Newsletter 2005 January – February

California Native Plant Society

Orange County Chapter

January/February 2005

Newsletter

 

Looking forward…

I was going to do a recap of last year’s achievements, but Brad Jenkins (see page 2) took the words right out of my mouth—thank goodness! In general, I don’t care for year-end recaps, but I think you’ll be impressed by Brad’s tally of 2004’s accomplishments. To that, I’d just like to add my thanks to all of you who supported the goals of the California Native Plant Society in the past year in what ever way—your membership, attendance at meetings, purchase of books and plants, participation in field trips, assembling of newsletters, pulling of weeds, and more—and look forward with you to new opportunities in the year to come. Look for a listing of 2005 Fieldtrips in this newsletter. Anticipate our Spring Plant Sale in April. Attend the March Chapter Council Meeting at Rancho Santa Ana Botanic Garden. We won’t be doing a Garden Tour in 2005, but cultivate your garden anyway and ask if you’d like advice or suggestions or praise. And as always, your comments and suggestions are eagerly welcomed.

—Sarah Jayne, Chapter President

Calendar

Jan 6………………Board Meeting
Jan 15…………….Crystal Cove Walk
Jan 20…………….Chapter Meeting
Jan 22…………….UCI Arboretum Planting Day
Feb 3………………Board Meeting
Feb 17…………….Chapter Meeting
Feb 19…………….Crystal Cove Walk
Mar 5………………Chapter Council Meeting at RSABG
Apr 9………………Spring Plant Sale at Tree of Life Nursery
Thursdays 10 – 1, workday at UCI Arboretum
Any day, 8:30-noon, workday at Fullerton Arboretum

Chapter meetings are held at the Irvine Ranch Water District headquarters at 15600 Sand Canyon, Irvine. Doors open at 7 PM; the meeting begins at 7:30. Wildflower prints and a wide variety of books are available for purchase at the meeting.
Directions: From the Santa Ana Freeway (I-5) exit on Sand Canyon west. Pass Irvine Center Drive. Turn left at the next light onto Waterworks Road, then left into the parking lot. From the 405 exit east on San Canyon/Shady Canyon, turn right on Waterworks and left into the parking lot.

CONTENTS:
Conservation Report
Shipley Nature Center
UCI Arboretum
Acorn Grant The Pendleton School
Field Trips
Other Opportunities
Santa Ana Park Naturalists Program
Donna O’Neill Land Conservancy
Local Walks (including Crystal Cove)

CHAPTER MEETINGS

January 20 (Thursday)—Dudleya of the Southern California Floristic Province

Speaker: Fred Roberts

Start the New Year off right by joining us on an armchair Dudleya exploration. Chapter Rare Plant Chair Fred Roberts will take us on a jaunt that starts in Baja California and ends north of Orange County, including San Diego, San Bernardino, Riverside, San Gabriel and Orange Counties. We will also visit parts of Los Angeles and Ventura Counties. Fred will explain the identifying characteristics for each species as well as the overall breakdown for the genera.

Dudleya have always been an enjoyable facet of most of our field trips. Their ability to come back from a near death, desiccated condition in the fall to one of robust health and fullness, seemingly within days of our first rains is how the general name of Live Forever is given to the group as a whole. Of course, several of them are rare or endangered species with federal or state protection and these will also be shown. For those of us horticulturally inclined some Dudleya are cultivated by nurseries up and down the state, and are often available at the various CNPS plant sales held in spring and fall. They are normally an easy to grow and interesting addition to our gardens (but are never to be removed from the wild for garden purposes!)

So, if a bit of wandering through some outstanding landscapes in search of a succulent plant often smaller that a teacup, thriving in soils often less than an inch deep, in various communities ranging from the deserts edge to coastal bluffs sounds intriguing, come along with us in search of Southern California’s Dudleya.

