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SANTA CLARITA RIVER

THE 16th ANNUAL RIVER RALLY
2010 RIVER CLEAN-UP & ENVIRONMENTAL EXPO

SATURDAY, SEPTEMBER 11, 2010
8:00 A.M. to 11:00 A.M.

Location: Behind Soledad Shopping Center–
18386 Soledad Canyon Rd
River Rally Website

Google Map – River Rally 2010 Location

Broom Control
in the Santa Monica Mountains
SEPTEMBER 18

Channel Islands Restoration is partnering with the Santa Monica Mountains Trails Council to help clear one acre of highly invasive Spanish broom (Spartium junceum) along the famous Backbone Trail. Spanish broom is a fast spreading destructive plant that has taken over parts of the trail.
Volunteers are needed on Saturday, September 18. Meet at the Saddle Peak Trailhead. It is a moderate thirty minute hike along Saddle Peak Trail to get to the work site. Although it can be steep at times, the amazing views and abundance of native plants along the way is well worth the effort. RSVP to Kevin Thompson,
cirkevincir@yahoo.com 805-660-7399.

Directions: Take exit 33 for Lost Hills Rd; Head South on Lost Hills Rd 1.1 miles; Turn right on Las Virgenes Rd 1.6 miles; Turn left on Mulholland Way 4.0 miles; Turn right on Stunt Rd 4.0 miles; Just past the stop sign at Stunt Rd and Saddle Peak Rd. there is parking on the left.

Bring: Plenty of water; Lunch and snacks; Sturdy shoes (boots are preferred); Hat/sunscreen; Your favorite pair of work gloves (gloves will provided if you don't have a
favorite pair); All tools (and gloves) will be provided.

Legends of the Fall: exploring the clandestine flora of early fall in the eastern Mojave Desert
September 28-30, 2010

James M. Andre and Tasha La Doux
UC Granite Mountains Desert Research Center

Course Description: Few botanists journey out in the late summer or early fall in search of colorful blooms of California’s desert plants. Yet the early fall bloom in the eastern Mojave Desert can be more reliable than the more popular spring blooms. Approximately 10% of eastern Mojave annuals are considered “summer annuals”, species that germinate following the monsoonal cloudbursts of summer, grow rapidly, and complete the life cycle before temperatures decline sharply in fall. In addition, many perennial species flower in early fall, particularly those of the Asteraceae, Poaceae, and Polygonaceae. This course will introduce botanists to the ecology and taxonomy of the diverse flora of early fall in the eastern Mojave Desert, with special emphasis on rare or unique species.

Cost CNPS members: $435 includes meals and dorm lodging for 2 days & 2 nights

Non-members: $460 includes meals and dorm lodging for 2 days & 2 nights

Location: UC Granite Mountains Desert Research Center, located within the Mojave National Preserve, eastern Mojave Desert

Target Audience: Professional botanists, ecologists, agency resource managers, and conservationists. Participants should have moderate to advanced taxonomic skills. Field trips will include moderate to short day hikes.

Attendees will:

Become familiar with a significant component of California’s desert flora that is reproductive only in fall
Observe up to 25 fall-obligate rare plants (often overlooked by consulting surveys)
Obtain training in the ID of difficult and prominent fall season desert plant groups such as the Polygonanceae and Poaceae.
Learn about ecological processes and natural history concepts unique to summer annuals and other fall-flowering taxa
Receive field instruction on basic plant voucher collecting techniques

For full details and registration go to http://cnps.org/cnps/education/workshops/index.php

For additional questions email or call Josie at jcrawford@cnps.org or (916) 447-2677 ext 205.

36th ANNUAL SOUTHERN CALIFORNIA BOTANISTS SYMPOSIUM

OCTOBER 9, 2010

SOUTHERN CALIFORNIA
MOUNTAINS BOTANY
You Say Coastal, I Say Cismontane

Tentative Speakers:
Scott White - Flora of San Jacinto Mountains
Jim Shevock - Bryophytes of the Southern California Mountains and exploration in the southern Sierra
Scott Eliason - Flora of the San Bernardino Mountains
Fred Roberts - Plant Diversity in the San Pedro Martir Mountains of Baja, CA
Allan Schoener - Natural History of the So. Ca. Mountains
Tom Oberbauer - San Diego Mountains Flora
Rusty Russell - Mapping a Century of Change in the San Jacinto Mountains
Naomi Fraga - FLora of the Uper Santa Ana River Watershed, San Bernardino Mountains

To sign up see www.socalbot.org.

Recycled Water Forum Proceedings
Now Available!

The Los Angeles County Department of Parks and Recreation has just released digital proceedings from their "Recycled Water/Plant/Soil Compatibility Conservation Forum". Anyone with an interest in water conservation and sustainable landscapes will find the design and maintenance implications within these proceedings invaluable.

Click here to download: http://tinyurl.com/recycledwaterforum (Adobe Reader required)

Three-hundred planning and design professionals attended the event held in 2009 at the Los Angeles County Arboretum. The Department brought together speakers with expertise in native and drought tolerant plants as well as recycled water irrigation to discuss solutions for parks and public space. Following the Forum, presentation summaries were compiled into proceedings by the Los Angeles San Gabriel Rivers Watershed Council.

The Recycled Water Conservation Forum was held in response to the State mandate for water conservation (AB1881) and the concerns that many government agencies had about the successful use of recycled water with native and drought tolerant plants. Forum topics included irrigation strategies, the effects of recycled water on soils and plants, suitable turf varieties, nursery perspectives, and public park case studies.

For questions regarding the event or the Proceedings contact Susan Pearson, Department of Parks and Recreation Facilities Planner II at 213.738.4750.