January 2012 r *\ 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 IN JANUARY What Does the New Jepson Manual Mean for California Floristics? Speaker: Bruce Baldwin, Ph.D. Wednesday, January 25, 7:30 pm Location: Auditorium, Orinda Public Library (directions below) Changes in understanding of California's native and natural- ized vascular plants since publication of The Jepson Manual (1993) necessitated a complete revision of the book, which is now complete. Implications for the flora extend from higher- level classification (e.g., families) to fine-scale taxonomy (e.g., species). Bruce Baldwin will review some of the more conspicuous changes affecting our plants and provide some perspective on why these changes are important steps forward for California botany. He also will talk about new initiatives of the Jepson Flora Project and how they will affect the California botanical community. Bruce Baldwin is Curator of the Jepson Herbarium and Profes- sor of Integrative Biology at U.C. Berkeley. He is Convening Editor of the Jepson Flora Project, including The Jepson Manual: Vascular Plants of California, Second Edition. East Bay CNPS membership meetings are free of charge and open to everyone. This month's meeting takes place in the Auditorium of the Orinda Public Library at 24 Orinda Way (in Orinda Village). The Auditorium is on the second floor of the building, accessible by stairs or an elevator. The Auditorium opens at 7:00 pm; the meeting begins at 7:30 pm. After the presentation, we will offer either copies of the new Jepson Manual for sale ($125) or information on how to order it, depending on availability of book copies. Contact Sue Rosenthal, 510-496-6016 or rosacalifornica@earthlink.net, if you have questions. Directions to Orinda Public Library at 24 Orinda Way: From the west, take Hwy 24 to the Orinda/ Moraga exit. At the end of the off ramp, turn left on Camino Pablo (toward Orinda Village), right on Santa Maria Way (the signal after the BART station and freeway entrance), and left on Orinda Way. From the east, take Hwy 24 to the Orinda exit. Follow the ramp to Orinda Village. Turn right on Santa Maria way (the first signal) and left on Orinda Way. Once on Orinda Way, go 1 short block to the parking lot on the southeast side of the two-story building on your right. There is additional free parking beneath the building as well as on the street. From BART (4 blocks): Exit the Orinda station, turn right and cross a pedestrian bridge, then cross a second pedestrian bridge on the left. Go 1 short block on the sidewalk to the third pedestrian bridge. Go 2 blocks on Orinda Way to the Orinda Library. NATIVE HERE Many customers took advantage of our half price specials in November and December. Having those two-gallon shrubs and five-gallon trees go out and into the ground of your gardens and projects has made room for younger plants to come along, so visit often to see what is being propagated. January's half price special is on wetland rushes and sedges. We even have some sedges and rushes that do fine in dry gardens, which will also be half price. This pricing may en- courage you to put in a wetland section, or to beef up your drier garden with sedges. We continue to offer half price on five gallon oaks ( Quercus ) through January, but the supply of trees in other genera is too limited to continue that special. Nursery hours are Tuesdays— noon to 3 pm, Fridays — nine to noon, and Saturdays — ten to two. From the large lower parking lot, enter the nursery from either the entrance used during the Plant Fair or walk up the steep driveway. Loading and limited parking is available on the upper level. Anyone interested in leading seed collecting expeditions or doing solitary forays should contact Charli this month so she can include your name on our collection permits for 2012-13. Email nativehere@ebcnps.org. Volunteers are always welcome during open hours. The nurs- ery needs more volunteers willing to "adopt" a section to keep CONSERVATION ANALYST AP We still need $11,000.00 to reach this season's goal and keep our chapter's Conservation Analyst Mack Casterman employed all year. If we fall short, we will lack much of his needed support on the complex matters the EBCNPS Conser- vation Committee addresses on a continual basis. Your donation to the East Bay CNPS Conservation Analyst fund at this time is a wonderful way to thank a friend who cares about the environment and California's native plants. You can give a gift in honor of someone, something, a place, or perhaps in memory of a special person or event. Upon your request, we will gladly make mention