May-June 2001
Our general meetings are an opportunity to meet other members, peruse our books and become familiar with various issues. New members - please feel free to introduce yourselves and share your interests
Speaker: Ted St. John, Ph.D.
Topic: Mycorrhizae and California Native Plants
7:30 PM, Friday, May 18, 2001 at Los Altos Library Program Room
13 So. San Antonio Road, Los Altos
Dr. St. John is an internationally known researcher on mycorrhizae and plant ecology, and a consultant in habitat restoration. Dr. St. John has authored approximately 30 technical publications in refereed journals. He has taught restoration courses for University of California Extension at Riverside, Davis, and Santa Barbara. Since about 1990, Dr. St. John has been involved in the production of mycorrhizal inoculum for use in habitat restoration. He shared the following in advance of what promises to be a very interesting and informative program:
Most wild plants form a partnership with beneficial fungi; the association comes in several distinct forms and is called mycorrhiza. Most California natives form the arbuscular (endo) type of mycorrhiza, but a significant number of species form ectomycorrhizae, arbutoid, or other kinds of mycorrhizae. A few native species are non-hosts. Mycorrhizal fungi are easily destroyed by disturbance of the soil and are commonly missing from planting sites. The symbiosis confers an improved ability to absorb nutrients and can greatly improve drought tolerance. We can sometimes realize a dramatic improvement in survival and growth rate of natives by making sure that the necessary fungi are present at planting. At the ecosystem level, mycorrhizae are responsible for soil structure and the resistance of natural communities to weed invasion.
Please note new meeting location: Los Altos Library program room
The sign on San Antonio Road reads, "Civic Center, Library & History
Museum". We will enter through the lobby of the main entrance, which faces
a driveway located off San Antonio Road between Hillview and Edith. The library
will still be open to the public, but there is plenty of parking. If the library
lot is full, proceed to the adjourning lot for Hillview Community Center.
Directions: From Foothill Expressway, travel 1/2 mile on San Antonio Road towards the Bay, cross Hillview and turn right into driveway; library is on the left. From El Camino, travel towards the hills on San Antonio Road, cross Edith and turn left into unmarked driveway just before Hillview. If you need additional information or help with the directions, please contact Georgia Stigall at gstigall@aol.com or phone 650-941-1068. Georgia will arrive at 7:00. Helpers are welcome as always, to assist with setup and carrying in books, plants and refreshments.
There are many changes taking place within State CNPS. There were several meetings in 2000 during which CNPS members discussed the directions CNPS should take in the future. At the State Board Meeting in June, 2001, one of the agenda items will be the organizational changes necessary to assist CNPS in its primary mission of preserving our wild places and native plants. On September 8-9, 2001, our chapter will host the annual state conservation meeting of CNPS. This meeting will be held at Stanford University because of the help from Dr. Alan Launer and the Center for Conservation Biology. All CNPS members are welcome to attend. Since the September meeting will be held at Stanford and will focus on conservation issues, I encourage all of our members with an interest in conservation or an interest in our state organization to attend. This is a great opportunity to meet people from all over the state who share our passion for native plants. Because our chapter is hosting this meeting, there will be many opportunities to volunteer to assist with this special event. Please do not hesitate to contact me or any of our Chapter officers if you are interested in becoming involved. This is a special opportunity to learn more about your state organization and to meet many people who are working to conserve our wild places and our native flora.
GARDENING WITH NATIVES--MAY, JUNE, AND JULY 2001, FIRST THURSDAY OF THE
MONTH
We will have our normal first Thursday of the month
meeting from 7:30 to 9:30 on May 3. The meeting will be held at the DeAnza
Environmental Studies Area (ESA). We will not have a monthly meeting in June
due to vacations! (But please note that we will have garden visits in June and
a Potluck in July!)
Directions to the ESA: The De Anza ESA is located at the corner of McClellan and Stelling within the DeAnza College Campus. From Highway 85, exit Stevens Creek Boulevard. Enter the DeAnza campus to the right off Stevens Creek. (or, alternatively, go down to Stelling Road, turn right, and enter the Campus to the right off of Stelling) Follow the perimeter campus road past the parking lots on your right hand side. You will pass a grassy baseball field on your right. After the field you will see a chain link gate on your right up a short gravel/asphalt road. Drive through the gate and park for free in the dirt area between the ESA and the baseball field if there’s room. The ESA building will be behind you (the only building nearby with lights on). If you happen to miss the ESA and drive around the corner, you will see the tennis courts on your right and McClellan road on your left. Parking is also available by the tennis courts for 8 quarters if the ESA lot is full. This is a short walk away from the ESA building. If you need a map, see http://www.deanza.fhda.edu. There is a possibility DeAnza could ticket cars parked in the gated driveway for not having a parking permit, although they never have in the past. Be warned that you are taking a small chance. You might consider bringing a flashlight for the trip from either parking area, especially if the tennis court lights are not lit.
