Northern California Botanists BOTANICAL LEAFLETS ISSUE 15 Spring 2015 President’s message It’s beginning to look like summer and with the drought it will be interesting to see what the bloom is like farther upslope. I helped teach a Plant Families work- shop in April for the Friends of the Chico State Herbari- um. We went up Highway 70 into the Feather River Canyon to collect flowers for the class since the flowers in the Sacramento Valley were finished blooming by that time. I also helped with the Mt. Lassen Chapter CNPS Wildflower Show in Chico in April and the Siskiyou Wild- flower Show in Yreka spon- sored by the Klamath and Shasta Trinity National For- ests. Both shows had plenty of specimens for people to see and were well attended. I was able to attend the Southern California Bota- nists meeting last fall and the California Native Plant Society Conference in San Jose this past January. It was great to attend both events and see so many of you. Plans are underway for our next Symposium which will be held on January 11-12, 2016 with optional work- shops on the 13th. NCB has just completed it’s review of the 2015-2016 research scholarship applica- tions and have selected the award recipients. Again, we received numerous fantastic applications. We want to thank the Shasta Chapter of the California Native Plant Society for sponsoring a scholarship for research relative to their area. What a wonderful collaborative effort! Have a great summer pursu- ing your many vast botani- cal adventures. Linnea Hanson Welcome Julie Kierstead Nelson to the NCB Board! OFFICERS President: Linnea Hanson Vice President: Samantha Hillaire Secretary: Jessica Hammond Treasurer: Gail Kuenster Members-at-large Barbara Castro Matt Guilliams Brett Hall Lawrence Jane way Julie Kierstead Nelson Robert Schlising Daria Snider Jane Van Susteren Jenn Yost Newsletter Editor: Gail Kuenster After four years of serving on the Board, Chase Lentz (Bureau of Land Management) has stepped down. Chase served on the Board from 2011 to 2015. Thank you Chase! Northern California Botanists is pleased to announce the appointment of our newest Board Member, Julie Kierstead Nelson. Julie is the Forest Botanist for the Shasta Trinity National Forest and has helped plan and give presentations at many of our past Symposia. Mystery Plant This knee-high plant represents a monotypic genus and is also the only representative of its family in California. Its range is restricted to northern Cali- fornia, where it is found under 600 m elevation, sometimes on serpentine soils. Flowers have 6 stamens, 6 staminodes, and a superior ovary. This geophyte pulls its seedling’s corm deeper into the soil with a contractile root. Photo by Robert Fischer (Answer on Page 2) Inside this issue: President’s message 1 Welcome Julie Kierstead j Nelson to the Board Mystery Plant 1 NCB 2016 Symposium 2 2015-2016 Scholarships Awards 2 Ansewer to “Mystery Plant” 2 Botanists in ACTiolfji 3 Tadpole Fen 4-5 Rare Plants/Prescribed Burns in Whiskeytown NRA 6-7 BOTANICAL LEAFLETS Page 2 NCB 2016 Symposium Update & Keynote Speaker The seventh Northern California Bota- nists Symposium will be held January 11-12, 2016. The theme: Plant Adap- tations: Research, Conservation, and Management will include sessions on Botanical Genetics, Local Rarity: Dis- junct and Marginal Populations, Resto- ration, Climate Change, Evolutionary California Groups, And Now Some Good News, and New Discoveries. We are happy to announce that Dr. Susan Harrison of UC Davis will be our Keynote Speaker. Dr. Harri- son’s research focuses on the processes that shape and maintain plant species diversity at the landscape scale. She will discuss climate-induced changes to CA plant communities with a focus on di- versity loss in a grassland community. As our last session on Monday, we will have a half hour of six 5 -minute long lightning talks . This is patterned after a similar session at the CNPS conference. If you are interested in giving a light- ning talk, please send one or two sen- tences about your topic, a title, and your contact information to lin- neachanson@gmail . com . The Reception on Monday evening will be held in Colusa Hall, just a few minutes walk from the BMU. The poster session will be on Tuesday morning. Coffee and breakfast food will be available. We hope to see you next January! 