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F R E M O N T I AV O L . 4 3 , N O . 3 , S E P T E M B E R 2 0 1 5

JOURNAL OF THE CALIFORNIA NATIVE PLANT SOCIETY

$8.50 (Free to Members)

VOL. 43, NO.3 • SEPTEMBER 2015

FREMONTIAJOURNAL OF THE CALIFORNIA NATIVE PLANT SOCIETY

CNPS 50TH ANNIVERSARY ISSUECNPS 50TH ANNIVERSARY ISSUE

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F R E M O N T I A V O L . 4 3 , N O . 3 , S E P T E M B E R 2 0 1 5

CALIFORNIA NATIVE PLANT SOCIETY

MEMBERSHIPMembership is open to all. Membership form is located on inside back cover;

dues include subscriptions to Fremontia and the CNPS Bulletin

Mariposa Lily . . . . . . . . . . . . $1,500Benefactor . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . $600Patron . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . $300Plant Lover . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . $100

Family or Group . . . . . . . . . . . . . $75International or Library . . . . . . . $75Individual . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . $45Student/Retired/Limited Income . $25

CNPS, 2707 K Street, Suite 1; Sacramento, CA 95816-5130Phone: (916) 447-CNPS (2677) Fax: (916) 447-2727

Web site: www.cnps.org Email: [email protected]

10+ Employees . . . . . . . . . . . . $2,5007-10 Employees . . . . . . . . . . . $1,000

4-6 Employees . . . . . . . . . . . . . $5001-3 Employees . . . . . . . . . . . . . $150

CORPORATE/ORGANIZATIONAL

Milo Baker: Liz ParsonsMojave Desert: Timothy ThomasMonterey Bay: Brian LeNeveMount Lassen: Catie BishopNapa Valley: Gerald TombocNorth Coast: Larry LevineNorth San Joaquin: Jim BruggerOrange County: Thea GavinRedbud: Denise Della SantinaRiverside/San Bernardino: Katie BarrowsSacramento Valley: Glen HolsteinSan Diego: David VarnerSan Diego: Marty FoltynSan Gabriel Mtns.: Orchid BlackSan Luis Obispo: David ChippingSanhedrin: Allison RofeSanta Clara Valley: Judy FenertySanta Cruz County: Deanna GiulianoSequoia: VacantShasta: Ken KilbornSierra Foothills: VacantSouth Coast: David BermanTahoe: Brett HallWillis L. Jepson: Mary Frances Kelly-PohYerba Buena: Ellen Edelson

BOARD OF DIRECTORSLaura Camp: PresidentDavid Bigham: Vice PresidentNancy Morin: TreasurerCarolyn Longstreth: SecretaryKristie Haydu: DirectorGordon Leppig: DirectorJean Robertson: DirectorMichael Vasey: DirectorSteve Windhager: DirectorCarol Witham: DirectorGlen Holstein: CC RepresentativeDavid Varner: CC Representative

CHAPTER COUNCIL OFFICERSOrchid Black: CC ChairLarry Levine: CC Vice ChairMarty Foltyn: CC Secretary

STAFF

Dan Gluesenkamp: Executive DirectorAaron Sims: Rare Plant BotanistBecky Reilly: Events CoordinatorCari Porter: Finance and Admin. Mgr.Caroline Garland: Office & Sales Coord.Daniel Hastings: Vegetation Field Asst.Danny Slakey: Rare Plant Treasure Hunt

Proj. Coord.Greg Suba: Conservation Program Dir.Hei-ock Kim: Special Projects Coord.Jaime Ratchford: Associate Vegetation

EcologistJennifer Buck-Diaz: Vegetation EcologistJulie Evens: Vegetation Program Dir.Laureen Jenson: Acctg. & HR Coord.Kendra Sikes: Vegetation EcologistMona Robison: Rare Plant Program Mgr.Sara Taylor: Vegetation Field LeadShanna Goebel: Administrative AssistantStacey Flowerdew: Membership & Dev.

Coord.

CONTRACTORS & CHAPTER STAFF

Bob Hass: Fremontia/CNPS Bulletin EditorMack Casterman: E. Bay Conserv. AnalystMark Naftzger: WebmasterVern Goehring: Legislative Analyst

CHAPTER COUNCIL—CHAPTERS &DELEGATES

Alta Peak: Joan StewartBaja: César García ValderramaBristlecone: Stephen IngramChannel Islands: David MagneyDorothy King Young: Nancy MorinEast Bay: Lesley HuntEl Dorado: Susan BrittingKern County: Dorie GiragosianLA/Santa Monica Mtns.: Betsey LandisMarin: David Long

Staff and board listings are as of September 2015.Printed by Modern Litho: www.modernlitho.com

MATERIALS FOR PUBLICATIONCNPS members and others are welcome to contribute materials for publication inFremontia. See the inside back cover for submission instructions.

VOL. 43, NO. 3, SEPTEMBER 2015

F R E M O N T I A

Copyright © 2015California Native Plant Society

Disclaimer:The views expressed by authors pub-lished in this journal do not necessarilyreflect established policy or procedure ofCNPS.

Protecting California’s Native FloraSince 1965

Bob Hass, Editor

Beth Hansen-Winter, Designer

Brad Jenkins andMary Ann Showers, Proofreaders

california Native

Plant Society

Mt. Lassen

ShastaNorth Coast

Sanhedrin

Tahoe

DorothyKing Young

RedbudS a c r a m e n t o

El DoradoMiloBaker N a p a

ValleyWillisLinn

JepsonMarin

Yerba Buena

Santa Cruz County

Sierra FoothillsEastBay

S a n t aClara

Va l ley

MontereyBay

N o r t hSan Joaquin

SequoiaBristlecone

Alta Peak

San LuisObispo K e r n

Mojave

Channel Islands San GabrielMtns.

South Coast

Los Angeles –Santa Monica Mtns.

OrangeCounty

Riverside –San Bernardino

San Diego

BajaCalifornia

Bryophyte Chapter

Statewide Chapters

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F R E M O N T I A 1V O L . 4 3 , N O . 3 , S E P T E M B E R 2 0 1 5

CONTENTS

THE COVER: The CNPS 50th year memorial cover is a mosaic of 2,400 photographs by 25 CNPS member-photographers. Thefinal image created is a partial reproduction of Thomas Hill’s famous 1869 painting titled “Indian by a Lake in the MajesticCalifornia Landscape.” Although the exact location has never been determined, the original painting reflects an aesthetic andwildness that many of our members cherish. Additionally, Hill included native peoples in the image, acknowledging their placein the landscape. In celebration of our 50 years, this cover also celebrates the cooperative, giving nature of our members whohelped make this cover mosaic a reality. A large uncompressed image can be seen at lechphoto.com/Fremontia50.

The photo mosaic was compiled and created by Lech Naumovich. The following photographers donated images: Aaron Sims, AllanSchoenherr, Allison Kidder, Becky Reilly, Bob Allen, Brian Knapp, Dan Quinn, David Nelson, Earle Nance, Elizabeth Venrick, HeathBartosh, Jeb Bjerke, Jennifer Buck-Diaz, Judy Kramer, Lech Naumovich, Lorna Cunkle, Lynn Watson, Neal Kramer, Reny Parker,Roger Raiche, Scott Loarie, Stacey Flowerdew, Stephen Ingram, Toni Corelli, and William Davis.

TO OUR FIFTY YEARS OF CONSERVATION AND BEYOND by Laura Camp ................................. 2

THE CALIFORNIA NATIVE PLANT SOCIETY: REVIEWING THE FIRST FIFTY YEARSby Hazel Gordon ............................................................................................................................................ 4One perspective on what has been accomplished during CNPS’s first 50 years.