February 17 (Thursday)—Rare Plants of Southern Coastal California

Speaker: Mark Elvin

As a Senior Botanist at Dudek & Associates, Mark Elvin spends a great deal of time in the field looking for plant species. To view his entire collection of pictures would require many hours, but Mark will select the rarest and most interesting for this evening’s presentation. Among them will be bulbs and succulents, mints and roses, tiny flowers and large—a remarkable display of the variety and diversity of Southern California native plant life. In preparation for our fieldtrip on April 2, Mark will also show some pictures of the 2003 burn in the San Ysidro/Otay Mountain area.

In addition to his work at Dudek, Mark is a Museum Scientist at UCI and is manager of the living plant and herbarium collections there. Under his guidance the native plant gardens of the Arboretum are gradually taking shape. The Otay Mountain section, now in its third year, is the most mature of these plantings, but other sections are coming along. In fact, come plant with Mark on January 23—weather permitting (see the UCI Arboretum article).

The year in review—2004 Recap for OC Members

Membership has privileges. You may be enthusiastically engaged in activities the chapter offers or the state conducts, or you may feel good about being a member of an organization that actively pursues its purpose. Either way you make a difference. Let’s run through the activities in 2004 that were available and possible with your membership. Only a very busy person could be aware of all the activities our chapter performed. Continue taking advantage of your membership in 2005!

Monthly Meetings: Locally and regionally noted speakers join us each month. Useful and hard to find books are on sale for your convenience. Which topics do you remember attending? These topics were offered: California Oaks, Fire Ecology, South Orange County NCCP Status, Local Butterflies and their Larval Food Plants, Birds of Crystal Cove, walking through the Golden West College Garden, Successful Natives for the Home Garden, War on Arundo and Artichoke Thistle, Winter Garden Chores.

Field Trips: These get-in-nature outings provide hands on experience with potential for unexpected sightings. In 2004 we visited Laguna Coast Wilderness with Bob Allen and Chris Barnhill, the Modjeska House and Garden where Theodore Payne worked, Limestone Canyon (Allen, Barnhill), Chiquita Basin with Fred Roberts, and Holy Jim Canyon (Allen, Barnhill). We went lichen hunting in the San Jacinto Mountains with Kerry Knudsen and explored Upper Newport Bay by canoe with Todd Heinsma and the Back Bay Naturalists.

Events: These are the highest attended activities. Hopefully we saw you and your friends at one of them: Spring Garden Tour, Spring Plant Sale, and Fall Plant Sale. Advertise plant sales to family and friends; knowledgeable people are available to help with selecting plants and the proceeds support chapter activities.

Communication: You know about the newsletter. Have you checked our website? (www.occnps.org) Or the state organization’s? (www.cnps.org) We also staffed information tables at the Earth Day event in Fairview Park and at several Shipley Nature Center events.

Education: Fewer members may be aware of these activities, and yet they are key to implementing the CNPS mission statement. Acorn Grants, which included books and an in-person consultation as well as funding, were awarded to Pendleton and Finley elementary schools. Member Helen de la Maza initiated a collaboration with the Orange County Department of Education that resulted in a Traveling Scientists program for 3rd graders. The program is very hands on and introduces native plants while teaching California life science standards.

Donations: A number of local organizations use or protect native plants. We aid these organizations through direct donations or supporting level memberships. Most notable this year was support for the UCI Arboretum coastal bluff habitat area. Other recipients included the Environmental Nature Center (ENC), Laguna Canyon Foundation, Shipley Nature Center, and Friends of OC Harbors, Beaches, and Parks.

Stewardship of the Land: Education and support for native plants is vital, and so is physical action for saving and reestablishing natives. Celia Kutcher leads weekly work parties at the UCI Arboretum in the native plant sections. Bill Neill is a one-man invasive weed eradication army; he deserves our appreciation and receives a small stipend to partially cover costs of supplies. Several people associated with establishing the Great Park in Irvine were provided reasons for using natives in the landscape plan. Our chapter joined litigation with other environment organizations when the county reneged on previously stated land use rules for the Saddle Creek area next to the Cleveland National Forest. Local land use issues are monitored, meetings attended, and updates communicated. The chapter board is looking for resources to become more fully involved in local land use planning, and welcomes member support in time, expertise, and funding.

