June 2010 The Bay Leaf California Native Plant Society • East Bay Chapter Alameda & Contra Costa Counties www.ebcnps.org www.groups.google.com/group/ebcnps NEW EDITION OF LOCALLY RARE PLANTS BOOK We are pleased to report that the eighth edition of Rare , Un- usual and Significant Plants of Alameda and Contra Costa Counties is now available. First published in 1992, this report contains a wealth of information on both statewide and locally rare native plant species of the East Bay, ranking them according to their rarity and endangerment at the local level. It has re- ceived wide praise for providing invaluable information to land planners and managers, conservationists, consultants, teachers, students, researchers, professional and amateur botanists, and the general public. This is the only publication addressing the locally rare na- tive plant species of Alameda and Contra Costa Counties that are covered under the California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA), as well as the federally and state protected rare species occurring in the two counties. Watch Lists are also included of other native plant species that could become rare, threatened or endangered locally if various detrimental conditions persist. Many changes have occurred in the East Bay's vegetation since the last edition of this report in 2004 and several new appendices have been added to help track those changes, including one listing the plant species that have had rank changes since the last edition. New species have been added to the report and some have been deleted. New locations have been found for some species while other species have disappeared from some locations and have thus become rarer. A map of 29 botanical hot spots in the East Bay is included and an appendix of nomenclature changes has been added. Many other updates and changes are included in the report and this new edition is sure to once again prove to be a valu- able and important asset for both professionals and amateurs alike, providing extensive data for land planning, conserva- tion, and management; for plant study; and for native plant enjoyment in general Dianne Lake Unusual Plants Co-Ordinator To order: please send a check for $25 made out to The Cali- fornia Native Plant Society along with your name, address, and email address to: Dianne Lake 1050 Bayview Farm Road #121 Pinole, CA 94564 An order form is available on the East Bay Chapter website: www. ebcnps . org/ unusualplants .html PLANT FAIR 2010 PLANNING MEETING Help make Plant Fair 2010 a huge success! A great group of people are continuing on the Plant Fair Committee. We could use more. If you are interested in • working with vendors (artists and craftspeople); • setting up an auction or other special event; • visiting local businesses for donations for auction, membership incentives, or refreshments for our volunteers; • or would like to be "understudy" for some of the existing assignments. Please join us at Native Here Nursery at 1 pm on Saturday, June 5 to formulate our work plan/ countdown. The Plant Fair will be at Native Here Nursery on Saturday, October 16 and Sunday, October 17. Contribute to the Conservation Analyst Fund! Our fundraiser for 2010/201 1 will be in the Fall, but we accept donationas at any time. Send your tax-deductible contributions to CNPS East Bay Chapter P.O. Box 5597, Elmwood Station Berkeley, CA 94705 Charli Danielsen RESTORATION PROJECTS Saturday, June 5, Point Isabel, 10 am to 2 pm. The restoration team led by Tom and Jane Kelly will return to clear exotic invasive species, monitor progress of native vegetation, and welcome the Project Berkeley students to the site. Point Isabel is along the Bay Trail near the parking lot at the end of Rydin Road (not the parking lot next to the cafe!). To get there on public transportation, BART to El Cerrito and walk west about 1 mile on Central Ave. to Rydin Road (crossing over 1-80 and 1-580) or take the 52L from University Ave. or points along San Pablo Ave. to the intersection of Central Ave and Belmont Ave. and walk west on Central Ave over the freeways to Rydin Road (Bay Trail). Be sure to wear sturdy shoes, hat, sunscreen and long sleeves/ pants. Bring water. We'll have refreshments and some new stories to share. And please let us know if you plan to attend (510-684-6484, kyotousa@sbcglobal.net). Saturday June 12 at 9:30 am at Huckleberry