REDISCOVERING THE PANAMINT DAISY by Duncan Bell ................................................................ 13Adventurous trekkers find it where it was originally collected, only 121 years later.

LESTER ROWNTREE: CNPS HONORARY PRESIDENTby Lester Bradford Rowntree ....................................................................................................................... 15An appreciative essay by her grandson examines the life and CNPS legacy of this native plant pioneer.

THROUGH THE LOOKING GLASS: THE CNPS RARE PLANT PROGRAMby Aaron E. Sims and Roxanne Bittman ...................................................................................................... 21The CNPS Rare Plant Program as viewed through the accomplishments of its botanists, past and present.

THE CNPS CONSERVATION PROGRAM by Greg Suba ..................................................................... 25Today the CNPS Conservation Program continues to maintain and advance native plant protection inCalifornia, an effort built on 50 years of experience.

THE CNPS VEGETATION PROGRAM by Todd Keeler-Wolf and Julie M. Evens ................................. 28The Vegetation Program of CNPS celebrated its 25th anniversary last year, and currently provides a vibrantand active suite of plant science protocols, map data, publications, and other resources.

THE CNPS LEGISLATION PROGRAM by Vern Goehring ..................................................................... 31Protecting native plants and habitats requires active participation in public policy debates and legislation.

THE CNPS EDUCATION PROGRAM by Josie Crawford ...................................................................... 32From plant sales to scientific conferences, CNPS has ways to reach and teach anyone who may be interestedin native plants and their habitats.

THE CNPS HORTICULTURE PROGRAM AT 50: THEN AND NOW by Caroline Garland ............. 34California’s prolonged drought is requiring serious cutbacks in water use. Through new program initiatives,CNPS members and staff are showing people how to select and use water-conserving native plants in theirgardens and landscapes.

CNPS PRESS AND THE CNPS PUBLICATIONS PROGRAM by Nancy Morin .................................. 36CNPS publications are as diverse as its membership, chapters, and the California flora itself. Here is aretrospective of accomplishments and a look to the future.

FREMONTIA’S PAST AND PRESENT EDITORS ......................................................................... 38

CNPS FELLOWS: 1991 TO PRESENT by David Chipping .................................................................... 41A salute to those who have received CNPS’s highest honor since its 25th anniversary.

AWARD WINNERS OF THE BOTANICAL ART AND PHOTOGRAPHY CONTESTS:CNPS 2015 CONSERVATION CONFERENCE ......................................................................... 46

BOOK REVIEW by Robert Preston ........................................................................................................... 48

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2 F R E M O N T I A V O L . 4 3 , N O . 3 , S E P T E M B E R 2 0 1 5

TO OUR FIFTY YEARS OF CONSERVATION AND BEYONDby Laura Camp

“The ridiculously earnest areknown to travel in groups . . . .And they are known to changethe world.”

—Barbara Kingsolver

NPS work connects to andoverlaps with many or-ganizations, and yet theSociety is unique. We are

dispersed and centralized. We gar-den small urban plots and surveylarge wild lands. We are a self-drivenarmy of multi-talented volunteersand small teams of focused special-ists. We are unknown to most Cali-fornians yet every three years orga-nize one of the state’s foremost envi-ronmental conferences. Our mem-bers and staff are known for dedica-tion and tenacity. All this diversityand drive comes to a focus set forthin our Mission, “To conserve Cali-fornia native plants…” These fac-

tors are important to understandingwhy the Society is celebrating 50years of accomplishment. Our valueto native plant conservation is whywe must exist for the next 50 years.

In the long history of mankind,those who learned to collaborateand improvise most effectivelyhave prevailed.

—Charles Darwin

What do we do that is so earnest,unique, and valuable to native plantand natural habitat conservation?Read the examples below. You willnotice another aspect of our workmentioned frequently, collaboration.

CONSERVATION: CNPS becameinvolved early on in the Desert Re-newable Energy Conservation Plan(DRECP) that guides the develop-ment of solar energy projects in 23

million acres of California’s desert.Local members raised important is-sues, and the push to get involvedcontinued with chapters fartheraway such as East Bay and LA/SantaMonica Mountains that recognizedthe need for careful, data-basedplanning. DRECP became a highpriority for the CNPS ConservationProgram. CNPS helped to gatherdistribution and life history infor-mation for rare plants and commu-nities in need of protection. TheDRECP process is a huge collabo-ration involving many agencies andorganizations.

RARE PLANTS: CNPS works colla-boratively with hundreds of expertreviewers throughout the state andbeyond, and with the CaliforniaDepartment of Fish and Wildlife indetermining what plants are rare.Our CNPS Inventory of Rare and

C

Coastal sage scrub blossoms during a rich spring show in the author’s home hiking ground, Caspers Wilderness Park in Orange County.The area is one of California’s most diverse and threatened habitat zones. Photograph by the author.

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Endangered Plants is free, readilyavailable online, and easy to use. Ifsomeone chooses to ignore rare plantlegal status somewhere, local chap-ters find out, and CNPS can litigate,often collaboratively with otherorganizations. We have similar ac-tivities dedicated to vegetation com-munities (alliances) as well.

HORTICULTURE: Calscape, ournewest native plant website, pro-vides quick lists for gardeners andlandscapers of what native plantsoccur naturally where you live. It isa collaborative work with the JepsonHerbarium. These plants are bestfor local ecology and in most casesalso for local water conservation. Arelated collaborative initiative withCalifornia’s Department of WaterResources is CNPS’s “Ditch YourLawn” workshops that are currentlybeing offered free to the public. Par-ticipants learn how to replace theirlawns with native plant landscapingto conserve water in the face ofCalifornia’s severe drought.

INFORMATION SHARING: Shar-ing the right information in the rightformat with people who need thatinformation is crucial to conserva-tion success. We have a great manyways to accomplish this, includinglocal chapter newsletters and plantlists, chapter meetings and events, astatewide newsletter (the CNPS Bul-letin), a statewide online newsletter(the CNPS e-Newsletter), CNPS’sbotanical journal (Fremontia), booksales, 35 chapter websites and theCNPS website, plant science work-shops, horticultural forums, work-ing relationships with organizationsand agencies and academic institu-tions, and the “ultimate” in envi-ronmental information sharing—the statewide CNPS ConservationConference.

When one tugs at a single thing innature, he finds it attached to therest of the world.

—John Muir

California’s diverse populationsof native plants and natural habi-tats need the continuing support ofCNPS programs to ensure their sur-vival. In the next 50 years we willcontinue to increase our under-standing of native plants in Califor-nia and to protect them. This willrequire our continuing work onmany fronts: research, restoration,advocacy, gardening with natives,education, and fighting invasives,just to name a few. We will retainour grassroots volunteer founda-tion, celebrate our successes, andtogether enjoy the great outdoors.

And when someone tugs at a singleaspect of our work, they will findus wonderfully linked to the rest ofCalifornia’s richly diverse naturaland human world. Happy Anniver-sary, CNPS!

I do not intend that our naturalresources shall be exploited bythe few against the interests ofthe many.

—Theodore Roosevelt

Laura Camp, P.O. Box 635, San JuanCapistrano, CA 92693, [email protected]

Breathtaking view along a creek at about 8,800 feet near Carson Pass in the central SierraNevada, with Round Top Mountain in the background. Lupines (Lupinus spp.) and arnica(Arnica mollis and other composites) abound. Photograph by Jeff Bisbee.