OK members, it’s 2005! Get out, join in, lead, follow, plant, do, read, share, experience and make a difference.

—Brad Jenkins, Treasurer

 

OC CNPS CONSERVATION REPORT, JANUARY-FEBRUARY 2005

The California Natural Diversity Database (CNDDB) has developed an online Quad Viewer, which allows a user to generate lists of rare plants, animals and natural communities by USGS 7.5-minute quadrangles. There is an option to also generate lists for the eight quads surrounding a quad of interest. Go to http://www.dfg.ca.gov/whdab/ and click on the left link Quad Viewer. Follow the instructions that come up on launching the site, or click on Help once the Viewer is open. The site’s data is to be updated monthly and includes a data backlog, occurrences that have been reported but not yet added to CNDDB.

CURRENT ORANGE COUNTY ISSUES

Dana Point Headlands: The California Coastal Commission is expected to give its final certification to the Headlands Development and Conservation Plan on January 14. The certification was postponed in November because some wording in the Commission staff’s report had not been revised to say what it’s supposed to say.

On final certification, the 60-day period opens during which an appeal may be filed against the Commission’s approval of the plan. The plan is inconsistent with six Coastal Act policies and was approved under a “balancing” that goes far beyond the Act’s balancing provisions. This “balancing” has already been cited as precedent in similar flouting of the Act elsewhere along California’s coast. Surfrider Foundation is preparing to appeal the Commission’s approval. Sierra Club is expected to join. Our role in the action is as yet undefined. The appeal’s goal is to defend and uphold the Coastal Act—one of California’s most important environmental laws—as well as preserve the Headlands site. Donations to support the appeal may be made to Surfrider Foundation South Orange County Chapter Save Strands Fund, PO Box 865, San Clemente, CA 92672, and will be much appreciated. The Dana Point Headlands Action Group coalition has devised an alternative plan, the “Dana Point Headlands Nature Park,” which keeps the site as all publicly-accessible open space. Contact: dphc@cox.net.

Hobo-Aliso Ridge: Voices Of Wilderness (VOW), a coalition of Laguna Beach environmental groups, has been formed to focus on preservation of this privately-owned ridge on the southwesterly border of Aliso-Wood Canyons Wilderness Park. The ridge is home to a wide variety of species endemic to its San Onofre Breccia soils. Contact: greenp1@cox.net

Rancho Mission Viejo: Endangered Habitats League, Natural Resources Defense Council, Sea and Sage Audubon Society, Laguna Greenbelt, and Sierra Club have filed a Petition for Writ of Mandate vs. the Orange County Board of Supervisors, Rancho Mission Viejo, et al. The Petition challenges the November 8, 2004, decision of the County of Orange and the County Board of Supervisors to approve the application of Rancho Mission Viejo for a massive residential and commercial development, the “Ranch Plan,” to be located in one of the most environmentally sensitive areas in California. The Petition contends that the County’s approval violates the California Environmental Quality Act and other requirements of the law. The Petition asks that the County be required to redo the EIR and the Ranch Plan; and for temporary permanent injunctions against the County and/or Rancho Mission Viejo taking action to implement the Ranch Plan. CNPS’ part in this petition was under discussion at press time. Donations toward appeal expenses are needed; make out to Sierra Club Foundation, with “Friends of the Foothills” on the memo line, and send to FOF/Sierra Club, att: B. McKee, PO Box 3942, San Clemente 92674.

Saddleback Canyons: A settlement offer was made by Rutter Development Corp. A counter-offer was made by the environmental coalition (which includes OCCNPS) working to appeal the Saddle Creek and Saddle Crest developments. A resolution was not known at press time.

