SUMMER 2008 ❖ SAGE NOTES ❖ A Publication of the Idaho Native Plant Society Vol. 30 (2) USDA-NRCS PLANTS Database / From Britton, N. L., and A. Brown. 1913. Watch for mailed info or Send your registration to: Attn: Juncus Workshop Biology Department The College of Idaho 2112 Cleveland Blvd. Caldwell, ID 83605 Mark your calendar now for the 2008 Juncus Workshop! August 14-15 1 The College of Idaho in Caldwell, Idaho ]H)r. J^eter Zjica, instructor Author of Juncus for the new Jepson Manual of the Colifornio Flora Join us for two fun-filled days as we listen and learn via lecture, lab, and lessons on the land... lunches included! 5p a ce is limited — 5>g n u p early! Registration Deadline is June 1, 2008 Only $60 includes activities on campus and field excursions during this Thursday — Friday workshop. The comoroderie is free! For more information, call Karen at (208) 31 9-0778 Sponsored by Pahove Chapter and The College of Idaho In this Issue Letter from the President 2 INPS Annual Meeting Info 3 Book Reviews 4 INPS Board Nominees 6 INPS Ballot 7 Report: School Fire Recovery 9 Humor: Cartoon robots discuss biodiversity 11 INPS News 12 Chapter News 13 Check out Sage Notes in color on the INPS website: http://www.idahonativeplants.org/ 2008 INPS Annual Meeting Mark your Calendars ! June 20-22 Hosted by Kinnikinnick Chapter Sam Owen Campgrounds on Lake Pend Oreille, North Idaho See full announcement on page 3 (Articles contributed to Sage Notes reflect the views of the authors and are not an official position of the Idaho Native Plant Society} Olay 2008 I SUMMER 2008 * SAGE NOTES * A Publication of the Idaho Native Plant Society Vol. 30 (2) Letter from the President Dear INPS Members, Last year I issued an invitation to all of you to come make the annual meeting the largest meeting within recent memory. A great number of you responded to that invitation by coming to Craters of the Moon. All of the Chapters were represented at that annual meeting. This year I would like to issue a challenge to make this annual meeting even larger than the one last year. The annual meeting committee has been diligently working to make this an interesting, informative gathering. There are speakers and field trips to whet the keenest appetite for learning for people interested in native plants. The lake shore area this year is in sharp contrast to the dry ecosystem of last year. There is even an aquatic field trip scheduled. A delicious catered meal has been scheduled to sate another type of appetite. Then, when you are full of delicious food, the annual meeting will be held. The revised bylaws, which were printed in the February issue of Sage Notes, will be voted on during the annual meeting. It is very important that as many people come as possible so we can have a quorum. If you cannot come, please send your proxy with a delegate from your chapter. The Bylaws Committee intensively labored for most of two years and we need to reward them for their labor by having a quorum to vote on their proposal. There are many opportunities during the annual meeting to connect with people from other chapters around the state. Exchange of information about what each chapter is doing and how they are solving various problems is a benefit of attending the annual meeting. Each chapter was requested to perform some activity during Native Plant Appreciation Week, April 27-May 3, 2008. Come to the annual meeting prepared to share what special activity your chapter arranged. Other chapter members will be interested. Mark your calendars for June 20-22, 2008, and be certain to come! I am looking forward to meeting a large number of you. Cheers ! Janet Benoit, INPS President P.S. The INPS ballots are in this issue of Sage Notes. Please send them in as soon as possible. Last year not very many members voted. This year would be a good year to send in your ballot. It would also be a very good year to serve on a state committee. Sam Owen Campground on Lake Pend Oreille, Idaho, will be the scene of the 2008 INPS Annual Meeting. n\ay 2008 2 SUMMER 2008 ❖ SAGE NOTES ❖ A Publication of the Idaho Native Plant Society Vol. 30 (2) 2008 INPS ANNUAL MEETING SAM OWEN CAMPGROUNDS JUNE 20 -22, 2008 With all the snow covering the campsites and hanging heavy on the trees, it is hard to think of summer solstice. Plan to join us on longest day of the year under the cedars and firs on the banks of Lake Pend Oreille. There are some exciting activities in the works. ❖ Friday Evening - June 20 > “White Pine Restoration” presented by Chris Schnepf from the University of Idaho Forestry Extension Office. Our chapter had this talk a couple of months ago and it is very good. ^ An evening hike to the Sam Owen monument will follow the presentation. > After the hike, relax by the campfire, eat S’ mores and listen to a short talk about Sam Owen. ❖ Saturday - June 21 > We have three field trips to choose from: ■ “Aquatic Plants of Pend Oreille”- will be led by Thomas Woolf, Aquatic Plants Program Manager for Idaho Department of Agriculture. This is a half-day water excursion so bring waders or knee boots if you have them. If not, you can stay dry on the shoreline. (It will be presented twice). ■ Native plants