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THE CALIFORNIA NATIVE PLANT SOCIETY:REVIEWING THE FIRST FIFTY YEARS

by Hazel Gordon

he California Native PlantSociety was not the first USnative plant or wildflowersociety. The New England

Wild Flower Society was foundedin 1900. Nor was it the first in thewestern US, since the Oregon Na-tive Plant Society was establishedin 1961, four years prior to the or-ganization of CNPS. However, sinceits beginnings in 1965, CNPS hasbeen held up as the “model” forother statewide native plant orga-nizations, and almost from the be-ginning has been a science-basedorganization.

MISSION

Longtime CNPS member CarolWitham perhaps best summarizedthe CNPS mission back in 2005:

The mission of the CaliforniaNative Plant Society (CNPS) isto increase understanding andappreciation of California’s na-tive plants and to conserve themin their natural habitats througheducation, science, advocacy,horticulture, and land steward-ship. This mission statementclearly recognizes our dual roleof being a native plant appre-ciation club and being a sci-ence-based conservation orga-nization . . . very different butoverlapping purposes (Fremon-tia 33:1, October 2005).

This mission statement was latershortened to: “The mission of CNPSis to conserve California nativeplants and their natural habitats, andincrease understanding, apprecia-tion, and horticultural use of nativeplants.” On the CNPS website it isfollowed by a longer vision state-

ment that delves deeper into thethings CNPS attempts to do.

LEADERSHIP ANDMEMBERSHIP

CNPS is an organization of about10,000 members, and from its earli-est incorporation as a nonprofit inAugust 1965 to the present, it hasattracted and maintained a diverse,energetic, persistent, and optimisti-cally minded group of native plantlovers. CNPS members especiallylove to tell others about the nativeplants of this state, and will go togreat lengths to protect and culti-vate them. Some early charter mem-bers included well-known nonbot-anists such as Navy Admiral ChesterNimitz, US Supreme Court JusticeEarl Warren, and photographerAnsel Adams. Today CNPS is stilllargely one of amateur plant lovers,although the longer one has beena CNPS member, the more likely itis that she or he will have gainedconsiderable knowledge about na-tive plants and habitats. There arealso many CNPS members who arescientists, land managers, staff ingovernment agencies and nonprofitorganizations, researchers, botani-cal consultants, and landscapers. Theenergetic leadership of presidents ofthe CNPS Board of Directors (un-paid), who later worked with CNPSexecutive directors (most were sala-ried) have inspired a great many,and occasionally frustrated the moreopinionated members who workedwith these talented leaders.

CNPS CHAPTERS: WAVESOF INCORPORATION

A significant change in the evo-lution of CNPS included recogniz-

ing the activities of the chapters. (Seesidebar on page 11 for a list of chap-ters and dates they were founded.)These perennial sources of creativityand environmental activity necessi-tated the need for their voices to beheard at the statewide level. Eventu-ally a formal Chapter Council wasformed in January 2002 comprisedof one representative from each chap-ter. At the Chapter Council, delegatescan bring up issues of importance tothe entire organization and make rec-ommendations to the Board of Di-rectors. This governing body nowmeets four times a year at differentlocations around the state and delib-erates on items that are part of itsone- or two-day agenda. It also makesits minutes and agendas availableon the CNPS website. Additionally,each gathering includes a Saturdayevening banquet featuring a notedspeaker, one or more field trips,an abundance of food, and time forsocializing.

CENTRALIZATION ANDREGIONALIZATION: COREVALUES

The organization rapidly beganto keep pace with the varied inter-ests of its members by establishingand restructuring centralized com-mittees, and encouraging the cre-ation of local chapters to deal withboth statewide and regional botani-cal issues such as pollution and in-vasive species. With a limited bud-get and membership in its first fewyears, CNPS had several dozen“sponsors” with sufficient financialsupport to maintain its outreach andeducational efforts for awhile.

The Society began publishingmodestly printed newsletters con-

T

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taining only a few pages each thatwere mailed to the membership. Aslate of 15 to 17 Directors—includ-ing the four officers (President, VicePresident, Secretary, and Treasurer)plus an Honorary President (LesterRowntree)—were able to keep CNPSafloat in these leaner times. Central-ized committees expanded and con-tracted over the years, depending onenvironmental challenges at the time.For example, in the 1970s these in-cluded environmental issues con-cerning the Pacific coast, the easternSierra Nevada, Southern California,highway impacts, environmentalimpact reports, State Board of For-estry, public lands, and others.

Later technological, political, andenvironmental developments in thestate created the need to have addi-tional CNPS services. Today manyof CNPS’s earliest priorities andstatewide programs are also beinghandled by salaried staff or contrac-tors, including a rare plant botanist,directors and/or staff for CNPS Pro-grams (Conservation, Vegetation,Rare Plants, Education, and Horti-culture), a legislative analyst, web-master, and Fremontia and CNPSBulletin editor. They are ably assistedby other staff in Finance and Ad-ministration, Sales, and Member-ship. The East Bay Chapter has alsoemployed its own conservation ana-lyst as a central staff position.

The core CNPS concerns sinceits earliest years have always beenthe preservation of native plant spe-cies and significant natural areas;horticulture and gardening; educa-tion of children and adults throughfield trips, publications, plant sales,garden tours, wildflower shows; edu-cation of professionals through bo-tanical workshops and specialtrainings; and developing financialstability through sales of nativeplants and merchandise, especiallybooks. In particular, rare plants havealways been in the spotlight sincetheir protection is of utmost impor-tance to CNPS.

As chapters began to organize—

often through the efforts of one or avery few dynamic individuals—theirissues and conservation achieve-ments were proudly acknowledged,and increasingly in more recent years

through news and feature articles inFremontia and the CNPS Bulletin.Individual achievements were rec-ognized in these same publicationsby announcements of new CNPS Fel-

James Roof (left), former director of the East Bay Regional Parks botanic garden in TildenPark, kneeling in a section of the garden called “sea bluff,” a floristically and realisticallyrich re-creation of that vegetation type. Garden supervisor Walter Knight is in thebackground (right). The photograph was probably taken in the late 1960s. At the time, thecontroversy surrounding moving this garden resulted in the formation of CNPS. Photographcourtesy of East Bay Regional Park District archives.

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lows and Volunteer RecognitionAward recipients.

A Board of Directors organizedunder the second CNPS President(Ledyard Stebbins, 1966–1972) inmid-1967 recognized these core val-ues as committees that also includedMembership (mailing) and News-letter (editing). Eventually the needto organize an annual state-spon-sored CNPS plant sale was elimi-nated (in 1973) as a budget surplusaccumulated and chapters began todevelop their own local sales to fundtheir activities.

RARE PLANT PROGRAM

The spark that ignited the EastBay’s “Save the Garden” grassrootsgroup into CNPS (refer to JoyceBurr’s account of CNPS in the Janu-ary 1976 Fremontia) was a productof its time. The environmentalmovement was by now becoming astrong force in the nation and espe-cially in California, which formedits Sierra Club in 1892 in responseto environmental threats to thestate’s unique wild areas and biotasunder the guidance of the beloved

John Muir and his writings. By the1960s it was becoming obvious toeven the politicians that pollution,resource extraction, and urban de-velopment were out of control insome areas, eventually leading tothe passage of federal legislationsuch as the Clean Air Act (1963),Wilderness Act (1964), and WaterQuality Act (1965). The academiccommunities and associated plantlovers of Northern California wereprobably well aware of the potentialpower of influential conservation or-ganizations to offset some of these

1966 view of the Regional Parks Botanic Garden in Tilden Regional Park, showing the Juniper Lodge when it served as both office andvisitor center as well as the primary nursery. This view shows the garden as it appeared at the founding of CNPS. Photograph used withpermission of the Regional Parks Botanic Garden.

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damages as they thought beyondthe boundaries of protecting theTilden native plant botanic gar-den into a statewide effort.