San Diego Creek: The San Diego Creek watershed collects all the runoff from south-central Orange Co. and delivers it to Newport Back Bay. See maps at http://www.ocwatersheds.com/watersheds/sandiego_creek.asp. Back Bay’s health, including that of its native plants and animals, is directly dependent on the health (and native vegetation) of San Diego Creek and its many tributaries. There will be an Informational Public Meeting on the San Diego Creek Watershed’s Special Area Management Plan (SAMP)/Master Streambed Alteration Agreement (MSAA) on Wednesday, January 12, 2005, 7:00-9:00 PM, at the Muth Interpretive Center, 2301 N. University Drive, Newport Beach, hosted by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers in cooperation with California Dept. of Fish and Game. It will be an open house style meeting, with a Corps presentation followed by an opportunity to talk with Corps staff one-on-one. Contact: Corice.J.Farrar@usace.army.mil. For a .pdf of the “Draft Newport Bay Watershed Management Plan,” which discusses the watershed’s many problems and proposes actions on them, contact Krista.P.Sloniowski@usace.army.mil. There should be an OCCNPS representative active in the deliberations over this plan, to ensure that appropriate native plants are part of the implementation.

Santa Ana River: Banning Ranch, 412 still-undeveloped acres of wetlands, bluffs and mesas that are home to many special status species, is near the Santa Ana River mouth in Newport Beach. The Ranch’s future is the major subject of the Newport Beach General Plan Update Committee. Four options are under consideration, one of which calls for complete preservation as open space as part of the nascent Orange Coast River Park. Public meetings to review the options will be held in January. For more information, contact louiseg@pacbell.net or visit http://taskforce.sierraclub.org/banningranch.

Trabuco District, Cleveland National Forest: The Lake Elsinore Advanced Pumped Storage Project (LEAPS) and its associated 30 miles of 500-Kv transmission line continue to threaten Morrell Canyon and the eastern slope of the Santa Ana Mts. (see the Nov/Dec newsletter for details). The EIS process will begin in January with the draft expected to be ready in July. The Federal Energy Regulatory Commission will welcome any pertinent comments or information at www.ferc.gov. If you know of any rare plants in or around upper Morrell Canyon, let FERC and OCCNPS know! We hope to have a plant-finding field trip there this spring.

The Cleveland National Forest publishes a quarterly Schedule of Proposed Actions, available online at http://www.fs.fed.us/r5/cleveland/projects/projects/index.shtml. The most recent Schedule lists 21 projects in the Trabuco District, in various stages of planning and implementation. Most are routine, but collectively over time will eat away at the naturalnessof our backyard mountains. OCCNPS really needs a volunteer who will monitor the District’s doings.

The Forest Plan Revision process continues for the Cleveland and the other three Southern California Forests. See http://www.fs.fed.us./r5/scfpr. This process also really needs an OCCNPS monitor.

—Celia Kutcher, Conservation Chair

[Contact Celia at celia552@cox.net if you can take on responsibility for monitoring an area near you]

 

 

2005 FIELD TRIPS

Full details for the field trips will appear in the March/April newsletter. Meanwhile, mark the dates on your calendars.

Saturday, April 2—San Ysidro and Otay Mountain
Revisit areas that that were burned in 2003. What sorts of fire-followers will be found? What might we see that we’ve not seen ever before? Mark Elvin will lead this trip.

Saturday, April 23—Back Side of the San Gabriel Mountains
Robert Smaus, former columnist with the Los Angeles Times, has invited us to explore his 40 acre property on the back side of the San Gabriels. After the early rains of this winter, this should be interesting hunting.

Saturday, May 7—Lichen Hunting in the Santa Anas
Lichenologist Kerry Knudson will lead us on a search for lichen in the area around Blue Jay Campground. If you went on our last lichen trip, you’ll know that while not strenuous, this activity requires a lot of down on the knees work. Kerry is impressively knowledgeable and very interesting on the subject of lichens.

Yet to be scheduled are a desert trip and a visit to Morrell Canyon. The trips listed in this issue are the only ones that are confirmed at this time. Any requests? We’re busy with the Spring Plant Sale on April 9, but April 16 and 30 and May 14 and 21 are open.