in the Lightning Creek drainage will be led by Phil Hough. This is a half-day trip to witness the record-breaking flood event of November 2006 in one of Idaho’s wettest drainages. There should be a wide variety of wildflowers along the way. (This will also be presented twice.) ■ Antelope Lake trip for wildflower viewing will be all day so plan to take a lunch to eat overlooking the lake. Hike leader to be determined. > For the half-day hikers, there will be time to eat lunch at the campgrounds between trips. > Annual Meeting will follow the catered dinner. If you are not planning to attend, please send a proxy with some other member of your chapter who does plan to attend. > “Forest Service Response to Lightning Creek Flood Devastation”, presented by Dick Kramer, Sandpoint District Ranger. There will be many good photos of the devastation. ❖ Sunday, June 22 > State Board Meeting. We have a private home lined up to handle the phone conferencing for those chapters who are not sending a representative. ♦♦♦ Meals: You are on your own except for Saturday night when we will have a nice catered dinner provided by the Squeeze In. The cost will be $15.00 per person. They are providing chicken and beef, grilled on site, salads, dessert, bread, iced tea and coffee. Please send your reservation for dinner, with a check, to me (Sylvia Chatburn) by June 7. We have to pay prior to the event. ♦♦♦ Sam Owen Campground is a game refuge located 17 miles east of Sandpoint on Highway 200. Turn right onto Peninsula Road just past mile marker 48. Go 0.9 mile; turn left on Sam Owen Park Road. We have reserved the covered picnic area and 10 campsites for Friday night and Saturday night. Campsites are nestled under the conifers with plenty of space to pitch tents. Facilities include: water, toilets, dump station, covered picnic area, beach, boat launch, trailer spaces up to 36 feet, but, no hookups. Each campsite will accommodate up to 8 people, so everyone will have to share the space. There are places for tents, no hook-ups, and a small fee for extra cars. Please let me know, as soon as possible, if you are planning to camp in one of the sites. • Watch our website, www.nativeplantsocietv.org , for more details. • I can be reached, before May 16 and after June 7, by email at Sylvia at televar dot com or via snail mail: Sylvia Chatburn, 1787 E. Dufort Road, Sagle, ID 83860 or phone: 208-263-2175 • Between May 16 and June 7, Chapter President, Carol Jenkins, can be reached at 208-265-9204 or E-mail irvorcarol at imbris dot com fTJoy 2008 3 SUMMER 2008 ❖ SAGE NOTES ❖ A Publication of the Idaho Native Plant Society Vol. 30 (2) Book Reviews - Idaho Mountain Wildflowers: A Photographic Compendium - Second Edition By Scott Earle (2008, 255 pages) Review by Ann Debolt Native plant enthusiasts are in for a treat with the recent printing of A. Scott Earle’s Second Edition of “Idaho Mountain Wildflowers - A Photographic Compendium.” The new edition has nearly doubled the species coverage, with an additional 225 species and high quality photos of them all. The new soft cover (the First Edition was hard-bound) for those wishing to use the book in the field, and addition of Dr. James Reveal as a consulting editor, has resulted in a product that can’t be beat at the price of $19.95. Earle has included inset photos in this edition to better highlight many flowers and fruits, and the increased coverage and side-by-side discussions and photos of Penstemon, Draba, Mimulus, Lupinus, and other species-rich genera is a vast improvement. Some scientific names will be new to the reader, as they follow recent reclassifications of families and genera, but the old scientific names are thankfully provided. All readers will appreciate the plant family descriptions and scientific name etymologies that Earle includes in his book. After what seemed like a longer winter than we’ve had in awhile, you’ll want to grab the new edition of Idaho Mountain Wildflowers and head to the hills as soon as you can. Bringing Nature Home: How Native Plants Sustain Wildlife In Our Gardens By Dr. Douglas Tallamy (2007, 288 pages) Review by Kay Charter ( bobolink3 at prodigy dot net) Two years ago, while attending an international wildlife conference, I struck up a conversation with the educational director of a state Audubon Society. In the course of the conversation I mentioned the fact that native plants host the insects that support our migratory birds. The young man, a biologist, challenged my statement. “Do we know that’s true?” he asked. He needs to pick up a copy of Dr. Douglas Tallamy’ s wonderful new book, Bringing Nature Home (Timber Press, Inc., 2007, $27.95), which recently appeared at bookstores across the country. In it, Tallamy, Professor and Chair of the Department of Entomology and Wildlife Ecology at the University of Delaware, demonstrates the importance of native plants to healthy, viable terrestrial ecosystems. I learned about n\ay 2008 M SUMMER 2008 ❖ SAGE NOTES ❖ A Publication of the Idaho Native Plant Society Vol. 30 (2) this book last fall, when I emailed Dr. Tallamy and requested permission to quote an article he had written about the relationship between native plants and the