Ledyard Stebbins, CNPSPresident in 1968, initiated thehighly respected Rare Plant Pro-gram in 1968 by starting an in-dex card file system of plantswith distributions in Californiaof less than 100 miles, using thebotanical reference A CaliforniaFlora by Philip A. Munz andDavid D. Keck as its source. Notcoincidentally, the rare panamintdaisy was chosen for the CNPSlogo in the same year. (See thestory on page 13.) Many meet-ings later, and with the help ofother botanists to verify locationsand rare plant status, a draft listof 520 plants was released in1971 by an ad hoc committeeand was recognized as the RarePlant Project in 1972 with W.Robert Powell as chairman.

The list was given to the Smith-sonian Institute for documenta-tion and implementation of the fed-eral Endangered Species Act (1973),which included only two categoriesof threatened and endangered spe-cies. Powell was then invited to at-tend a workshop by the Smithsonianto review the entire national list andfound that the CNPS list representedabout one-third of all the nationalplants (2,300–2,400 species). Fund-ing from a federal source was soonavailable to conduct map and fieldassessments to provide more detailedinformation than was available fromthe original (mostly herbarium)sources. A mapping workshop onJuly 19–21, 1974 was held for bota-nists to assess rare plants in theirapproximate locations as well asspecifying 13 categories and degreesof rarity.

The first edition of the Inventoryof Rare and Endangered VascularPlants of California was publishedby the nascent CNPS PublicationsCommittee in 1974 listing 704 plantsof primary concern, 554 of rare but

not presently endangered status, and135 plants of limited distributionbut not rare, a total of 1,393 taxathat included subspecies and variet-ies. The Inventory and its later ver-sions were and still are being usedas the primary information sourcefor rare plants in California. As statedby Michael Tomlinson in the Janu-ary 2005 issue of Fremontia, theCNPS Rare Plant Program

… has developed a strong repu-tation among policymakers andstakeholder groups throughoutthe state for scientific accuracyand integrity. The Program’sdata are widely accepted as thestandard for information on therarity and endangerment statusof the California flora.

The Inventory is now in an onlineversion, and remains free to allusers.

A popular offshoot to these listsand documentation is the Rare PlantTreasure Hunt, a field excursionenterprise that began in 2010 and

challenges the public to find asuite of rare (or possibly extir-pated) plants in their last prob-able localities. This has resultedin verifications of some 2,000plant locations, an important ad-dition to the program’s informa-tion base by amateur botanists,and is currently being managedby Danny Slakey, CNPS Assis-tant Rare Plant Botanist. (Moredetailed historical informationabout the CNPS Rare Plant Pro-gram begins on page 21.)

CONSERVATIONPROGRAM

Although it is a core valuefor CNPS, the conservation orpreservation of plants and natu-ral resources often requires or-ganized and persistent efforts topreserve a species or area frompartial or complete loss. For ex-ample, the Monterey Bay Chap-

ter in its initial year (1966) won adecisive victory in saving rare plantsfrom destruction on the military’sFort Ord base in Monterey County.Other environmental conflicts werenoted by energized chapters in theearly years with the help (or appre-ciation) of the Area PreservationCommittee, a unit which persistedfor some years.

Victories in local environmentalcases involving development inter-ests are frequently in danger of beingoverturned by the courts, so vigi-lance is always required. This is nosmall task, and always requires peoplewilling to fight these battles timeand again. It underscores the impor-tance of this role both at the chapterlevel and especially at the organiza-tional level. CNPS has been fortu-nate in having a Conservation Pro-gram Director (Greg Suba, 2009 tothe present) who is capable of deal-ing with highly complex environmen-tal issues requiring coordination ofefforts at many levels. For a numberof years he has focused a large per-centage of his time on desert issues,

Over the years, CNPS has had a great many memberswho generously shared their knowledge of nativeplants with others. Oscar Clark is one of these. In2011 at 90 years of age, Oscar was still teaching aboutplant families at a Riverside-San Bernardino Chaptermeeting. He is the primary author of Flora of theSanta Ana River and Environs which is used as areference for training workshops, such as for theCalifornia Rapid Assessment Method (CRAM). Oscarwas the first herbarium curator at UC Riverside.Photograph by Diana Ruiz.

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in an attempt to redirect the locationof renewable energy developmentsfrom public lands containing con-siderable beauty and valuable eco-logical resources to areas with com-paratively few such resources. In re-cent years he has organized conser-vation workshops as part of ChapterCouncil meetings in order to deepenparticipants’ understanding of impor-tant conservation issues and stimu-late thoughtful discussion and ac-tion. (More detailed historical infor-mation about the CNPS Conserva-tion Program begins on page 25.)

VEGETATION PROGRAM

The idea of locating, describing,and protecting natural areas in Cali-fornia was an early goal of the ener-getic Ledyard Stebbins, and is being

realized through the CNPS Vegeta-tion Program. The Area Preserva-tion Committee, established in 1967,was charged with developing a listof areas with unique or diverse flo-ras or other natural features, such asthe southernmost quaking aspenstand in California. This task re-quired the help of partners in thenetworking arrangements thatStebbins and others helped to fosteracross agencies, other societies (suchas the well established CaliforniaBotanical Society), businesses, andof course research units.

The culmination of this effortwas a series of notebooks of 1,566natural areas produced by a multi-agency California Natural Areas Co-ordinating Council in 1975–80 and1982. These areas are listed bycounty with their plant lists and lo-

cation information, having beenscanned and updated to resolve taxo-nomic and spatial errors and can befound at biohere.com.

A similar but more comprehen-sive effort started in the early 1990s,following the success of the RarePlant Program in identifying rareand endangered species and detailsof their general locations and status.Michael Barbour, author or editorof numerous books and articles onCalifornia vegetation, was inspiredto help convene a committee to ac-curately document plant communi-ties across the state with the goal ofproviding details on their status, lo-cation, and composition.

The committee was headed byother noted ecologists, includingJohn Sawyer and Todd Keeler-Wolf,who were given the task of compil-

Baja California Chapter members receive a certificate of membership to CNPS from Executive Director Dan Gluesenkamp (back row, fifthfrom left) on the border in Playas de Tijuana, August 2013. The Baja Chapter is CNPS’s first chapter outside the US, and shares a similarflora to that found north of the US-Mexican border. This creates many opportunities for collaboration, especially between members ofthe Baja and San Diego Chapters.

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ing lists of “series” of communitiesthat were available from selected lit-erature and unpublished sources.Data collected from field visits sup-plemented this list by using tech-niques adapted to rapid assessmentsof landscapes, which were taughtto participants in the field. A Manualof California Vegetation or MCV(1995), the first of its kind in thestate, presented these series, generallocations, and additional informa-tion such as their three-dimensionalstructure (strata), landforms onwhich they are usually found, andthe like. The MCV generated muchinterest and fostered a series of work-shops by the CNPS Vegetation andEducation Committees that taughtfield techniques and methods ofclassifying vegetation to many non-CNPS members who needed thisinformation for their work or con-tinuing education. Some of thoseparticipants eventually became CNPSmembers themselves. An updated,revised version of the MCV (secondedition) was issued in 2009, and anonline version launched in 2015.(More detailed historical informa-tion about the CNPS Vegetation Pro-gram begins on page 28.)