of the thoughtful thanks, honor or memorial you wish to share with others by printing it in a special column of the Bay Leaf. To read about or follow the work of the EBCNPS Conserva- tion Analyst log on to ebcnps.wordpress.com. CNPS is a non-profit organization. Your donation is tax de- ductible. Please send your check today to the "East Bay Conservation Analyst" and send the check to: Juncusxiphioides, the iris-leafed rush. Picture by Janet Bray, from the 201 1-12 edition of the CD East Bay Native Plants. watered and weed free. Once trained in our water conserving practices, volunteers can choose a schedule independent of the open hours. Watering needs are less during the winter, but we can still get dry spells and frost, which dries plants out and damages them if they aren't kept watered. The nurs- ery will again be participating in Bringing Back the Natives spring garden tour, and will need volunteers familiar with the nursery stock to help before and during that weekend. Margot Cunningham and Charli Danielsen CNPS East Bay Chapter PO. Box 5597, Elmwood Station Berkeley, CA 94705 To ensure that your special mention is noted in the Bay Leaf please contact Carol Castro at 510-352-2382 or carolbcastro@ hotmail.com. If you prefer to donate online, go to ebcnps.org and click on the Paypal button in the left column of the main page. Recent donors include Carmen Castain, Norman Frank and Kirsten Peck, Justine Hume, Robert Jolda, Maggie Klein, Claire Kremen and Charles Fineman, Christopher Kroll, Linda Newton, Karen Paulsell, Suzanne Skrivanich, Carla Soracco and Christopher Tarp. Please join me in thanking them for their donations for the 2011-2012 Appeal. Currently, the total amount raised to date is $24,740. This represents 142 donors (or donor families). Your donation will help close the gap between $24,740 and $35,000. Together we can do it. Carol Castro 2 THE BAY LEAF January 2012 CONSERVATION ANALYST REPORT Tassajara Valley Development I have been working on two projects recently that fall within our chapter's East Dublin and Tassajara Botanical Priority Protection Areas (BPPA). The first project, ironically named "New Farm" is a proposal for a 771-acre housing develop- ment in the Tassajara Valley. This development falls outside of the county's urban limit line and has the potential to set a growth-inducing precedent if approved. I have been working with Save Mt. Diablo and the Greenbelt Alliance to ensure that the glaring environmental issues with this project are understood and the project is not allowed to continue. To date I have submitted a comment letter to the Contra Costa County Planning Department and I have spoken on behalf of EBCNPS at a Contra Costa County Board of Supervisors meeting where several environmental organizations (includ- ing Save Mt. Diablo, Greenbelt Alliance, and EBRPD) made comments to show a unified opposition to this project. I am currently working with our allies on building a strategy for the next step, but this is a long-term project and I will provide ongoing updates as it evolves. Another project in our Tassajara BPPA that I have been follow- ing is the proposed Creekside Memorial Cemetery planned just south of the "New Farm" development. Construction of this cemetery would result in development of a 220+- acre site. Over 50 acres of the site would be paved or irrigated, result- ing in total loss to the existing natural resources including 2.25 acres of alkali habitat that supports Congdon's tarplant (Centromadia parryi ssp. congdonii) and San Joaquin spearscale (Atriplex joaquiniand), bothCNPS category IB plants. EBCNPS and other environmental organizations that have commented on this project believe that these impacts could be avoided with a better project design. I have submitted comments to the Contra Costa Planning Department and will continue to update you on new developments. FIELD TRIPS Sunday, January 8, 2:00 pm. Field trip to Huddart County Park to see Fetid Adder's Tongue. Location: Huddart County Park, 1100 Kings Mountain Road, Woodside (San Mateo County) California. Meet in the parking lot just past the pay station. David Margolies (510-654-0283, 510-393-1858 cell, divaricatum@gmail.net) will lead a hike on the Crystal Springs Trail where fetid adder's tongue Scoliopus bigelovii Liliaceae) blooms in early January. (In most locations out- side botanical gardens, it blooms in late January or early February.) This is a gentle trail, losing about 200 feet over about 1/2 mile to the creek. We will walk to the creek and then return the same way. It is unlikely that there will be any other flowers out this