CALENDAR OF EVENTS Board of Directors Meeting Wednesday, November 1, 7:30 pm, home of Sandy McCoy, 1311 Bay View Place, Berkeley Native Here p. 6 Fridays, November 3, 10, 17, 24 Native Here Nursery open 9 am-noon Extended hours first three Saturdays, November 4, 1 1, 18, nursery open 10 am-3 pm. Saturday November 25, nursery open 10 am-1 pm. Extended hours first three Sundays, November 5, 12, 19, Native Here Nursery open 12 pm-3 pm. Field Trips p. 4 Saturday, November 11, 1:00 pm, San Bruno Moun- tain Sunday, November 19, 9:30 am, Bast Trail of Mount Diablo Sunday, December 10, 10 am, Forrest Deaner Botanic Garden /Benicia State Park Membership Meeting see below Wednesday, November 15, 2006, 7:30 pm MEMBERSHIP MEETING Debbie Viess Photo by David Rust Edible and Poisonous Mushrooms of the San Fran- cisco Bay Area Speaker: Debbie Viess Wednesday, November 15, 2006, 7:30 pm Orinda Public Library Auditorium (directions below) As plant lovers, why should we care about mushrooms? The often-scorned, frequently-neglected, and secret world of fungi is essential to the health and well-being of our beloved wild California landscapes. Mushrooms and plants have been evolving together since the first liverworts colonized the land. Many mushroom species form intimate mycorrhizal connections between fungal mycelia and the root hairs of native forbs, shrubs, and trees. These symbiotic relationships are essential to the continued existence of both partners. Other types of wood-rotting mushrooms provide the vital ecological service of breaking down cellulose and lignin, thereby freeing up nutrients for further plant growth. In addition to their biological usefulness, mushrooms can also be exquisitely beautiful, and they are gath- ered all over the world as foraged food. Join Debbie Viess, Bay Area biologist, as she introduces us to some of the more interesting members of our local fungi. Highlighted are the fungi that affect us directly, in both positive and negative ways, when we choose to ingest them. Debbie Viess is a biologist, writer, and artist. She has been collecting, chronicling, illustrating, and writing about mushrooms for over fifteen years. She gives continued on page 2 MEMBERSHIP MEETING popular talks and slide shows, liberally laced with both humor and anecdotes and containing the work of some of the best of our western myco-photographers. She has taught field mycology courses for the California Academy of Sciences and the Albany Adult School, and will be offering classes in the coming season through both Golden Gate Audubon and the Oakland Museum. She is a co-founder of the Bay Area Mycological Society, and has a particular passion for the genus Amanita, which contains both the most deadly and the most highly sought-after edible mushrooms in the world. East Bay CNPS membership meetings are free of charge and open to everyone. This month’s meeting will take 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 will open at 7:00 pm. The meeting begins at 7:30 pm. Refreshments will be served after the presentation. Please contact Sue Rosenthal, 510-496-6016 or rosacalifornica@earthlink.net, if you have any questions. Directions to Orinda Public Library at 24 Orinda Way: From the west, take Highway 24 to the Orinda/ Moraga exit. At the end of the offramp, 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 Highway 24 to the Orinda exit. continued from page 1 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 new 2-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 sec- ond 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. Upcoming Programs Wednesday, January 25, 2007, 7:30 pm (in the Gar- den Room of the Orinda Library) : Nevin Smith — Plant Encounters in the California Outback: A personal account of the joys and chal- lenges of exploring the native landscape, working with its plant treasures, and bringing them to California gardeners. Wednesday, February 28, 2007, 7:30 pm (in the Garden Room of the Orinda Library) : Speaker TBA Wednesday, March 28, 2007, 7:30 pm (in the Garden Room of the Orinda Library) : Doris Sloan, author of Geology of the San Francisco Bay Region GREGG WEBER Gregg Weber is a seed collector for Native Here, field trip leader, member