Milo Baker Chapter Dec.-Jan.

2007-2008

California Native Plant Society

Calendar
December General Meeting: Annual Wreath-Making Workshop
Tuesday, December 18, 7:30pm
12/17 Rincon Ridge
Fir Party at the Park It’s our annual wreath-making event. You’ll get the
few simple instructions needed to discover just how
12/18 General Meeting, easy it is. Hoops, wire and greenery will be provided.
Luther Burbank Art &
To add special touches, please bring anything you
Garden Center
have on hand for your own wreath or to share:
1/12 Field Trip berries, pine cones, acorns, lichen, eucalyptus pods,
Manzanita at Lake dried flowers, holly, pomegranates, ribbon, raffia, etc.
Sonoma Drop cloths, tarps, or old sheets to make cleanup
easier will be greatly appreciated. Grab your pruning
1/15 Deadline for shears, or something with which to cut greenery, and
submissions: try your hand at creating a lovely, festive wreath to
February issue of decorate your home or to give as a gift. We’ll have
Newsletter. cider and cookies for CNPS members; bring some of
your own favorites to share if you like. Join us on
1/15 General Meeting,
Luther Burbank Art & December 18 for some holiday fun!
Garden Center

January General Meeting

Tuesday, January 15, 7:30, 2008
In This Issue "Painting a New Field Guide to the Sierra Nevada"
Presentation by guest speaker Jack Laws
Naturalist and artist John (Jack) Muir Laws is creating an illustrated field guide to
General Meetings 1
more than 1,200 species of plants and animals of the Sierra Nevada. This
Calendar 1 comprehensive and easy-to-use guide will allow botanists to identify the insects
President’s Corner 3 that come to their flowers, birders to identify the trees in which the birds perch, or
January Meeting 3 hikers to identify the stars overhead at night. (Continued on page 2.)
Plant I.D. Hour 4
Chapter Business 4
Plant Sale News 5
State CNPS News 5 February General Meeting
Field Trips 5
Events/Items of Interest 6
Tuesday, February 19, 2008
Legislative News 6 Native American Uses of Local Native Plants
Photographer and naturalist Charles Kennard presents a slideshow on the
traditional uses of native plants by Bay Area tribes for food, medicine, baskets,
cordage, boat-building and community life.

General meetings are held on the 3rd Tuesday of each month at Luther Burbank Art & Garden Center, 2050 Yulupa Avenue, Santa Rosa
**Milo Baker Chapter Board meetings 7:00pm, 2nd Tuesday nine months of the year, Environmental Center, 55 Ridgeway Avenue,
Suite A, Santa Rosa. Next meeting is December 18th. Anyone interested in the work of the chapter is welcome to attend!

