THE
BLAZING STAR
July-August 2001
GENERAL
MEETING & PROGRAM
Friday, July 27, 2001 at 7:30pm
Los Altos Library Program Room
13 So. San Antonio Road, Los Altos
Speaker: Jodi Isaacs
TOPIC: Resource Management at
Russian Ridge
Open Space Preserve
Join us for this informative presentation about
a very special local preserve! Jodi Isaacs will speak about the different
grassland management techniques conducted by Midpeninsula Regional Open Space
District (MROSD) over the past three years at Russian Ridge and what we have
learned from the results. One of her goals is to bring awareness to the many management
challenges faced when trying to preserve grassland habitats.
Jodi has been with MROSD for five years as their
Resource Management Specialist. Her job is extremely diverse, as she deals with
various aspects of natural resources including habitat restoration, special
species protection and wild pig control in a wide variety of habitats. Her undergraduate degree is in Wildlife
Biology and her Masters is in Landscape Ecology.
Our general meetings are free and open to the
public. They are an opportunity to meet other members, peruse our books and
become familiar with various issues. Our chapter is involved with a wide
variety of activities, as you can see in this issue of the Blazing Star.
DIRECTIONS: (For a map to the Los Altos Library, see the
May/June Blazing Star.) From
Foothill Expressway, travel 1/2 mile towards the Bay, cross Hillview and turn
right into the driveway; library is on the left. From El Camino, travel towards
the hills, cross Edith and turn left into the unmarked driveway just before
Hillview. If you need additional information or help with the directions,
please contact Georgia Stigall at gstigall@aol.com
or 650-941-1068.
PRESIDENT’S MESSAGE
by Mary Simpson
Spring is almost over for our region. The best
of the wildflower displays have dried up and it is now time to move to higher
elevations to find the best blooms. As I write this, I have just returned from
an amazing Jepson Herbarium field trip to the Modoc Plateau. After the field
trip ended, Stephen Buckhout (our tireless driver for the trip), Jackie Doda
and I went in search of a Calochortus not yet described in the Jepson
Manual. We took what was supposed to be a short break on the long drive home to
search for this "life plant." After a long hunt through blue oak
woodland covered with an abundant display of Brodiaea, I gave up hope
and was returning to the car when Jackie found the object of the hunt. Stephen and I came running to find a single
fresh Calochortus, with petals pink on top, yellow below, and a bright
orange gland. It’s an odd color combination, but for this plant it works. It
was a magical moment and the equivalent of finding a needle in a haystack.
Obviously, this particular plant had not heard about the commonly known fact
that newly discovered plants always grow near major roads. We had to travel
miles of unpaved road and then tramp through the forest. There are still new
botanical discoveries to be made. Go out there and find them!
Ah, but so much for botanical wanderings. Now,
to business. State CNPS is in the final stages of a reorganization process.
Read your CNPS June Bulletin carefully. You will be asked to vote
on the proposed new Bylaws for our State organization. While reading such
information may seem a dreary prospect, this is your organization.
State CNPS is small enough that individual voices have a significant impact. If
you have an opinion, it is important that you monitor these proceedings so you
can voice your opinion in how things are run at the State level. As some of us
recently were astonished to learn, a few votes can have a determinative impact
even in a nationwide race. Ours is a small group. A few votes may well change
the result in our voting process. Read the information in your June Bulletin
and please cast your vote!
In Memoriam: Donald Hughes
Chapter member and native Californian Donald
Hughes passed away earlier this year, on February 17. In the late 1960s he helped
design a custom adobe home in Almaden Valley. While the house was being built,
Mr. Hughes raised more than 200 native plants that were used to landscape the
property. Thanks to the generosity of his family, who designated the Native
Plant Society as a recipient of memorial gifts, his memory lives on and will
help further Chapter efforts on behalf of California’s native plants.
CHAPTER ACTIVITIES
Fall Plant Sale: Mark your calendars for our Fall Plant Sale
at our chapter nursery at Hidden Villa:
Saturday, October 20, 9AM to 3PM (note new times!). Contact Jean Struthers if you would like to
help.
