE HERE NURSERY, PLANT FAIR PREPARATION

Winter is a strange time at the nursery. Some plants succumb
to frost; others not only survive it but seem to be stimulated
to emerge from dormancy I always have an argument with
myself about whether to prune back the marsh plants. The big
sedges and rushes have drooping tan leaves and stalks which
are not considered attractive by most people for gardens, yet
those tangled masses of fiber are exactly what many birds,
rodents, reptiles, amphibians and even small mammals find
valuable for cover.

Seeds of annuals and perennials are coming up, promising
some nice color for later in the spring and summer. John has
had wonderful success growing huckleberry plants from cut-
tings and is experimenting successfully with a host of other
shrubs. The inventory or plant list posted on the web site
does not have container sizes, as the plants will most likely
go through transplanting before June so that they will better
withstand warmer, drier conditions.

Native Here continues to be open three times each week,
weather permitting: Tuesday afternoons from noon to 3 pm,
Friday mornings 9 am to noon, and Saturdays from 10 am to

2 pm. Come shop for the kinds of plants that you would see
on field trips throughout the bay area. Volunteers are always
welcome to perform a variety of tasks. The plants will need
watering twice a week (on average) through the spring, sum-
mer and fall. Watering sections take about one hour each
time to water, so if you have an hour each week you can
regularly come up to water, please let us know, nativehere@
ebcnps.org . Potting up plants; weeding, moving plants from
potting benches to protected areas and from protected areas
to the "sales floor", weeding the pots and grounds, groom-
ing plants, repairing tools, structures, helping customers
find plants and writing up sales are examples of the tasks
volunteers help with.

It is not too early to get involved in preparing for the October
Plant Fair. E-mail the nursery about how you would like to
participate.

Native Here will also participate in Bringing Back the Natives
Garden Tour Nursery Extravaganza by extending hours until
5 pm on Saturday, May 4. Many gardens will be open for
touring on May 5. For more information and to register for
the tour, go to www.bringingbackthenatives.net.

Charli Danielsen

Anemopsis calif ornica, commonly called "yerba
mansa" is a local member of the lizard's tail
family (Saururaceae). It is found growing in
wetlands and streams, and is just coming up at
Native Here. Photo by Gregg Weber.

Registration for the Ninth Annual Bringing Back the Natives
Garden Tour, which will take place on Sunday, May 5, 2013
from 10:00 to 5:00, is now open. This free, award-winning tour
features forty Alameda and Contra Costa county gardens that
are pesticide-free, conserve water, provide habitat for wildlife,
and contain 60% or more native plants. This self-drive tour
showcases a variety of gardens, from large parcels in the
hills to small lots in the flats. Native plant sales and talks are
offered at select gardens. Space is limited and registration is
required. This tour will fill; register early to ensure a place.
Volunteers are needed. Please register or volunteer at www.
bringingbackthenatives .net /

A companion event, the Native Plant Sale Extravaganza will
take place throughout the weekend of May 4 and May 5 at
many local native plant nurseries including Native Here.
At Native Here on May 4, the first day of the Extravaganza,
John Danielsen will give a talk at 11:00 am on Selecting Local
Natives for Your Garden. Immediately following John's talk
there will be a treasure hunt, with prizes for finding special
plants on display.

THE BAY LEAF February 2013

CONSERVATION ANALYST FUND REPORT

$27,992 raised towards goal of $40,000
Help keep Mack Casterman on our team!

This is the eighth year that the East Bay Chapter's Conserva-
tion Committee has greatly benefited from a part-time Conser-
vation Analyst. During these years our Conservation Analyst
enabled us to advocate for greater protection of the Serpentine
Prairie, to block a casino that would have destroyed the coastal
prairie at Point Molate, to continue the fight to protect native
bunchgrass prairie and rare maritime chaparral at Knowland
Park, and much more. The position is funded by contributions
from Chapter members. We urge you to give generously so
that we can meet our goal of $40,000.

Contributions may be sent to California Native Plant Society,
East Bay Chapter, PO Box 5597, Elmwod Station, Berkeley CA
94705. Checks should be made to "CNPS", with a memo that
the check is for the Conservation Analyst Fund. You may con-
tribute via PayPal on the Chapter's website at ebcnps.org.