early, but the fetid adder's tongue's presence tells us that the new flower season has started. (Other plants out of flower will also be identified.) The area is second growth redwood and mixed evergreen forest. Oakland Zoo Expansion Our lawsuit against the City of Oakland and the Oakland Zoo is continuing to move forward. Our petition is scheduled to be heard in court in the second week of January. This week our attorneys filed an amended petition in Alameda County Superior Court charging that the City approved a 50+-acre Oakland Zoo development project for the wildland areas of Knowland Park in violation of the Seismic Hazards Mapping Act. The Act requires that a geotechnical report be prepared and submitted to the state prior to approval of a project lo- cated in a mapped seismic hazard zone. While this issue was raised in public comments as early as March 2011, the City Council approved the project without fulfilling this require- ment. The failure by the City and the Zoo to complete the proper geotechnical reports before this project was approved provides further evidence that the City is attempting to force this project through without a proper review process, even if that means incomplete review of whether the proposed project would pose danger to the public in the likely event of an earthquake. I will have more to report on this project next month. The Conservation Committee is always looking for new volunteers to get involved in our many projects. If you are interested in working with me on any of the above projects or any that you have read about on our blog or in past Con- servation Analyst Updates, please feel free to contact me by phone at 510-734-0335 or by email at conservation@ebcnps. org. And as always, for more detailed updates on all of our conservation projects, please visit the Conservation Blog at ebcnps.wordpress.com. Mack Casterman, Conservation Analyst How to get there: Go to Woodside: cross the Bay Bridge, get on 1-280 south and take it to the 84 west/ Woodside Road exit. Go west through the town of Woodside. Soon after the main part of the town, take a right onto Kings Mountain Road. The park entrance is on the right after a few miles. Go past the pay station into the main parking lot. We will meet there. Note that you must pay the parking fee even if the station is not staffed (use the envelopes provided). Note: There is poison oak in the park. Poison oak is dangerous even when it has no leaves. Stay on the trail. It will probably be muddy and may be raining. Be prepared. The walk will take place rain or shine. David Margolies THE BAY LEAF January 2012 3 MEMBERSHIP REPORT Meet Alma Toroian Raymond Photo by Sophie Braccini, Staff Writer, Lamorinda Weekly. Alma's garden was on the 2011 Bringing Back the Natives Garden tour and featured in the Lamorinda paper. My earliest interest in California native plants came about when I was a biology major at UC Berkeley in the early 1960s. I made many trips to the UC garden and also to the Regional Parks Botanic Garden. Those places were peaceful and calm- ing refuges from the hectic Berkeley campus. The CNPS office was in a small building in the EBRPBG in those days, but the meetings were held in Berkeley near campus. I remember attending a few CNPS meetings in a dark Maybeck building and seeing G. Ledyard Stebbins there. Berkeley was in quite an uproar during the late years of the '60s. It became increasingly difficult for me to concentrate on my studies. Friends were being drafted into the US Army and going off to Vietnam. Of course there was the famous protest taking place in Sproul Plaza. At some point I left Berkeley with a note from the Dean of Women stating that I had left in good standing and could return to resume my studies. I went back to Selma, my hometown, and enrolled at Fresno State. That was where I had my most influential experience with California native plants under the tutelage of Dr. John Weiler. I took Dr. Weiler 's taxonomy of flowering plants class at Fresno State College. He led a field trip every week. We fol- lowed the Spring bloom as it moved to higher elevations cul- minating in the High Sierra. This is when I learned the plant families, how to key species, collect and preserve specimens and how to keep records of everything we collected. I still have my plant collection and notes somewhere in my house. I was born and grew up in the Central Valley, but was not aware that such natural botanical beauty was nearby until I took that class with Dr. Weiler. I married Douglas William Raymond, a Berkeley engineer, in 1965. In 1967 we threw up our hands in the face of