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Wild Lands, Wild Seeds: CNPS Conservation, Mapping & Stewardship Efforts with Ana Tobio, Cristhian Mace and Nina Raj
| Conservation is a vital part of the mission of CNPS. In the last year, our chapter has been expanding efforts to support local conservation in various ways, even before the Eaton Fire brought the threat of losing precious local seed collections to the foreground. Vegetation surveys and mapping, locally native seed collecting and seed banking are important tools for conservation. At this month’s program meeting, Ana Tobio, CNPS Associate Vegetation Ecologist, Cristhian Mace, LA County Natural Areas Biologist, and Nina Raj, founder of the Altadena Seed Library, will discuss the important roles of these conservation tools and offer training and volunteer opportunities in related endeavors here in Southern California.
Ana Tobio will introduce a large survey and mapping project of the California Native Plant Society, in collaboration with the California Department of Fish and Wildlife, Althouse and Meade, Inc, and Tukman Geospatial who are conducting surveys of vegetation communities throughout Southern California’s mountains and valleys. This effort will eventually lead to classification of plant communities and a fine-scale vegetation map. Cristhian Mace will discuss an ambitious effort to map and document native plant communities in the Los Angeles County’s Natural Areas in collaboration with the California Native Plant Society. This initiative is developing a comprehensive vegetation dataset to guide conservation planning, habitat restoration, and long-term stewardship, directly informing the Natural Resource Management Plan for each natural area site. Nina Raj will talk about the need to establish a decentralized network of seed banks at nature centers across LA County. Her goal is to create a network which could act as insurance policies to preserve hyperlocal native species to foster resilience against climatic events such as fire, and the degradation of natural areas. All our presenters will offer opportunities to get involved through training sessions and actual participation in field surveys, vegetation mapping, and seed collections, supporting a science-driven approach to preserving LA County’s native landscapes. Social hour with refreshments at 7:00 p.m. Program from 7:30-8:45 p.m. In person and via Zoom. https://cnps-org.zoom.us/j/86854467070?pwd=UPcO4bABC5mlRCJS7vqBuqaFYT3415.1 Or go to https://zoom.us and enter meeting ID: 868 5446 7070 Passcode: 216326 Or by telephone: +1 720 707 2699 meeting ID: 868 5446 7070 Passcode: 216326 |