ACTION OPPORTUNITIES

UCI Arboretum: Planting Season Continues!

Recent rains have soaked the ground nicely, just right for planting natives at UCI Arboretum. Two (or maybe three) planting sessions are on tap in coming weeks:

  • Our regular Thursday workdays, 9:30-1:30, when the weather is right.
  • Saturday, January 22, 9 AM-1 PM, organized by Arboretum staff; cold drinks, munchies and pizza lunch will be provided.
  • Tentatively, a Saturday in February will be a rain date for Jan. 23 or another planting day. Check with Celia around the 3rd.

The rains have also germinated about a zillion weed seeds! Now’s the time to get after them before they get big!

Any of the planting/work days may be cancelled if there’s 1/4 inch or more of rain within the previous 12 hours. If in doubt, contact Celia, 949.496.9689, by 8 AM that day. Otherwise, feel free to just show up! Hat, gloves, water, sturdy work shoes, sunscreen are advised; bring your favorite tools if possible.

Directions: From 405, go south on Jamboree to Campus Dr. Turn left on Campus, then immediately right on the unnamed campus service road. Turn left into the Arboretum gate, park free on the gravel behind the greenhouse.

 

The Laguna Coast Wilderness Park Nursery

Two years ago Ranger Barbara Norton casually mentioned to me, “You should start a nursery here”. I’m happy to say her suggestion is now the Laguna Coast Wilderness Park Nursery. The Nursery grows plants created from material collected from within the park to be used for restoration, all through volunteers.

About 10 months after Barbara’s comment, the Nursery was approved and became part of the Laguna Greenbelt’s Stewardship Committee. Laguna Greenbelt also showed its commitment by being the first to fund the Nursery. Soon after that we had donations from Ganahl Lumber and the Irvine Ranch Land Reserve.

Good volunteers are also busy ones. There are seven of these folks, including Sarah Jayne, who bring a wealth of gardening and native plant knowledge. The Nursery’s goal the first year is to master the overall workings and have a group that understands some or all of the key activities. After the first year, we’ll be able to work with a larger volunteer base doing supervised skilled and unskilled tasks.

Seed collection includes cleaning and cataloging. We collect seed within the park for plant propagation and for restoration. I think of it as hiking with a bag. We’ve collected 13 species from the 2004 seed crop, including toyon and white sage.

We started our seed flats in October, after the first rains. All collected plant species have seed flats started; most already have seedlings showing. From germinated acorns, we started Quercus agrifolia and Q. berberidifolia now in 1-gallon pots. Our goal is at least 200 plants in 1-gallon pots by spring. The weather determines how often we need to come by the nursery.

The Laguna Greenbelt restoration group most recently used our seed mix on two illegal trail areas. They will be doing an oak restoration using acorns we’ve germinated. They will also have a planting day within the park using nursery-grown plants.

Next time you are at LCWP, come by the Nursery; otherwise see the 3 picture slideshows at http://community.webshots.com/user/lawson456. We are looking for one or two additional core volunteers. We are also looking for advice: If you know a way to rid a seed lot of insects, other than freezing, please let me know.

Robert Lawson

Volunteer Nursery Manager

LCWP Nursery

trev3411@yahoo.com

Here’s the Jan-Mar 2005 Nursery schedule:

Jan 8, Sat, 8-12

Jan 15, Sat, 8-12 (also Restoration Day)

Jan 21, Friday 12-4

Jan 29, Sat, 8-12

Feb 5, Sat 8-12

Feb 12, Sat 8-12

Feb 19, Sat 8-12 (also Restoration Day)

Feb 25, Fri 12-4

Mar 5, Sat 8-12

Mar 12, Sat 8-12

Mar 19, Sat 8-12 (also Restoration Day)

 

Shipley Nature Center

Restoration Tuesdays—The Center is open for small groups by appointment for wild gardens, scout projects, weeding & watering. Call (714) 842-4772.

