Mimulus Memo California Native Plant Society — Kern County Chapter February 2010 President’s Notes I hope that everyone has gotten to a good start for the New Year! With all the rain we have had recently, there hasn’t been much time for yard work, or field trips, but the good news is that there should be great wildflower blooms, and plenty of chances for exciting field trips. The Board Members have been busy working on a schedule for Speakers and Presentations for our General Meetings. We have also been planning where and when our Field Trips will be. Our first General Meeting, for this year, will be on this coming Tuesday, February 16^^ (see page 3) Take a few minutes to read through the Mimulus Memo. There is an article on the Rare Plant Treasure Hunt, scheduled to last into 2011. Another is titled “Joining the California Native Plant Society”. It is a reminder of all the work the CNPS does at the state level, and how our membership dues go to help protect and promote Native Plants throughout California. I look forward to getting going in the new year, and seeing lots of new faces and new places in Kern County and through the state! The colors and plants should be spectacular this year with all the rain, and we can get some exercise and fresh air along the way! I hope you will be able to come join us as we explore and learn. Thanks for reading about us. Sincerely, Doric Oira^osian President, Kern CNPS dorenairaaosian@oeoplepc.com Plants still remaining from the Plant Sale Our Chapter has some plants still available for purehase by members right now. Most of them are at Debby Kroeger’s house, and some are at Dorie‘s. The updated plant list will be posted on the Kern Chapter’s website. First to order, first served. If you don’t buy them before Friday, April 23^^, we will have them for sale on Saturday, April 24*, at our booth at the Bakersfield Garden Fest, from 9:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. Seeking a Few Good Voiunteers Our Chapter has a lot of upcoming opportunities for participating in Community Outreach and Education. Upcoming this spring are: the Bakersfield College Garden Fest on Saturday, April 24**^, from 9:00 a.m. till 4:00 p.m.. at the Horticultural plant area on Mt. Vernon side of campus We will be selling plants, handing out brochures, and talking with interested members of the public. How about volunteering for a two hour shift? We can start the set-up on Friday, time depending on availability of volunteers, (continued on page 4) DID YOU KNOW that you can renew your CNPS membership online using a eredit eard? As an option, you ean set it up to renew automatieally year after year. It is quiek, easy, eonvenient, and reduees the eost of mailing renewal notiees. www.cnps.org Cliek on the JOIN button 1 Raie Plant Treasure Hunt If you have been checking the State CNPS web page , you might have noticed the link to the “Rare Plant Treasure Hunt.” This is a unique statewide search of previously known locations, some of which have been un -visited for more than 20 years! We will also be looking for new plants or occurrences previously not documented. This event began on January 1st, 2010, and will continue until late in 2011. That way there will be chances over two years to see times of the year that plants appear, and how the climate affects their growth. Many of the plant locations are right here in Kern County, and special funding has been granted for additional study of the Carrizo Plains National Monument (West of the city of Taft) and areas of the Mojave Desert (in Eastern Kern County). Many acres of these beautiful places have never been mapped before. Professional and amateur botanists will be partnered with people proficient in mapping, or reading GPS equipment. Part of each group will also be composed of CNPS club members and the public, who are interested in seeing the native plants in their home environments, and who are willing to help look for particular plants. There will be some orientation before each hike, so you will know what to look for at each location. Treasure Hunt activities will be scheduled for a variety of days of the week, length of times estimated for the outing, and any physical challenges expected. There are even a few which will offer two or three nights’ camping, in order to see Alpine habitats in the nearby mountains. This is a wonderful opportunity to get out into the fresh air and see some beautiful scenery and interesting native plants. Some outings will be close to town, so families can come out for a picnic and little hike. Other trips will require some driving, but car-pooling is encouraged. Bring a friend or relative, and come join us this Spring, Summer, Fall, and Winter! We look forward to getting together. MORE ABOUT THE TREASURE HUNT From the E-newsletter from CNPS “Gear up for the Rare Plant Treasure Hunt next spring! CNPS will promote a statewide effort to update occurrences of rare plants. We would like to form teams of experienced and amateur botanists to search for historic (many of which have not been documented for 50-100+ years) and new occurrences of their local rare plants. CNPS will provide a list of targeted species or regions in need of surveying. Prizes and fame await those teams and chapters that update the most occurrences! More information is coming your way soon. If you would like to volunteer to be part of this effort, email Josie Crawford at icrawford(j5)cnps.ora .” Please let Josie know, and also tell Lucy Clark at Iucva391@amail.com . Josie will tell us the plants/areas, and we will contact you so all together we can plan some field trips to search for rare plants in our area. If you are at all interested, get me your contact info, in case the blooming periods do not conform