Darlingtonia Newsletter, Fall 2004 ~ North Coast Chapter, California Native Plant Society

Darlingtonia FALL 2004

Newsletter of the North Coast Chapter of the Cal ifo rnia Native Plant Society

Dedicated to the Preservat ion of Cali forn ia Native Flora

“This marsh is arguably the most botanically-unique

wetland complex in northwest California and perhaps

the entire State.”

--U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service The Crescent City Marsh and environs are home to more than 230 plant species, at least a dozen of which are considered rare, threatened, or endangered. Many of these species are absent or rare elsewhere along California’s coast. Some are plants of montane habitats or more northern latitudes, including vanilla grass (Hierochloe odorata), stream orchid (Epipactis gigantea), great burnet (Sanguisorba officinalis), buckbean (Menyanthes trifoliata), Sitka alder (Alnus viridus), Arctic starflower (Trientalis arctica), white-stemmed gooseberry (Ribes inerme var. inerme), and slender bog-orchid (Platanthera

stricta). The Crescent City Marsh consists of 335 acres of coastal freshwater wetlands, open water, brackish marsh, beach and dunes, prairie, coastal scrub, and spruce forest. Nearly 200 acres are located within the Crescent City Marsh Wildlife Area, which is owned and managed by the Department of Fish & Game. The area also contains suitable habitat for several threatened and en-dangered animals, including marbled murrelet, northern spotted owl, bald eagle, Oregon silverspot butterfly, and tidewater goby. Several plant communities occur in the Marsh that are rare in northwestern California: buckbean marsh, Pacific reed grass marsh, and Labrador tea marsh. All three marsh types are home to the endangered western lily. The Endangered Western Lily

The Marsh’s unique soils and hydrology make it home to the world’s largest population of the western lily, an endan-gered plant on the brink of extinction. The western lily—Lilium occidentale—is a federally and state listed endangered species. It was listed as endangered without critical habitat in 1994. More than half of all known flowering individuals occur at the Crescent City Marsh, which har-bors the only recovery-level population as defined by the federal recovery plan for the species. The western lily can be downlisted to threatened or rare when at least 20 viable populations distributed among 6 recovery areas are protected and managed to assure their continued existence. Approximately one-third of historical populations are thought to have been extirpated. Only one-quarter

of extant occurrences consist of more than 100 individuals. The western lily’s range extends from Coos Bay, Oregon to Table Bluff, just south of Humboldt Bay, in a narrow strip within 4 miles of the Pacific Ocean. The western lily occurs in early suc-cessional fens or coastal scrub on poorly drained soils. Generally associated with Sitka spruce stands with an understory of Pacific reed grass (Calamagrostis nutkaensis), the western lily often occurs with western azalea (Rhododendron occidentale) and Labrador tea (Ledum glandulosum). Development and soil cultivation has destroyed much of the west-ern lily’s habitat. Cultivation of these soils appears to permanently alter the species composition in favor of non-native pasture grasses. Water table levels are also permanently altered by development, soil cultivation, irrigation, and logging.

Originally known from many sites around Humboldt Bay, the west-

(Continued on page 9)

Western lily. Photo by David K Imper

Crescent City Marsh: A botanical wonderland in peril

By Jen Kalt

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MONTHLY

MEETINGS &

PRESENTATIONS

The North Coast Chapter of CNPS holds free Public Pro-grams on the second Wednesday of each month (September through May) at the Arcata Masonic Lodge, 351 Bayside Rd., Arcata. Refreshments at 7:45 and program at 8:00 p.m. You don’t have to be a CNPS member to attend!

October 8th

Join us for a presentation by Gordon Leppig (Sedge Guru and

Environmental Scientist, California Department of Fish & Game Habitat Conservation Program; Northern California - North Coast Region) entitled:

Sedges in the Landscape Rare Plants, Floating

Islands, and Botanical Getaways

Follow a transect across Northern California from local dunes through the Klamath Mountains to Cascade lakes. The diversity

of the Sedge family, which includes many rare taxa and wetland plants, will be explored. This talk will travel from salt marsh to lake-

shore, and talus slope to floating island. The beaked-rushes, bul-rushes, cotton grasses and spike rushes will guest-star in this sedge-

fest travel-log.