We are very grateful to the following donors who have con-
tributed to the Chapter and the 2013 Conservation Analyst
Fund:

John Alcorn, Mary Alderson, Eleanor Bade, Laura Baker and
Lewis Lubin, Heath Bartosh, Bob Battagin, Laura Beckett,
Linda and Richard Beidelman, Robert and Evelyn Berman,
Martha Berthelsen, Bruce Beyaert, David Bigham and Howard
Arendtson, Aria Bonnett, Martha Breed, Shelagh Brodersen,
Zelda Bronstein, Margaret Brostrom, Roy Buck, Amida Cary,
Bob Case, Carmen Castain, Carol and John Casterman, Carol
and Pedro Castro, Dan Cheatham, Albert Chung, Patricia
Coffey, Robert and Carol Coon, Beverly Cover, Mary Frances
Dahlquist, Charli and John Danielsen, Elizabeth Davidson,
Adrienne Debisschop, William Dejager, Mark Detterman, John
and Lisa Doyen, Sue Duckies, Christopher Erickson, Barbara

Ertter, James and Betsy Flack, Holly Forbes and Gerald Ford,
Norman Frank, Gordon Frankie, Dorothy Frantz, Lisa Frost,
Clara Gerdes, Kathleen Gilcrest, Dan Gluesenkamp, Marilyn
and Amos Goldhaber, Michael Graf, Judith Ann Gurbaxani,
Joan Hamilton, Mary Ann Hannon, Miao He, Claudia and
Scott Hein, Daniel Hill, Justine Hume, Lesley and Bill Hunt,
Dwight Johnson, Philip Johnson, Robert Jolda, Larry Jones,
Nicole Jurjavcic, Timothy Kask, Elizabeth Katz, Megan
Keever, John Kenny, Caroline Kim, Marian Kirch and Cynthia
Siegel, Gudrun Kleist, Marcia Kolb, Jill Korte, Kathy Kramer,
Christopher Kroll, Arvind Kumar and Ashok Jethanandani,
Watson Laetsch, Eve Lednicky, Barbara and Philip Leitner,
David and Evelyne Lennette, Ed Leong, Vera Lis, David Loeb,
Lois and Harry Lutz, Mike Lynes, Matt Madison, Ruth Malone
and Terry Sayre, Tamia Marg, David Margolies, Sandy McCoy
and Natasha Beery, Shirley McPheeters, Jon Merkle, Louise
Miller, Gregory Moore, Caroline Moyer, Brian Napolitan,
Lech Naumovich, Linda Newton, Dan Norris, Bill Nownes,
Richard O'Donnell, Anne and Charles Olsen, Carol Pachl,
Lisa and Andy Paterson, Anita Pearson, Deborah Peterson,
Tom Reid, John Roberts, Jean Robertson/ Earthly Delights,
Richard and Doris Ryon, Philip and Shirley Schild, William
Schramer, Dick Schneider, Brenda Senturia, Robert and
Martha Sikora, Suzanne Skrivanich, David Smith, Elizabeth
Sojourner, Robert Sorenson, Nicki Spillane, Malcolm Sproul,
Jacqueline Steiner, Stout Foundation, Emile Strauss Ann
Sullivan, Aaron Sunshine, Ted Tawshunsky, Delia and John
Taylor, Chris Thayer, Liz Varnhagen, Charles Verrill, Jeanne
Walpole, Stephen Walsh and Brenda Buxton, Joyce Walton,
Phoebe Watts, Catherine Whiteside, Kitty Whiteside, Susan
Wickham, Doris and Joe Willingham, Christina Wistrom,
Elaine Worthington-Jackson, Roberta Zorzyski.

Delia Taylor

Dusk at Knowland Park. Note the
giant fairy ring in the grassland on
the first knoll (a strip of dark green
with white puffballs dotting it).
Photo by Jason Webster.

THE BAY LEAF February 2013

WAYNE RODERICK LECTURES
WINTER 2012-2013

at the Regional Parks Botanic Garden (near Brazil Building)

Wildcat Canyon Road and South Park Drive (south Park Drive is dosed NovemberthroughMarch

in Tilden Regional Park, Berkeley, CA (510) 544-3169 then press "0" E-mail Address: bgarden@ebparks.org
http://www.ebparks.ora/parks/vc/botanic garden www.nativeplants.ora

Saturday Mornings 10:30 Free

Notice: Seating is limited. To be sure of a seat, come very early — garden opens at 8:30am — and

save a chair.

2M3

Feb. 2

Hiking with a chemist - admiring plants through a chemist's eyes-Greti Sequin

Feb. 9

A visit to the Mono Recesses and a satisfying walk over the Mono Divide- Michael Uhler

Feb. 16

California geology from the ground up, part one: from the delta south-Steve Edwards

Feb. 23

California geology from the ground up, part two: north of the Bay, including the Sierra- Steve Edwards

Free tours of the Botanic Garden every Saturday at 2:00 pm; Sunday at 1 1 :00 am & 2:00 pm (when it's not rain-
ing).

No tours when we conduct our annual plant sale on the third Saturday in April; no tours when the garden is
closed (New Year's Day, Thanksgiving, Christmas Day).

California pipevine or California Dutchman's pipe {Aristolochia
californica). Photo by Janice Bray, from the CD East Bay Native
Plants 2012-2013. Both the plant and the CD are available at
Native Here Nursery .

THE BAY LEAF February 201 3 7

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