2015-2016 Student Research Scholarship Awards Northern California Botanists provides monetary scholarships for students doing research on botanical subjects in northern and central California. We received 3 1 applications this year and as usual there were many great research projects to choose from. We will be awarding eight scholarships which includes one sponsored by the Shasta Chapter of CNPS* for research in their Chapter Area (Shasta, Siskiyou, Modoc, and Lassen Counties). Abstracts and photos of each recipient and project will be included in our Fall newsletter. Congratulations to these students and thank you to all that submitted applications! 2015-2016 NCB Research Scholarship Recipients Recipient Degree Program College Title of Research Project Kyle Christie PhD University of California, Davis Cryptic diversity and integrative taxonomy of the Strepthanthus breweri complex Julia Michaels MS University of California, Davis Grazing for vernal pool plant diversity across a heterogeneous landscape Kristen Nelson MS California Polytechnic University, San Luis Obispo Allelopathic inhibition in understory vegetation in California eucalyptus groves Moria Robinson PhD University of California, Davis Trickle-up economics: effects of resource availability and quality of plant traits and trophic networks Tommy Stoughton * Shasta Chapter CNPS Scholarship* PhD Claremont Graduate University Evolution and systematics of Claytonia lanceolata: untangling polyploidy origins in a challenging species complex Devon Thrumston Undergrad Mills College Is herbivory driving a genetic bottleneck in Calochortus tiburonen- sis ? Crystal Weaver MS San Francisco State Uni- versity The effects of sediments and their associated microbial commu- nities in eelgrass ( Zostera marina) restoration Andrew Weitz PhD University of California, Berkeley The phylogenetic, ecological, and physiological determinants of disease pressure in rapidly changing plant communities Answer to “Mystery Plant”: Odontostomum hartwegii, Hartweg’s Odontostomum (Tecophilaeaceae, Tecophilaea Family) ISSUE 15 Page 3 Northern California Botanists in Action Botanists in Action is a continuing series featuring well-known to possibly less-well-known botanists, with pictures from the present to several decades back. If you have unpublished pictures of Northern California Botanists to share, please send jpegs and relevant information to rschlising@csuchico.edu Jim Shevock, a retired botanist with the US Forest Ser- vice and US National Park Service, is now a Research Asso- ciate with the California Academy of Sciences. In 1997, his research shifted to bryophytes (which he has collected throughout the world), with one specialty being bryophytes of fast-flowing streams. His nu- merous publications include a (co- authored) book “California Mosses.” Many plant species are named for him, including a new genus of moss (, Shevockia ). Jim gives quality lec- tures and workshops on bryophytes — including at NCB symposia. Robert Fischer, a building contractor in Chico, is an excellent amateur botanist — as expert in lichens as in seed plants — shown here field-keying in the Warner Moun- tains. He is active in local checklisting and CNPS rare plant searches, and does complete local florulas (e.g. for Ahjumawi Lava Springs State Park in North- eastern Shasta County). He is known as a relia- ble provider of fresh plant mate- rial from the field for research pro- jects on the West Coast. Robert has presented posters at NCB symposia. Clare Golec is an Environmental Scientist with the Cali- fornia Department of Fish and Wildlife, in the coastal Habitat Conservation Program, where duties include CEQA reviews for rare plants. Past positions include re- vegetation specialist with Caltrans, staff botanist for a private consulting firm in Northwest- ern California, and survey and forestry technician with USFS Pacific Northwest Experi- mental Station and three National Forests. She is an active conference - goer and has chaired a session at a NCB symposium. Josephine Guardino runs a consulting firm in Los Molinos with her husband John Dittes, doing contracts for federal, state, and private groups. Here she is point- ing at the