November 10th

Join Dr. Hugh Safford (Regional Ecologist with the US Forest Service and Adjunct Professor at UC Davis) for a fascinating talk entitled:

Plant Species diversity in CA Serpentine:

Regional Patterns and Possible Causative Factors

December 8th

Botanical Delights of Mt Scott and Mt Eddy

Presented by Jenny Hanson, Judie Hinman, and Steve Norman, with

contributions from others who were there

.Enjoy slides and stories from the enthusiastic campers who spent a glorious July weekend botanizing a beautiful alpine area.

CCCHAPTERHAPTERHAPTER P P PROGRAMSROGRAMSROGRAMS & E & E & EVENTSVENTSVENTS

INTRODUCTION TO CAREX

(SEDGES) WORKSHOP

Saturday, October 16, 2004 8-5 pm at HSU

Sedges (Carex) are the largest genus of flowering plants and the largest genus of wetland indicators in California. Carex also has more rare taxa than any other ge-nus on the northcoast. This workshop is an intensive immersion into sedge morphol-ogy, keying, and the identification and ecology of local coastal and montane taxa. This workshop will begin with a basic re-view of sedge biology and morphology. The rest of the day will be spend dissect-ing and keying specimens in the labora-tory using a microscope and the Jepson Manual. Much material will be available for review, dissection, and comparison. This workshop is geared for beginners, but folks of all ages and levels of caricology may find it profitable. This workshop is co-sponsored by the HSU Natural History Museum. Partici-pants should bring dissection equipment, including extra-fine forceps; a Jepson Manual, and a lunch. Coffee, tea and bea-gles will be provided in the morning. Reg-istration is $50 for CNPS or HSU Natural History Members and $75 for non-members. Location: HSU Science D, room 157 (next to the herbarium) Instructors: Tony LaBanca, Gordon Lep-pig, and Clare Golec For more information or to register, call Spring Garrett @ 826-4479.

PAGE 3 DARLINGTONIA FALL 2004

FFFIELDIELDIELD T T TRIPRIPRIP A A ANNOUNCEMENTSNNOUNCEMENTSNNOUNCEMENTS

§ WETLAND PLANTS AT THE REFUGE DAY TRIP. Sunday, October 17, 10:00 a.m.- about 2 p.m. When the wetlands are dry is an easy time to approach them. We will explore the extensive wet-lands of the Salmon Creek Unit of the Humboldt Bay National Wildlife Refuge (where headquarters is) to see how many of the plants on the new checklist we can find. Maybe we can add to it! Kyle Wear will be our guide. Here is your chance to learn some wetland plants or to sharpen your eye if you know some already. Rubber boots are not required but might be useful. Dress for the weather and bring lunch. Meet at 9:00 a.m at Pacific Union School (3001 Janes Rd., Arcata), 9:30 a.m. at the MacDonald's end of Bayshore Mall parking lot, or 10:00 a.m. at the refuge gate. NOTE: The gate is locked on Sundays. We all must enter and exit together! Call Carol Ralph (822-2015) with questions, other arrangements, or to let us know to wait for you.

§

FERNDALE PROPERTY EXPLORATION. Saturday, November 6. We are invited to explore a 43-acre farm, half pasture, half riparian and Sitka spruce forests on Reas Creek outside of Ferndale. The owners are excited to share their findings with us and to see what we can find. This is a good chance to review all the common coastal trees and shrubs and to test our sharp eyes looking for dry remains of fun herbaceous plants. We will poke and scramble around for at least 2 hours. Then we can consider visiting another site in the area, possibly Russ Park. Dress for the weather, bring food and water. Meet at 8:30 a.m. at Pacific Union School (3001 Janes Rd., Arcata) , 9:00 a.m. at the Mac-Donald's end of Bayshore Mall parking lot, or arrange another place. Call Carol Ralph 822-2015.

§

LICHENS AND BRYO-

PHYTES OF PRAIRIE

CREEK STATE PARK

Saturday, January 29, 2005 Join local botanist Sunny Bennett on an excursion to view the diminutive yet fas-cinating world of moss and lichen. 10 am - 4 pm. Meet at Pa-cific Union School at 9:30 to carpool or at visitor's center at 10:00

PAGE 4 DARLINGTONIA FALL 2004

As chapter members may know from our business meetings, the state CNPS Bulletin, Econews, or the grapevine (pea vine?), North Coast Chapter has been central in taking the first step to preserving the home of one of our rarest plants.