increas- ing street protests and joined the Peace Corps. Doug was not drafted due to a vision problem in one eye. It seemed like everyone our age was being drafted or running to Canada to avoid the draft. We joined the Peace Corps and went to teach in Ethiopia for two years. We started a family after our return from Ethiopia and moved from Berkeley to Orinda in 1978 with our young daughter and son. I retired recently from many years of working in the field of neurosciences as a lab assistant and later a lab manager at Berkeley, UCSF, Stanford and Genentech. After retirement I renewed my interest in native plants. I noticed that there were tours, classes to take and native plant nurseries. So I had a go at converting my yard. It has been several years now. My front garden was on the Bringing Back the Natives tour last year. Things are constantly changing in the garden and I love the serenity of working out there. I still go to the botanic garden in Tilden Park on a regular basis as a member of the Seedy Friends volunteers. I have other interests such as ukulele playing, singing with the UC Alumni Chorus, helping with our grandchildren and corresponding by email with former students from our Peace Corps days. So far, life has been good to us. Can't ask for more. Alma Raymond Please join us in welcoming our new members who joined in November and December: Brian Anacker, Fred Booker, Dar- rell Boyle, Margery Erikson, Lisa Gorrell, Shellie Jacobson, Dan Johnson, Teresa Noble, Cassie Ohms, Krehe Ritter, & Jane VanSusteren. As always, a huge thank you to our renewing members. Reminders • Still looking for join dates prior to 1986 • Outreach Coordinator position still vacant • Restoration Chair, vacant • Be sure and visit our updated membership page at http://ebcnps.org/ index.php/ membership Elaine Jackson 4 THE BAY LEAF January 2012 RESTORATION PROJECTS First Saturday of each month at Pt. Isabel on the Bay Trail, 10 am to 2 pm. We remove invasive plants and re-vegetate with native plants grown from plants found at the site. We are located at the end of Rydin Road just off the 1-580 next to Hoffman Marsh. Contact info: e-mail: kyotousa@sbcglobal. net, cell: 510-684-6484 Saturday, January 7, 9:00 am. Redwood Regional Park This group meets at the Skyline Gate entrance to remove French broom along East Ridge trail, and nearby areas. Tools and gloves can be provided— just show up. Saturday, January 14, 9:30 am. Huckleberry Regional Park Meet at the main parking lot, where we will decide on a worksite and invasive plants to remove. There will be French broom sprouts, but there is also cape ivy and Vinca to pull and bag. If you need loaner gloves or tools, please e-mail jmanley@ ebparks.org or janetgawthrop47@gmail.com. Sunday, January 22, 9:00 am, Sibley Regional Park We will meet again at the entrance on the Oakland side of the park, located off of Skyline about a half mile north of Huck- leberry Park. Depending on the weather and trail conditions, we may work near the entrance or further inside the park to remove French broom. If you need loaner gloves or tools, please send an e-mail request as directed in the Huckleberry announcement. Past Work Party at Pt. Isabel An eight person volunteer crew took extra care while planting at Pt. Isabel in windy conditions on December 3rd. We had to ensure the ground was properly prepared and ready for planting the moment we exposed the roots to the air. Work- ing quickly, and hanging onto our hats, we planted seven bee plants ( Scrophularia californica) four purple needle grass (Nassella pulchra), three sage bruch (Artemesia californica ), one quail bush (A triplex lentiformis), and a California-fuchsia (Epilobium canum). Volunteers also removed radish sprouts and the ever emerging oxalis on the lower bank while the up- per bank remains free of weeds thanks to the mulch that we A volunteer plants a Bee Plant ( Scrophularia californica ) at Point Isabel. Photo by Jane Kelley. have spread. We checked on the new plantings on December 9 and they are all thriving. Bruce Adams from the EBRPD brought us all the tools we needed and complimented the crew on the work achieved so far. Passersby continue to stop and ask questions about the project. We much appreciate the consistent support provided by Scott Possin, Bruce, and their colleagues from the EBRPD. Jane and Tom Kelley PLANT FAIR 201 1 (MORE ON PAGE 7) THE BAY LEAF January 2012 5 FLOWERS ON THE SERPENTINE PRAIRIE Photos of flowers at the Serpentine Prairie in Redwood Regional Park by Bill Hunt. The Conservation Committee of EBCNPS has played an important role in preserving the Prairie. Note the Presidio clarkia ( Clarkia Francisana ) (top left), hayfield tarweed ( Hemizonia congesta ssp. luzufolia) (top right) the Calochortus luteus (middle left), a Brodiaea, middle right, another C. luteus, lower left, and an unidentified white flower, lower right. 