P resident's Corner
The Milo Baker Chapter was honored with a Merit
Award for Community Services on October 29th at City
Hall. Becky Montgomery, Liz Parsons, and I were there
to receive the award, which acknowledged our
stewardship at Rincon Ridge Park and other
collaborations in the City. Thanks to Gary Hundt for the
photos in the presentation.
Liz Parsons (left) and
Lynn Houser show the
Santa Rosa Merit Award
for Community Services,
received at City Hall on
Oct. 29th . Photo by
Gerry Humes
I have recently submitted comments on some Santa Rosa
development proposals, and also had the opportunity to
count the rings on a heritage oak that was felled on
October 31st at Cleveland and Jennings Ave. thanks to
access by the local contractor. The old valley oak
(Quercus lobata), with a dbh of 84” and a base stump of
about 10 feet diameter, appeared to be 215-220 years old.
When the U.S. was signing the Constitution, it was a
young tree. The Jennings family settled in 1890, when
the oak was about 100 years old and a beautiful umbrella
of shade. According to the rings, the story looks rich: the
water availability after the Jennings settlement produced
growth rings of about ¼” width in the following years,
with much increasing girth. The decay was likely
already a threat. Valley oaks need consistent treatment
for longevity. Try not to change the watering regime
with these creatures. I do not doubt that Milo Baker
himself was familiar with this oak, and I am seeking
historical photos of what I call the “Jennings Valley
Oak” that is still mourned today. I planted five acorns
from this oak on my property just 2 miles north of this
site and other acorns have been collected. They will be
fast growers in the clay soil.
The heritage Jennings Oak was cut after a limb fell two
weeks before, and arborists deemed it rotted and a
liability. The city even sought a second opinion, and
tried to save it. This was not only probably the tallest
oak in the Coddingtown area, but also a very prominent
landmark viewed from the freeway, which has seen
many changes lately. After a few visits to the City
Planning Department to view maps and proposals for a
20 acre parcel to the west of this heritage oak that was
felled, I was motivated to submit comments for stronger
Valley Oak preservation for the Fairfield at Jennings
project. Valley oak preservation is about more than
heritage oaks. The young ones need habitat to reproduce
in.
The County's General Plan Update, if adopted by the
Board of Supervisors as recommended by the Planning
Milo Baker Chapter Newsletter – December 2007/January 2008
Commission, recommends establishing "an advisory
committee to assist in a study of important oak
woodlands and options for protection, including possible
recommendations for protection" (Open Space and
Resource Conservation Program 18). Our chapter’s
input is very important at this time. Your help is
welcome.
º Lynn Houser
January General Meeting
(Continued from page one.)
"Painting a New Field Guide
To the Sierra Nevada"
Presentation by guest speaker Jack Laws
Jack will present an illustrated lecture about the
natural history of the Sierra Nevada, and the
process of creating a field guide. He will also bring
original illustrations that have been painted in the
field and studio. Jack has studied the natural history
of the Sierra for many years. He is trained as a
wildlife biologist and is an associate of the
California Academy of Sciences. He has spent the
last four summers painting Sierra wildflowers from
life. During the 2005 wildflower season alone, Jack
spent more than 70
days in the field
working on
illustrations for this
book. His
illustrations capture
the feeling of the
living plant or
animal, while also
including details critical for identification.
In the summer of 2004, Laws published Sierra
Birds: a Hiker’s Guide. He is also a regular
contributor to Bay Nature magazine with his
"Naturalist’s Notebook" column.
º Betsy Livingstone
Page 3
 Plant I.D. Hour
will return in January
There will be no Plant I.D. Hour before the
Wreath-making Workshop, although the
room will be filled with fresh plant material!
Arrive at 6:30, an hour before January
th
15 General Meeting, and bring specimens of
plants you want to identify. At Plant ID Hour we
feature plants of interest from the local area, see
them through a dissecting microscope, and discover
the differences between our many native species.
In addition to some fresh plant material, I’ll bring
field guides and botany books. I can help you work
through the keys in The Jepson Manual and A
Sonoma County Flora or answer your questions.
I’ll also have the brand new Marin Flora, which
was featured at our plant sale with Wilma Follette
signing books.
Keying is worthwhile and challenging for
all of us! You can bring your dinner if you want to,
a hand lens and a copy of Jepson or Sonoma Co.
Flora if you have them. I also have L.H. Bailey’s
Manual of Cultivated plants (my first manual used
to key plants) for your latest garden mystery or
escape. Come talk plants with plant people. The
best-learned plants are those learned with friends!
º Lynn Houser
Chapter News
Thank you!
CUNNINGHAM WORK DAYS
The Marsh would like to thank the following people
for a lot of hard work on our two work days - Sept.
16 & Oct. 7, 2007.
The (2) indicates a volunteer was there both days:
Pat Chan, M.L., Joe Honton (2), Wendy Born, Gary
Hundt (2), Peter Erlich (2), Betty Young (2), Judith
Rousseau, Rainbow Francom, Steve Sidener, John
Herrick, Kate Symonds, Catherine Cumberland, and
Marcia Johnson (2). Cages were put on 25-30 oaks,
along with weedmat. Seeds were collected, thistle