SPREADING THE WORD:CNPS PUBLICATIONS

FremontiaA concise and charming account

of the formation and productions ofthe CNPS Publications Committeecan be seen in Phyllis Faber’s ac-count (Fremontia, April 1999), someof which is incorporated below:

The original CNPS newsletter[called Native Notes Newsletter], dis-tributed to members by mail in the1960s, morphed into a more attrac-tively packaged Fremontia in 1973[CNPS’s botanical journal] under thethen-editor Gunder Hefta. Its scopewas expanded under Marge Haya-kawa (wife of the famous Senator,both of whom resided in the DC area)to encompass a wealth of informa-

tive and entertaining articles to ap-peal to a wide audience by well-known plant admirers during hertenure (1973–1982). Special issuesof Fremontia were and are oftenfocused on a topic such as water,grasses, serpentine soils, vernal pools,weeds, CNPS histories (10, 25, and40 years, and this 50-year issue). Itspopularity probably increased whenit became a journal printed in fullcolor in 2006 (thanks to the effortsof Fremontia editor Linda Vorobik).

The very able editorship ofPhyllis M. Faber (1983–1999) wasassisted by the continuing servicesof a coordinator of Fremontia ad-vertisements (in keeping with theSociety’s core values) and a Fremontiadesigner. The current, very busy Fre-montia editor is Bob Hass (2009 topresent), who manages to find timeto serve as editor of the CNPS Bulle-tin as well (2005 to present). (Seethe sidebar on page 38 to learn moreabout all those who have served asFremontia editors.)

CNPS BulletinBeginning in 1974, news events

began to be published in the multi-paged CNPS Bulletin and mailed tomembers. Originally designed toannounce chapter field trips, it be-came a vehicle for state and chapternews, short feature articles, legisla-tive action items and conservationbattles won, wildflower shows, plantsales, announcements of awards andpersonnel changes, and an assort-ment of time sensitive issues such asinternal and external meetings andconferences. Its first all-color issuecame out in 2006, at the same timethat Fremontia also began being pub-lished in full color.

CNPS PressHaving field guides and lists of

local floras available have always beenimportant to CNPS members, whowere used to having a plethora oflarge and small publishers availablein California to address this need.The first library mentioned for CNPS

use came as early as 1966, but booksfor sale began being advertised in theDecember 1965 newsletter.

Some of the smaller companiesin the 1960s and 1970s had evoca-tive names such as Naturegraph andPacific, while others brought out low-expense books published by variousbotanical gardens and research oracademic entities. Under inspiredleadership, the University of Cali-fornia Press began to develop its com-pact set of California Natural His-tory Guides which filled an evidentneed. However, many CNPS mem-bers felt they needed more for theiroutings and research. The CNPS Pub-lications Committee developed part-nerships with such publishers andsoon began to produce local florasthat were printed by others, such asthose of the Mt. Hamilton Range andthe Northern Mojave Desert, and alsoproduced a symposium on rare plantsin the 1980s.

Under Phyllis Faber’s leadershipon the committee beginning in 1990,CNPS began to publish its own books,such as A Flora of the San Bruno Moun-tains, as well as other types of booksincluding the popular California’sChanging Landscapes. This publish-ing success kept the CNPS Publica-tions Committee energized.

Faber believed that the formulafor such success was threefold: topublish local floras, to reprint clas-sic books, and to produce informa-tive works that would appeal to alarger audience. Individual membersand chapters also often producedtheir own books and booklets, andthe Press published some other typesof publications as well, includingeditions of the CNPS Inventory ofRare and Endangered Plants (duringthe 1980s to 2010), the Manual ofCalifornia Vegetation (1995 and re-vised in 2009), proceedings of sym-posia, and the beautiful California’sWild Gardens (1997). The publica-tion in 2011 of the proceedings ofthe 2009 CNPS conservation con-ference of 473 pages was by itself amajor undertaking, and most of the

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1 0 F R E M O N T I A V O L . 4 3 , N O . 3 , S E P T E M B E R 2 0 1 5

EXECUTIVE DIRECTORS OF CNPS

Allen Barnes 1994–2001

Pamela Muick 2002–2005

Sue Britting late 2005 (Acting)

Amanda Jorgenson 2006–2008

Tara Hansen 2009–2011

Sue Britting 2012 (Acting)

Dan Gluesenkamp 2013 to present

PAST PRESIDENTS OF THE CNPS BOARD OF DIRECTORS

TOP ROW, LEFT TO RIGHT: Allen Barnes, Sue Britting; MIDDLE ROW, LEFT TO RIGHT:Pam Muick, Amanda Jorgenson, Tara Hansen; BOTTOM: Dan Gluesenkamp.

David Magney 1992–1994

George Clark 1994–1996

Lori Hubbard 1996–1998

Jack Sigg 1999–2000

Sue Britting 2001–2003

Carol Witham 2004–2005

Brad Jenkins 2006–2007

Sue Britting 2008, Acting President

Brett Hall 2009–2013

Laura Camp 2014–2015

Watson Laetsch 1965–1966

Ledyard Stebbins 1966–1972

Robert Ornduff 1972–1973

John Sawyer 1973–1977

James Smith, Jr. 1977–1979

August Fruge 1979–1981

Johnathan Libby 1981–1984

Robert Will 1984–1986

Charlice Danielsen 1986–1989

Suzanne Schettler 1989–1992

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F R E M O N T I A 1 1V O L . 4 3 , N O . 3 , S E P T E M B E R 2 0 1 5

editing was done by Rancho SantaAna Botanic Garden and a CNPScommittee that arranged for review-ers of all the articles.

EDUCATION: TALKS,OUTREACH,CONFERENCES

Many CNPS members are non-professional educators who take de-light in sharing their knowledge ofplants and nature with others. Thishas occurred throughout the orga-nization’s history, and all chaptershave participated in a multitude ofways through such activities as pub-lic programs, field trips, wildflowershows and plant sales, native planttours, tabling at public events, propa-gation workshops, and horticulturalsymposiums.

In the 1980s CNPS held severalconservation conferences at theMarin Headlands, and several ofthese resulted in CNPS publications.Most were workshops and presenta-tions on how to do conservationwork at the chapter level. The Con-servation Conferences that CNPS hasorganized in Sacramento (1986 and2009), in San Diego (2012), andmost recently in San Jose (2015)have generated an atmosphere ofdiscovery and optimism for the roleof science in formulating and per-haps solving some environmentalproblems in today’s complex world.The 2015 conference drew almost1,000 attendees to share research,ideas, and appreciation for Cali-fornia’s native flora, and to address“big picture” conservation issues.There was a concerted effort to in-volve students in the conference bysponsoring individuals and defray-ing costs, resulting in over 15% ofattendees being students.

DISPLAYING THE BEAUTY:THE POSTER PROGRAM

As CNPS expanded its scope andvision during its early years, it be-

1965:

Berkeley (originally called the “Bay Area Group,” was not an

accredited chapter, but as it initiated the first home site

of CNPS in Berkeley in 1965, it was considered to be the

“mother chapter”)

Sacramento

1966:

Monterey Bay

San Luis Obispo

Dorothy King Young (formerly Gualala)

Santa Monica (originally Sierra-Santa Monica, and later

Los Angeles/Santa Monica Mountains)

The 1970s:

North Coast (1970)

San Diego, Santa Clara Valley, and Milo Baker (1972)

Southern California Botanists (1972, short-lived)

Marin, Napa Valley, and East Bay (originally the San

Francisco Bay Area) (1973)

Santa Cruz and Northern San Joaquin Valley (1974)

Channel Islands (1976)

Sequoia and Mount Lassen (1977)

The 1980s:

Sanhedrin (1981)

Kern County, Bristlecone, Riverside/San Bernardino,

Orange, Tahoe, and South Coast (1982)

Shasta (1984)

San Gabriel (1985)

Yerba Buena (1986)

Sierra Foothills (1989)

The 1990s to the Present:

Redbud (1992)

Alta Peak and El Dorado (1993)

Mojave Desert (2000)

Baja California (2013)

Bryophytes (2015) (The first statewide CNPS chapter based

on a focal interest rather than a geographical area)

CNPS CHAPTERS AND WHEN THEY WERE ESTABLISHEDThe dates below reflect when each chapter’s charter was approved.

