CNPS Redbud Chapter
*Welcome*
Field Trips
Newsletters
Local Floras
Natives for Landscaping
Other Links
About Our Chapter
Board of Directors
How to Join Redbud-CNPS
Bylaws
Job Descriptions
How to Reach Us
If you want to be informed
about Redbud activities
consider joining the
listserv below:
Welcome!
Karen Callahan
THE REDBUD CHAPTER OF NEVADA AND PLACER COUNTIES
Placer and Nevada Counties are located on the western slope of the Sierra Nevada mountain range between Sacramento and Lake Tahoe. Although these two counties represent only 1.5% of the land mass of California, 35% of its vascular plants are found here. Our native plants grace the landscape in habitats from the Sacramento valley grasslands, through the foothills, and into the high peaks of the Sierra Nevada mountain range. This land area represents a large variation in elevation, rainfall, and temperature. The snowmelt from the rugged peaks feeds into the Yuba, American, Rubicon and Bear Rivers with water to support the more populous areas of the state.
Upcoming Chapter Presentations and Events
The CNPS Rare Plant Treasure Hunt: promoting rare plant conservation through citizen science
Wednesday, February 22, 7-9pm
Madelyn Helling Library, Community Meeting Room
Nevada City, CACalifornia is a botanically rich state, and its rare plant flora is no exception: CNPS has designated over 2,200 plants as rare. Maintaining records of these plants in the California Natural Diversity Database (CNDDB) is a difficult task, as almost half of the state’s 32,000+ rare plant occurrences were documented 20 or more years ago. Climate change, development, groundwater depletion and invasive exotics threaten many of these known populations, so more current data is important for their conservation. Also, many remote portions of California have seen little botanical exploration. For example, about 6-10% of Mojave Desert flora remains undescribed.
To address these issues CNPS formed the Rare Plant Treasure Hunt, a citizen-science program that enlists volunteers to gather data on California’s rare plants, while instilling an appreciation for rare plant conservation. In this program, CNPS staff, Chapters, and other volunteer groups organize and lead rare plants surveys, with the goal of re-locating historical rare plant occurrences and exploring new areas. This talk will focus on the results of the first two years of this program, highlighting projects undertaken by groups around the state and locally. Local rare plant survey priorities and opportunities for participation in the program will also be discussed. Come to this talk and learn about this fun way that you can get involved in conserving rare plants locally and in your travels throughout the state.Board Meeting
Wednesday, March 28, 7-9pm
Auburn, CA
Location to be announced....Wildflower Identification Workshop
“Name that Wildflower!”
Sponsored by Redbud Chapter, CNPS.
Teachers: Botanists Linnea Hanson and Karen Wiese.
Saturday, April 14, 2012– 8:30 AM to 4:30 PM.
Location: Near Grass Valley at a Redbud member’s home .
Workshop Fee: $25.00 for members of California Native Plant Society and $35.00 for nonmembers. Fee includes workshop handouts, beverages and food in the morning, and a homemade lunch.
Registration: Pre-registration is required. Class is limited to 25 people and rain will not cancel.
Contact: Karen Callahan at penstemon@nccn.net or call 530-272-5532 and she will send you complete details.
Description:
Immerse yourself in wildflowers for the day. Learn how to identify major plant families found in the Sierra Nevada foothills. Spend the morning with freshly gathered plant specimens observing special features--hairy nectar runs, freckles, colored anthers, banner petals or seed pods. In the afternoon, we’ll use our knowledge on a field trip to a nearby wildflower area led by Linnea and Karen.
Our teachers, Linnea Hanson and Karen Wiese, enjoy sharing their passion for the California flora with all levels of students. Linnea recently retired as forest botanist for Plumas National Forest and serves as president of the Northern California Botanists. Karen works as a botanist and restoration specialist with Tahoe National Forest. She is the author of Sierra Nevada Wildflowers (Falcon Press).
Our teachers will be using the family approach to identification, believing that the easiest way to learn about flowers and to expand your “plant repertoire” is to study family characteristics. This approach allows you to recognize attributes of the pea family, the sunflower family, the lily family and several more.
The main reference guide for the workshop will be the Peterson Guide to Pacific States Wildflowers by T. Niehaus and C. Ripper. Also guiding us to recognition of local species will be Redbud Chapter’s beautiful book: Wildflowers of Nevada and Placer Counties, California. The book is organized by plant families and will fit right into the workshop plan. Copies of both books will be available for purchase during the workshop in case you don’t already have one of your own. Bring your hand lens, too. We’ll have microscopes set up to give us a unique view of the plant world!
Native Plant Week
April 15-21, A walk is being planned to celebrate
Details to follow...Program in Auburn, to be announced
Wednesday, April 25, 7-9pm
Rose Room,
Auburn, CA
Native Plant Festival & Sale
Saturday, May 5, 2012, 9:30am
Sierra College Campus, Rocklin, CA