The two-flowered pea (Lathyrus biflorus) was discovered in its mountain home 21 years ago by esteemed local botanist, Tom Nelson. The original population is still the only one known in the universe, despite some good botanists looking for others. It has about 25,000 individuals dis-persed over 2 acres straddling the line between two parcels of private land in dry Jeffry Pine-Incense Cedar forests on the serpentines of Red Mountain in the Van Duzen watershed. Much of the pea's habitat was logged in 1995, with unknown effects on the population. Since then our chapter's Rare Plant Co-Chair Dave Imper worked with the owner of one parcel,.and with his consent and assistance chapter members have monitored the population.

Realizing the conservation value of this 40 acres, when the owner had to sell it this spring, he first contacted Dave. After considering various avenues of acquisition, none of which were fast enough for the owner's needs, the chapter left it to a consortium of members to acquire the property privately, which they successfully did in July. Now at a more relaxed pace the final disposition of the property can be worked out. It adjoins the Lassics Botanical and Geological Area of Six Riv-ers National Forest. This logical addition is bu-reacratically difficult, but not impossible. The chapter welcomes any advice or expertise our real estate-savvy members can offer. Stay tuned to see what further role CNPS will play.

Access to the property is complicated by atrocious roads and multi-locked gates, but watch for a field trip there next summer. Hopefully we will find hundreds or thousands of the diminuitive, paired, white pea flowers on their short, gray-leaved, dainty stems.

FFFIELDIELDIELD T T TRIPRIPRIP R R REPORTSEPORTSEPORTS

One of the special, even mythical mountain areas of the North Coast Ranges is in the Lassics Botanical and Geologic Area of Six Rivers National Forest, in the jumble of mountains south of Route 36 and west of Ruth Lake. The black, bare, pyramidal peak of Black Lassic and the red, rounded, manzanita-cloaked peak of Red Lassic are distinctive land-marks in this area of rich geology and botany. Seven of us CNPSers ex-plored a few corners of this exciting and dramatic place over two pleas-antly hot, clear days, August 14-15. We camped at Black Lassic Camp, at 5,000 ft elevation, nestled on the flank of that peak, in dry, open white fir (Abies concolor)-incense cedar(Calocedrus decurrens)-Jeffrey pine (Pinus jeffreyi) forest with that Christmas tree odor and mountain air feel. Green-leaf manzanita (Arctostaphylos petula), huckleberry oak (Quercus vaccinifolia), moun-tain whitethorn (Ceanothus cordulatus), and wedgeleaf ceanothus (buckbrush; Ceanothus cuneatus) formed dense, scratchy patches in openings. The A. cuneatus puzzled us because it was shorter and more compact than this species elsewhere, being a compact, 2-foot deep cush-ion of intertwined, stiff twig, and with leaves not wedge-shaped, very small, and occasionally toothed. The plant list (an update 10/30/03 from SRNF. This was our authority for other species identification as well.) assured us it was cuneatus. Inside the protective lattice of this and other shrubs were palatable plants that had been browsed off wherever they protruded. Our foremost venture was to ascend the peak, which occupied us most of the afternoon, but truthfully, could be done in about 15 minutes by a fit, blinkered person, not distracted by the marvels around him. Up-hill from camp we discovered a small, but nicely green spring, contrast-ing with the dusty, gravelly, almost unvegetated forest floor. Handsome, red seed heads of western boglily (Todieldia occidentalis) and delicate white umbels of yampah (Perideridia sp.) floated above the green mix of grass, sedge, rush, and herbs, while water trickled into a bucket and out, disappearing into the porous ground within 50 ft. The Canada thistle (Cirsium arvense) here was one of the few exotic species we saw this day. In a dry gully nearby we stopped in amazement at an enormous snow plant (Sarcodes sanguinea), a foot tall, as thick as my wrist, and packed with fruits as big as cherry tomatoes, all blood red. The path emerged from the trees to climb up a sparlking, gray, easy rock face decorated with Sedum (stonecrop) and then climbed gradually straight along the one shoulder of this peak. We crunched along the black rock crumbles, drenched in sun under the vast blue sky, caressed by a gentle breeze, exhiliarated by the vastness of the world when the horizon is so distant...but also focussing on the 1-2-ft. wide cushions of vegetation that dot this hostile environment--a gray lupine (Lupinus sp.), yellow-green rabbitbrush (Chrysothamnus nauseosus), dull brown phacelia (Phacelia

sp.), gray buckwheat (Eriogonum sp.), dark green keckiella (Keckiella

(Continued on page 7)

Black Lassic in August...Black Lassic in August...Black Lassic in August...Black Lassic in August... By Carol Ralph

The Two Flowered Pea…The Two Flowered Pea…The Two Flowered Pea…The Two Flowered Pea… By Carol Ralph