Photography Group
Please note that there will be no meeting of the
Photo Group until Fall. Enjoy your
Summer, and please watch the Blazing Star for announcements of
future meetings and activities.
Gardening With Natives
(GWN)
July GWN Meeting:
Our next meeting will be held at Vicki Pelton’s
house on Thursday, July 5 starting at 7:30PM. There will be a potluck on the
backyard lawn and general discussion with no formal meeting, as Stephanie
cannot be at this event. Vicki has a terrific yard with a native garden, a
small pond, a bog area, 45 small fruit trees, and carnivorous plants! Bring
a sweater just in case the weather is cool like last year! Items to bring: Main dishes, snacks/appetizer, salad/side dish,
bread, dessert, soda/wine, hot beverages, etc. Vicki will provide plates,
silverware, napkins, and cups. (650) 368-2510.
August GWN Meeting:
Thursday, August 2nd, at Stephanie’s
house from 7:30PM to 9:30PM. The native
garden will probably be looking a bit dry and dormant, but we can have a
relaxing meeting in the backyard with some refreshments.
Location:
5319 Garrison Circle, San Jose; 408-629-8004.
Directions: From Hwy 85 South, take the Blossom Hill
Road exit LEFT over the overpass. Travel on Blossom Hill past Snell, Judith,
and Eagles. At the next stop signal (right after Oak Grove High School), take a
LEFT on Lean. Take the first right on Hayes and travel several blocks. Take a
LEFT onto Garrison Circle (it is a circle, so you will have two chances to find
the sign). Our house is 5319, at the far end of the circle. It is the one of
the few houses on the block with no front lawn.
Contact Stephanie Mangels at
stephmangels@hotmail.com or 408-629-8004 to be added to the newsletter mailing
list, provide input, or receive more information. New members are always
welcome!
Edgewood Non
Native Plant Removal
Friday mornings all year,
8:30AM. Contact Ken Himes at 650-591-8560 or John Allen at jcakwa@aol.com for
meeting place.
Saturday
mornings through 8/25/01 - meet at 9:00AM at Edgewood Road under I-280 overpass.
Wednesday
evenings through 10/24/01, 5:30 PM - call Ken or see www.friendsofedgewood.org for meeting
place.
Bring
sturdy gloves, water, snacks, sun protection and layers.
Cape Ivy Removal – Los
Gatos (New Site)
Our first cape ivy (Delairea
odorata) weeding project along Los Gatos Creek is very nearly
done. Only scattered resprouts remain,
so it is time to move on to the next project. This year we are working just
upstream from Vasona Park on another large colony. In these first few sessions
we will be trying to reduce the biomass, so much help is needed. As always,
bring gloves, a long-sleeved shirt (there is some poison oak), snacks and
drinking water. The site is shaded but will probably still be warm.
Directions to the new site: From Hwy 17, take the Hwy 9 exit towards the
hills (towards Monte Sereno and Saratoga). Turn right at the first signal
light, University Avenue. Proceed north one-half mile to the second stop sign,
Roberts Road, and turn right. Drive 0.2 mile east,
until the road begins to descend to the creek.
Park in the residential district and walk across the bridge. Roberts Road
curves to your left; there is a gate to Los Gatos Creek Trail just after the
bend. The colony is right at the gate, stretching downstream.
Schedule (all sessions are on Saturdays, from
10AM to noon): July 14, July 28, August 11, August 25.
Ulistac Habitat Restoration
Restoration
efforts are ongoing, and volunteers are needed for a variety of tasks at this
special location in Santa Clara. Dress for the weather; bring hat, sunscreen,
lunch, and water. Contact Chris and Jeanne Salander at (408) 293-6885 or
salander@batnet.com for more details. Directions:
From Hwy 101 take the Montague Expressway north past the Agnews site to Lick
Mill Blvd. Turn left on Lick Mill; go past the stop sign at Hope St. Ulistac is
on your right; enter through the metal gate. You can also get there on the
light rail line.
Meadow Restoration – Foothills Park
When:
Every Sunday at 9:00AM – noon throughout the Summer.
