NOVEMBER 2012 P * The • ipevine Newsletter of the Mount Lassen Chapter CALIFORNIA NATIVE PLANT SOCIETY General Meeting NOVEMBER 7, 2012 Wednesday 7:30 pm Butte County Library, Chico CONTROLLING DlWflgflW® FlfUfilS© in the Garden or at a Landscape Level Presented by SUSAN MASON Invasive Plants Chair, Mount Lassen Chapter CNPS W eed control in your garden or acreage can seem overwhelming. Susan Mason will talk about techniques and tools that allow you to use your time more efficiently and with better results. Plant identification, reproductive biology, effec- tive control methods, timing of treatment or removal, specialized tools, and prioritization are some of the aspects of weed control that will be presented. Bring your questions or weedy plants to the meeting - lots of reference materials will be available to help you solve your particular problems. Susan is the Invasive Plants Chair for the Mount Lassen Chapter of CNPS. She has led the Friends of Bidwell Park volunteer invasive plant removal program for the last 9 years and has spent almost 5,000 hours removing weeds from Bidwell Park and other city-owned properties. Susan has participated in more than 20 invasive plant workshops, taught several weed workshops and received the Land Manager of the Year award from the California Invasive Plant Council. W e will be electing MOUNT LASSEN CHAPTER 2013 EXECUTIVE BOARD OFFICERS at this General Meeting. See page 3. for nominations ... and COME AND VOTE! Field Trips TEN-MILE HOUSE TRAIL UPPER BIDWELL PARK October 28 Sunday Meet at 9:30 am at the “Green Gate” entrance to Upper Bidwell Park (which is 7 miles east of the Bruce Road and the Hwy 32 intersection) with lunch, water, insect/sun pro- tection, and wear hiking gear. We will walk down an old road through Kellogg and blue oak forest to Chico Creek for lunch. On the return we will stop at a spring and pos- sibly pick some persimmons to break the 700-foot climb. Rain cancels .Leader: Wes Dempsey 530-342-2293 CAMPUS TREE TOURS CALIFORNIA STATE UNIVERSITY, CHICO AND BIDWELL MANSION November 2, 16 and 30 Fridays Meet at 10 am in front of Bidwell Mansion; parking is free for participants. This is the 125th anniversary of the CSU, Chico campus so we will be featuring the many fine trees that were in existence or planted about that time by the Bidwells: European lindens, American chestnuts, Califor- nia incense cedars, water oaks, English and east coast white oaks, London planes, southern magnolia, pecans, turkey oak and several others. Tours end about 11:45. Leaders: Wes Dempsey 530-342-2293 and Gerry Ingco 530-893-5123 OLD PLANT INTRODUCTION STATION TREE WALK November 18 Sunday Meet at the Mendocino National Forest Conservation and Genetics Resource Center on Cramer Lane at 9 am. Walk will finish at noon. From the Skyway in southeast Chico, take Dominic Drive south to Morrow Lane and then east to Cramer Lane where the station begins and a sign di- rects you down Cramer. Fall colors should be great along this half-mile stroll with orange-red Chinese pistachios and yellow lindens. This USDA station was established on land donated by the Bidwells in 1904 where hundreds of trees and shrubs from all parts of the world were plant- ed to assess their value for medicine, fruit production, and landscaping. The kiwi, pistachio, cherry, and stone fruit industries were developed here along with plants for treating cancer. Many trees planted between 1904 and 1930 line the nature trail we will follow. See tung oil tree, lacebark pine, mourning cypress, trident maple and oth- ers. Leaders: Wes Dempsey 530-342-2293 and Gerry Ingco 530-893-5123 Ten- mile House Trail, September 27, 2011 Photo by Woody Elliott 2 . The Pipevine November 2012 Executive Board Meeting November 14, 2012 Wednesday 7:00 pm Place to be arranged President’s Message by Paul L. Moore Chapter President A s you will note elsewhere in this issue of the Pipevine, we will be electing new Chapter Officers and Members of the Executive Board at our November 7 General Meeting. This is an important and exciting time for the Chapter as we bring in new leadership and great energy for the work and challenges in- volved in the “preservation and conservation of the native plants of California” (Mount Lassen Chapter Bylaws). But I do want to take this opportunity to sincerely and gratefully thank all of the members of the Executive Board and Chapter Committees for all of their commitment and work during this