insects they host - and their impact on wildlife, particularly birds. He not only granted permission, he generously sent me a disk with the pre-pub galleys of the book and I’ve been anxiously awaiting it since. It was well worth the wait. The good professor says in his preface, “Occasionally we encounter a concept so obvious and intuitive that we have never thought to articulate it, so close to our noses that we could not see it, so entangled with our everyday experiences that we did not recognize it.” The concept is that because there is too little space left for the wildlife we care about and love to watch, we must make our yards friendlier to the birds, frogs, butterflies and other wild creatures with which we share this planet. With roughly forty million acres of land in American yards, his is a compelling argument. Tallamy appeals to the gardener in all of us to do just that. Although he says that Bringing Nature Home is not a “how-to” book, in a way, it is precisely that. While he does not attempt to instruct us on which plants to use, he takes us step by important step through the crucial reasoning around why we should - indeed, why we must - return as much of our personal property to native plants as possible. We must do that because native plants do (in spite of the above-mentioned biologist’s doubt) support the insects upon which those same birds, frogs, butterflies (and all the rest of us for that matter) depend. Dr. Tallamy discovered that link when he and his wife purchased 10 acres in southeastern Pennsylvania. The land, previously farmed, was filled with alien plants such as autumn olive, multiflora rose, Bradford pears and others. The vegetation was so dense they had to cut trails through it in order to get inside of it. Then he took a walk along the trails to look for insects. He found virtually none except on the few natives struggling to survive under the stranglehold of invasives. It was a defining moment for him and he began to present programs to educate the general public about his discovery. The pamphlet he made up to hand out at those presentations eventually grew into the book. Birders who still support the idea that autumn olive is good for birds - and there are a lot of them out there - will gain insight from the following, “. . .the foliage of autumn olive is inedible for almost all native insect herbivores. A field rich in goldenrod, Joe-Pye weed, boneset, milkweed, black-eyed Susan, and dozens of other productive perennials supplies copious amounts of insect biomass for birds to rear their young. After it has been invaded by autumn or Russian olive, that same field is virtually sterile.” Filled with beautiful photographs of insects, plants, birds, and hard data presented in an easy to read style, Bringing Nature Home is a book every conservationist should read carefully. And every conservation educator must, as Tallamy himself has done, incorporate its message into his or her material and presentations. Like butterflies? Stinging nettle, Urtica dioica, is but one of many native plants that support our native pollinators such as this tattered Weidemeyer's Admiral, Limenitis weidemeyerii. fTJoy 2008 5 Dylan Levy-Boyd SUMMER 2008 ❖ SAGE NOTES ❖ A Publication of the Idaho Native Plant Society Vol. 30 (2) INPS Elections INPS Officer Candidates for 2008 The Nominating Committee offers the following list of candidates for state office. The ballot is provided on page 7. While the most recent polls indicate that each candidate has an above average chance of carrying their respective race, please take a brief moment to vote and submit your ballot. Candidates’ Resumes President: Janet Benoit Janet Benoit lives on a 40 acre property near Careywood, Idaho, with one dog and two cats. She retired as Grants Coordinator from North Idaho College. Janet raises an organic garden, teaches 4-H, belongs to the local ladies’ club, volunteers through the AARP income tax preparation program, and is on the board of IFOA. She joined the Calypso Chapter INPS in 1992. She is serving as chapter treasurer and had been on the state Board for several years before becoming state President. Vice President: Janet Bala Janet Bala has lived in Pocatello, Idaho, for the past 10 years with her husband and black labs. Since earning her Master’s in biology from Idaho State University in 2007, Janet is an assistant lecturer in the Department of Biological Sciences where she teaches Native Flora of Idaho and Introductory Biology. She has been an active member of the Sah-Wah-Be Chapter serving as treasurer and most recently as President for 5 years. Janet enjoys hiking, skiing and whitewater rafting. Secretary: Lois Rohav Lois Rohay retired from employment with the State of Nevada in 1997 and made a choice to reside in Twin Falls, Idaho by 2002. She soon became a member of Loasa Chapter, INPS and is active as secretary for both chapter and state organizations. Lois volunteered many hours for the BLM Las Vegas District at the Red Rock Canyon Visitor Center information desk. Friends of Red Rock Canyon became the volunteer group which assisted with maintenance of the Visitor Center. One of the committees for which she worked was to monitor, record