Regional Park. Meet at the parking lot to pick up tools, bags and gloves before FIELD TRIP Saturday, June 12, 10:00 am, field trip to Swanton Pacific Ranch The Swanton area (Scotts Creek watershed) in northwestern Santa Cruz County lies just south of Ano Nuevo, which is a virtually unknown area of extraordinary botanical richness and diversity. Over 600 native plant taxa occur in this area of about 30 square miles, including many rare and unusual species (some putatively undescribed). The area features outstanding coastal prairie grassland, as well as unusually diverse mixed forest and coastal scrub habitats. Lots of late- flowering goodies should be conspicuous in mid-June. Roy Buck and Jim West will lead this field trip on the Swanton Pacific Ranch, a large property owned and managed by Cal. Poly-San Luis Obispo, located in this fascinating and very scenic area. We will meet at the ranch at 10:00 am; East Bay heading out to push back the leading edges of Prench broom. Vinca, cape ivy and other invasive species from this botanic preserve. A special thank you to the regular weed warriors for their work in opening up the canyon below the loop trail. Ribes species, both currants and gooseberries, have been springing up in the absence of broom crowding, and hedge nettles were still blooming pink in the understory at the May work crew. Lor those sensitive to poison oak, several open areas near the entrance benefit from lopping Italian thistles, as well as maintenance weeding the huckleberries transplanted near the trail entrance last year. If you need tools, gloves, or more information, e-mail janetgawthrop47@gmail.com. Jane and Tom Kelly Janet Gawthrop participants can meet at Rockridge BART at 8:00 am for carpooling. An essay by Jim West, giving an overview of the area is available at http://swanton.ucscarboretum.org/index. html; a plant list is at http:/ / www.spranch.org/floramain. lasso?Available=Y (choose "Complete List" from the "Select List" drop-down list to view the complete list). Expect a slow- paced walk of several miles, with some steep uphill grade. Bring lunch and liquids, and be prepared for cool, foggy weather. Limited to 38 participants, who should call or e-mail Roy at 510-848-4169 or roybuck@msn.com to reserve a place or for more information. Also listed with Santa Cruz chapter. The unlikely event of heavy rain cancels. Janet Gawthrop MEMBERSHIP MEETINGS ON BREAK UNTIL SEPTEMBER See you in September (for the next membership meeting)! Membership meetings will be on summer recess for the months of June, July, and August. But mark your calendars now for a great program when we resume in September with our regular, fourth Wednesday evening of the month meeting: Wednesday, September 22, 7:30 pm, Orinda Public Library Garden Room Speaker: Pete Veilleux, landscape designer, photographer, and nurseryman with a passion for native plants Topic: Experimenting with native plants in the landscape: If you aren't killing any plants, you aren't challenging yourself enough! 2 THE BAY LEAF June 2010 NATIVE HERE June marks the end of planting season for trees, shrubs, iris and most perennials. Your support of the chapter through nursery sales isn't just through buying plants. Summer is an excellent time to plan for fall planting, and a great tool for doing that is the CD, East Bay Native Plants , available from the nursery for $25. The plant photos and information for over 300 local taxa make it a great companion to the Annotated Checklist of the East Bay Flora , available for $10. We also have a small selection of other books about native plants, as well as some native grass placemats and native plant greeting cards. Summer is also a great time to label plants, especially those beds with plants going dormant. Durable, sturdy metal plant labels and markers are available from the nursery. This time of year isn't the best for planting many natives because the soil is harder to dig and the plants will have to endure long days of dry, often hot, conditions. However, you might want to purchase plants during the summer to hold and care for in containers until fall planting season comes. Among the few natives that can be planted now without trouble are some annuals. We have an abundance of Clarkia rubicunda (ruby chalice clarkia) from the Martinez area. If you live in the vicinity of Livermore, come check our ex- panded selection