The results from last year's weeding are already
evident on Vista Hill. There were many more lupines earlier and now there are
many more Calochortus, yarrow and Clarkia in bloom. We have
managed thus far this season to clear two small plots plus the area on the
steep slope on the Panorama trail where we have worked before. There are MANY FEWER yellow starthistle
(YST) – our efforts are really producing results! This is the best time for restoration work with yellow
starthistle, as the plants are large enough to be seen, but they have not yet
bloomed and formed seeds.
Volunteers are a wonderful and scarce resource.
We have more YST than we have YST removers, so every one of you is important!
Directions: Foothills Park is on Page Mill Road a few miles
west of Hwy 280. Inform the ranger that you are there for volunteer restoration
work. Follow the road past the lake and down a hill to the Orchard Glen Picnic
Area parking area next to the rest rooms. Bring water, snacks or lunch and sun
protection including a hat. We usually
work until lunchtime. For more
information: jwo@svpal.org or
ellieg@ispchannel.com.
Native Hill Work Evenings
Every Monday, 5:00PM through Summer: Work evenings to weed, mulch, water, and do
some pruning. There are many flowers still in bloom: Matillja Poppies, Woolly Blue Curls, Spice Bush, and lots of Clarkia.
Directions: Go to Foothill College at the El Monte exit
of Hwy 280 and follow the one-way loop road around the campus. Proceed under a
pedestrian overpass and up a hill. The native plant garden is on the left side
of the road next to faculty parking lot number 2. It is just past the large
“Horticulture” sign. You will not need to pay to park in this lot for the work
sessions.
For more information: ellieg@ispchannel.com
Committee News & Reports
Field Trip Planning
Please join us Friday, July 13 at 7:15PM at
Peninsula Conservation Center (PCC) to help plan field trips. This is your
opportunity to both share your ideas and learn of new locations from others. We
welcome your ideas!
Wildflower Show/Native Plant Sale
People were lined up or milling around the plant
sale area ready to snatch their favorite plants at 10AM Saturday when we opened
for business. As usual we attracted the
most knowledgeable, environmentally aware, “with it” gardeners in the
region. They wanted plants for
pollinators, hummingbirds, butterflies, and plants to deer-proof their gardens.
Erin O'Doherty of Native Revival Nursery brought many pretty flowers along with
some more unusual plants. We were also
joined by a small restoration nursery, "California Wild," who brought
many unique plants that they grow for restoration. Our income from this sale
was almost the same as last year, around $7,758. This was probably because we
were selling many smaller plants. We hope they all thrive at their new homes!
According to Ruth Buneman who runs the
hospitality/greeter table, our attendance totaled 536 on Saturday and 367 on
Sunday. This was in comparison to last year's attendance of 561 and 282 respectively. We displayed 82 plant families including 451
species. Of these, 384 were native and 22 were new species we have not
previously shown.
The grand total of our income including plant
sales, book sales and donations from both outside vendors and the public was
over $14,000. This money is used to
fund the Blazing Star, scholarships, donations to other groups,
and our own conservation projects such as Coyote Ridge and Edgewood Preserve.
This show is our biggest event of the year. It
requires incredible effort on the part of the collectors, keyers, movers,
cashiers, propagators,
sellers (of books, art, seeds, etc.) and more. Many people make it happen
each year and we thank you all! This
year we did it without a chairperson to coordinate everything. It all happened anyway, but it did not go as
smoothly as it has in the past. We would like to make some changes in order to
lighten the burden on the few members who have done the show forever and need
helpers. If you can help in the future,
please let a board member know of your willingness. The reward will be that you will learn a lot about native plants
in the process and will meet some very nice people!
Trip Report - Rare Plants of the Serpentine
About thirty chapter members gathered at the appointed
starting spot on a chillier than expected Saturday in March to participate in
Toni Corelli’s special “Rare Plants of the Serpentine” walk on San Francisco
Watershed land. Thirty was, I believe, above our quota. And since the starting
time and location were given out only to those who had reserved, it is a bit of
a mystery as to why there were extra participants. Actually it is not a
mystery, as our chapter has its share of adventure seekers.