and compare 'use and abuse' of selected areas which aided the management to close or limit access. Treasurer: Jody Hull Jody Hull has been an active member of the Pahove Chapter for 13 years, currently serving as treasurer. She lives in Boise with her husband Jim and cat Zumi. She will be graduating this May from Boise State University with a bachelor's degree in Environmental Studies. Her first bachelor's degree was from Weber State University in Geography with minors in Botany and Zoology. She is currently serving as president of a student club at BSU. Jody enjoys wildflower walks, photography, gardening, travel, computers, not going to school, and volunteering with various organizations. fT\oy 2008 6 SUMMER 2008 A Publication of the Idaho Native Plant Society Vol. 30 (2) INPS 2008 STATE BOARD OF DIRECTORS ELECTION BALLOT New Officers will be announced at the Annual INPS State Field Trip and Meeting June 21, 2008 at Sam Owens Campground Please detach, complete, and mail the self-addressed ballot by June 2, 2008. The term of office is from one annual meeting to the next. NOMINEES Please vote for one nominee in each category (check name or write in name): President: Janet Benoit Other (write in name) Vice-Pres.: Janet Bala Other (write in name) Secretary: Lois Rohay Other (write in name) Treasurer: Jody Hull Other (write in name) Fold, stamp and return (address on other side) n\ay 2008 7 SUMMER 2008 ❖ SAGE NOTES ❖ A Publication of the Idaho Native Plant Society Vol. 30 (2) Fold Here First Idaho Native Plant Society PO Box 9451 Boise, ID 83707 First Class Postage Idaho Native Plant Society Elections Committee PO Box 9451 Boise, ID 83707 Fold Here Second- Do Not Staple Tape Here Tape Here ITjay 2008 8 SUMMER 2008 ❖ SAGE NOTES ❖ A Publication of the Idaho Native Plant Society Vol. 30 (2) Assessing soil a nd vegetation recovery following the 2005 School Fire, Umatilla National Forest SCHOOL FIRE V V V The objective of our research projects, funded by the USDA/USDOI Joint Fire Science Program, is to answer the following questions: \ How do weeds respond to varying degrees of bum severity? How does vegetation respond to post-fire erosion control treatments? To salvage logging? How do post-fire treatments affect soil biology such as microbial activity? How effective are post-fire treatments at reducing erosion? Are there other factors besides soil erosion that need to be considered when prescribing post-fire mitigation treatments? [ntroduction following the 2005 School Fire which burned ~ 50,000 acres across forest and grasslands, managers were particularly concerned with treating areas that were leverely burned to control soil erosion and to mitigate weed spread. Various nulching treatments were implemented to control erosion on steep slopes above the lucannon River Canyon. An unprecedented native seed application (21,000 pounds )n 500 acres) provided a unique opportunity to monitor the effects of seeding on lative plant recovery, weed spread, and erosion control. Our research team is using a combination of field-based and remotely sensed techniques to detect and monitor vegetation response and weed spread. We installed ~ 200 monitoring sites across a ange of vegetation types and burn severity conditions on the School Fire. Weed response to fire and post-fire treatments Ground-based monitoring of soil and vegetation response • Thus far, we have seen some increased weed presence in the burned area • Areas that historically had heavy human and machine traffic from camping, grazing, logging, etc. are the areas where we have seen the greatest weed response • Vegetation abundance increased throughout the second post-fire growing season • Seeded areas have high native grass cover which may preclude invasion of weeds, but may also be limiting native forb and shrub growth • Wheat and wood straw mulch treatments provide the best erosion control; however wood straw decomposes slowly, tends to clump, and may inhibit native vegetation recovery • Vegetation monitoring will continue for at least one more growing season and will give a better indication of weed response to fire and post-fire treatments, especially in the areas that were salvage logged in 2007 Remotely sensed monitoring of post-fire vegetation and mulch treatments • We found several weedy species on national forest and state land; most are in non- forested openings • Weeds spreading from known sources are being monitored and will be mapped 2 • We mapped weed, native vegetation, and mulch treatment patches (4 to 100 m ) on the ground to test remotely sensed image detection • Wood and wheat straw were detectable and mappable in the remotely sensed imagery, indicating the likely potential for mapping similar sized patches of vegetation n\ay 2008 9 SUMMER 2008 ❖ SAGE NOTES ❖ A Publication of the Idaho Native Plant Society Vol. 30 (2) Effectiveness of post-fire treatments at reducing erosion Low erosion rates were observed in 2006 and 2007 • Low-intensity rainfall events and low rainfall totals since the fire have resulted in lower than expected sediment production collected in silt fences on severely burned steep slopes above the Tucannon River • 2007 annual total erosion by treatment