of the Unusual Plants and Conservation Com- mittees, and a Board member at-large Gregg devotes from three to ten hours each week on activities directly benefiting the East Bay Chapter of CNPS. He is an avid hiker and uses his time enjoy- ing the wilds to aid the chapter by collecting seeds for Native Here (he is named on the chapter’s collecting permits) and gathering data for the Unusual Plants Committee. To conduct the latter he was trained by Dianne Lake, who chairs the Unusual Plants Com- mittee. learned the plants in the field, became more adept under Dianne’s tutelage, and gained the confidence to start leading field trips a few years ago. He actively follows conservation issues in the West Contra Costa vicinity, including Richmond, Hercules, Pinole and El Sobrante. Gregg would love to have company on his rambles. You can meet him on one of his field trips or on the Native Here seed collecting expeditions on Tuesday mornings May through October. If you don’t have time to spare for volunteering with the chapter, your donation to the chapter’s programs helps volunteers like Gregg feel appreciated. Charli Danielsen Gregg started by going on CNPS field trips, and collect- ing seeds with the Native Here seed collecting group, 2 THE BAY LEAF November 2006 SPRINGTOWN In the valley floor just northeast of the City of Liver- more sits a most unusual community of plants. High salinity, low annual rainfall, and extreme heat are environmental factors that stymie and destroy most flora. But not here, these plants have developed unique adaptive strategies in order to not only survive, but thrive in these conditions. The place they call home is the Springtown Alkali Sink. An undulating sea of semaphore grass waves hello from one end. The prickly iodine bush proudly rises out of salt-scarred land in another side. And the in-between spaces are home to many wildflowers and unique forbs, including the federally endangered palmate-bracted bird's-beak ( Cordylanthus palmatus ) and the rare Livermore tarplant ( Deinandra bacigalupi ) . Botanically, there are few other places in the East Bay that host such a concentration of rare and unusual plants. The East Bay Chapter of CNPS is forging a working relationship with local residents and a host of orga- nizations including the City of Livermore, Livermore Area Regional Park District, East Bay Regional Park District, Tri Valley Conservancy, Ohlone Audubon, Save Mount Diablo, and others. Advocacy on the part of nearby residents is essential for preserving this unique area. The goal is to protect the entire ecosystem top to bottom. Since the saline character of the soil is dependent on the eroding uplands, preservation will only be attained if the upland watershed in Brushy Peak, and everything in between, is protected. Please contact me at conservation@ebcnps.org for more information. Lech Naumovich, Conservation Analyst Bird’s-beak ( Cordylanthus palmatus) at Springtown wetlands. Photo by Lech Naumovich THE BAY LEAF November 2006 3 FIELD TRIPS Saturday November 11, 1:00 pm, Field trip to San Bruno Mountain Join Doug Allshouse and the Yerba Buena chapter on this tour of restoration sites. We meet at the lower park- ing lot of San Bruno Mountain State Park. For a full description, or details on the morning work party that will meet at one of the restoration sites, see the listing in the October Bay Leaf. Bring $$ or a state parks pass to park. Sunday, November 19, 9:30 am. Gregg Weber will lead this return to the Bast Trail of Mount Diablo to take in the great views to the northeast, interior live oak grove and other plant habitat that was rained out in April. There will be a 1600 foot elevation change over this round trip of six miles, which will go via Three Springs Road, Olympia Trail, East and Zippe trails. Bring lunch and water. Directions: Take 680 or 24 east to Walnut Creek and exit at Ygnacio Valley Road. Continue east on Ygnacio Valley Road through Walnut Creek, past Lime Ridge Open Space and on into the city of Clayton. Turn right onto Clayton Road at the intersection of Ygnacio Valley Road and Clayton roads (with stoplight). Follow Clay- ton Road past its first intersection with Marsh Creek Road; Clayton Road will