But conservation biology is mostly hard work and
Toni made sure that we worked. Her permit to enter the watershed was predicated
on completing surveys of threatened or endangered species. After we verified that the only known
population of Fritillaria biflora var.
ineziana was present and in flower,
the entire group formed a cordon and moved across the population counting more
than 200 flowering plants. We also documented the associated plant
species. Toni clicked on her Global
Positioning System (GPS) finder to determine the latitude and longitude of the
spot. She then completed a Rare Plant
form documenting the existence of the species to the California Natural
Diversity Database, a component of the Nature Conservancy’s worldwide
biodiversity monitoring program, maintained jointly in California by CNPS and
the California Department of Fish and Game.
At a second spot above Hwy 280, we found quite a
bit of the rare Fritillaria lileacea in
a grassland that included Deschampsia
cespitosa, Collinsia sparsiflora, Cream cups, and Brownie thistle. There was
also Plantago erecta, indicating that
this area remains Bay Checkerspot butterfly habitat.
The third stop was a rare treat indeed, a chance
to visit the “triangle,” the area adjacent to Edgewood Park on the west side of
Hwy 280. The triangle is under the
jurisdiction of the San Francisco Water Department and is not open to the
public. The substrate is all serpentine and it is a sort of miniature Edgewood, with both grassland
and chaparral areas. The rare Pentachaeta bellidiflora was one of the
major serpentine grassland annuals. We
also found skeletons of the rare Cirsium
fontinale var. fontinale,
although not quite where we expected it.
Interestingly, unlike Edgewood, there were not a lot of invasive
species such as yellow starthistle, except along the right of way of an old
roadbed adjacent to Hwy 280.
We salute Toni for arranging this trip and the
San Francisco Water Department for giving us access. The Water Department is clearly committed to preserving
endangered species. And finally, we make
a shameless appeal for help to the thrill seekers and others on this trip. To be preserved, rare plant populations must
be monitored and counted regularly. This is what the CNPS chapter rare plant
committees do; they are the front line of rare plant protection. Join us. Get involved. For info call Don
Mayall 650-856-7579.
State CNPS Assists with Vegetation Survey on
Coyote Ridge
The Santa Clara Valley Chapter is one of three
in the state chosen by the state CNPS vegetation program for assistance in conducting
plant surveys. The other chapters are San Diego and Lake Tahoe. The serpentine
habitats of Coyote Ridge will be the focus of surveys conducted here. Newly appointed state Vegetation Ecologist
Julie Evens is training chapter volunteers in two techniques of evaluating and
characterizing vegetation, the RelevÈ method and the Rapid Assessment method.
She will also assist us in planning the survey and analyzing the data.
The serpentine soils of Coyote Ridge contain
several plant communities in addition to the familiar grassland. These include wetlands where the Mt.
Hamilton Thistle is found, several chaparrals, including the diverse Paintbrush
Hill with its federal and state endangered Castilleja
affinis ssp. neglecta (Tiburon Indian Paintbrush), and the
foothill pine woodland where the endangered Coyote Ceanothus is found. Several
of these do not match any currently described vegetation type and it is likely
new types will be identified. We will also have data for producing precise,
scientifically defensible descriptions of the vegetation of the serpentine
soils on Coyote Ridge. These should be very useful to organizations engaged in
habitat conservation in this area. We
are very pleased to have been chosen for this assistance by the state
vegetation committee. Thanks are also
due to the chapter members who have volunteered to assist on the surveys - Gale
Rankin, Cynthia Gilbert, Paul Heiple, Ken Himes, Ben Hammett, Lee Prouty,
Gloria Heller, Karen Converse, Judy Fenerty, Don Mayall and Mary Simpson.
Public and Private
Agencies Work to Control Weeds
CNPS members have long understood the threat
posed by invasive non-native weeds. They can crowd out rare native plants and
take over entire ecosystems, depriving other species of habitat. They are also
a threat to agriculture, destroying grazing land, field crops, choking
waterways, and posing fire danger. Public agencies, open space authorities,
water and flood control districts, parks and recreation departments, and
agricultural agencies have all become concerned with the threat of weeds.