was: 0.2 tons/acre (control), 0.09 (hydromulch), 0.02 (seeded), 0.02 (wheat straw) and 0.02 (wood straw) • These numbers represent a percent decrease from 2006 by: 58% (control), 56% (hydromulch), 88% (seeded), 26% (wheat straw) and 0% (wood straw) • Abundant vegetation cover is part of the reason for the low erosion rates: 62% (wheat straw), 59% (hydromulch), 50% (seeded), 41% (wood), and 38% (control) • These numbers indicate an increase in mean vegetative cover ranging from 2% (seeded) to 23% (wood straw) from the previous year Work in progress In 2007 we: • Relocated plots that had been disturbed by the salvage logging operation • Resampled -200 sites in summer of 2007 (June-July) to assess the second-year vegetation response • Monitored 35 silt fences for erosion, and collected sediment in the spring and fall • Led three field trips: Idaho Native Plant Society- White Pine Chapter, WA State Resource Advisory Committee, and Univ. of Idaho Fire Management and Ecology course to educate interested individuals and professionals on our research findings • We presented preliminary results on "Monitoring and mapping invasive species spread using remotely sensed imagery" at the Joint Conference of the Society for Ecological Restoration and Society of Wetland Scientists In year 3 (summer 2008-summer 2009) we will: • Continue field monitoring of treated, untreated, and salvaged sites • Provide updated reports and have an annual meeting with land managers to report our progress and findings • Present results on using QuickBird imagery for mapping burn severity at the Forest Service Remote Sensing Applications Center biennial meeting For more information RMRS Moscow website: http://forest.moscowfsl.wsu.edu/ Invasive species response (coming soon) will be linked to: http ://www . cnrhome .uidaho . edu/burnseverity Who we are We are Forest Service Rocky Mountain Research Station and University of Idaho researchers working in cooperation with managers of the Umatilla National Forest and the Washington Department of Natural Resources and Department of Fish and Wildlife * Peter Robichaud, Research Engineer, Rocky Mountain Research Station, Moscow, ID - probichaud at fs.fed.us * Penelope Morgan, Fire Ecologist, College of Natural Resources, University of Idaho - pmorgan at uidaho.edu * Leigh Lentile, Fire Ecologist, College of Geology and Forestry, University of the South - lblentil at sewanee.edu * Sarah Lewis, Civil Engineer, Rocky Mountain Research Station, Moscow, ID - sarahlewis at fs.fed.us * Andrew Hudak, Research Scientist, Rocky Mountain Research Station, Moscow, ID - ahudak at fs.fed.us * Debbie Dumroese, Research Scientist, Mountain Research Station, Moscow, ID - ddumroese at fs.fed.us * Bob Brown, Hydrologist, Rocky Mountain Research Station, Moscow, ID - bbrown02 at fs.fed.us Umatilla National Forest Collaborators Monte Fujishin, Craig Busskohl, Caty Clifton, Vicky Erickson, Scott Riley BBaB N^ralReS^rC^ n\ay 2008 IO SUMMER 2008 ❖ SAGE NOTES ❖ A Publication of the Idaho Native Plant Society Vol. 30 (2) The Splitter offer us further insight. When you say we are all part of the problem, you can't mean me, my credit card gives 2 % of all pur chases toINPS . When I say us, mean everyone including me! So what are you suggesting as a solution - global government or ANARCHY? This is a situation that doesn't have a solution, but has many solutions and will require a paradigm shift within human society if we are to intain a productive, human friendly biosp hereL You negative Nellies make me sick. You hate America don't you? I hope last time all you Jr. Botanists playing along at home set your web browsers to stun and went to: www.iucn.org and www,well.com/~davidu/extmcti on.html . You might be asking: How did this happen? Was someone asleep at the wheel? In the words of Pogo, the comic creation of the great Walt Kelly: "We have met the enemy and he is us..." The Global Biodiversity Crisis doesn't mean we quit being Americans. It may require us to become better Americans. There are many solutions, but in an election year let us not forget the political solution... Hey Kids! Its time for the another turgid installment of... The last strip explored attitudes toward the impending Global Biodiversity- Crisis. Due to popular demand, the SMBFF continue the exploration... Never question a superhero's patriotism... the strip can have some violence... I am gaining insight and understanding in this crucial issue! Thanks SMBFF!! The Lumper continues... TT? The Founding Fathers felt our freedoms were precious, but did not ^ guarantee them. The guarantee of freedom rests with each of us not allowing our freedoms to be impinged. Sometimes we must work for freedom, but ultimately isn't violence for those who lack the creativity to solve problems otherwise? My personal allegiance is to AMERICA. The ultimate in patriotism is not Democrats or Republicans it is the real AMERICA: the WILDERNESS that forged American personality and the NATIVE PLANTS and other biota f rom which we derive our strength. Please join Splitter and I in this election year in supporting candidates who support the real Americans: NATIVE PLANTS!! owering, ar in cross-su nflated below