become Marsh Creek Road further out. Continue straight on the road after the name change. Two miles past Regency Drive, look for the Divide Reservoir on the left side as you go uphill (not the Nob Hill Reservoir). Meet Gregg and the group after parking on Marsh Creek Road, across from the Divide Reservoir Sign. Sunday December 10, 10 am, Forrest Deaner Botanic Garden /Benicia State Park Garden Curator Tim Sullivan and Norma Deaner will introduce us to this public botanic garden in the early stages of development and discuss the horticultural challenges and rewards of native gardening in a recre- ational park setting. There will be few plants in bloom in December, so this foray will also cover the formation and future development plans of the garden, which coexists with recreation, picnics, historic areas, as well as the direction of the state park. Members of the Willis Linn Jepson chapter will share their insights on creating a native plant garden that requires CEQA statements for shade structures, benches, and new trees, but also enjoys the collaboration of state park volunteers. Directions: From points west of the Bay Hills take 80 East past the Carquinez Straits Bridge and then exit at 780 East towards Benicia. From 780 East, take the Columbus Parkway exit, and shortly after the exit turn left onto the entrance for the Benicia State Recreation Area. Meet Tim Sullivan and Norma Deaner at the garden after driving about one mile past the park gate. There is a picnic area adjacent to the garden on the right. Bring $4.00 or a state parks pass. Janet Gavuthrop View from junction of Zippe trail and East trail. In foreground is Marsh creek road, our starting point for the walk. The ridge is Clayton ranch. Beyond are Black Diamond, the city of Antioch, and the Delta. Photo by Gregg Weber 4 THE BAY LEAF November 2006 View of north slope of Mt. Olympia from east trail on a rainy day in April 2006. All vegetation over 3 feet tall is native. Trees: oaks, bays, pines. Shrubs: interior goldenbush, silver bush lupine, California sagebrush. Much of the ground is covered not with grasses, but with moss dotted with a variety of bulbs, annuals and perennials. Photo by Gregg Weber PLANT SALE ACTIVITIES We now have a beautiful illustration of one of many possible layouts for our new plant sale growing grounds at the Dun- smuir Estate. We hope this illustration will help City of Oakland representatives envision our nursery at Dunsmuir. The illustration is a watercolor painting by Emerald Canary, a very talented artist and landscape designer. You can view the illustration, along with a number of documents relating to the growing grounds, on the website Roy West set up to provide current proj- ect information: www.monocot.com/cnps. Roy is also beginning the process of identifying appropriate grants for which we might apply to secure funds for building the nursery. After we work out a contract with City of Oakland staff, we will be presenting the proposal before the Oakland City Council for approval. We hope our proposal will be on the agenda for the December 5 City Council meeting. Please attend this meeting if you can to support CNPS and thank the council for approving our contract. Here Bowlesia incana and Cheilanthes covillei near each other on a rock on East trail. These unusual plants are on a large rock outcrop next to east trail. The Cheilanthes is fairly common here. Photo by Gregg Weber are the details of the meeting: December 5, 6:00 pm, City Council Chambers, Third Floor, Oakland City Hall, One (1) Frank H. Ogawa Plaza (at Clay Street between 14th and 15th Streets). Driving directions are available online at www.oaklandnet.com/directions.htm. In the meantime, we can use all the public support we can get. If you are a resident of Oakland and support the Dunsmuir location for our growing grounds and plant sale, please send a letter or email message to your City Councilmember requesting his or her approval when the proposal comes before the Council. Some points you might make are 1) that the plant sale provides an opportunity for Oakland residents to learn about and purchase native plants for their gardens, which in turn provide habitat for local wildlife and help the city