For the past year and a half public agencies
have been working with environmental groups like CNPS to do something about
weeds in a coordinated way. The umbrellas that bring all these groups together
are the Weed Management Areas (WMA). Authorized by California law, the WMAs
provide for coordination among agencies, integrated weed management planning,
and funding for a variety of local projects including education, weed mapping
and removal projects.
In the area of the Santa Clara Valley Chapter,
there are two WMAs: Santa Clara County
and San Mateo County. Chapter members Don Mayall, John Beall, Georgia Stigall,
and Peter Ingram have been active in the formation of these groups, and CNPS is
a signatory to their Memoranda of Understanding (MOU).
In Santa Clara County weed mapping and removal
of pampas grass and some yellow starthistle have begun on private land at
Coyote Ridge, a project proposed by Don Mayall and John Beall. The weed warrior
who is doing this work is Doug Johnson. Participants of the Coastal Restoration
Workshop in April will remember Doug for his presentation on restoration at A‚o
Nuevo State Reserve.
The weed control project at Edgewood Park (begun
by Ken Himes with volunteers from CNPS and Friends of Edgewood, and the County
Parks and Recreation Department staff) has been granted funds from the San
Mateo County WMA for an integrated approach to yellow starthistle control. Peter Ingram and Bill Korbholz of Friends of
Edgewood proposed this project.
“Musical (Botanical!) Chairs”
Stella Yang is our new Field
Trips Chair.
We still have openings for a Blazing Star
editor (see the details on page 7) and a Plant Sale Chair (or co-chair). In general, if there are any topics in which
you are interested contact any chair or board member for more information.
Scholarships Awarded
The Santa Clara Valley Chapter of CNPS awards
scholarships to graduate students doing research on plant systematics, plant
ecology, plant physiology, and other related botanical studies of plants that
grow in habitats in Central and Northern California. The recipients of the
2001-2002 scholarships ($1,250 each) are:
Debie
Kinsey, San Jose State University. Debie is studying restoration of native
grasslands at Long Ridge Open Space Reserve. Her study addresses the effect of feral
pig rooting on native plants and methods of slowing down or preventing invasive
thistles from colonizing disturbed areas.
John
Rusmore, University of California at Davis.
John is studying the connection between nitrogen
emissions from vehicles and the spread of exotic plants along roadways. He will analyze various nitrogen sources and
study their influence on selected native and non-native species.
The research
scholarships recognize the academic accomplishments and research plans of these
graduate students and the potential of their research to further the
understanding of plant ecology and plant communities in Central
California.
Research support in
the form of $600 grants was also awarded to two additional scholarship
applicants: Lisa A DiGirolamo, University of California, Santa Cruz, and
Susan O’Neil, San Francisco State University. Lisa’s research focuses on the post-invasion effects of the
Argentine ant on grassland community composition in California and Susan is
studying the response
of Adenostoma fasciculatum (chamise)
and Ceanothus species following a
fire on both serpentine and non-serpentine soils.
Congratulations Debie,
John, Lisa and Susan!
CHAPTER
FIELD TRIPS
June 24, 10 AM – Pescadero Creek County Park. Clintonia, California harebell, and a few old growth redwoods are
the featured flora for this hike. We will be hiking on the Tarwater Loop Trail.
It will be a moderately paced hike of about 6 miles, with a 600 ft. elevation
gain. Bring lunch, water, and layers. Directions: from 280 take Page Mill Rd. 8.5 miles to
Skyline Blvd. Page Mill becomes Alpine Rd. west of Skyline. Go 3.5 miles on
Alpine and turn left onto the entrance road where the sign says “Men’s
Correctional Facility – Pescadero Creek County Park.” Go 0.9 miles to the dirt
parking lot. Travel time from Hwy 280 and Page Mill is 30 minutes. For more
information, Tom Cochrane, trailtraveller@webtv.net or phone
650-969-3181
July 1-4 – Mt. Ashland, OR:
This trip
is fully booked. If
you wish to be wait-listed, contact Mary Simpson at marysimpson@earthlink.net
or 408-370-3177.