Restoration as Recreation—The Center is open to the pubic the first Saturday of each month from 9 AM to noon for weeding, trail maintenance & watering. Bring garden gloves and tools, drinking water and sturdy, closed-toe shoes.

Open Day—The third Sunday of each month from 10 AM to 3 PM, the Center is open to the public to “walk through” to enjoy nature and view progress of the restoration.

For directions or for a lot more information visit www.fsnc.org.

Fullerton Arboretum

Chris Barnhill welcomes you to come anytime to work in the native plant section of the Fullerton Arboretum. He has recently installed a habitat that incorporated huge boulders from the San Bernadino Mountains. That alone should be worth a trip! www.arboretum.fullerton.edu/

Santa Ana Park Naturalist Programs Calendar

Leisure Classes:
Nature Journal Class – Friday Jan. 21 7PM-9PM, Saturday Jan. 22 8AM-12PM

Education
Discovery Science Center Challenges – Jan. 4-7, 10-14, 17-19, 24-26 11AM-1PM

Restoration
Planting – Saturday Jan. 15 9AM-12PM

Native Plant Nursery Propagation & Maintenance—ongoing

Research
Bird List Analysis—ongoing

Industrial Restoration Versus Holistic Restoration—ongoing

Nocturnal Wildlife Monitoring—ongoing

Santiago Creek Watershed Awareness Week (2nd & 4th Tues. of every month)

Planning Meeting—Tuesday Jan. 11, 10 AM-12 PM

Santa Ana River Watershed Alliance (1st Thurs. of every month) Thursday Jan. 6, 10 AM-12 PM

Outings
Backpacking Trip – Jan. 23-26

To volunteer or request additional information, please call 714.571.4288 or email santiago_park@yahoo.com.

Important Links

Santiago Creek Greenway Alliance
http://www.santiagocreek.org

Orange County Watershed & Coastal Resources Division
http://www.ocwatersheds.com

Enature – http://www.enature.com

Pledge to Protect the Endangered Species Act

Go to www.saveesa.org and sign a petition. Defenders of Wildlife are the sponsors. They are hoping to collect 100,000 signatures. You can check their record at www.charitynavigator.org. Expect to hear further from them, but your address will not be sold.

The March CNPS Chapter Council Meeting will be held at Rancho Santa Ana Botanic Garden

What is the Chapter Council Meeting and why attend? This is a quarterly meeting of representatives of all the CNPS chapters in the state. It is a wonderful opportunity to meet like-minded people from different climate zones and habitats. Besides, the Orange County chapter will be sharing host duties for the September meeting so it would be good to find out what they are all about. The date is Saturday, March 5. The morning is generally taken up with CNPS business, but the afternoon session, which begins at 1 PM, will be of interest of everyone. At that time, chapters will have the opportunity to describe programs and activities that have worked well for them. It can be quite inspiring. If you’re interested in attending, let me know. Maybe we can arrange carpools.

—Sarah Jayne, sbjayne@cox.net

MORE PLACES TO GO, THINGS TO DO…

Don’t overlook the many opportunities to get out in nature close at hand here in Orange County.

Regular Backcountry Plant Walks at Crystal Cove State Park will take place on Saturday, January 15 and Saturday, February 19. Meet at 9 AM at the El Moro Visitor Center. The usual walk is about 5 mild miles. Docent-led walks are available every Saturday and Sunday as well. The current cost for parking is $8.

The Donna O’Neill Land Conservancy

For information, reservations, and directions, contact Laura Cohen or Michelle Thames at 949-489-9778. Visit the website at www.TheConservancy.org

Laguna Coast Wilderness:

The park is now open on Saturday and Sunday from 7:30 AM to 4 PM. Maps are provided for self-guided tours. Special topic docent-led tours are offered periodically.

Call 949.494.9352, for more information. Website: lagunacanyon.org

Irvine Company Open Space Reserve
For walks in the Northern and Southern Reserves call The Nature Conservancy at (949) 832-7478.