6 THE BAY LEAF January 2012 CHAPTER DIRECTORY Officers President David Bigham david@hjuliendesigns. com, 1 544 La Loma, Berkeley, CA 94708, 510-843-4247 Vice President and Chap- ter Council Delegate Bill Hunt wjhunt@astound.net Recording Secretary Tina Wistrom cmwistrom@yahoo.com, 510- 207-0370 Corresponding Secretary Christine Pyers idoradesign@gmail.com Treasurer David Margolies 510-654-0283 dm@franz.com Committees Bayleaf Newsletter Bay Leaf Editor and Web- master, Chair Joe Willingham 510-788-4177 pepel 066@comcast.net Bay Leaf Assistant Editor David Margolies 510-654-0283 dm@franz.com Bayleaf Mailing Holly Forbes hforbes@berkeley.edu h 510-234-291 3 w 510-643-8040 Conservation Chair (vacant) Conservation Analyst Mack Casterman conservation@ebcnps. org 510-734-0335 Funds Development Carol Castro, Chair carolbcastro@hotmail. com Field Trips Janet Gawthrop, Chair janetgawthrop47@gmail. com Hospitality Howard Julien Arendt- son, Chair 510-548-7400 howard@hjuliendesigns. com Information Infrastruc- ture Peter Rauch, Chair peterar@berkeley.edu Membership Co-Chairs Elaine Jackson elainejx@att.net Carol Castro 510-352-2382 carolbcastro@hotmail. com Volunteer coordinator Delia Taylor volunteer@ebcnps.org Programs Sue Rosenthal, Chair rosacalifornica@earth- link.net Publicity (vacant) Rare Plants Heath Bartosh, Chair 925-957-0069 hbartosh@nomadecol- ogy.com Bryophytes John Game, Chair 510-527-7855 jcgame@stanford.edu Unusual Plants Dianne Lake, Chair 510-741-8066 diannelake@yahoo.com Vegetation Megan Keever, Co-Chair megan@stillwatersci.com Nicole Jurjavcic, Co-Chair n icole@sti I Iwatersci . com EBCNPS Sponsored Activities Native Here Nursery 510-549-0211 Manager — Charli Dan- ielsen nativehere@ebcnps.org Sales — Margot Cunning- ham bunchgrassmarg@gmail. com Plant Fair Charli Danielsen, Chair 510-549-0211 nativehere@ebcnps.org Lesley Hunt, Native Here/ Plant Fair-East Bay Chapter Board liaison 925-937-6791 ldhunt@astound.net Restoration Projects Leaders: Huckleberry — Janet Gawthrop Point Isabel — Tom and Jane Kelly 51 0-704-8628 (w) 510-684-6484 c) kyotousa@sbcglobal.net Strawberry Creek — Tom and Jane Kelly Officers and Commit- tee Chairs serve on the Board. MORE PHOTOS OF THE 201 1 PLANT FAIR California Native Plant Society East Bay Chapter P.O. Box 5597, Elmwood Station Berkeley CA 94705 ADDRESS SERVICE REQUESTED Nonprofit Org. U.S. Postage Paid Oakland, CA Permit No. 2018 Time Value January 2012 issue CALENDAR OF EVENTS Wayne Roderick Lectures, winter 2012, at the East Bay Re- gional Parks Botanic Garden, Wildcat Canyon Road and South Park Drive (South Park Drive is closed November-March) in Tilden Regional Park, Berkeley, CA 510- 544-3169, bgarden@ ebparks.org, www.ebparks.org/ parks/ vc/botanic_garden, www.nativeplants.org, Saturday Mornings 10:30, Free. Seat- ing is limited. To be sure of a seat, come early and save a chair Jan. 7 Wildflower hunting in Voyageurs National Park, and Isle Royale National Park in Lake Superior - Bob Case Jan. 14 East of the Range of Light - Steve Edwards & Mike Uhler Jan. 21 Natural history of Switzerland - Ron Felzer Jan. 28 Crown Jewel of our parks: botany and geology of Sunol-Ohlone Regional Wilderness - Steve Edwards Restoration (see page 5) Saturday, January 7, 10 am. Point Isabel Saturday, January 7, 9 am. Redwood Regional Park, Skyline Gate Saturday, January 14, 9:30 am. Huckleberry Regional Park Sunday, January 22, 9:00 am, Sibley Regional Park Field Trips (see page 3) Sunday, January 8, 2:00 pm, Huddart County Park, Woodside, San Mateo County Membership Meeting (see page 1) Wednesday, January 25 7:30 pm, "What Does the New Jepson Manual Mean for California Floristics?" Speaker: Bruce Baldwin of the Jepson Herbarium. Orinda Public Library, Orinda CA Native Here (see page 2) Tuesday afternoons— nursery open noon to 3 pm Friday mornings — nursery open 9 am to noon Saturdays— nursery open 10 am to 2 pm Membership Application and Renewal Form Name Address Zip Telephone Email I wish to affiliate with: East Bay Chapter (Alameda and Contra Costa Counties) Other Membership category: Individual, $45 Family, Library, Group or International, $75 Plant lover, $100 Patron, $300 Benefactor, $600 Mariposa Lily, $1500 Limited Income or student, $25.00 Other Mail application and check to: California Native Plant Society, 2707 K Street, Suite 1, Sacramento CA 95816