July 28, 9 AM Eagle Rock, Santa Cruz Co.
This hike will have a few summer-flowering plants including Golden Fleece (Ericamera
arborescens), Rock Daisy (Erigeron petrophilus), and California
Fuschia (Epilobuim canum). There is also the endangered Santa Cruz
Cypress (Cupressus abramsiana) here. The trail is about 4 miles round
trip, with 1000 ft. elevation gain. Parts of the trail are rocky and there are
tree obstacles. Directions: from downtown Saratoga take Hwy 9 for 22
miles
to downtown Boulder Creek, turn right on Hwy 236
and go 6.4 miles to Little Basin Road. Turn left and head west for 1.2 miles.
The trailhead is at the end of the road next to the H-P Camp gate. Parking will
be on the sides of the road. Travel time from Saratoga is 55 minutes. Bring
water and lunch. Be prepared for the heat. It can get hot at the top. Tom
Cochrane; trailtraveller@webtv.net or phone 650-969-3181
Aug 1-6 Wed thru Sun: Backpack trip to Molybdenite Canyon. Located NE of Tower Peak of Yosemite NP,
this region is a high plateau of the eastern Sierra that features interesting
habitats of both Sierran and Great Basin design as we ascend from
pine/sagebrush at lower elevations, through lush meadows and dark forests, up
to colorful alpine fell fields. We
start at Molybdenite Canyon trailhead at 8,000 feet, gradually attaining the
2,000 feet that puts us at the headwall where we proceed up an easy 600 hundred
feet to Burt Creek watershed. From this
high ridge, we can do an ascent of nearby Walker Peak, 12,563 feet, or walk
distant alpine meadows and fell fields, take in the flowers, or enjoy other
relaxing of our choice. Return is via
Burt Creek. Camps will be evenly
dispersed over our 4 days. Total miles
are about 17 with about 2,600 ft. elevation gain. Leaders are Joe Cernac and
Ken Himes. For more information, call
Joe at 408-292-5465.
August 5, 10:00 AM Woods Road, Sierra Azul Open Space Preserve. Stella Yang and Paul Heiple will be searching for a possible hybrid oak and taking a closer look at the sedums and dudleyas along this trail. The distance to be covered is about 5 miles. For additional information, contact Stella at 408-255-6233. Meet at the Park and Ride lot at the southeast corner of Camden and Highway 85 at 9:45 AM to make car pooling arrangements since trailhead parking is limited.
August 25, 8:30AM Stile Ranch Trail, Santa
Teresa Co. Park: See late summer flowers including some
rarities. For the birders, we may see Rock Wren and Golden Eagle. Three miles
of hiking with about 500 ft. elevation gain. Very little shade, so prepare for
the sun. Directions: From Hwy 85
exit Almaden Expwy South. Go 4.9 miles then turn right onto Harry Road, go 0.1
miles then turn left on McKeen Road, go 1.3 miles then turn left on Fortini
Road. At end turn left on San Vicente Road. Parking lot is on the right about
300 ft. down. Tom Cochrane; trailtraveller@webtv.net or phone 650-969-3181
ANNOUNCEMENTS
Professor Emeritus Lincoln Constance
Our chapter received the following from Brent D.
Mishler, Professor, Department of Integrative Biology and Director, University
and Jepson Herbaria; UC Berkeley.
“It is my sad duty to report that after a
battle with pneumonia, Professor Emeritus Lincoln Constance passed away June
11, 2001, at the age of 92.
Lincoln was the patriarch of Botany at
Berkeley and foremost expert on Umbelliferae/Apiaceae systematics. He was
immensely influential in shaping the modern history of the University and of
systematic botany on a worldwide level. Lincoln's long and distinguished
career began as a graduate student with Willis Linn Jepson in the 30's. He was
Curator of Seed Plants in the University Herbarium beginning in the 40’s, Chair
of the Department of Botany in the early 50's, Dean of the College of Letters
and Science from the mid-50's to early 60's, Vice-Chancellor of Academic
Affairs from the early to mid 60's, Director of the U.C. Herbarium from the
early 60's to mid 70's and Trustee of the Jepson Herbarium from 1960 until his
death. In addition to his numerous professional accomplishments, Lincoln
was a true gentleman and an exceptionally generous colleague, mentor, and
friend. We will truly miss him. A memorial service will be held in September.