past year. They have given structure and content to all of the things we have done together as a Chapter. While a number will continue in their current roles or move to others, several very productive people will step aside. ..hopefully, for a very short time. We are grateful and very thankful for their participation and service. And as you see those staying or leaving, thank them for their service. It has been wonderful. Legislative Notes by David Anderson HELP FOR BIG TREES M any groves of California’s most famous native plant, the Giant Sequoia ( Sequoiadendron giganteum), are not within the protective boundaries of the Sierra national and state parks. In 2000, to help preserve these precious trees and their ecosystems, President Clinton established the 328,000 acre Giant Sequoia National Monument. It is located within the Sequoia National Forest and is administered by the Forest Service. On September 4, 2012, after years of planning, including con- sideration of thousands of individual, organization and agency comments, the Forest Service Supervisor, Kevin Elliott, released the Giant Sequoia National Monument Management Plan and Final Environmental Impact Statement. Among other things, the plan provides guidelines regulating logging, prohibits logging of the largest trees, and recommends the creation of a new wilder- ness area. In general the environmentalist comments available indicate that the plan is good as far as it goes, but that it should be strengthened. The very voluminous Forest Service Record of Decision is available on line or in hard copy and is appealable within 90 days. PS. Governor Brown signed AB 1540, SB 972, and SB 1241, CNPS supported bills which were summarized in last month’s Pipevine. He also signed AB 890, which CNPS opposed. And I should repeat what I have said on a number of occasions, there are wonderful opportunities for all of you to help us pursue the important purposes of this organization. Please volunteer. MOUNT Nominations 2013 Elected Officers W e are pleased to announce that we have the following candidates that are willing to serve on the Executive Board of Mount Lassen Chapter. Other nominations are welcome by contacting any member of the Nominations Com- mittee. The nominations remain open until the November 7 General Meeting. At that meeting we’ll call for final nomina- tions and then vote to elect the Members of the Board. Nominations Committe: Jim Bishop, Woody Elliott, and Paula Shapiro (contacts listed on page 11.). MEMBERS SHOULD ATTEND AND VOTE! President Vice President Secretary Treasurer Members-at-Large SUELLEN ROWLISON ANGIE TILARO JIM BISHOP JOHN MEEHAN CAT IE BISHOP HESH KAPLAN MARGO LUND MARION WEER The Pipevine November 2012 3. ANNIE B’S COMMUNITY DRIVE SUCCESS Congratulations and Thank-you! J anna Lathrop reports, As a result of our participation in the 201 2 Annie B’s Community Drive through the North Valley Community Foundation, Mount Lassen Chapter received total of $3125.80 to add to our general fund. The MLC Board of Directors thanks each of our 34 donors that contributed to the success of this year’s drive. This is the forth year that we have participated and are gratified that each year turns out to be more successful than the one before! Our worker bees, Janna Lathrop and Ellen Copeland, at Annie B’s Thursday-night Market in Chico. September 20, 2012 Photo by Carolyn Short BOTANICAL BOOKS PLEASE JOIN US MOUNT LASSEN CHAPTER NATIVE PLANT SALE at the HARVEST FESTIVAL FARM CITY CELEBRATION November 3, 2012 10am - 2pm by John Meehan, Sales Co-chair ... Are you running out of space for your old books? ... Are you no longer using that field guide to trees? ... Have you enjoyed that coffee table book long enough? ... Have you moved on to mushrooms and now have too many fern books? D onate your books for the Chapter’s USED BOOK SALE to be held at the MAY 2013 GENERAL MEETING. All books on plants, gardening, natural history and field guides will be welcome. Books donated to the chapter will be reasonably priced and the proceeds will benefit the Chapter. Bring your books to the Sales Table at any of the General Meetings from November to April or call John Meehan at 530-894-5339. Bidwell Mansion Historic State Park FREE FAMILY EVENT with arts & crafts, animal displays antique farm equipment, food booths and much more. VISIT OUR BOOTH 4. The Pipevine November 2012 TEICHERT PONDS Volunteer Invasive Plant Removal Project by Susan