Jh* lot infl sal or Dsent By Kent Fothergill n\oy 2008 II SUMMER 2008 ❖ SAGE NOTES ❖ A Publication of the Idaho Native Plant Society Vol. 30 (2) INPS NEWS INPS Official Logo Arrives Idaho Native Plant Society Financial Summary January 1 to December 31 , 2007 Income Dues/donations/RPC proceeds $ 6,596.52 Total Income $ 6,596.52 EXPENSES Annual meeting $ 160.00 ERIG grants $ 1,418.30 General administrative $ 1,018.22 Sage Notes printing & mailing $ 4,302.44 Sales tax $ 10.90 Total Expenses $ 6,909.86 ASSETS Bank account $ 8,453.25 6-month CD $ 2,835.23 Total Assets $11,288.48 OTHER EVENTS American Penstemon Society Meeting June 13-15, Ely Nevada Come join us for the APS-2008 Annual Meeting in Ely, Nevada on June 13-15. This trip, led by Bob Pennington, promises to be one of our best ever as this is one of the premier areas in the world to view penstemons. There are about 20 species present in White Pine County where we will be meeting. We will visit locations in the Great Basin National Park, White River area, and other locations in the Snake and adjacent Mountain Ranges. A summary and description for the meetings can be found in the newsletter but here are a few details. Headquarters for the meeting is the Prospector Hotel on Highway 6 in the north part of Ely. They have offered us a room rate of $72 a night if you register before March 31. Their phone number is 1-800-750-0557. We will have an informal gathering with a buffet dinner on Friday evening including a program on identifying and keying out the penstemons we will be seeing on the field trips. Saturday and Sunday will be devoted to field trips to different areas where the penstemons are blooming. Saturday night will include a sit-down dinner, annual meeting and guest speaker all at the Prospector Hotel. After you arrange for your own dinner on Sunday night there will be a casual meeting at the Prospector planned with two or three shorter programs, one featuring a compendium of members photos taken on Saturday and Sunday. For more information and updates about the annual meeting visit http://www.apsdev.org/aps/meetings.html . n\oy 2008 12 SUMMER 2008 ❖ SAGE NOTES ❖ A Publication of the Idaho Native Plant Society Vol. 30 (2) CHAPTER NEWS Calypso Chapter EVENTS SCHEDULE May 3: Q’emiln Trails. Asbell’s will host a potluck barbecue following the walk. Hamburgers will be furnished. Please bring food to complement. Where : Meet at the trail head Q’emiln Trails, Post Falls, Idaho. When: 9:00 am May 17: Rathdrum Mountain. We will add additional species to last year's plant list that is available on their web site. Where : Rathdrum Mountain, Rathdrum, Idaho. Meet at Albertson's in Hayden to carpool. When: 9:30 am July 12: Mt. Spokane State Park Where: Meet at Walgreens in Cd’ A to car pool. When: 8:00 am Kinnikinnick Chapter PROGRAM SCHEDULE Presentation sponsored by Native Plant Society and Sandpoint Parks and Recreation Sandpoint Community Center May 24: Title: Plant-climate relationships: biographic, ecological & genetic impacts of global warming. Presenter: Jerry Rehfeldt, US Forest Service, of Moscow, Idaho will emphasize the potential effects of global warming on native plants, primarily trees. When: 9:45 am FIELD TRIPS If weather is truly awful or the snow has not melted, we may reschedule at the last minute. Be sure to check in if weather is questionable. More trips may be added if turnout and enthusiasm are high. Put these trips on your calendars! We look forward to enjoying them with you. May 3: Half a day at Mineral Point for early wildflowers during Native Plant Appreciation Week. Where: Carpooling - meet at Sagle Conoco/ Travel America When: leave at 9:00 am n\ai) 2008 May 10: Denton Road, between Hope & Clark Fork Leader: Joyce Pence Where: Carpooling - meet at Bonner County Courthouse parking lot When: leave at 9:00 am May 16: Half a day at Mineral Point for a wildflower update Leader: Betsy Hammet, our local USFS Botanist. Where: Carpooling - meet at Sagle Conoco/ Travel America When: leave at 9:00 am May 24: Half day hike on the Pend Oreille Bay Trail (Hall property) Where: Carpooling - meet at Bonner County Courthouse parking lot after the general meeting When: approx. 12:30 pm (after general meeting) June 14: Half a day at Mineral Point for a wildflower update Where: Carpooling - meet at Sagle Conoco/ Travel America When: leave at 9:00 am July 5: Hike the Mickinnick Trail - check out the native plant landscaping at the trailhead. Where: Meet at trailhead parking lot When: 9:00 am *TBA:* Gold Hill (from Sagle Rd.) Please join a carpool whenever possible, as many of our destinations have limited parking. Carpools will LEAVE at stated times; please be early. Of course we want everyone to enjoy the day so please dress for the weather and prepare for conditions. Be sure to bring water, snacks/lunch, and native plant field guides, etc. Please contact Molly O'Reilly with questions (255-7336). Loasa Chapter PROGRAM SCHEDULE May 15: Title: Plants of the Brown’s Bench region Where: CSI Taylor Building room 256 When: 7:00 pm June (TBA): Field trip to Brown’s Bench region 13 SUMMER 2008 ❖ SAGE NOTES ❖ A Publication of the Idaho Native Plant Society Vol. 30 (2) All INPS members