of plants from there. Volunteer opportunities for summer abound: • Hand watering of a section takes between one and three hours per week. Regular waterers go on vacation, so both recurring and occasional helpers are needed. • New seedlings are emerging from last year's seed collection. They need to be separated and put into pots. • Growing plants need to be moved into larger containers to withstand summer's heat. • Infrastructure and storage projects arise as needs are rec- NATIVE HERE NURSERY VOL< The nursery had a healthy amount of business during the Bringing Back the Natives Garden Tour. It was open both days. Our new sign, shown on the right, guided customers in. Volunteers included: Patrice Anderson, Janice Bray, Carol Castro, Ellen Gierson, Ling He, Linda and Bill Hunt, Tom and Jane Kelly, Shirley McPheeters, Barbara Potter, Rusty Saxton, Steve Toby, Tina Wistrom, Michael Yang ognized. If you enjoyed block play as a kid, you'll love this work. • Weeds always require attention. • Dormant plants need to be removed from the watering pattern. Seed collection continues on Tuesday mornings throughout the summer. Meet at the bottom nursery gate at 9 am on Tuesday mornings. To receive alerts on destinations, e-mail nativehere@ebcnps.org and ask to be put on the seedseekers distribution list. Charli wants to thank all the members of CNPS who joined the NHN volunteers on Friday, April 30 to celebrate her birth- day. Thanks for the thoughtful birthday gift. Thanks for the lovely Dianne Lake necklace marking retirement as chapter president last term, John and Charli also thank everyone for the anniversary gift. "We enjoy our time at Native Here, so spending family occasions there is not a hardship, but it is heartening to have the recognition of other chapter volunteers when we do that." Photos by Janice Bray and Tina Wistrom of the occasion and the weekend of Bringing Back the Natives are posted on the Native Here Nursery Facebook page. If you are on Facebook, check it out! Thanks to Delia Taylor, we now have nicely printed signs that can be stuck in the ground indicating the nursery is open. They went up for the Bringing Back the Natives Tour, and many new customers "found" the nursery as a result. New visitors have come in following Bringing Back the Natives Garden Tour, having learned about the nursery (and chapter) through their garden visits. Charli Danielsen and Margot Cunningham Native Here Nursery THE BAY LEAF June 2010 3 MEMBERSHIP REPORT Meet Jane and Tom Kelly (photo by Vikrant Sood). Our personal journey to the respect and concern we share for Nature began when we were children. Jane remembers the walks through the ancient English oak forests that opened up into carpets of bluebells. Tom's fascination with nature developed from his exploration of the creeks and sloughs of Redwood City in the 1960s. Jane now works for MIG, Inc., a Berkeley planning and design firm. Tom is the Director of KyotoUSA, a non-profit founded by us to address climate change. He works with public school districts to demonstrate how it is possible to install renewable energy systems that are either cost neutral or revenue generating for the school districts - see www.heliosproject.net. It is here in the East Bay where the opportunities to enjoy nature are so bountiful that we decided to do what we could to help. Jane was inspired by a National Wildlife Federation class on habitat stewardship to volunteer to restore the open stretch of Strawberry Creek at Strawberry Creek Lodge. After several years of steady work with volunteers, most invasives had been removed and a significant number of creek loving natives had been planted. While there is still much to do, the creek supports one of the richest bird habitats within the City of Berkeley and has been, as one Lodge resident stated, "day lighted", meaning that the residents can actually see the creek that they had previously only been able to hear. One summer evening in mid-decade during a weekly bike ride from Berkeley to the Richmond marina, we finally decided that the ubiquitous French broom ( Genista monspes- sulana) had to go. We got off our bikes and started breaking off the branches of trees that stood more than 12' tall and blocked all views of Hoffman Marsh. That's how our work 4 THE BAY LEAF June 201 0 at Pt. Isabel began. Several years later, the dense thickets that were crowding out and