cut, poplar suckers cut & painted, weed eating done
in preparation for planting next year. We have a lot
more work to do; however, seeing all the new oaks
in the grasslands either planted by jays or mother
oaks is just wonderful. Much thanks to all.
º Marcia Johnson
Steward, Cunningham Marsh
Milo Baker Chapter Newsletter – December 2007/January 2008
MEMBERSHIP CHAIR
On behalf of the Milo Baker Chapter, I want to
acknowledge and thank Wendy Born for her many years
of dedicated service as Membership Chair. Wendy has
been the connection between the state office and the
newsletter in your mailbox that is so important to CNPS!
Wendy Born is also an expert grower of native ferns, and
always contributes her wonderful energy to the plant
sale.
Kathy Dowdakin (left) and Wendy Born congratulate each
other on a job well done at the 2007 Plant Sale.
We really appreciate Wendy Born and thank her for
being membership chair. Gary Hundt will be taking over
the membership chair duties in the interim, but we hope
to recruit some help for him since Gary is also our
website man. He can introduce you to the database and
what is required if you can help out; please contact Gary
at garyhundt@muddyknees.com for more info. Thanks.
º Lynn Houser
RINCON RIDGE
Fir Party at the Park:
Monday, Dec. 17th, 10:00 a.m. – 1:00 p.m.
Gather materials for the Wreath-Making Workshop
while improving rare plant habitat and fire safety.
Douglas firs, with their rapid growth, need to be
periodically removed where they grow with the Rincon
Manzanitas and Ceanothus, to maintain the chaparral
habitat. Each year we have a work party or two to cut
firs from the sensitive plant area and, if the dates
coordinate, use the branches for our wreath-making
workshop (the following evening, this year). The rare
plant habitat would benefit from some coyote brush
cutting as well. We will work for a while and then have
lunch in the park, so bring some water and food. You’ll
want gloves, loppers, and/or hand saws. We’ll need
some tarps and rope for hauling and some pick up trucks
to load. Come get a quick nature fix and help out. The
hummingbirds are out at the park, buzzing the tall
manzanitas that started blooming in November. It is a
wonderful time; the aromas are fabulous. Heavy rain
cancels; please contact Lynn Houser, Rincon Ridge Park
Steward, at housers@sonic.net or 568-3230
º Lynn Houser
Page 4
Plant Sale News
Saturday, December 15, 11 AM:
Pacific Coast Iris Workshop: Mary Aldrich's, 4775
Newanga, SR (539-9005). We will be dividing Pacific
Coast Iris and taking them home to grow on for the sale.
The PCN Iris were very popular at our sale; we sold 90
of them at our sale this year! The only time that they can
be divided is in the winter. This is a very important part
of our plant sale preparation, so please come and help us.
It takes less than 2 hours to divide and prepare the iris.
We are a very good group, please join us.
Saturday, January 12, 11 AM:
Plant Sale Committee: We will meet at Liz Parsons’s
house in Kenwood on Saturday, January 12, 11 AM.
Anyone who is interested in helping with the sale is
encouraged to come this meeting. WE NEED YOU.
Our sale is one of the best in the state, but we need new
people to help us. We will be making many decisions
for the coming year, ¦make your voice heard. Call Liz at
833-2063.
º Liz Parsons
State CNPS News
Enviros and UC Merced Reach
a Win-Win Accord
For the past two years CNPS (along with Butte
Environmental Council, Defenders of Wildlife, Protect
Our Water, San Joaquin Raptor/Wildlife Rescue Center,
San Joaquin Valley Conservancy and The Nature
Conservancy) have been meeting with the University of
California and the regulatory agencies to discuss
conservation issues related to the Merced campus. These
meetings resulted in a stronger conservation strategy and
a smaller campus. On Friday, October 5, 2007, the
University issued a press release announcing the
reduction of their footprint and the intention to start the
environmental review process over.
http://www.vernalpools.org/UCMerced/
Much of the proposed campus location will be
permanently protected by a conservation easement. More
easements to protect vernal pools and to contain sprawl
are also expected as the new campus plan unfolds.
The agreed upon reduced footprint will protect an
additional 670 acres of pristine vernal pool habitat that
Milo Baker Chapter Newsletter – December 2007/January 2008
would have been destroyed by the current plan. Many
additional occurrences of threatened and endangered
plants and animals will also be conserved by the reduced
footprint. CNPS applauds the University of California
for coming to the table with a willingness to work out a
compromise that works both for the environment and for
the campus.
The UC’s announcement marks the beginning of a new
public process for the campus expansion. Previous
permit applications will be withdrawn. A new
application will be submitted that will trigger a joint
EIR/EIS for the campus and community. CNPS and
others will continue to participate in the public process.
º State CNPS
Chapter Field Trips
No Field Trip in December:
Happy Holidays!
However, there is the Rincon Ridge Fir Party at the Park
(See Chapter News above).
January:
Manzanita at Lake Sonoma
Saturday, January 12th, 10 AM- 2PM
We'll spend the outing around Lake Sonoma looking at a
variety of Manzanita species, hopefully in flower. Meet
at the Lake Sonoma Visitor Center. Take Hwy 101 to
Healdsburg. Exit Dry Creek Road. Turn left (west) onto
Dry Creek Road. Take it all the way to the lake
(approximately 10 miles). Visitor's Center is on your