Aliso and Wood Canyons Wilderness Park:

The Orange County Natural History Museum is located at the entrance to the park. Call (949) 831-2790 for more information.

Thomas Riley Regional Park:

For more information call (949) 728-3420.

 

 

The Pendleton School Garden

—Joan Hampton

Survival of plants in their native environment can be a challenge: loss of habitat, wildfires, drought, intrusion, predation and competition are only some of the hazards they face. All of these pale however, when compared to the ultimate test—survival in a school garden.

On November 3, OC CNPS President Sarah Jayne and I visited Third Grade Teacher Anita Thompson at Pendleton School, an elementary school in Buena Park School District. The visit was made as a part of our chapter’s Acorn Grant program, which provides funding for school gardens.

Ms Thompson gave us a tour of native plantings in beds located throughout the campus.

The garden began a year and a half ago, when a group of students raised funds and, along with their parents, contributed elbow grease to launch the project. WalMart contributed rakes and watering cans. The actual plantings were done that fall. Success has been mixed for the various species in their varied locations, due to a variety of challenges, some unique to a school environment.

  • Kids take shortcuts across the corners of ground-level beds, trampling any hapless plants underfoot. Because of liability concerns, a fence cannot be installed to protect them.
  • One student, since expelled, deliberately uprooted a great many plants.
  • An adult, no longer at this school, carelessly dumped soapy water in one of the plant beds.
  • The front half of a Brittle Bush (Encelia farinosa) had withered. Upon examination, we noted broken branches, indicating that kids had probably used it for hide-and-go-seek.

Flowers in raised beds are also subject to abuse:

  • At lunchtime, students use the beds to store backpacks and sports equipment.
  • Trash is thrown in the beds.
  • On weekends, kids scale the chain-link fences and use the raised walls for skate-boarding.

Despite these challenges, a number of the plants have survived, and some are thriving.

What value does a native plant garden bring to the students of this elementary school? Ms Thompson tells us that some of her students live in motels or other environments where they have no opportunity to see growing plants of any kind. They were fascinated by the plants during a class trip to the Environmental Nature Center, the first such outing for many of them.

Some children learn most easily through visual or auditory input, while others respond best to olfactory, tactile or kinesthetic stimulation. Whatever their preferred learning style, the kids enjoy observing the life cycle of the plants; they love to see the development of leaves, flowers, fruits and seeds. “Chores” such as watering and weeding are a sought-after reward, giving students additional opportunity to keep an eye on their plants. The work gives them a sense of pride and ownership.

Ms Thompson discussed how she integrates the study of native plants into the third-grade curriculum:

  • The social science curriculum now includes Native American use of native plants for crafts or foods.
  • The life cycle of plants and the study of poisonous plants have been made a part of the science curriculum.
  • Future plans for math and statistics include measurement of plant growth in response to varying amounts of water or light.

The raised bed in front of the school contains well-established non-natives, which will remain there. Sarah suggested ways that those too could be incorporated into the curriculum:

  • Research on the country and habitat in which each originated.
  • Comparison with natives, with respect to habitat or structural similarities.

Ms Thompson plans to use our Acorn Grant funds to buy additional native plants.

A Couple of Reminders…

The website on California Plant Names: Latin Name Meanings and Derivations at http://calflora.net/botanicalnames/index.html covers the meaning and derivation of California plant names, including almost 4000 references and extensive biographical information on western botanists and collectors whose names are on our plants. This website is not affiliated with CalFlora.

You can purchase books and other items directly and easily online at CNPS.org. In addition, you can now renew your membership with a couple of clicks! Simply go to http://cnps.org (or click on your bookmark) and go directly to Shop Onlne Now. Too easy!

“Only after the last tree has been cut down,

Only after the last river has been poisoned,

Only after the last fish has been caught,

Only then will you find that money cannot be eaten.”

—Cree Prophec

 

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