CCCHAPTERHAPTERHAPTER P P PROGRAMROGRAMROGRAM R R REVIEWSEVIEWSEVIEWS

FLOWERS STEAL THE SHOW

by Carol Ralph From the fragrant fat Solomon's seal in the front to the demure inside-out-flower in the back, the 21st annual Spring Wildflower Show (April 30-May 2) was a marvel to behold. Dainty tonella and exhuberant wild radish; shy wild ginger and bold firecracker flower. Whites, yellows, pinks, blues, and whatever you call the colors of mission bells. And the frustrating umbellifers (Apiaceae) that defy our IDers! Here in a leisurely hour, a short drive from home and a few seconds' walk from the car, a person could see flowers from habitats throughout Humboldt and Del Norte Counties, with labels on most of them! The hundreds of miles driven by the many collectors, their care in transporting specimens, the intense hours of the many identifiers, the energy and bustle of the set-up crew, the generous time of the volunteers at the various tables, and the great rations rustled up by Deborah Parsons all condensed into a great experience for an appreciative public. Exhibits by Friends of the Dunes, Humboldt Redwoods Interpretive Association (with plants from Freshwater Farms), the Humboldt County Weed Management Area, and Pete Haggard and his caterpillars enriched the scene, as did lec-tures on native plant gardening (Donna Wildearth), wildlife in the garden (Pete Haggard), native uses of native plants (Tori Holt), and plant-watching (Kim Hayler). Unbeknownst to the public, on Friday about 300 school children and attendants, in 14 groups, were treated to a three hands-on lessons before they visited the showroom: 1) flower structure and pollination, 2) invasive species, and 3) native American uses of native plants, all presented by energetic volunteers. SunValley Floral Farms donated lilies so that each stu-dent could dissect a flower. Thank you! The flowers were put to good use again Friday evening, when artists, professional, amateur, and wishful, convened to draw and paint their favorites. Artists Carol Anderson and Rick Tolley were there to coach. About 50 volunteers, including sign-letterers, bottle-washers, and many others, as well as those already mentioned, helped put on this show. Thank you, all. You all should have heard the thanks, congratulations, and delight that visitors be-stowed on me when I happened to be the person sitting near the door. A special thanks also goes to Humboldt County Office of Education for providing the facility for this educational event, allowing us to present it free of charge.

GARDENS GALORE

by Carol Ralph "A lovely way for nature lovers to have a field day together." "Gave us ideas and inspiration to work in our own yard." "A festive, friendly atmosphere." These comments from three of the 268 people who took the Native Plant and Wildlife Garden Tour on June 26 beautifully sum it up. Thanks to the organizational skills and devotion to detail of Sue Leskiw, the second of these joint endeavors by the North Coast Chapter of CNPS and Redwood Region Audubon Society successfully shared the concept of native plant and wildlife gardening with lots of people and earned us some money besides. The gardens represented a wide range of settings: the small lot behind a new tract home; the larger lot around estab-lished, more dispersed homes; the large city lot of a Victorian home; the Eureka gully yard; the well established, urban, com-mercial landscape; the extensive, new park-like landscape; and the corner of a schoolyard. A tribute to the versatility of native plants! Hosting the tour is definitely work, but the owners agree it's all work they wanted to do anyway and it's fun to share with the nice people who come. The Northcoast Chapter thanks Sue, the garden owners, Freshwater Farms, the Luddite String Band, and the 43 volun-teers who were essential in making the tour run smoothly. Now, time to start nominating gardens for next year...

PAGE 5 DARLINGTONIA FALL 2004

The Bush Administration and the

108th Congress: Your Environment and Your Future

“I do not intend that our natural resources shall be exploited by the few against the interests of the

many." —Theodore Roosevelt

Our monthly evening program series got off to a running start with a presentation by Emily Roberson, the state CNPS’s Senior Pol-icy Analyst. Emily described the current administration’s dismantling of environmental protections through reinterpretation of exist-ing laws, underfunding of enforcement agencies, and reversals of agency scientists’ biological opinions. She also highlighted the importance of expressing your environmental concerns to your elected officials. For more information, see the CNPS “Eye on Bush Administration Policies,” including sample letters, at http://www.cnps.org/federalissues/.

Here are some examples of the Bush administration’s agenda to dismantle our nation’s environmental laws, contrary to current scien-tific findings and often without any opportunity for public input.