and the public are welcome to attend Loasa’s events. If interested or for further details contact Kelvin Jones at (208) 886-7051. Pahove Chapter Please visit the state website for details on our upcoming events and activities: http://www.idahonativeplants.org/ EVENTS SCHEDULE May 1 &15: Boise Foothills Wildflowers Walks Where : Foothills Learning Center. When: 6:30 pm May 8: Lucky Peak Nursery Wildflower Walk Where: Luck Peak Nursery When: 6:30 pm May 17-18: Idaho Green Expo at Boise Centre on the Grove . The Pahove Chapter is hosting a booth this year at the first annual Idaho Green Expo, which is a free, two day event that will showcase environmentally friendly products and services and provide information that will help people to lead healthier and more sustainable lives. The Expo will feature over 150 exhibitors and more than 60 workshops and seminars on a variety of green-living topics. Attractions will also include music, speakers, art, food, demonstrations and activities for children. Pahove Chapter will host a native plants and native gardening exhibit. Volunteers are needed to help with the booth! Please contact Chris Colson if you are interested (cgcols at msn dot com) . August 14 & 15: Juncus (Rush) Identification Workshop — College of Idaho. See announcement on page 1 of this issue. Pahove Chapter hosts monthly presentations from September through April on 3 rd Thursdays of each month. For more information on any of these activities, please contact Karen Colson (trilliumkc at msn dot com) . Viola beckwithii, the Great Basin violet, is a sure sign that spring is here - apparently so is snow. Sah-Wah-Be Chapter PREVIOUS EVENTS Death Valiev: During Idaho State U’s spring break week, March 22-30, 18 Idaho Native Plant enthusiasts and friends enjoyed the spring flowers and awe-inspiring configurations of Death Valley, California. Dr. Karl Holte, ISU botanist emeritus, served as tour guide. Death Valley is a wondrous place to visit! It is steeped in history, stupendous geological formations and compositions, and- despite a mere two inches of rainfall per year and severe summer temperatures- supports well over 1000 species of plants, some at 282 feet below sea level. Although the flower display in 2008 was not as spectacular as that of record-breaking year 2005, our group enjoyed seeing 28 shrubs, 46 herbs/forbs, 3 grasses, 1 sedge, the parasites dodder and mistletoe, and a stalked puffball fungus. A few of the predominant flowers in bloom were desert gold (Geraea canescens ), gravelghost (Atrichoseris platyphylla ), pebble pincushion ( Chaenactis carphoclinia ) in the Aster family; purple mat (Nama demissum ), notch-leaf phacelia ( Phacelia crenulata) plus two other phacelias in the Waterleaf family; desert rocknettle (Eucnide urens) in the Loasa family; evening- primroses ( Camissonia boothiii condensata, C. brevipes, C. claviformis ); and the very lovely desert fivespot ( Malvastrum rotundifolium ) in the Mallow family. We camped in the Furnace Creek area and n\ay 2008 N Dylan Levy-Boyd SUMMER 2008 ❖ SAGE NOTES ❖ A Publication of the Idaho Native Plant Society Vol. 30 (2) caravanned to Scotty’s Castle and Ubehebe Crater toward the north end of Death Valley, to Badwater and Salsbury Pass at the south end where the flowers were particularly abundant, enjoying along the way Dante’s View, Zabriskie Point, the Devil’s Golf Course, Golden Canyon, Artist’s Palette, Natural Bridge, the Sand Dunes near Stovepipe Wells, the historical Borax Works, and awesome Titus Canyon. The endangered pupfish and the seemingly bottomless Devil’s Hole were explored in Ash Meadows National Wildlife Refuge just outside the Death Valley National Monument boundary. The opportunity to learn and socialize with old friends and many new ones is always a bonus of such a trip as this Death Valley excursion. A list of plants observed and identified on this trip, including common and scientific names and family classifications, is available by emailing Karl Holte at ardvsholte at cableone dot net . Native Plant Awareness Week: As part of our observance of Earth Day (April 22) and Native Plant Awareness Week (April 28-May 3), Sah-Wah-Be chapter once again set up an information table at the Pocatello Environmental Fair on Saturday, April 26. INPS brochures, information on native plants, free starts of plants, and soil and seeds for children to plant were available to visitors to the fair. CHAPTER UPDATES New Officers: Of Sah-Wah-Be’ s approximately 135 paid members, 58 attended the annual meeting April 7 and unanimously elected the following to serve as officers of the chapter until April 2009. President, Barbara Nicholls; Vice Presidents, Penny Fazio and Pauline Havens; Secretary, Shirley Rodgers; Treasurer, Catalina Steckbauer; News, Linda Johnson and Ardys Holte; Members-at-Large, Mel Nicholls, Karl Holte, Dick Anderson; Past-President, Janet Bala. In addition, congratulations were extended to Janet Bala, who accepted the nomination for state INPS Vice President, to be voted upon at this summer's meeting. 