to the Mimulus Memo’s future publication dates. Luc0 Clai^ and Cl^de (golden 2 MEETINGS Tuesday, February 16 at the Kern County Superintendent of Sehools offiee, at 1300 17th Street. There is plenty of parking in the multi-story garage in the baek, on the North side. It is well lit. As you enter the north end of the building, go straight ahead, down the hallway, and we will be in the meeting room on the West (right) side of the building in the front. Coming in from 17th St. The room is to the left of the front door. The gathering will begin at 6:00 p.m., with Plant Identifieation time, followed by refreshments. The General Meeting and Presentation will start at 6:45 p.m. We should be adjourned by 9:00 p.m. (We are supposed to be out of the room by then!) The Tejon Ranch Conservancy has invited us baek to the Raneh for what we hope will be an outstanding spring bloom! We'll have a field trip Mareh 6 to Comanche Point (600’- 1,200’ elevation) and another May 1 to the Caliente Creek area of Tejon Ranch (800’ - 1,200’ elevation). We'll work on creating plant lists during both field trips, so come prepared to key! On the trip to Caliente Creek, we will also try to rediscover Vasek’s clarkia (Clarkia tembloriensis ssp. calientensis). Ellen Cypher will assist with plant identification. Be sure to bring lunch, water, hat, sunblock, layers of clothing, and wear sturdy boots. Pets and smoking are not allowed on Tejon Ranch. You may want to bring along copies of plant lists from nearby areas such as Wind Wolves Preserve and Hungry Valley (available on the Kern CNPS Chapter web site: www.KernCNPS.org) as a starting point, as well as your Kern County Flora, Jepson Manual, and any other references that may be appropriate. Please notify Lucy Clark at lucyg39 1 @ gmailxom if you plan to attend, by 8pm the previous Friday, for each trip. We have to inform them of numbers. Meet at the south end of the Wild West Shopping Center parking lot at the corner of Real Road and Stockdale Highway, at 8 am to carpool to either site. If coming from the east, meet at 8:45 am at the gate of the Tejon Ranch (for the Comanche Point trip). Please be prompt, as the gates must be locked once everyone arrives, for the group to start. Directions to the sites are as follows: Comanche Point (Saturday, March 6, 8:45am-?) - We will enter at the Tejon Ranch gate at the end of Comanche Point Road. To get there, from Bakersfield, we will take Hwy 99 south to HWY 223, turn east to Arvin, and then turn south on South Derby Road/Tejon Highway. Tejon Highway dead ends into Herring Road/Comanche Point Road. Turn left (east) on Comanche Point Road follow it around to the Tejon Ranch gate. Please be there at 8:45am. From points east, go west on HWY 58 and exit at HWY 223. At South Derby Road/Tejon Highway, turn south (left) and go through Arvin to the dead end at Herring Road/Comanche Point Road. Turn east (left again) on Comanche Point Road, and follow it around to the Tejon Ranch gate. Please be there at 8:45am. Caliente Creek (Saturday, May 1, 8:45am-?) - We will meet at the intersection of Bena Road and HWY 223 (just south of Highway 58, near the new Veterans' Cemetery). From HWY 58, exit on HWY 223. Bena immediately crosses 223. Please be there at 8:45am. Sequoia Riverlands Trust’s Vernal Pools (Saturday, April 3, 2010, 10:00 am-noon) What: An easy, two-mile guided walk through Sequoia Riverlands Trust ’s James K. Herbert Wetland Prairie Preserve, where you will get a chance to view the rare and exotic vernal pool ecosystem. The 725 -acre preserve protects one of the largest remaining vernal pool grasslands in the San Joaquin Valley. View wildlife and gain an understanding of the distinctive species adapted to such a unique environment. Over 130 bird species, including burrowing owl, golden eagle, black-necked stilt, western meadowlark and red-winged blackbird nest or forage on the preserve. Those interested can return to Bakersfield via the Pixley Vernal Pools, a preserve of FIELD TRIPS I 3 the Center for Natural Lands Management, and a National Natural Landmark. Please go to www.KernCNPS.org for artieles/lists of plants found there. Who: Bobby Kamansky, biologist and eeologist. Where: (See below for carpooling info.) The preserve is loeated at the junetion of Road 168 and Highway 137, between the towns of Tulare and Lindsay, on the south side of the road. .From the south, take HWY 99 north to Tulare. Take Exit 87, CA-HWY 137/Tulare Ave. Make a slight right at E. Sierra Ave., then a left onto S. Spruee St., then turn right at CA-137 East (E. Tulare Ave). Drive east 7 miles, to the signed entranee on your right (south) side at the junetion of Road 168, whieh eomes from the north. Enter at the pole barn, just past the sign. Bring: water, luneh, binoeulars, field guides and a friend. Wear waterproof shoes, layered elothing, sunglasses and a hat. Please, no dogs. There are no Porta-Potties or water at Herbert. Donation request : $10 Sequoia Riverlands Trust members; $15 non-members. Join that day and attend the program for free. Memberships start at $35 for an individual or $50 for a family. Meet: At Denny’s parking lot on the eorner of HWY 65 and Merle Haggard (7* Standard) at 8:30am to earpool. Seeking a Few Good Volunteers (continued from page 1) The Bakersfield College Garden Fest - Saturday, April 24**^ 8:00 a.m. - 10:00 Set-up and 1®^ hour open to public 10:00 a.m. - 12:00 , 12:00 p.m. - 2:00, 2:00 p.m. - 4:00 Talking about Native Plants, Chapter Activities, Membership, selling plants 6:00 p.m. - done Packing up plants, fliers, and tables into vehicles Please contact me if you are able to help out. Dorie, dorenairaaosian(g)peoplepc.com The Rare Plant Treasure Hunt January 1, 2010 until, (at least) Fall, 2011 (dates and times to be arranged) throughout Kern County, especially the Carrizo Plains Monument and the Mojave Desert. These hikes will partner Professional and Amateur Botanists with people comfortable with GPS tools, and members of the club or public, who will work together to find and map the occurrences of rare plants in the State. Our Chapter will be concentrating on the Mojave Desert, and the Carrizo Plain, as well as the Southern Sierra Nevada mountain range. There should be great floral displays in the county, and lots of fresh air to enjoy. Please let Dorie or Lucy know if you are interested in participating, and we will send you a schedule and further information when it becomes available. 