right. Contact: Beth Robinson, 490-4951,
ºbethysmail@gmail.com.
Salt Point Mushroom Foray with Sonoma County
Mycological Association
Saturday, February 23rd, 10:00 AM- 1:00 PM
SOMA mushroom forays are field trips to collect wild
mushrooms with knowledgeable fungi folk. Forays
provide a great opportunity to get out in the woods in a
friendly atmosphere to learn the ins and outs of
identifying and collecting mushrooms. At a typical foray,
we sort ourselves into several groups, each led by a foray
leader who knows the area and the fungi to be found.
After about an hour of foraging, we reconvene with our
fungal treasures to have them identified, photographed,
and sometimes—if deemed edible and choice by our
experts—to be cooked up for the post-foray potluck by
members of the SOMA Culinary Group. Meet at 10am at
the southern end of Fisk Mill Cove—we highly
encourage car pooling. There is a day use fee of $6/car.
For a list of what to bring, please visit:
http://www.somamushrooms.org/forays/forays.html
Contact: Bill Wolpert (707)763-3101,
SOMAwalk@SOMAmushrooms.org
Contact: bethysmail@gmail.com, 490-4951.
º Beth Robinson
Page 5
Events and Items of Interest
Cotati Creek Critters:
The Plight of the Pond Turtle
with Dr. Nick Geist
Mon., Dec. 6th .The western
pond turtle, our only native,
local turtle species, is teetering
towards extinction. Dr. Geist,
is working with others to
increase turtle populations in
Sonoma County. 7 p.m., Stony
Point Room, Cotati
Community Center, Ray Miller
Community Center, 216 E. School St., Cotati (behind
Cotati City Hall, 201 W. Sierra Ave.)
Birds of Cotati -
A Winter Bird Walk with John Dell’Osso,
Chief of Interpretation at Pt. Reyes.
Meet by the statue of the accordion player in La Plaza
Park, Cotati (intersection of Old Redwood Hwy. and W.
Sierra Ave.) at 9 am.
Community Planting Days:
Dec. 8th (9-12), Dec. 30th (10-1), Jan. 12th (9-12), Jan.
27th (10-1).
Join us in planting native trees, shrubs, grasses and
sedges along the Laguna de Santa Rosa in Cotati. Meet
at Cotati City well lot #2, Lakewood Ave.
Contact: jenny@creeks.cotati.info or 792 4422 or
www.CotatiCreekCritters.info.
º Jenny Blaker
Russian Riverkeeper Park Volunteer Days
2007 Riverkeeper Stewardship Park Volunteer Days
What: Help restore riverbank habitat. No experience
necessary. All ages are welcome. Restoration activities
include: planting and caring for native plants, weeding,
erosion control, restoration education and Park cleanup.
Students can receive volunteer credit for participating.
Visit the park to see the transformation or be part of the
transformation taking place. Light refreshments
provided.
When: Every Wednesday. Cancelled when there is
enough rain to require wearing a raincoat.
Time: 8:30-11:30am, please join us for all or part.
Bring: water - wear sturdy shoes
Where: 16153 Main St., Guerneville, on the north bank
of the Russian River upstream of the pedestrian bridge.
At bottom of driveway is a blue and white sign that says,
Riverkeeper Demonstration Riparian Restoration Project
Future Community Park.” Parking available near sign.
Contact: VictoriaWikle@usa.net 865-2474 or
Don McEnhill rrkeeper@sonic.net 217-4762.
Website: www.russianriverkeeper.org
º Victoria Wikle
Milo Baker Chapter Newsletter – December 2007/January 2008
Bouverie Preserve of Audubon Canyon
Ranch
Public Work Day
Come join the Bouverie Habitat Protection and
Restoration team on Saturday January 5, 2008!
9:15-9:30 a.m. Jobs Assigned
9:30 a.m. Work Begins
12:30 p.m. Complimentary Lunch Service
While there will be a variety of tasks, many will be
associated with our ongoing restoration project,
including planting native grasses and wildflowers.
Please bring a pair of work gloves and be sure to wear
good walking shoes. We will be working rain or shine so
be prepared for all types of weather!
Please RSVP to 707-938-4554 or nancy@egret.org so we
can plan for enough food.
Bouverie Preserve is located at 13935 Sonoma Hwy. in
Glen Ellen, just across from Sonoma Valley Regional
Park.
The Laguna Foundation
The Laguna Foundation research department has
received the necessary funding to start a skilled vol-
unteer-based, long-term vernal pool assessment program
to respond to the urgent need for yearly assessments of
the current state of the surviving vernal pool endangered
plant populations on the Santa Rosa Plain. Each specially
trained botanist volunteer will ‘adopt’ one or more sites
for yearly surveys using our standardized methods. Our
Laguna Ecosystem Database will then serve as the
repository of all monitoring data each year, and our short
and long-term findings will serve to inform adaptive
management decisions aimed at plant recovery.
If you are a trained botanist or skilled botany enthusiast
and are interested in joining this program, please contact
Christina Sloop at x.101 or
christina@lagunafoundation.org.
Did You Know?
Our State Legislative Lobbyist is discussing climate
change and atmospheric pollution with the Legislative
Chairs of local chapters. They are popular topics – in the
legislature – and he would like to have a brief
explanation as to the plant nexus in these two related
areas. Would you like to be part of the discussion?
Contact: Katy Redmon, trypledee@comcast.net
The Native Plant Conservation Campaign (NPCC) is a
project of the California Native Plant Society and the
Center for Biological Diversity, two of the nation's
leading biological diversity conservation science and
advocacy groups. For more information, check-out the
State CNPS website:
www.cnps.org/cnps/legislation
Page 6
Milo Baker Chapter Officers & Board of Directors We invite you to join CNPS