achieve goals of sustainability; and 2) that the chapter provides educational and recreational activities for Oakland resi- dents, including field trips, membership meetings, and the popular annual Wildflower Show in conjunction with the Oakland Museum. You can find the address of your City Councilmember at www.oaklandnet.com/govern- ment/ council/ city-officials.html. By the time you read this, the Native Plant Fair will be but a memory. I hope you were able to attend. Although I’m writing this in early October, there are already many people to thank for their tremendous efforts in support of the Native Plant Fair, and there will be many more by the time the fair has taken place. As always, feel free to contact me if you have questions or comments about the plant sale: rosacalifornica@ earthlink.net or 510-496-6016. Sue Rosenthal THE BAY LEAF November 2006 5 NATIVE HERE NURSERY Fridays, November 3, 10, 17, 24 Native Here Nursery open 9 am-noon Extended Hours first three Saturdays, November 4, 1 1, 18, nursery open 10 am-3 pm. Saturday November 25, nursery open 10 am-1 pm. Extended hours first three Sundays, November 5, 12, 19, Native Here Nursery open 12 pm-3 pm. November Warmth Sitting at the picnic table, I listen to the kinglets and chickadees chattering in the trees nearby. I’m alone at the nursery — no customers for the moment. I feel as if I am in some remote area, until I hear a motorcycle whining around the turns of Grizzly Peak Blvd above and a golfer whacking a ball at the golf course below. The sun is low in the sky but warms me on this cool November day. I look up at the elderberry tree growing next to our propagation tables. Its leafless branches reach and hang in somewhat random directions. It’s not the most elegant tree, but birds don’t mind. A little warbler of some kind is chirping in it now; I think it’s a yellow-rumped warbler but the sun is backlighting the tree so I can’t see it very well. Soon the birds fly away from the trees and the cars drive away on the roads and the golfers chip away all their balls on the golf course and a quiet descends on the nursery. I don’t hear anything for a few minutes. I see yellow light from the sun hitting the rain-soaked ground and steam rising slowly. I think of my mother, who died earlier in the year, and I feel a little sad. Af- ter a moment my sorrow floats away with the wafting vapors of steam. My basking in the sun comes to end when I hear a car coming up the driveway. I get up and go back to work. Things have been busy at the nursery these days. Ex- pansion, plant fair, and now this month we will have extended hours on the first three weekends: November 4-5, 11-12, and 18-19. Saturdays we will be open from 10 am- 3 pm and Sundays from 12 noon- 3 pm. Take advantage of this optimal time for planting and get plants you didn’t get at the fair, including any chapter sale plants left over after the plant fair. We still need volunteers to help us staff the nursery this month. Volunteers will work shifts from 10 am- 12:30 pm and 12:30 pm-3 pm on Saturdays and from 12 pm -3pm on Sundays. If you can help, email us at nativehere@ebcnps.org or call 549-0211 and leave a message. The cold is settling in at the nursery, and the days are shorter. We have lots of little plants sprouting from the seeds we sowed earlier. They are a welcome sight because we’ll need them to replace all the plants we’ve sold this year. Your volunteer help potting these seed- lings is also welcomed any time we are open. We are located in Tilden Park at 101 Golf Course Drive (across the street from the entrance to the Tilden Golf Course), 510-549-0211. Margot Cunningham ACTIVITIES OF OTHERS Point Reyes National Seashore My coblitz Forays Saturday, December 9, 2006, and Saturday, January 20, 2007, 9:00 am- 1:00 pm Meet at the Bear Valley Visitor Center at 9:00 am to sign up for a collecting route and get maps, wax bags, and field labels. This is an effort to document the fungi at Pt. Reyes. It is a cooperative venture of local mushroom clubs, UC Berkeley, and the national park. Learn about fungi and the unique habitats of Pt. Reyes. Bring mushroom collecting baskets, a tackle box (for small specimens) digging tools or a pocket