bear claw scratches on a Populus trunk during a survey near Lake Davis. She has served as President of the Mount Las- sen Chapter of CNPS and is active in several botanical groups in Northern California. In the summer of 2014, Jo was a team lead- er in the botanical survey for the Stanislaus National Forest Rim Fire Recovery Project. BOTANICAL LEAFLETS Page 4 Tadpole Fen Restoration for Mingan Moonwort, Botrychium minganense By Kathy Van Zuuk, West Zone Botanist, Tahoe National Forest (photos by American River RD staff except as noted) Tadpole Fen in August 2011 with bog orchid ( Platanthera dilatata var. leucostachys ) and wandering daisy (Erigeron pere- grinus). Tadpole Fen is located on the Tahoe National Forest, American River Ranger Dis- trict near Duncan Peak. Fens are unique plant communities and are on the Tahoe National Forest watch list. A fen is a wetland that has at least 40 centimeters of peat. There are less than five fens known to occur on the entire Ameri- can River Ranger District. Tadpole Fen is the only known location of Mingan Moonwort ( Botrychium min- ganense) on Tahoe National Forest system lands. Botrychi- um minganese is a small fern with sterile and fertile por- tions and is a Tahoe National Forest sensitive plant species. In April of 2013, at least two 4-wheel drive vehicles illegal- ly entered Tadpole fen dam- aging this important ecosys- tem. Some ruts were over a foot deep and all ruts had running water during the spring of 2013. David Merritt, USD A Rocky Mountain Research Station and Colorado State Universi- ty, and David Cooper, Colo- rado State University, both experts in riparian ecosystems were contacted to determine the best restoration tech- Motorized vehicle damage to Tadpole Fen in April 2013. niques for this site . It was determined that raking the peat back into place and blocking future access were the best methods to use. Res- toration needed to happen quickly since maintenance of Mingan Moonwort ( Botrychium minganense) . Photo by Tim Ditzman the hydrology is one of the most important elements of fen maintenance and health. Direct damage to the Botrychium minganense occur- rence did not occur. How- ever, the hydrologic changes within the fen were indirect- ly impacting it. Kathy Van Zuuk, West Zone Botanist, Tahoe National Forest, was the technical advisor for the American River Ranger District. Emer- gency restoration activities were needed to prevent fur- ther damage. Therefore, the restoration activities were categorically excluded from the National Environmental Policy Act process. The district paid for this project using existing district funds. ISSUE 15 Page 5 In early May of 2013, Ameri- can River Ranger District employees and the Green Corp, a program designed to take veterans and retrain them for civilian work, raked in the ruts and blocked access to the fen. Monitoring of this restoration in 2013 showed that restricting the vehicle access was working and that the vehicle ruts had revegetat- ed. Tadpole Fen prior to raking of the ruts. Access to Tadpole Fen blocked using logs. In 2014, the barricades were checked to make sure they were keeping vehicle access out of the fen. The barricades were indeed working and the fen looked great. The ruts were continuing to revege- New vegetative growth tate in the ruts in May 2013. Tadpole Fen after ruts were raked in. Note: Kathy Van Zuuk has been a botanist on the Tahoe National Forest since 1985 and will retire on June 16, 2015. She has worked for the Forest Service for 33 years and 8 months. We wish Kathy well in her retirement! Page 6 BOTANICAL LEAFLETS Rare Plant Species Responding Favorably to Prescribed Fire and Fuels Treatment in Whiskeytown National Recreation Area By Jennifer Gibson, Ecologist, Whiskeytown National Recreation Area (photos by Jennifer Gibson and Whiskeytown NRA staff except as noted) Prescribed fire in Shasta County arnica habitat (note the cut stumps of manzanita in the fore- ground) . Shasta County arnica ( Arnica venosa ) in a roadcut (above) and in a fuelbreak (below) . Prescribed fire in urban interface (above) and Shasta County arnica habitat (below) . This fuelbreak has been re- peatedly treated with pre- scribed fire and understory thinning since the early 1990’ with the overarching goal of