Passed almost unanimously by Congress in 1973, the Endangered Species Act (ESA) is a cornerstone of American environmental law. This administration has unsuccessfully tried to pass more than 20 pieces of legislation to gut the ESA. In the face of legislative failure, the administration has resorted to funding cuts to undermine the ESA. Processing the backlog of 206 candidate species wold cost $150-200 million, yet the administration budgeted just $17 million. In other attempts to weaken the ESA, the administration has stopped designating "critical habitat" for listed species except under court order, and has stopped adding to the list of threatened and endangered species unless ordered to do so by a judge. Other strategies used to weaken the ESA include counting hatchery fish as wild fish to increase overall numbers, eliminating import restrictions on globally listed species like orchids and ivory, weakening laws that protect endangered species from pesticides, and reversing biological opinions to declare marbled murrelets and other en-dangered species genetically identical to more common taxa.

In addition, this administration is gutting management plans for California’s National Forests (the Northwest Forest Plan and the Sierra Framework), even though they were developed with unprecedented scientific and public input. Other major environmental laws threatened by the Bush Administration are the Clean Air Act of 1970, the Clean Water Act of 1972, the National Forest Man-agement Act of 1976, and California’s ban on offshore oil drilling.

For the first time in its history, the League of Conservation Voters places both the President and Vice President on the Dirty Dozen of anti-environment policy-makers.

For more info, visit Republicans for Environmental Protection at http://www.rep.org/ and “Politics and Science: Investigating the State of Science Under the Bush Administration”: http://democrats.reform.house.gov/features/politics_and_science/index.htm.

Make your environmental concerns heard by writing to the Governor at [email protected].

CCCHAPTERHAPTERHAPTER P P PROGRAMROGRAMROGRAM R R REVIEWSEVIEWSEVIEWS

The Fourth Annual Invasive Weed Awareness Week In Humboldt and Del Norte Counties by

Michelle Forys, Humboldt – Del Norte Weed Management Area Coordinator During one week in July many Californians come together to educate the public about invasive non-native plants or weeds. Invasive, non-native weeds are plants that have been introduced into an environment in which they did not evolve from and have no natural enemies to limit their reproduction and spread. These weeds affect both agricultural and natural systems, and cost the U.S. economy over $13 billion a year. Invasive weeds are able to crowd native plants and have devastating impacts on natural areas. Some of these plants, such as pampas grass and English ivy, are common garden escapes, while others are transported accidentally from other countries in less obvious ways. By educating the public about this problem gardeners are encouraged to make informed choices when buying plants and to actively prevent the spread of harmful species. If you would like to get involved with the Invasive Weed Aware-ness Week next year or would like more information on weeds, please contact Michelle Forys at 498-6398 or at [email protected].

PAGE 6 DARLINGTONIA FALL 2004

PAGE 7 DARLINGTONIA FALL 2004

C.J. Ralph along with their associates, Lauren Matsui (a bird bander) and Jonathan Boow (a visiting New Zealand ecologist), Melissa Brooks and her partner Todd, Sydney Carothers, Liz McGee and environ-mental Services worker Darius Damonte who pro-vided tools. We were able to collect at least 50 plants, some of the species include: Redwood violet ( Viola

semprivirens), Starflower (Trientalis latifolia), Hooker’s fairybell (Disporum hookeri), Clintonia (Clintonia andrewsiana), Deer Fern (Blechnum spi-

cant), and Trillium (Trillium ovatum). Judie Hinman, Debby Harrison and Yvonee Kern are some of the members who adopted these plants and are dutifully taking care of them. Thank you.

THANKS TO THE PLANT COLLECTORS !!!!!!!!

Early on a bright Sunday morning, with shovels and buckets in hand several volunteers carefully dug up plants along a logging road and landing in the Arcata Community Forest. From the City of Arcata assistant environmental services director, Jim Andre, Carol Ralph learned the widening of a logging road and leveling of a landing would tram-ple several native species within two days. With some last minute emails and phone calls ten plant rescuers showed up for a morning of work. We would like to thank the following folks for their hard work: Ron and Melanie Johnson, Carol and