2010 Living Green KRV Festival the Kern River Valley Revitalization (KRVR) Group Wednesday, March I?**’ - Sunday, March 21^* All events are FREE, except meals and Run for Living Green www.LivinqGreenKRV.org There will be lots of booths, art, a Run for Living Green, and lots of fun and excitement outdoors in the spring! Fun for all age groups!! I believe our chapter will be one of the Sponsors for the event, and will have an informational booth, if we are able to staff the display table. Let me know if you are interested in participating in our booth. 4 Join the California Native Plant Society !!! What do you get for your membership money? You get the loeal Chapter newsletters (the Mimulus Memo in Kern County), the State published “Fremontia” magazine, filled with pages of articles and photos of beautiful plants and places to see them. You get to attend meetings, field trips, and presentations offered by your local group. The local Chapters offer you a place to talk and ask questions of people who have experience with the local plants and environment. Chapter Members get to help out at local plant sales, and get a Members’ discount at the sale, too! Do you know all of the things that the CNPS does for our state? The State offices work hard for the Conservation of CA Native Plants, and the habitats where they exist. They protect Rare Plants by recording where they are, and members attend meetings to support and protect public lands for us. There is an Education Committee which makes materials available to school teachers (K - 12) and helps with setting up Native Plant Gardens in schools. The State CNPS also runs a Publishing Program offering many hard to find books about Native Plant and where to see them, as well as specific books on a variety of topics. You can see this book list in the “Publications and Sales” link on the State website. What does my CNPS Local Chapter do? There are thirty -two Local Chapters throughout California’s many counties. CNPS local Chapter Members work on Restoration of Habitat throughout their areas, when Fire, Flooding or mis-use of the land has damaged it, or where invasive plants(weeds) have been allowed to settle into the area, crowding out Native Plants. The Members study Weed Management, and continue to develop new ways to help the Native Plants survive and thrive in their habitats. Through their Plant Sales, the CNPS Local Chapters work toward offering healthy native plants, which have evolved to thrive in the local climates and soils. Members of the community, and groups who are restoring or converting their land or gardens into a Native Plant habitat, are able to find plants now found in nearby stores. These plants help the local wildlife to have food and shelter, and provides the animals with places to hide from predators. The Horticulture and Native Gardens Program works to study the plants from all different directions - their ecological habitats, their predators, and their needs for food, soil types, and specific climate. They work with Botanical Gardens, as well as naturalists, to offer places for the public to appreciate the plants near where they live. The CNPS website has MANY l ink s for information about all sorts of things, and has l ink s to the Local Chapter’s web pages. Please feel free to come to any advertised CNPS meetings here in Kern County. Meetings are free, and we even serve some refreshments! Don ’t worry about joining first, come to the meetings, or hikes, and get to know us. See what we are about, and if you want, go to www.cnps.org , click on the link to sign up and join our Chapter. We are not j*ust local !!! 5 One Of My Favorite Garden Natives Garrya elliptica Lindiey Silk Tassel I have had a Silk Tassel growing on the north side of my house for many years. Eaeh spring it sends out wonderfully long tassels of flowers whieh persist for quite a long time (they remain hanging on the bush even after they have dried). It is a very niee looking, somewhat open shrub that grows quiekly. It takes trimming well, but does not want to beeome a hedge. My Garrya reeeives no direet sunlight and is watered onee or twiee every two weeks in the summer - but even then, it is at the edge of the sprinkler’s eoverage. I add no water in the winter unless we’ve failed to have rain. This is a good sized shrub and needs a bit of room. If you are foreed to trim it (as I am) the amount of flowers will be redueed. The pieture to the left was taken February 3rd — (^ooley Are You Tired Of Your Black-and-White Existence? Why not sign up for the Online version of the Mimulus Memo and receive it in full color. Save Paper! Save Club Funds! Email MimulusMemo(j5)bak.rr.com and ask to be put on the list. Do It Now! CNPS - Kern County Chapter % Stephen Cooley, Editor MinnulusMenno(5)bak.rr.conn INTERNET EDITION The mission of the California Native Plant Society is to increase understanding and appreciation of California’s native plants and to conserve them and their natural habitats through science, education, advocacy, horticulture and land stewardship. 6