Mason, Invasive Plants Chair T eichert Ponds is a 40- acre city-owned open space just southeast of the intersection of Hwy 99 and Hwy 32. If you’re driv- ing past the ponds in a car, it just looks like a big swamp. How- ever, for those who have taken the time to explore it on foot, the area is an amazing example of the regenerative capacity of na- ture. It’s a Mecca for numerous bird species and contains many native plants too. The Teichert Ponds Restoration Foundation’s web site (http://chicoteichertponds.wordpress.com/) provides a wealth of information about the ponds. A newly constructed bike path along Hwy 99 at the edge of Tei- chert Ponds and new bike bridge across Little Chico Creek will vastly improve access to the ponds and also allow for the site’s first major restoration effort, namely the removal of invasive privet and olive trees that are smothering the native oaks, syca- mores and willows. These morning and afternoon volunteer work sessions will take place on many dates during November. Dates and times will be posted in the Park Division calendar (http://www.ci. chico. ca.us /, then select Bidwell Park from the top pull-down menu) and Friends of Bidwell Park (www.friendsofbidwellpark.org) calendar. The work is suitable for teenagers and adults, but younger kids accompanied by their parents are also welcome to participate — there are lots of seedlings to pull out too. You can work a couple of hours and then spend some time exploring the ponds. These are drop-in sessions for individuals, but if you have a school, church, scout or other group that wants to help, we can accommodate them too, with enough advance notice so we bring sufficient tools, gloves and supplies. We’re also seeking donations to pay for the roller bins that will be used to take the vegetative debris to the city’s compost yard. Each 30-yard bin costs about $200. For more information or to register a group, call Susan Ma- son at (530) 892-1666 or email smason908@gmail.com. BUTTERFLY VALLEY FIELD TRIP left - Annelise Feenstra looking at Darlingtonia bog right top - Roundleaf Sundew ( Drosera rotundifolia) right bottom - California Pitcher-plant ( Darlingtonia californica) September 3, 2012 Plumas National Forest Photos by Woody Elliott The Pipevine November 2012 5. BATTERED but not BEATEN by Rex Burress D own by the riverside, there was a large almond tree, girdled by beaver five years ago. It had died but stood balanced on a thin pedestal, standing defiantly until decay finally completed the downfall. Although introduced, almonds are not invasive, unless you call the couple dozen volunteers along the river banks invad- ers, but their glorious white blossoms that break the spell of winter, overcomes whatever objection there might be. Birds sat in the jagged black branches of the beaver-kill for a clear view, and I’m sure within the sapless wood insects had a heyday. Nuthatches and woodpeckers scoured the cracked bark to pluck the plunder. I was reminded of the mul- titude of broken branches and fallen trees found in untended woodlands. Many regenerate new growth from root stock and seeds that are richly blessed by the mulching duff. Some of the cottonwoods along the river that have been partially gnawed by beaver often heal and the scared trees go on living until their life span ends. There are many trees disfigured by some natural force, not only by beaver hits, but lightning, wind, and storms take a toll. Even herbaceous plants and flowers can be bent by fasciation or galls, but usually a battered remnant goes on living. Often those growth deformities are very photogenic, and generate inspiration for art work or poetic pondering in their slow disintegration. There indeed is beauty in imperfection whether bent by weather or deformed by invaders, at least for those, who in the love of nature, hold communion with her visible forms in whatever condition nature has directed. I am reminded of an old landmark tree in Las Trampas Regional Park in the hills above Alamo, CA. Locals call the hilltop interior live oak “Lone Tree,” and take a break in the shade of its out- sprawling branches when on the way to the mountain summit. I suspect it has been there a couple hundred years, harboring a multitude of animals and absorbing the battering forces of winter and the hot sun of summer. Such a tree is an island of life for birds and insects, and the Indian War- rior wildflowers flourish there in the springtime. Holes in a tree