TTTHANKHANKHANK Y Y YOUOUOU

sp.; used to be Penstemon), and gray-green California fuchsia (Epilobium canum). The red trumpets of these last two brought hummingbirds to the peak. They zoomed by us, a Purple Martin swooped silently over us, and dragonflies darted and hovered in the clear air. Another plant in full bloom was the threadlike dodder (Cuscuta sp.) in dense, yellowy brown tangles on the lupine, rabbitbrush, and keckiella. Its hosts showed visible signs of not tolerating this parasite. Narrow-leafed milkweed (Asclepias fas-

cicularis) was here too, but only 8 inches tall. Besides the living plant mats, "driftwood" was strewn around. We decided these were remains of lupine, some possibly 50 yrs old before they died. In further exploration around the campsite we saw a variety of hairy, sticky plants, one of which was the spindly Cordy-

lanthus tenuis (slender bird's beak), a surprise to someone who knows the leafy Cordylanthus maritimus from the salt marsh. We wondered why there were two types of Pyrola picta (white-veined wintergreen), one pale-leaved, the other darker. We made acquaintance with the dark green, fine leaved mats of Minuartia nuttallii (Nuttall's sandwort), which we called the "tumbleweed" because its spent, branched flower stalks broke off and rolled around. Orange flowers of a few western wallflowers (Erysimum

capitatum)added color to the landscape. The rocky "moonscape" nearby below the campsite was impressively barren. After a star-speckled night, the next morning we drove a few miles south and then west to where a separate section of the Botanical and Geological Area is left of the road. We found a tiny (15 ft across), clear, steep-sided pond and a damp stream-bed in the shade of the firs, where there were many familiar inhabitants of more normal soils, such as western wakerobin (Trillium ovatum), rattlesnake orchid (Goodyera oblongifolia), checkerbloom (Sidalcea sp.), bog-orchid (Platanthera sp.), and Piperia transversa (used to be a rein-orchid). Then we crossed to the uphill side of the road and followed a vehicle track about a half mile to Dry Lake. The meadow, about 3 acres, had three shallow basins. Two were now dry but filled with concentric rings of small annuals marking successive edges of the water, dark purple turpentine weed (Trichostemma laxum; has petioles. Note in Jepson illustration of flower does not match description.) and sky blue downingia (calico flower; Downingia sp.). Downingia is the hallmark of vernal pools, but it also will color recently exposed, wet ground well into fall. The third and largest basin of Dry Lake still contained water, about 1 ft deep and 10 m across, inside concentric rings of various grassy greens and tans. The water was muddy from cow traffic and was producing myriad tiny tree frogs. A few of us then drove back to Red Lassic, found the lovely little campground at the base of it, and conquered its crum-bly, shrubby slope to see yet another vista before returning to the coastal world. We saw a wondrous number of unfamiliar plants in these harsh mountains. Maybe we saw an officially rare species, thirteen of which live in the Botanical and Geologic Area, but we didn't know it when we saw it. Even pooling our expertise we were happy in most cases to recognize to genus, and we were quite happily occupied with common species. We have ample excuse to return, to explore more places and to study those plants more carefully!

(Black Lassic Field Trip – Continued from page 4)

Official Ballot for North Coast Chapter of CNPS

2004 Election If you are a member of the North Coast Chapter of CNPS, please vote anonymously on the four elected positions for our chapter. The term of each position is two years. Have your vote counted by submitting it in one of the following ways: 1. Send it to the chapter’s post office box (address below) by October 11, 2004, or 2. Bring it to the October 13, 2004 business meeting/presentation between 6:30-8:15 pm We will also have a membership list and blank ballots for those who would prefer to cast their votes in person during the Oct. 13th meeting. If you choose this option, please be prepared to cast your vote around 8 pm (just prior to the presentation). Please put a check mark on the line next to your choice for each position (choose one per position). If you select

the write-in option, please print the person’s name clearly on the long line.

1. President ____ Carol Ralph ____ Write-in ___________________________________________________ 2. Vice President ____ Felicity Wasser ____ Write-in ____________________________________________________ 3. Secretary ____ Suzanne Isaacs ____ Write-in ____________________________________________________ 4. Treasurer ____ Tamara Camper ____ Write-in _____________________________________________________ Thank you for your input! Results of the voting process will be posted on the chapter website, announced at the November 10th, 2004 meeting, and posted in the next Darlingtonia. If sending your ballot, please address accordingly:

2004 Election Ballot North Coast CNPS P.O. Box 1067 Arcata, CA 95518-1067

PAGE 8 DARLINGTONIA FALL 2004

ern lily is now confined to Table Bluff, where cattle grazing is used to benefit the lily by allowing small numbers of livestock to graze on shrubs in winter, when the lilies are dormant underground bulbs. The Department of Fish and Games’s Table Bluff Ecological Reserve harbors the second largest western lily population, and several smaller populations are distributed on nearby ranchlands.