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came apparent that additional fund-ing sources were needed to sustainits multitude of activities beyond hav-ing plant sales and increasing itsmembership. The beauty of wildflow-ers was showcased to increase mem-bership and sales in the late 1970sunder a committee headed by WilmaFollette. According to her, “the salesof…posters created by botanical art-ists surpassed all expectations bymaking a small fortune for CNPSand its chapters in its first elevenyears” [Fremontia 33(1), January2005]. The first poster in 1979(Spring Wildflowers) sold out in afew months and others followed:Shrubs of the Coast Ranges (1985);Wildflowers of the Sierra Nevada(1985); Wildflowers of the Coast(1991); Wildflowers of the Desert(no date); and Wildflowers of theRedwood Forest (1992). Most arestill available in the CNPS online storeat store.cnps.org/collections/posters.

HORTICULTURE ANDGARDENING

Given the importance of gardensand gardening to many members, itwasn’t long before the demand forplant sources outstripped the sup-ply in the mid-1960s when CNPSbegan offering its annual fall plantsales. CNPS held its first plant saleat Lakeside Park Garden Center,Lake Merritt, Oakland, on Decem-ber 5, 1966, hosted by the groupthat founded CNPS. More informa-tion about that first sale is in JennyFleming’s oral history, availableonline from The Bancroft Library,UC Berkeley (https://archive.org/details/memyearsformation00burrrich).

A horticultural advisory commit-tee was set up in 1967, seed catalogswere advertised, and the first springplant sale was successfully hostedby the Monterey Bay chapter in 1976.It wasn’t long before CNPS was askedto support the creation of a nativeplant garden in Balboa Park, SanDiego (1970) and to answer ques-

tions about gardening that membersmailed to the newsletter editor.Eventually, a “Natives for Your Gar-den” article became an ongoing fea-ture in Fremontia in the 1970s.

In 2014 Susan Krzywicki washired as CNPS’s first paid, full-timeHorticulture Program Director. Hercharge was to create a vision for theprogram “where native plants arewidely available and routinely in-corporated into public and privatelandscapes to conserve resources,extend habitat, and create a sense ofplace” (CNPS Bulletin, July–Septem-ber 2014). She helped to coordinategardening-related issues, to expandthe gardening section of the CNPSwebsite, and to assist chapters witha host of needs including native plantnurseries, plant sales, home gardens,a speakers bureau, and other educa-tional programs.

REACHING OUT FURTHER:ADVOCACY ANDPARTNERSHIPS

State and federal policies haveinfluenced the directions CNPS hastaken throughout its history by cre-ating legislation that is (or was) de-signed to enhance protection of florafrom rampant misuse, the most im-portant being the National Environ-mental Policy Act or NEPA (1969),along with the California Environ-mental Quality Act or CEQA (1970),the Federal Endangered SpeciesAct or ESA (1973), the state’s Na-tive Plant Protection Act or NPPA(1977), and the California Endan-gered Species Act or CESA (1984).

Through the years, legal protec-tive measures that were to be ap-plied to specific areas needed thehelp of CNPS advisors at the chap-ter and statewide levels to sort outbeneficial from adverse potentialeffects on landscapes. One was thecreation of multi-species regionalplans at the federal and state levels(Habitat Conservation Plans andNatural Community Conservation

Plans, respectively). These allowedsome species to be “taken” in re-gional plans and often generatedunfavorable reactions from the en-vironmental community. CNPS re-sponded to these challenges by cre-ating a Legislative Liaison (1973),an Environmental Impact Coor-dinator (1974–1979), a LegislativeCommittee (1980–1982), and a VicePresident of Legislation and/or Le-gal Advisor (1983–1998). This rolefinally became a partially fundedLegal Advisor under the leadershipof Sandy McCoy (1999–2007), alongwith a partially funded LegislativeConsultant (Vern Goehring, 1997to the present). Vern credits CNPSas being possibly the most impor-tant environmental organizationworking to bring the revision of thestate’s Natural Community PlanningProgram to a successful conclusion.

The role of the Legislative Con-sultant is to initiate, sponsor, or oth-erwise oversee proposed state billsthat deal with the protection of orimpacts to native plants and theirhabitats. The consultant also makesrecommendations for CNPS’s Legis-lator of the Year award. And withthe support of an California assem-blywoman and some very hard-working CNPS volunteers, a “Cali-fornia Native Plant Week” now oc-curs the third week of April (duringthe same month as Earth Day).

The botanical and horticulturalcommunity of CNPS usually has amultiplicity of interests and formsnatural partnerships with like-minded people. Personal affiliationswith nonprofit in-state organiza-tions such as the California Botani-cal Society, Northern CaliforniaBotanists, Southern California Bota-nists, the Jepson Herbarium,Calflora, local and statewide con-servation, horticulture, and garden-ing groups, and many others pro-vide a constant source of informa-tion to many members.

Hazel Gordon, 2946 Grinnel Drive, Davis,CA 95618, [email protected]

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REDISCOVERING THE PANAMINT DAISY,THE CNPS LOGO

by Duncan Bell

the section on Ceanothus for TheJepson Manual) was sent to JoyceBurr, who made the drawing of whatwould become the CNPS logo in1968 (CNPS Newsletter 1972). (Burrwas heavily involved in the forma-tion of CNPS, and served as theorganization’s chapter affairs chairand membership chair for about thefirst ten years.)

TREK TO FIND ANEW THEDAISY

Although I’d spent a consider-able amount of time in the Panamintmountains and the greater DeathValley region, I’d never seen the

Panamint daisy. In 2012 I served asCNPS rare plant coordinator for theCalifornia deserts as part of the RarePlant Treasure Hunt program, so Ibegan planning trips to look for rareplant occurrences that hadn’t beenvisited in over 20 years. To my sur-prise I found that no botanist hadever returned to the type localitywhere the Panamint daisy was firstcollected by botanist Frederick

ave you ever lookedclosely at the CNPSlogo and wonderedwhat plant was selected

to represent the Society? One cantell that it’s in the sunflower (com-posite) family which, just in Cali-fornia alone contains hundredsof different species to choosefrom. If you guessed the Panamintdaisy (Enceliopsis covillei) thenyou guessed correctly!

This endemic species is onlyfound in California, and has onlybeen observed in a few canyonson the west side of the Panamintmountains, which are located onthe northern edge of the MojaveDesert in the vicinity of DeathValley National Park. If you haveever seen this plant in flower youknow just how striking it can be,with flowers often exceeding fiveinches in diameter. It is a perfectchoice for an organization thatworks to protect the rare, threat-ened, and endangered plants ofCalifornia.

The California Native PlantSociety was formed in 1965 and afew years later, in 1968, someonesuggested that CNPS should havea logo—like the Audubon Soci-ety, which had chosen an egret—and that the CNPS logo shouldrepresent a rare plant found onlyin California. A list of plants wasproposed, and it seems thatWayne Roderick was the one tofirst suggest the Panamint daisy(Crawford, J., and O’Brien, B.,personal communication). Acolor slide of the daisy taken byClifford Schmidt in WildroseCanyon (former professor at SanJose State University who wrote

The original CNPS logo of the Panamintdaisy.

H Coville during the Death Valleyexpedition of 1891. (The US De-partment of Agriculture had au-thorized the expedition to gatherinformation on the flora of Cali-fornia and Nevada.) Given theamount of mining and off-road-vehicle use that had occurredon the western slopes of thePanamints over the past 100years, I wondered if this popula-tion would still be there. Therewas only one way to find out.

