Bakersfield Cactus & Valley Oak Restoration

In coordination with the Nature Conservancy, Kern Chapter volunteers have begun restoration of the Bakersfield cactus (Opuntia basilaris var. treleasei) and valley oaks (Quercus lobata) on degraded Conservancy properties near Caliente, California.

Frank Bedard loading up with water for our cacti plantation. 2021.
Phacelia nashiana, Charlotte's phacelia, Boraginaceae.
Phacelia nashiana, Charlotte’s phacelia, Boraginaceae.
Zach Principe of The Nature Conservancy. The man in charge.
Lucy Clark digging away to give our cacti a good home.
Bill Moffat pointing to something somewhere.
Jon Hammond keeping the buckets full.
Dinah Campbell weeding the area around our cacti.
Rachel Mason of the Nature Conservancy leading a tailgate introduction to the work of the day.
Zach Principe of the Nature Conservancy and Bill Nelson, a kern CNPS volunteer, filling the buckets.
John Hammond and Deb See on the bucket brigade.
Lucy Clark putting the finishing touches on a newly transplanted Bakersfield cactus.
Dale and Patty Gradek after transplanting a Bakersfield cactus.
Ellen Cypher logging data on the location and condition of a transplanted Bakersfield cactus.
Hardware cloth, grow tube, and drip irrigation installed for a valley oak planting.
Valley oak seedling transplanted to a Conservancy property near Caliente, California.
Lucy Clark and Donna Rodriguez installing the drip irrigation on a recently transplanted valley oak.
Bill Nelson, shovel in hand, ready to plant a valley oak seedling.
Backfilling the hile in preparation for a valley oak seedling.

How to Get Involved

General Meetings

General meetings are held on the third Thursday of every month from 6.00 pm to 8.30 pm. There is no meeting in December, or in July and August. Meetings are open to the public. There is a gardening discussion and plant identification at each meeting from 6.00 pm to 7.00 pm. If there’s a program, the program begins at 7.00 pm.

See our Events page for details of both upcoming and recent general meetings.

Field Trips

During the spring and early summer we often offer field trips and outings to explore the native plants in local natural areas. Most of these are open to both members and non-members. See our field trips page for details of upcoming field trips. These are not hikes as such and conducted at a CNPS pace with time to examine and identify plants that we find.

Stewardship

We participate in work parties on the Nature Conservancy Properties near Bakersfield. We plant, water, and maintain cacti and oaks under the supervision of the Nature Conservancy’s preserve manager. Work parties occur throughout the year. If you’re interested in participating, sign up with a Kern Chapter member.

Gardening with Natives

Several chapter members grow natives. See our Gardening with Natives page for more information.

Join CNPS!

With a CNPS membership you will receive discounts on CNPS-published books and posters, a subscription to Artemisia and Flora, and if you choose Kern as your home chapter, the Mimulus Memo, the Kern Chapter’s newsletter.

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