Threats to the Crescent City Marsh and Western Lily

More than two-thirds of this 1500-acre watershed is already developed for residential and commercial uses. A pro-posal to build a golf course, casino, and resort complex would destroy an estimated 50% of the remaining undevel-oped watershed.

The proposal, put forth by the Elk Valley Rancheria, would include an 18-hole golf course, a 3-story hotel with 156 rooms and 9 bungalow-style duplexes, a conference center, restaurant, casino, and associated parking areas. The development proposes to discharge 60,000 cubic yards of fill into 10 acres of coastal wetland adjacent to the Crescent City Marsh Wildlife Area.

Other impacts to the Marsh from the proposed development include altered hydrology related to stormwater runoff and irrigation, pesticide and fertilizer contamination from the proposed golf course and landscaped areas, and other water quality issues. Long-term maintenance of the water source—both quantity and quality—is crucial to main-taining the integrity of these wetlands.

General threats to the Marsh include illegal filling and dumping in wetlands, altered hydrology caused by further development in the watershed, and the spread of invasive non-natives from adjacent land.

What can you do?

•Submit letters to CNPS* in support of conserving the Crescent City Marsh wetlands and biodiversity. Letters will be forwarded during critical comment periods.

•Urge Del Norte County officials to rigorously enforce their Local Coastal Program and protect these important wetlands.

•Write letters to the editor ([email protected], [email protected], [email protected]).

•Be on the lookout for illegal filling or other activities in the area.

Send letters to CNPS--North Coast Chapter, Conservation Chair, P.O. Box 1067, Arcata, CA 95518, or to [email protected].

For more information, visit the North Coast Chapter’s website at http://www.northcoast.com/~cnps/.

To sign up for Action Alerts, email [email protected].

References:

U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service. 1998. Recovery Plan for the Endangered Western Lily (Lilium occidentale). Port-land, OR. http://ecos.fws.gov/tess_public/TESSWebpageRecovery?sort=1#Q.

Imper, David K. and John O. Sawyer. 1992. Botanical Survey of Crescent City Marsh. Dept. of Fish and Game, Del Norte County, CA.

Leppig, Gordon. 2002. A Phytogeographic Study of Northern California Peatlands. Master’s Thesis, Humboldt State University, Arcata, CA.

(Crescent City Marsh, Continued from page 1)

PAGE 9 DARLINGTONIA FALL 2004

JOIN CNPS NOW! North Coast Chapter

Membership in the California Native Plant Society, a statewide nonprofit organization, is open to all. The task and mission of CNPS is to increase aware-ness, understanding, and appreciation of California native plants. The challenge is to preserve their natural habitat through scientific, educational, and conservation activities. Membership includes sub-scriptions to the informative quarterly journal Fre-montia, the statewide newsletter Bulletin, and our local chapter newsletter Darlingtonia.

Name________________________________________

Address______________________________________

City________________________ Zip______________

Phone________________________________________

I wish to affiliate with the North Coast Chapter____

Or, (other chapter_____________________________

MEMBERSHIP CATEGORY

Student/Retired/Limited Income………...… $20

Individual or Library…………………………. $35

Family or Group…...…………………………. $45

Supporting………...…………………………… $75

Plant Lover………...…………………………... $10

Patron…………………………………………… $250

Benefactor………...……………………….…… $500

Dues to CNPS are tax deductible.

Please make check payable to “CNPS” and mail to:

2707 K Street, Suite 1 Sacramento, CA 95816 – 5113

Or, join on-line at www.northcoast.com/~cnps

PAGE 10 DARLINGTONIA FALL 2004

RRREDWOODEDWOODEDWOOD M M MEDICINALSEDICINALSEDICINALS

by Natalie Schaefer, M.S. Illustrations by Rosemary Bauman

Indian Paintbrush

Castilleja spp.

Varying in color from dark red to orange to yellow-crème, Indian Paintbrush grows from the coast inland to the mountain ranges and beyond. The showy "flowers" are actually bracts. Native people used an infusion of this plant for menstrual regularity. It was also used as a wash to make the hair glossy, and the root tea was diluted for venereal diseases. This plant concentrates selenium from soils, and should not be taken internally in large doses.

FFFALLALLALL C C CALENDARALENDARALENDAR

Join us on our frequent, local plant walks. check the newspapers, visit the chapter website, or join the e-mail notification list (contact [email protected]).