President, Lynn Houser, 568-3230, housers@sonic.net Name________________________________

Vice President, Liz Parsons, 833-2063, LizPar8993@aol.com
Secretary, Patricia Sesser, 528-9197, ptrisha@sbcglobal.net Address______________________________
Treasurer, Jim Piercy, 539-3441, terrapenecarolinamajor@yahoo.com
Book Sales, OPEN City/Zip______________________________
Conservation Chair, OPEN
Cunningham Marsh, Marcia Johnson, 829-3808, owlsnest@hughes.net Phone________________________________
Director at Large, Dea Freid, 824-8165, lemuria@sonic.net
Field Trip Coordinator, Beth Robinson, 490-4951, bethysmail@gmail.com Email________________________________
Hospitality, Becky Montgomery, 573-0103, montyb@sonic.net Chapter affiliation:
Hospitality, Lynn Colborn, 829-9128, lcolborn@earthlink.net † Milo Baker (Sonoma County)
Invasive Plant Chair, ML Carle, 792-1823, mlml@svn.net † Other county ______________________
Legislative Chair, Katy Redmon, 762-3961, trypledee@comcast.net Membership category:
Membership, Wendy Born, 829-7519, spores@excite.com † Student or Limited Income……… $25
Newsletter Editor, Katy Redmon, 762-3961, cnpsmbnewsletter@yahoo.com † Individual………………………….$45
Photographer/Website Admin, Gary Hundt, 763-3387, † Family, Group or Library………..$75
garyhundt@muddyknees.com † Plant Lover………………………$100
Plant Sale, Liz Parsons, 833-2063, lizpar8993@aol.com † Patron…………………………….$300
Poster & T-Shirt Sales, OPEN † Benefactor………………………..$600
Programs/Lectures, Betsy Livingstone, 887-8873, betsl@sonic.net † Mariposa Lily…………………..$1500
Publicity, Stephanie & Michael Lennox, sedgesalvage@comcast.net
Rincon Ridge Park, Lynn Houser, 568-3230, housers@sonic.net † New Member † Renewal
SCCC Rep., Wendy Krupnick, 544-4582, wendyk@pon.net
Southridge Preserve, Jeffery Barrett 573-0271, barrett8@sonic.net Make check payable to CNPS and mail to:
SSU Rep, Joan Schwan, 823-0446, schwanjo@sonoma.edu CNPS, 2707 K Street, Sacramento, CA 95816
Vine Hill Preserve, Sarah Gordon, 575-3979, Sarahgordon17@aol.com
To pay by credit card or for more info call
916.447.2677 or visit www.cnps.org

NON-PROFIT
CALIFORNIA NATIVE PLANT SOCIETY ORGANIZATION
Milo Baker Chapter www.cnpsmb.org U.S. Postage Paid
P.O. Box 892 Santa Rosa, CA
Santa Rosa, CA 95402 Permit #470

Lilium pardalinum ssp. pitkinense

Pitkin lily

Newsletter & Web Site Info:

Send newsletter submissions to:
Katy Redmon, cnpsmbnewsletter@yahoo.com
Deadline for inclusion in the February
Newsletter is January 15.
The chapter web site www.cnpsmb.org
contains a wealth of information plus
current and archived newsletters.
To receive notification of the online newsletter,
sign up at http://groups.yahoo.com/group/cnps.