knife, water, whistle, compass, and lunch. For more infor- mation, contact David Rust at incredulis@yahoo.com or 510-468-5014, http://www.bayareamushrooms. org/ pt_reyes_mycoblitz.html. David Rust Amanita muscaria var.flavovolvata Photo by David Rust 6 THE BAY LEAF November 2006 Board of Directors President Elaine P. Jackson 925-372-0687 Elainejx@mindspring.com Vice President Laura Baker 510-849-1409 Lbake66@aol.com Treasurer Holly Forbes hforbes@berkeley.edu h 510-234-2913 w 510-643-8040 FAX 510-642-5045 Recording Secretary Barbara Malloch Leitner 925-253-8300 bleitner@pacbell.net Corresponding Secretary George McRae 510-233-7374 elegans@aol.com Past President Joe Willingham 510-841-4681 pepel 066@comcast.net Education/Outreach Bay Leaf Editor and Webmaster Joe Willingham 510-841-4681 pepel 066@comcast.net Bay Leaf Mailing Holly Forbes 510-234-2913 hforbes@berkeley.edu Education Linda Hill 510-849-1624 Lhilllink@aol.com Field Trips Janet Gawthrop Janetg24@excite.com Gardens Regional Parks Botanic Garden Liaison Sue Rosenthal 510-496-6016 rosacalifornica@earthlink.net Grants Sandy McCoy sandymccoy@mindspring.com Ramaria largentii Hospitality open Membership Delia Taylor 510-527-3912 deliataylor@mac.com Plant Sale Interim Chair Sue Rosenthal 510-496-6016 rosacalifornica@earthlink.net Programs Sue Rosenthal 510-496-6016 rosacalifornica@earthlink.net Publicity/Media George McRae 510-549-0211 elegans@aol.com Conservation Conservation Committee Chair Laura Baker 510-849-1409 Lbake66@aol.com conservation@ebcnps.org Stewardship Native Plant Restoration Team Greg Wolford 510-848-6489 californica@mac.com Native Here Nursery Charli Danielsen Project Manager Margot Cunningham Sales Man- ager nativehere@ebcnps.org Plant Science Bryophytes John Game 510-527-7855 jcgame@lbl.gov Rare Plants Heath Bartosh 925-957-0069 hbartosh@nomadecology.com Unusual Plants Dianne Lake 510-741-8066 diannelake@yahoo.com Vegetation Erin McDermott erinmcd2004@yahoo.com (c) 510-701-2890 Members at Large Carol Castro 510-352-2382 carollbcastro@hotmail.com Gregg Weber 510-223-3310 Roy West nwest@monocot.com 650-906-1100 California Native Plant Society East Bay Chapter PO Box 5597, Elmwood Station Berkeley CA 94705 Chapter web site www.ebcnps.org Recorded Chapter In- formation 510-848-6489 State CNPS web site www.cnps.org Photo by David Rust Conservation Analyst (Staff) Lech Naumovich 510 734-0335 Membership Application Name Address Zip Telephone I wish to affiliate with: East Bay Chapter (Alameda and Contra Costa Counties) Other Membership category: Student, Limited income, $25 Individual, Library, $45 Household, Family, or Group, $75 Supporting, $75 Plant lover, $100 E-mail Patron, $300 (optional) Benefactor, $600 Mariposa Lily, $1500 Mail application and check to: California Native Plant Society, 2707 K Street, Suite 1, Sacramento CA 95816 THE BAY LEAF November 2006 You are invited! Please join us for a special Jepson Herbarium event and help support the production of the Second Edition of The Jepson Manual Reception, silent auction, elegant dinner, live auction, and presentations by the Jepson Director and Curator Saturday, November 11 , 2006 6:00 pm to 9:00 pm (silent auction closes at 7:30 pm) 1001 Valley Life Sciences Building UC Berkeley Seating is limited, please RSVP by October 31st (see below). For more information call (510) 643-7008. Some of the items to be auctioned are presented on the Herbarium’s web site ucjeps.berkeley.edu/news/auction Reception for the Friends of the Jepson Herbarium 1001 Valley Life Sciences Building Saturday, November 11, 2006 * Yes, please make a reservation for people $ 1 ticket $40, additional tickets $35 each * I would like to / my company would like to help underwrite the event by sponsoring a table (8 tickets, $500, special recognition) $ * I would like to donate an item(s) to the auction (please arrange with the Herbarium prior to October 31 st) * I will not be able to attend the event but enclosed is a donation of $ (Please make checks payable to UC Regents or charge Visa or Master Card.) Card # Exp. Date Signature For more information contact Staci Markos, 510-643-7008, smarkos@berkeley.edu 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 November 2006 issue