that are caused by decay, fire, woodpeckers, or injury become nesting sites or hiding places for crevice animals in a working woodland. A variety of growth with a certain percentage of woody defects encourages animal populations and adds structural variety. Woodpeckers need some snags to hammer on and beaver topple some prematurely, but water and soil will maintain a healthy balance. Remember that the wood debris and leafy fallout of pulverized particles and dead plant-stems help generate the flowers of spring. The poppy and the popcorn flowers that we love to see break out of spring-time soil owe their existence to all the organic cast-offs of the past. Soil is the foundation of life. For an exhilarating experience, aside from “climbing the moun- tains and getting their good tidings,” explore a timberline twisted forest of bristlecone pines. There in those heights are some stun- ning scenes of contorted, weather-textured pines that seem to have been there forever, sculptured and stained by pelting winds, yet they endure the rigorous elevation in Nevada’s Wheeler Range and CA’s White Mountains. “The woods are full of dead and dying trees, yet needed for their beauty to complete the beauty of the living.” -John Muir 6 . The Pipevine September 2012 From Mountain Tops to Canyon Bottoms: Climate's Variable Effect on Sierran Ecosystems The 18th FRIENDS of the HERBARIUM ANNUAL MEETING & NATIVE PLANT PHOTO CONTEST F riends of the Herbarium will host a nature photography exhibi- tion and two talks, free to the public, on Saturday, November 3. The reception for the “Native Plant Photo Contest” opens at 3 pm, at CSU,C in Holt 129. At 4 pm, ERIN GOTTSCHALK FISHER, will discuss her research on Evaluating Vernal Pool Restoration for Two Rare Grasses, and changing rooms to Holt 268, at 5 pm DR. CONNIE MILLAR discusses the effects of global climate change in the Sierra Nevada in her talk, From Mountain Tops to Canyon Bottoms: Climate’s Variable Effect on Sierran Ecosys- tems. Everyone is welcome! Keep up with MLC Activities on our website and Facebook California Native Plant Society, Mount Lassen Chapter and LIKE US facebook. mountlassen.cnps.org Officers & Chairs ELECTED OFFICERS <530) President PAUL MOORE 343-4287 Past President pmoore@csuchico.edu JANNA LATHROP 636-4547 Vice-President jlathrop4mlc@comcast.net JOHN MEEHAN 894-5339 Secretary jsmeehan64@yahoo.com JIM BISHOP cjbishopl 991 @sbcglobal. net Treasurer JOHN MEEHAN 894-5339 Member-at-Large jsmeehan64@yahoo.com PAULA SHAPIRO 343-7440 paulashapiro@wildblue.net CATIE BISHOP cjbishopl 991 @sbcg lobal.net CINDY WEINER 342-7645 wildflowermaven@comcast.net CHAIRS Conservation Education Invasive Plants Field Trips Co-chairs Membership Horticulture Newsletter Editor Programs Co-chairs Rare Plants Publicity Sales Co-chairs WOODY ELLIOTT 342-6053 woodyelliott@gmail.com ADRIENNE EDWARDS aledwards@csuchico.edu SUSAN MASON 892-1666 smason908@gmail.com WES DEMPSEY 342-2293 wdempsey@csuchico.edu GERRY INGCO 893-5123 genaroingco@aol.com SUSAN MASON 892-1666 smason908@gmail.com PAULA SHAPIRO 343-7440 paulashapiro@wildblue.net DENISE DEVINE 345-8444 dsrdevine@hotmail.com JIM BISHOP cjbishopl 991 @sbcg lobal.net WOODY ELLIOTT 342-6053 woodyelliott@gmail.com RON COLEY 533-1238 rcoley64@comcast.net CINDY WEINER 342-7645 wildflowermaven@comcast.net JOHN MEEHAN 894-5339 jsmeehan64@yahoo.com ELLEN COPELAND copelande12@yahoo.com Vol. Recognition / Chapter Council Delegate CATIE BISHOP cjbishopl 991 @sbcglobal. net The Pipevine November 2012 7. MOUNT LASSEN CHAPTER CALIFORNIA NATIVE PLANT SOCIETY P O. BOX 3212 CHICO, CA 95927-3212 Requested In-home Delivery 10/25-27/2012 3-Day Window RETURN SERVICE REQUESTED Nonprofit Org. U.S. Postage PAID Chico, CA Permit No. 553 Time Value NOVEMBER 2012 issue Pipevine Phyllis would say Join Today ! MEMBERSHIP APPLICATION CALIFORNIA NATIVE PLANT SOCIETY I wish to affiliate with the Mount Lassen Chapter new renew Name Address City State Zip Phone Email Calen 1#12 October 28 - Ten-mile Trail / Upper Bidwell November 2- CSUC Tree Tour 3 - Harvest Festival 7 - General Meeting VOTE 14 - Ex Board Meeting 16 - CSUC Tree Tour 18 - Old Plant Station Walk 30- CSUC Tree Tour Send Membership Applications to: student , Limited |ncome $25 MOUNT LASSEN CHAPTER CNPS Individual $45 P O. BOX 32 1 2 Family / Library $75 CHICO, CA 95927-3212 Plant Lover $100 Patron $300 m0untlassen.cnps.org Benefactor $600 December 5 - General Meeting NO Ex Board Meeting