We decided we would hikeinto Hall Canyon on the exactdate (April 18) as Coville had,but 121 years later! However, dueto extreme heat we called off thehike for the day. Early the nextmorning we began the five-milehike into Hall canyon. The sunhad just begun to rise and thetemperature was already at 85degrees and climbing rapidly. Weloaded up as much water as hu-manly possible into our packsand began the rugged climb upthe massive rocky alluvial fan thatmakes up the lower slopes of thePanamint mountains.

After hiking for over an hour,temperatures were now in themid-ninties and becoming quiteuncomfortable. Finding an un-expected flowing creek, we tooka break and doused ourselves withthe cold, fast flowing water. Withbody temperatures and mindssomewhere back near homeosta-sis, we hiked on into the canyon,whose walls were becomingsteeper, rising vertically hundredsof feet. Eventually we had to walkright down the center of thecreekbed and bushwack throughthick stands of willows. The go-

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ing became rougher, and we werebecoming more discouraged.

EUREKA, SUCCESS!

Finally we stopped and dis-cussed whether we should turnaround or continue on. I had alsobeen worrying that perhapsCoville had collected the daisyin an adjacent canyon and wrotedown Hall canyon erroneously.The decision was made to turnaround, but as luck would haveit, at that exact moment I sawsomething yellow far up aheadof us on the steep rocky canyonwall. We made our way towardsit with great excitement andfound ourselves face to face with

our first Panamint daisy and thetype locality that Coville had firstvisited 121 years (and a day) ago. Alittle further up the cliff walls gaveway to steep scree and more daisiescould be seen. Notes, measure-ments, and photos were taken, anda short while later we were headedback down the canyon with smileson our faces.

I personally hope that thePanamint daisy remains as theCNPS logo for many decades tocome, as it seems a perfect repre-sentation for the California NativePlant Society. Clifford Schmidtphrased it well in his 1972 newslet-ter article about the Panamint daisywhen he said, “Of the many plantsthat could have been chosen, these

Duncan Bell precariously perched on Hall Canyon wall at the spot where the Panamint daisy (Enceliopsis covillei) was firstcollected in 1891. He was the first in his 2012 expedition to spot the daisy at the same location—a mere 121 years later! Photo-graph by Amber Swanson.

stalwart plants with their splen-did flowers, growing underseemingly harsh conditions,stand as a fitting symbol of ourSociety.”

REFERENCES

Schmidt, C.L. 1972. The panamintdaisy–CNPS symbol. CNPSNewsletter, January 1972.

Coville, F.V. 1893. Botany of theDeath Valley Expedition. Govern-ment Printing Office, Washing-ton, DC.

Duncan Bell, Rancho Santa AnaBotanic Garden, 1500 North CollegeAvenue, Claremont, CA 91711, [email protected]

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LESTER ROWNTREE: CNPS HONORARY PRESIDENTby Lester Bradford Rowntree

n 1965 the CNPS founding com-mittee named Lester Rowntree, aCarmel-based California nativeplant field botanist and horticul-

turalist, as the organization’s Hon-orary President, a position she heldwith great pride until her death inJanuary 1979, several days after her100th birthday. This 50th anniver-sary gives us an opportunityto celebrate the organization’s legacyby revisiting Lester’s contributionsto studying, conserving, and pro-moting the horticultural valueof California’s rich native flora.

Nursery owner and writerJudith Larner Lowry summarizesLester’s legacy nicely:

Today, it would be hard tofind a professional in the fieldof native plant horticulturewho was not, at some point,inspired by Lester Rowntree.The model of her double fo-cus, wildland exploration, andlandscape use of plants, is fol-lowed by numerous Califor-nia native plant horticultur-ists, from arboretum directorsto landscapers to nursery pro-fessionals, who make regulartrips into the wild for the plea-sure of observing plants intheir homes and to collectseeds and cuttings for propa-gation (Lowry 2007).

Intertwined and inseparablewith Lester’s botanical contribu-tions was her free spirit and peripa-tetic lifestyle, traits that caught theimagination of writers early on, thenresonated with others through thedecades (see articles about Lester inthe sidebar on page 17). As MarionCrane writes:

I want to know more of Mrs.Rowntree who roams the Cali-

fornia hills with a Ford and aburro and a sleeping bag, col-lecting seeds of the wildflowersall over the West; a seed-gypsyand lover of wildlands; a comely,delightful, small, keen, gentle-woman, who tore the heart outof me with a call to leave alland follow—to listen again tothe silence of the hills; to touchthe loneliness of nature [Crane1932].

LESTER’S EARLY YEARS

Lester Rowntree was born EllenGertrude Lester in Penrith, Englandin January 1879, one of eight chil-dren of Edward Lester, a Quaker teamerchant. Lester remembered fondlythe frequent family outings to thenearby Lake District and countsthem as the major influences that

shaped her life. Also important wasthe Quaker custom of youngstersbeing given their own garden plot tonurture, a tradition that producedmany other Quaker botanists andhorticulturalists.

Although England’s landscapesand gardens remained strong influ-ences on Lester, she was transplantedat an early age to North America,arriving in Altadena (near Pasadena)in 1891. It was here that she found

her life’s passion amidst Califor-nia native plants. But acting onthis calling was delayed threedecades with schooling in theEast, and in 1908 marriage toBernard Rowntree, another En-glish Quaker. Their son, Cedric(my father), was born severalyears later, with the family re-siding for almost a decade in awell-gardened suburban NewJersey home.

But in 1920 when Lester was41, she was diagnosed (or, per-haps, more correctly, misdiag-nosed) with ovarian cancer andinformed that her time on Earthwas limited. Not wanting to diein New Jersey, she convincedBernard to move the family toSouthern California so she couldspend her last months amongstthe beloved wildflowers of heryouth.

Fortunately, however,Lester did not die and after sev-eral years in Southern Califor-nia, she and Bernard made their

home in the Carmel Highlands justsouth of Point Lobos. It was there inthe mid-1920s that Lester turnedher full attention to California flora.She published her first article in1928, “The Flora of Jeffers Country”(a reference to the noted Carmelpoet, Robinson Jeffers), with 40more articles over the next severalyears, hinting at the prolific writ-

I

Lester Rowntree in her late eighties when she wasappointed CNPS Honorary President, shortly afterthe organization’s founding in 1965. Photographcourtesy of Monterey Herald newspaper.

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ings that would follow. But whileher native plant career was blos-soming, domestic life was not. Lesterand Bernard divorced in 1931, andwhile Lester was now completelyfree to pursue her passions by trav-eling about California writing aboutnative plants, she was also brokeand homeless at age 52. Reflectingon this stage in her life Lester wrote:

It took adversity to bring me tothe sort of life I always longedfor. Not until my domestic hap-piness had gone to smash did Irealize I was free to trek up anddown the long state of Califor-nia, to write down their [theflora’s] tricks and manners inmy notebook, to photograph

their flowers, collect their seeds,to bring home seedlings in cansjust emptied of tomato juice …I didn’t take up this for thepoetry of it. I had no ambitionto become a picturesque LadyGipsy. I honestly wanted to findout about California flowers.There was little written aboutthem in their habitats and noth-ing at all about their behaviorin the garden, so I made it myjob to discover the facts for my-self [Rowntree 1939].

THE NATIVE PLANTWOMAN EMERGES

With income from her writingsand by bartering her gardening skills

with local Carmel craftspeople,Lester built a small house and nurs-ery in 1932 on several sunny acresabove the Monterey Pine belt in theCarmel Highlands. This house andgarden became her logistical andspiritual home until her death in1979.