First Thursday Meeting, July:
Our first Thursday meeting in July will be held at Vicki Pelton’s house on July
5 starting at 7:30 PM. Bring a sweater just in case the weather is cool
like last year! What to bring: main dishes, snacks/appetizers, salads/side
dishes, breads, desserts, hot and cold drinks. Please bring your own plates,
silverware, napkins, cup and chair if possible.
GARDEN VISITS:
On Saturday, May 19 we will have a garden visit to Faith Schmidt’s house
in Almaden Valley. Faith’s home is about a month or two from completion. Her
property contains a lovely walk through serpentine habitat and wildflowers,
as well as environs around the house that are still in the natural state. We
will view the property from 10am to noon, followed by a potluck picnic lunch.
Bring a picnic-style dish to share and a chair if desired. Faith will provide
napkins, cups, and utensils.
Faith can be reached at (408) 323-3023.
On Saturday, June 2 we will have the opportunity to explore Wendy Winkler’s garden in Portola Valley as well as view other native gardens in the neighborhood. Combined with this will be a visit to Ray Deutch’s garden. The visit for both gardens will be between 1 PM and 5 PM, to spread out viewing to each garden and to alleviate the parking situation.
Wendy can be reached at 650-851-2596.
Wendy's garden contains oaks, alders, willows, holly leaf cherry, silk tassel, Pacific wax myrtle, bush anemone, coffeeberry, lemonade berry, manzanitas, groundcover baccharis, iris, ferns, yarrow, yerba buena, sages, lupine, and native bunch grasses. Her home is located in Portola Valley Ranch, a planned community of 205 homes intended to blend with the rural environment. Landscaping is all California natives. You are welcome to stroll or drive through Portola Valley Ranch as well.
Directions to Ray’s Redwood City home: Take highway 280 to the Farm Hill exit. Follow Farm Hill down the winding hill. At the stoplights at McGarvey, turn right (left not possible). Go down the hill and then up the hill. At top of hill on the right is 2903 McGarvey (dark green house). Lots of parking on the street. The other way to come is to drive on Alameda de las Pulgas in Redwood City and go to McGarvey (a few blocks south of Jefferson and many blocks north of Woodside Road). Make a turn toward the mountains (the level turn, not the downhill one) and go one block. Dark green house on left-hand corner at top of rise is 2903 McGarvey. Ray can be reached at (650) 365-6136. Ray’s garden area has been landscaped by Erin O'Dougherty of Native Revival. The front area has many natives. The side area consists of a rocky slope and screen, with emphasis on dryland plants. Ray is also interested in penstemon and alpine plants from around the world.
Contact Stephanie Mangels via email to stephmangels@hotmail.com or phone 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 - call 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.
EDGEWOOD WILDFLOWER WALKS
Free, docent-led walks will be every Saturday and Sunday, leaving at 10 AM and
returning at 1 PM through June 17. All June walks begin at the Old Stage Day
Camp entrance and all April and May walks begin at the 280/Edgewood Road Park&Ride.
If you are interested in bringing a group for a docent-led walk during the week,
please call Dianne Hunt, Docent Coordinator, Edgewood County Park & Preserve,
for reservations at 650-261-1935. For more information and updates on what’s
blooming, visit http://www.friendsofedgewood.org.
PHOTOGRAPHY GROUP
Our next meeting will be Monday, May 7, at 7:30 PM at the Peninsula Conservation
Center in Palo Alto. June meeting is Monday, June 4 same time & location.
For more information or to join the group: Sonja Wilcomer at 650-494-0104.
ULISTAC RESERVE GRAND OPENING
Saturday May 12. Activities include Old-Timey Music by the People for Open
Space Foot-Tappin’ Fiddlers. Docent-led walks, interpretive information, dedication,
refreshments and more. For details contact Jeanne Salander at 408-293-6885
or email salander@batnet.com.
JUNE BOARD MTG. CHANGE OF DAY
The June board meeting will be on Wednesday, June 13
(not the usual Thursday due to schedule conflicts) at 7:15 PM at the PCC Library
in Palo Alto.