We will send more information when it becomes available.”
September Host Homes Needed
As was covered in the May-June Blazing
Star, our chapter will host the September 8-9, 2001 CNPS State
Conservation meeting, being held at Stanford University. All CNPS members are
welcome, and any with a particular interest in conservation are strongly
encouraged to attend.
Volunteers are needed for several tasks. Be sure to contact us us know if you are interested in helping. This will be a great opportunity to meet
other conservation-minded members!
Also, host homes are needed for some
participants. Please contact Mary
Simpson if you are able to provide a host home for this meeting.
Yosemite Flora Update
The Yosemite Association (YA) has announced a
pre-publication offer for the much-anticipated Illustrated Flora of Yosemite
National Park, which is nearing completion. This will be an exquisite
publication by Stephen J. Botti. The
flora, in development since 1981, covers 1,338 native species and 127
non-native species. Illustrations are by Walter Sydoriak with line drawings by
Leslie Randall and Katherine Hocker.
Foreword is by Peter H. Raven, Ph.D and technical editing by Linda Ann Vorobik,
Ph.D. Pre-publication orders are now being accepted for the volume, which is
offered at a significant discount. Pre-publication
orders must be placed by July 15, 2001. For pricing and additional information,
contact YA at 209-379-2648 or write to them at PO Box 230, El Portal, CA 95318. Members may recall that our chapter
donated to Yosemite Association for the publication of this flora, in memory of
Dr. Carl W. Sharsmith.
San Mateo County Parks Vegetation Assessment
The San Mateo County Parks and Recreation Foundation
funded the development of a Vegetation Management Plan for the County Park
System. The first phase, assessment, has just begun.
Rana Creek Habitat Restoration has been hired to
do the assessment. Geographical
Information System (GIS) maps with vegetation quadrangles have been made using
aerial photographs. Volunteers are now needed to provide basic information
about the type of plant community, condition of vegetation, and range of
invasive species for these quadrangles.
Many volunteers are already covering Edgewood
and San Bruno Mountain parks. While volunteers are welcome to help with any of
the County Parks, volunteers are most needed for Pescadero Creek County Park.
For more info, please contact Dave Moore at dmoore@co.sanmateo.ca.us or
650-363-1906, or Julia Bott
at
julia@supportparks.org or (W)650-321-5812 or (H)343-8950.
CHAPTER
NEWSLETTER UPDATE
Our Blazing Star needs an
editor!
Acting editor for the March/April, May/June and
July/August issues was Georgia Stigall. Acting editor for the September/October
issue will be Don Mayall.
In general, this volunteer task entails
soliciting input from committee chairs and other members in time for the
submissions deadline (one week before each board meeting), reviewing the list
of topics with the board in order to ensure completeness, compiling and editing
the material to create a final format, reviewing with another member as needed
and submitting to the printer within the week following the board meeting.
The current (and several past) issues are in
Microsoft Word format and a template including the logo and banner is available
from Georgia Stigall (gstigall@aol.com)
or Bill Prince (bill_prince@yahoo.com).
Other software programs may be used assuming
compatibility with our printing service. Various sources exist for obtaining
botanical and related artwork.
For more information or to volunteer, please
contact Mary Simpson or Don Mayall.
Thanks to Mary Alice Bethel and her faithful
band of co-volunteers for the reliable and timely mailing of the Blazing Star
every month!
Thanks also to Stephen Buckhout and Ann
Whitesell for editorial reviews, and to Cynthia Gilbert and Bill Prince for
preparation of the template.
DEADLINE FOR THE NEXT BLAZING STAR
Friday,
August 10, 2001
Don Mayall, Acting Editor for
September/October 2001
Home:
650-856-7579
Email: seleve@ix.netcom.com