OCTOBER

8th 8 pm Monthly program: Sedges in the Landscape by Gordon Leppig. (see pg. 2)

16th 8 am – 5 pm. Carex Workshop at HSU. $50 members, $75 non-members. Call Spring Garrett to

register 826-4479. (see pg 2 for more details)

17th 10:00 a.m.- 2 p.m Field trip: Wetland Plants at the Refuge. Call Carol Ralph for details (822-2015)

NOVEMBER 6th Field trip – Ferndale Property Exploration. Meet at 8:30 a.m. at Pacific Union School. Call Carol Ralph 822-2015. (see pg 3) 10th 8 pm Monthly program: Plant Species Diversity in CA Serpentine by Dr. Hugh Safford (see pg. 2)

DECEMBER

8th 8 pm Monthly program: Botanical Delights of Mt Scott and Mt Eddy by Judie Hinman (see pg. 2)

JANUARY

PAGE 11 DARLINGTONIA FALL 2004

Please Submit (to this newsletter…)

Darlingtonia is the quarterly newsletter of the North Coast Chapter of CNPS. Items for sub-mittal to Darlingtonia should be sent to [email protected] by each quarterly dead-line: December 1, March 1, June 1, and Septem-ber 1. Botanical articles, poetry, stories, photo-graphs, illustrations, sightings, news items, ac-tion alerts, events, factoids, tidbits, etc. are wel-come and appreciated!

NATIVE PLANT CONSULTATION SERVICE Are you wondering which plants in your yard are native? Are you unsure if that vine in the corner is an invasive exotic? Would you like to know some native species that would grow well in your yard? The North Coast Chapter of the California Native Plant Society now offers the Nativ Plant Consultation Service to answer these questions and to give advice on gardening with natives. If you are a member of CNPS, this service is free, if not, you can join or make a donation to our chapter.A phone call or e-mail to our coordinator, Kathy Dilley (825-7665 or [email protected]), will put you in touch with a team of volunteer consultants who will arrange a visit to your property to look at what you have and help choose suitable plants for your garden.

NATIVE PLANT GARDENERS WANTED "If you want to sink your hands into Garden soil, Thursday, November 11th through Saturday, November 13th have been reserved as native plant installation days. As many HBGF volunteers as possible are needed to work on Saturday, November 13, rain or shine. To sign up, please contact Karen Angel at [email protected] with your name, address, phone number and e-mail address."

CNPS, North Coast Chapter

P.O. Box 1067

Arcata, CA 95518 ADDRESS SERVICE REQUESTED

Non-Profit Organization U.S. Postage

PAID Permit No. 33

Arcata CA 95521

PAGE 12 DARLINGTONIA

FALL 2004

NORTH COAST CHAPTER, 2004 STEERING COMMITTEE MEMBERS/CONTACTS WEB SITE: HTTP://WWW.NORTHCOAST.COM/~CNPS

PRESIDENT CAROL RALPH 822-2015 [email protected]

VICE PRESIDENT FELICITY WASSER 826-7712 [email protected]

SECRETARY SUZANNE ISAAKS 825-7469 [email protected]

TREASURER TAMARA CAMPER [email protected]

MEMBERSHIP PEGGY DUNAVAN 954-4059 [email protected]

INVASIVE EXOTICS KYLE WEAR 826-1398 [email protected]

NATIVE PLANT GARDENING PETE HAGGARD 839-0307 [email protected]

NATIVE PLANT CONSULTATION KATHY DILLEY 825-7665 [email protected]

PLANT SALES JENNIFER KALT 839-1980 [email protected]

EDUCATION KAREN MAYER 476-8149 [email protected]

LEGISLATION NEEDED!

CONSERVATION JENNIFER KALT 839-1980 [email protected]

PROGRAMS STEPHANIE MORRISETTE 839-0900 [email protected]

TAMARA GEDIK 839-0900 [email protected]

FIELD TRIPS CAROL RALPH 822-2015 [email protected]

RARE PLANTS KIM IMPER 444-2756 [email protected]

DAVID LOYA 834-5013 [email protected]

PLANT COMMUNITIES TONY LABANCA 826-7208 [email protected]

NEWSLETTER EDITOR GREG JENNINGS 668-1775 [email protected]

WEBPAGE & PUBLICITY LARRY LEVINE 822-7190 [email protected]

BOOK & POSTER SALES FELICITY WASSER 826-7712 [email protected]

SUNNY BENNETT 441-9545 [email protected]

HOSPITALITY DEBORAH PARSONS 443-4935 [email protected]

WORKSHOPS GORDON LEPPIG 839-0458 [email protected]