choking off everything along the trail from Central Avenue to the dog park are gone and the natives are re-establishing themselves - thanks to Mother Nature and the hundreds of hours of volunteer support from CNPSers and others from all around the East Bay. Jane is a docent at the EBRP Botanic Garden in Tilden Park and looks forward to her monthly tours with other docents and the public. She often starts out her tour by encouraging the visitors to be sure to look down to see - and then smell - the Yerba Buena (Satureja douglasii) as a way of conveying to the guests that sometimes it's the smallest of plants that can be the most fascinating. Tom enjoys asking everyone to gently touch the manzanitas and to explain why they feel so cool. It is often these experiences that elicit the most wonder from the visitors and which we both hope will inspire another genera- tion of people to become more involved with, and respectful of, the natural world. Jane and Tom Kelly New Members Please join us in welcoming our new members for the March/ April time frame, Seth Kirby, Noelle Ortland, Ambarish Gos- wami, Ashika Narayan, Ode Bernstein, and Ken-ichi Ueda As always, a huge thank you to our renewing members. Think Globally, Volunteer locally • Heritage Day at Borges Ranch Walnut Creek, June 12 th , 11-4. Join me at our EB-CNPS table for a fun filled day at beautiful Borges Ranch • Third Annual Beaver Festival Martinez, August 7 th , 11-4. Let's check out the local fauna munching on our native willow. Tabling help is always welcome. Do you have, or know of, a local event coming up in your area that would be a good location for CNPS to have a display table? You can host it. Come on up to our Native Here Nursery (during business hours) and pick up supplies to pass out. Call us with any questions. Chapter Jobs Bulletin Are you finding yourself with some time to spare, and/ or looking for an activity that will get you involved in your community by promoting local native flora? Look no further; we have just the position for you. Our next Outreach person could be you! Contact elainejx@att.net or any Board Member for more information. Elaine Jackson GARDENS SOUGHT FOR BRINGING BACK THE NATIVES Gardens are now being sought to participate in the spring 2011 Bringing Back the Natives Garden Tour, which show- cases pesticide-free, drought-tolerant gardens that provide habitat for wildlife and contain 50% or more native plants. The gardens featured in this tour will demonstrate that from postage stamp-sized yards to large lots beautiful California native plant gardens are possible for anyone. Garden visits will be made in May and June. The goals of this free tour are to: • Provide Alameda and Contra Costa County residents with the opportunity to see first-hand a garden containing 50% or more native plants. • Illustrate that healthy, attractive gardens can flourish without the use of synthetic chemicals, and with little water. • Motivate residents to try gardening with native plants, and using natural gardening techniques in their own gardens. Host Applications can be found here http:/ /bringingback- thenatives.net/ garden-host-application. Questions? E-mail Kathy Kramer at Kathy@KathyKramerConsulting.net or call 510-236-9558 between 9 am and 9. People on the Bringing Back the Natives Garden Tour enjoying Jenny and Scott Fleming's garden. Photo by Janice Bray. THE BAY LEAF June 2010 5 THANKS TO VOLUNTEERS AT SPRING EVENTS East Bay CNPS participated in several spring events. This was possible because of the great help from our members. Thank you all! For Earth Day we used garden poppies color in drawings of poppies... it works (as shown in the photo of Delia Taylor and Abby Scott by Phil Grover below). The Bring- ing Back the Natives Garden tour was delightful, the gardens were beautiful and we brought in many new members. At the Muir House, there was almost overwhelming interest in the garden designed by Greg Wolford. Listed below are the events and the members who helped out. Celebration of the First People of Contra Costa: Nina Egert (who organized the event), Patrice Anderson and Elaine Jackson. Sunol Wildflower Fest: Janet Gawthrop and Elaine Jackson. Earthday events: Oakland Zoo: Laura Beckett and Ralph Gnauck. Emeryville: Jennifer Mathers. Dow Live Earth Walk for Water at the Wetlands: Abby Scott and Yulan Tong . John Muir Earth Day Birthday in