2009 State Meeting: Sah-Wah-Be chapter will host the June 2009 annual state meeting of all chapters in a site yet to be determined. A committee is forming to organize plans, and suggestions and volunteers are welcome. We are looking forward to hosting this meeting in southeast Idaho. EVENTS SCHEDULE At our annual meeting the membership proposed and voted on many sites for field trips, some new and some old favorites. Of these, 18 field trips and events for the 2008 season have been selected, beginning with a May 3 wander in Kinney Creek drainage south of Pocatello to look for early spring flowers, followed by a potluck supper at the Holtes’ house. Please refer to the INPS website for the complete list. All trips are subject to change, of course, so be sure to check with Penny Fazio for up- to-date details on each (plfazio at dcdi dot net ). White Pine Chapter Questions regarding White Pine happenings can be directed to Janet Campbell, inacampbell at roadrunner dot com , (208) 882-6409. Wood River Chapter Future Activities TBD: Contact chapter president Tess O’Sullivan for updates Conservation Seeding & Restoration, Inc. Discover water conservation the native way with CSR. From small residential native landscapes to large wildland restorations, look to us for design, construction, native seed collection, plant propagation, stream channel restoration, and stewardship. 506 Center Street West Kimberly, ID 83341 (208) 423-4835 www.csr-inc.com n\ay 2008 15 1 Idaho k Native Plant Society Idaho Native Plant Society P.O.Box 9451 Boise, ID 83707 ADDRESS SERVICE REQUESTED Non Profit Organization U.S. Postage Paid Boise, ID Permit No. 688 Sage Notes is published four times a year in February, May, September, and December by the Idaho Native Plant Society, incorporated since 1977, under the laws of the State of Idaho. Editor, Dylan Levy-Boyd. Newsletter ads: personal ads $2; commercial ads $5 for 1/8 page, $8 for 1/4 page, $15 for 1/2 page, and $25 for full page. Ads should be sent with payment. Submissions: members and others are invited to submit material for publication. Articles in any form, even hand-written, are welcome, as is art work. Please provide a phone number in case there are questions. Material will not be returned. Send submissions directly to the editor, Dylan Levy- Boyd, 506 Center St. West, Kimberly, ID 83341, or . Submission deadlines are January 8, April 1, August 1, and November 1. Officers: President, Janet Benoit; Vice President, Eric Wilson; Secretary, Lois Rohay; Treasurer, Jody Hull. Calypso Chapter, P.O. Box 331, Careywood, ID 83809. President, Bob Lee; Vice President, Roland Craft; Secretary, VACANT; Treasurer, Janet Benoit; Newsletter, Phil Hruskocy. Rinnikinnick Chapter, 206 N. 4 th Ave., PMB 162, Sandpoint, ID 83864. President, Carol Jenkins; Vice President, Jim Stem; Secretary, Konrad Dahlstrom; Treasurer, Ken Haag; Conservation, Carol Jenkins; Programs, Don Childress; Newsletter, Adrienne Lilly; Lield Trips, Molly O’ Reilly; Education, Nancy Lontaine. Loasa Chapter, 340 E 520 N, Shoshone, ID 83352. President, Kelvin Jones; Vice President, LaMar Orton; Secretary, Lois Rohay; Treasurer, Steve Paulsen. Pahove Chapter, PO Box 9451, Boise, ID 83707. President, Karen Colson; Vice President, Linda Mazzu; Secretary, VACANT; Treasurer, Jody Hull; Conservation, Chris Colson. Sah-Wah-Be Chapter, 146 South 17 th Avenue, Pocatello, ID 83201. President, Barbara Nicholls; Vice Presidents, Penny Lazio and Pauline Havens; Secretary, Shirley Rodgers; Treasurer, Catalina Steckbauer; News, Linda Johnson and Ardys Holte; Members-at-Large, Mel Nicholls, Karl Holte, Dick Anderson; Past-President, Janet Bala. White Pine Chapter, PO Box 8481, Moscow, ID 83843. President, Janet Campbell & Nancy Miller; Vice President, David Pierce; Secretary, OPEN; Treasurer, Nancy Sprague; Conservation, Juanita Lichthardt. Wood River Chapter, PO Box 3093, Hailey, ID 83333. President, Tess O’Sullivan; Vice President, Carol Blackburn; Secretary, VACANT; Treasurer, VACANT. The Idaho Native Plant Society (INPS) is dedicated to promoting interest in native plants and plant communities and to collecting and sharing information on all phases of the botany of native plants in Idaho, including educating the public to the values of the native flora and its habitats. In keeping with our mission, it is the intent of the INPS to educate its membership and the public about current conservation issues that affect Idaho’s native flora and habitats. Membership is open to anyone interested in our native flora. Send dues to Jody Hull, INPS Treasurer, Box 9451, Boise, ID 83707. Website address: IdahoNativePlants.org. Category 2008 Annual D . Patron $35 . Individual $15 . Household * $20 . Student $8 . Senior Citizen $8 Name Address City/State Zip Telephone E mail Chapter affiliation? (check one) Calypso (Coeur d’Alene; please include $6 newsletter dues) Kinnikinnick (Sandpoint; please include $10 for Kinnikinnick Journal) Pahove (Boise) Sah-Wah-Be (SE Idaho) White Pine (Moscow) Loasa (Twin Lalls) Wood River (Ketchum-Sun Valley; please include $7 chapter dues) None. Those who do not live near a chapter are encouraged to join. We can put you in touch with other members in your area, and can coordinate with you on any state level activities you may wish to be involved in. * Household memberships are allocated two votes