BOOKS SALES CHAIR NEEDED
Now that Paul Heiple is our chapter Treasurer, we need someone to be the new
Book Sales chair. Please contact Paul at 650-854-7125 or email LOGH30@aol.com
if you can help.
FIELD TRIP CHAIR NEEDED
If you want the “inside scoop” on the best places to see and experience botanical
treasures in all seasons, please volunteer for this position. The field trip
chair will be responsible for soliciting volunteers to lead field trips, coordinate
the schedule in –cooperation with the field trip leaders and remind the leaders
to submit their field trips to the editor of the Blazing Star. It will not
be the chair’s responsibility to organize individual trips or plan trip logistics.
Contact Mary Simpson at 408-370-2177 or marysimpson@earthlink.net; or Georgia
Stigall at 650-941-1068 or gstigall@aol.com
for more information or to volunteer.
May 5, 10 AM – Woods Road/ Sierra Azul Open Space Preserve. Join Jim Sugai and Dick Gehrer for a beautiful walk with nice views of the valley. Along the way, there will be oak, madrone, California nutmeg, Ceanothus, Holodiscus and many spring wildflowers. Directions: From Highway 85 south, exit Almaden Expressway south. Proceed 4 miles, turn right onto Almaden Road at traffic light. Proceed 3 miles, through the town of New Almaden. Pull into the Almaden Quicksilver County Park parking lot on the right, just after leaving town. Contact Jim at 408-356-6003 or Dick at 408-268-6922.
May 6, 10 AM – Eagle Rock. Discover this little known parkland in Santa Cruz County. We will be hiking through redwood, knobcone pine, and chaparral communities. Plants of interest are: Santa Cruz cypress (endemic), Santa Cruz manzanita (endemic), red penstemon, California milkwort, and more. The trail is about 4 miles round trip with 1000 ft. elevation gain. Some parts are slippery, rocky, and have tree obstacles. Great views too! Limit 20 people. Email Tom Cochrane at trailtraveller@webtv.net or call 650-969-3181 for reservations. Directions: from downtown Saratoga take Hwy 9 for 22 miles to downtown Boulder Creek, turn right on Hwy 236, go 6.4 miles to Little Basin Road, turn left at the H-P sign. Trailhead is 1.2 miles down, to the left of the H-P gate. Parking will be on pullouts on the sides of the road.
May 12, 10 AM – Pescadero Marsh, Beach and Bean Hollow. Toni Corelli will lead a walk in the coastal scrub and marsh communities. Meet in the Pescadero Beach parking lot just south of the Pescadero Creek Bridge. The trip lasts until 4 PM so bring food and water. For more information, call Ken Himes at 650-591-8560.
May 19-20 - Pine Hill in El Dorado County. We will leave on Sat morning to avoid traffic and to attend the CNPS General meeting the night before. We will visit a 40 acre private ranch property which has been carefully restored on Saturday and then go back to Joanne Geggatt's for a pot-luck dinner in the evening. On Sunday we will visit the Pine Hill Botanical Reserve in the morning and then be free to leave for home in the early afternoon. Camping for those who are self-contained can be arranged at the Geggetts’ or there are a few motels near by. To reserve a space on this trip call Jean Struthers at 650-941-2586. Limit of 16. Call by May 10.
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 and water. Directions: from 280 take Page Mill Rd. 8.5 miles to Skyline Blvd. Page Mill becomes Alpine Rd. across Skyline; go 3.5 miles from Skyline 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 280 and Page Mill is 30 minutes. For more information, email Tom Cochrane at trailtraveller@webtv.net or call 650-969-3181.
July 1-4 – Mt. Ashland , OR. Just 12 miles west of Interstate 5, discover the beauties and botanical riches of the Siskiyou/Klamath ranges. We will camp in the Mt. Ashland campground and wander along the Pacific Crest Trail to see high mountain wet meadows, serpentines, volcanic outcrops and fabulous views. The campground has no water, so bring your own. Campfire cooking. Trip leaders are Margriet Wetherwax, Jepson Herbarium, and Ron Kelley, Eastern Oregon University. For more information contact Margriet at margriet@uclink4.berkeley.edu, or call at 510-568-6929. Families, kids, pets, are welcome. We are bringing ours! Campsite numbers are limited – reserve early.
Please share your suggestions for field trips, even if you are not able to lead or organize one. All ideas are welcome!
Deadline for the next Blazing Star
Friday, June 8, 2001
Acting Editor Georgia Stigall, gstigall@aol.com,
650 941-1068 (R)