preventing a large wildfire from leaving the park bounda ry and posing a threat to near- by communities. Fire crews have worked laboriously to remove a once impenetrable thicket of dense whiteleaf manzanita from under mixed conifers and large diameter black oaks, resulting in a di- verse understory of native grasses and herbaceous spe- cies. Whiskeytown National Recre- ation Area borders an urban interface that is comprised of homes and structures within a diverse assortment of oak woodland, chaparral, and knobcone/ ponderosa pine veg- etation types. The combination of hot and dry summers, steep slopes, and frequent fire starts has created a situation in which wildfire is inevitable. It is be- cause of this threat that the National Park Service has implemented a fuels manage- ment program designed to re- duce hazardous fuels adjacent to developed areas and restore fire-dependent ecosystems. This is accomplished with a combination of prescribed fire and a network of shaded fuel- breaks, which are constructed by the cutting and pile -burning of small diameter trees and under story shrubs along ridge - lines and roadsides. CNPS listed rare plant species that benefit from these activi- ties include the Klamath en- demic, Shasta County arnica ( Arnica venosa). Typically found along road cuts, the largest population of Shasta County arnica at Whiskeytown is ap- proximately 7 acres and makes up a significant portion of the understory plant community along the oldest shaded fuel- break in the park. s ISSUE 15 Page 7 In nearby prescribed burn units, Shasta County arnica appears to be a “fire follower” in that seedlings have germi- nated within the first few years post fire. Fire effects monitor- ing data also revealed new populations of Shasta County arnica in areas that have burned multiple times over the past ten years — either with prescribed fire or in combina- tion with wildland fire . In the Shasta County arnica seedlings germinate in an absence of treatment, these area recently treated with prescribed fire, populations appear to fade with time as the succession of native shrubs and trees takes hold. Similarly, Sanborn’s onion (Allium sanbornii var. sanbornii) has responded favorably to the select thinning of dense stands of white leaf manzanita and chamise around park structures on dry, south-facing slopes. Since the manual cutting and removal of overstory shrubs can mimic the effects of fire on the structural patterns of woody vegetation, native per- ennial herbaceous species, such as Sanborn’s onion, have clear- ly taken advantage of the avail- ability of sunlight in the areas that have been repeatedly treated. Unfortunately, annual exotic grasses have invaded, but appear to not have an ad- verse impact on Sanborn’s on- ion. Whiskey town staff care- fully time their defensive space projects so as to not negatively impact Sanborn’s onion before it has a chance to flower and go to seed. Sanborn’s onion habitat ( Allium sanbornii var. sanbornii) (far left) and closeup . (photo by Sean Smith) NPS fire effects monitoring photopoints of the Monarch Mountain Prescribed Burn Unit demonstrating conditions before treatment in 1995 (left) and after three prescribed burns in 2010 (right). Shasta County arnica and understory native grasses and herbaceous species thrived after multiple prescribed fire treatments. Northern California Botanists P. O. Box 8042 Chico, CA 95927-8042 Scwe/the/Vated 2016 NCB SyvripOiuAvn/ CSUChtccr Jcwuuxry 11-12, 2016 With/ optConat work&hopy cnv the/ 13th/ Chedc/our webtCte/ to/ Sep- tember for more/ toJfor- mcvtCow Membership application/renewal Name: Affiliation: Address: City: State: Zip: Email : Membership and DONATIONS ALSO ACCEPTED ONLINE AT MEMBERSHIP DUES: WWW.NORCALBOTANISTS.ORG Individual $25.00 Student/ Limited Income $15.00 Family or Small Business/Non-Profit (two memberships) $40.00 In addition, I would like to donate $ to Northern California Botanists to help fund NCB programs and student research scholarships. Make checks payable to “Northern California Botanists” and mail to: Northern California Botanists P. O. Box 8042 Chico, CA 95927-8042 NCB is a federally recognized 501 (c) (3) non-profit organization. Membership dues and donations are tax deductible . E-mail: ncbotanists@gmail. com