Martinez: Heath Bartosh, Elaine Jackson, Delrecia Roy and New Leaf Students. East Bay Regional Parks Botanic Garden Sale: Oona Edelson and Tom Kelly. Bringing Back the Natives Garden Tour: Fleming Garden in Berkeley: Janice Bray, Susan d' Alcamo and Joyce Hawley; Lai-Torf Garden in Walnut Creek: Dore Brown, Susan Greene and Bill Schramer; Leitner Garden in Orinda: Cyrle Bassoon and Janet Gawthrop. Delia Taylor and Abby Scott paint with flowers. Photo by Phil Grover. Elaine Jackson (I.) at EBCNPS table at John Muir Birthday Celebration Janet Gawthrop at EBCNPS table at Sunol Wildflower Festival. Photo by Elaine Jackson. Charli Danielsen celebrated her 70 th birthday at the Native Here Nursery. Here are some pictures of the event by Elaine Jackson. 6 THE BAY LEAF June 2010 Chapter Directory Officers President Delia Barnes Taylor 510-527-3912 deliataylor@mac.com Vice President and Chapter Council Del- egate Bill Hunt wjhunt@astound.net Recording Secretary Carol Castro 510-352-2382 carollbcastro@hotmail. com Corresponding Secre- tary Janet Gawthrop janetgawthrop47@gmail. com Treasurer David Margolies 510-654-0283 dm@franz.com Committees Bayleaf Newsletter Bay Leaf Editor and Web- master Joe Willingham, Chair 510-841-4681 pepel 066@comcast.net Bay Leaf Assistant Editor David Margolies 510-654-0283 dm@franz.com Bayleaf Mailing Holly Forbes hforbes@berkeley.edu h 510-234-2913 w h-5 10-643-8040 Conservation Laura Baker, Chair 510-849-1409 Lbake66@aol.com Conservation analyst Lech Naumovich conservation@ebcnps.org Field Trips Janet Gawthrop, Chair Funds Development Carol Castro, Chair Grant Management Sally de Becker 510-841-6613 sallydebecker@comcast. net Information Infrastruc- ture Peter Rauch, Chair peterar@berkeley.edu Membership Elaine Jackson, Carol Castro Co-Chairs Volunteer coordinator Delia Taylor volunteer@ebcnps.org Programs Sue Rosenthal, Chair Publicity Beverley Powell (http:// www.linkedin.com/bg- powell, blog Greening California Roofs www. greenroofsca.com), beverly.g.powell@gmail. com Rare Plants Heath Bartosh, Chair 925-957-0069 hbartosh@nomadecology. com Bryophytes John Game 510-527-7855 jcgame@stanford.edu Unusual Plants Dianne Lake, Chair 510-741-8066 diannelake@yahoo.com Vegetation Erin McDermott, Chair erinmcd2004@yahoo.com Outreach (vacant) Education (vacant) EBCNPS Sponsored Activities Book & Poster Sales Joanne Orengo greentheglobe@juno.com Grant Awards Sandy McCoy sandymccoy@mindspring. com Native Here Nursery 510-549-0211 Manager — Charli Dan- ielsen nativehere@ebcnps.org Sales — Margot Cunning- ham bunchgrassmarg@gmail. com Seed Collection — Gregg Weber 510-223-3310 Plant Fair Gudrun Kleist 510-222-2320 gkleist@sbcglobal.net and Charli Danielsen Coordinators Restoration Projects Leaders: Huckleberry — Janet Gawthrop Point Isabel — Tom and Jane Kelly 510-704-8628 (w) 510-684-6484 (c) kyotousa@sbcglobal.net Strawberry Creek — Tom and Jane Kelly Officers and Committee Chairs serve on the Board. Committees are formed based on chapter needs and the interests of volunteers. Proposals for committees and projects are welcome and will be considered by the Board. Eriophyllum lanatum var. achillaeoides (wooly sunflower), Mt. Diablo, Devil's Elbow to Prospector's Gap, May 23, 2009, photo by Phred Jackson Sambucus mexicana (blue elderberry), Mt. Diablo, Devil's Elbow to Prospector's Gap, May 23 2009, photo by Phred Jackson THE BAYLEAF June 2010 7 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 June 2010 issue CALENDAR OF EVENTS Restoration Projects (see page 2) Saturday, June 5, Point Isabel, 10 am to 2 pm. Field Trip (see page 2) Saturday, June 12, 10:00 am, field trip to Swanton Pacific Ranch. Native Here (see page 3) Open for business & volunteer help: Fridays, 9 am - 12 pm, Saturdays 10 am to 2 pm, and Tuesdays 12 pm - 3pm. Plant Fair Planning Meeting (see page 1) Meet at Native Here Nursery at 1 pm on Saturday, June 5 to formulate our work plan/ countdown. Board of Directors' Meeting Wednesday, June 23, home of Joe Willingham, 2512 Etna St.. Berkeley at 6:30 pm. For late breaking news and events, join the chapter announcement mailing list by visiting http://groups. google, com/group/ebcnps and clicking on "Join this group". Email traffic is low and limited to official chapter announce- ments. 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, $100.00 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