Also in the early 1930s Lesterand Lila Clevenger, a high schoolfriend, formed the Lester RowntreeSeed Company, a modest mail orderbusiness selling native plant seedsgrown in her nursery. At thecompany’s apogee in the early 1950sthe catalog listed 400 native plantsand had a mailing list of over 4,000subscribers. While Lester traveledand wrote, Lila Clevenger, who livednearby in the Carmel Highlands,

Lester’s home and garden in the Carmel Highlands, early 1930s. Photograph by Lester Rowntree (using a tripod and a delayed shuttersetting).

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SELECTED ARTICLES ABOUT LESTER ROWNTREE

Barker, P.A. 1965. A visit with Lester Rowntree. American Horticultural Maga-zine 44(1): 32–35.

Begg, V.L. 1994. As thrilling as any western romance. Pacific Horticulture55(2): 16–18.

Brandt, C.R. 1955. Lester Rowntree: Denizen of the mountains. Journal ofthe California Horticultural Society 14(1): 8–17.

Crane, M. 1932. Gardens in America. Macmillan, New York, NY.Dutton, J.P. 1958. Enjoying America’s Gardens. Reynal, New York, NY.Donlon, R. 1988. Lester Rowntree. Manzanita 8-–9.Hamann, S. 1974. Lester Rowntree, mountain mystic. Journal of the Califor-

nia Horticultural Society 35(2): 73-–76.——1976. The wildflower lover at ninety-seven. Fremontia 3(4): 3–8.Ingram, M. 1994. Lester Rowntree (1879–1979). Part One: The peripatetic

Gilbert White. Hortus 8(3): 2–81.——1994. Lester Rowntree (1879–1979). Part Two: Sanctuary—conserv-

ing the worthwhile. Hortus 8(4): 81–96.——1995. Lester Rowntree (1879–1979). Part Three: A spirit of keen joy.

Hortus 9(1): 69–87.Levenson, R. 1979. Lester Rowntree: California Native Plant Woman. Regional

Oral History Office, Bancroft Library, University of California, Berkeley,CA.

Lowry, J.L. 2006. Lester Rowntree’s horticultural legacy. Hardy Californians:A Woman’s Life with Native Plants, ed. Lester B. Rowntree. New expandededition. University of California Press, Berkeley, CA.

——2007. Supreme advocate for California native plants: Lester Rowntree.The Landscaping Ideas of Jays, pp. 78–91. University of California Press,Berkeley, CA.

O’Grady, S. 1993. Lester Rowntree: Vernacular natural historian. ISLE: In-terdisciplinary Studies in Literature and Environment. 1(1): 97–105.

Rowntree, L.B., and R.A. Rowntree. 2006. About Lester. Hardy Californians:A Woman’s Life with Native Plants, ed. Lester B. Rowntree. New expandededition. University of California Press, Berkeley, CA.

Woolfenden, J. 1968 Lester Rowntree. Journal of the California HorticulturalSociety 29(4): 98–126.

took care of business matters. In1946 Ms. Clevenger left the partner-ship because of ill health and wasreplaced several years later by Ed-ward K. Balls, another EnglishQuaker. The seed company (andpartnership) was dissolved in the1950s after two wildfires destroyedthe seed nursery.

Unquestionably one of Lester’ssignificant contributions to nativeplant botany came from the greatamount of time she spent in thefield, making her botanical roundsto all of California’s ecological zones,from desert to high Sierra, duringthe different seasons (see excerptsfrom her writings on page 18). Backroads in remote California were herpreferred habitat; and where theroads ended, Lester continued far-ther by foot and pack animal. Shewas happiest when trekking the highSierra, with a burro carrying hercamera and plant presses.

But these expeditions were notquick visits to familiar plants in thesame places. Instead, Lester explorednew places each year, and recordedextensive field notes resulting fromlong stays in different ecologicalcommunities. Jim Roof, the first cu-rator of the East Bay Botanic Gar-

Lester Rowntree and Company seed com-pany brochure from the 1940s. Photographfrom Rowntree family archives.

Lester and Jim Roof, first director of the East Bay Regional Parks Botanic Garden. Hiseffort, with local East Bay folks, to prevent this garden being “moved” led to the creationof CNPS. Photograph taken in the mid-1970s, several years before Lester’s death at age100 in January 1979. Photograph courtesy of the East Bay Regional Parks Botanic Garden.

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under the gray-green boughs of Blue Oak and Digger[sic] Pine, over a floor of bright green or soft tan,with the lavender-pink of high mountains showingbeyond.”

—Hardy Californians: A Woman’s Life withNative Plants, New Expanded Edition, 2006,University of California Press, Berkeley, CA

“I wish there was a word one could use instead ofthe acquisitive-sounding ‘collecting’, which has sucha vampirish and predatory ring. Intelligent collect-ing is a conservation measure; indeed the work islegitimate only when done with knowledge and fore-thought and when the motive is the preservation ofthe plants themselves.”

—Hardy Californians, ibid

“John Muir said that in the mountains he wasable to get nearest to the heart of the world. I agree.In order to feel this intensity of satisfaction, thebotanist must lend an eye to something besides thephysical peculiarities of the plants—his pores mustopen to let in the sweet fruits of awareness, all ofnature’s aliveness which spices the solitude and thesilences, all the enchanting by-products that enrichthe Sierra sojourn.

“In the autumn when fishermen and huntershave left and the stray cattle are being rounded upand taken down before the passes close, a deliciouspeace comes to the Sierra and over the mountainslies the hush before the storm, the patient expect-ancy of Nature biding her time for a seasonal change…

“Nature hurries in her house cleaning. Aspenleaves flame, then go pale yellow and drop. Moun-tain misery is a velvet carpet of yellow-green. Thechartreuse, egg-shaped knobs tipping green branchesof incense cedar spread two wings and release theirseeds. In the higher mountains the clear air is alivewith the fluffy white seeds of alpine willow.

“But there is the apprehension of impendingsnow. Tonight the sheltering bulwark I have bankedon for evening warmth will have forgotten it eversaw the sun. Unless, like the alpines, I am to besmothered in snow, I must go down from Muir’s‘Range of Light, surely the brightest and best of allthe Lord has built.’ There will again be that feelingof having left the real for the unreal, of havingdropped from another planet, of having my recentlyawakened senses blunted by civilization, of exchang-ing Nature’s sure methodical pace for a world ofsudden days.”

On a Trail of Beauty, 1947,The Sierra-Nevada: The Range of Light, ed. Roderick

Peattie, The Vanguard Press, New York, NY

“Conservation must not stop simply at preventinga plant from being destroyed in situ….Conservationin its broadest sense means also seeing to it that thedesirable species exposed to extermination are per-petuated, or at least being given a chance to carry onin another place.”

—Plant Collecting: An Aid to Conservation, 1938,Garden Club of California.

“The plant stalking business is not all beer andskittles. Fatigue brings moments when you aredrenched in gloom. Intense heat, severe cold, attacksof loneliness, the limited diet, thunder and lightningsweeping above you as you cling to some bald moun-tain, all carry with them times of profound misery.Dust and ants get in your food; burrs and stickers inyour clothes; snakes in your sleeping bag, insectssting, and bears raid the food supply. None of thesediscomforts are so great that the spirit of enthusiasmcannot surmount them…”

—A Plant Hunter Writes About Her Profession,1936, House and Garden

“I inhabit my hillside home only from Novemberto February, while the winter storms are blowingand the winter rains pouring. In March and April Ihave long shining days in the desert, in May happyweeks in the foothills, where a chorus of robinswakes me, and my morning bath is in a rushingstream of just-melted snow. In June I am in thenorthern counties scented with new-mown hay andwild strawberries. In July in the higher mountains,and in August and September up in the alpine zonewith mule or burro.”

—The Lone Hunter, 1939, Atlantic Monthly, 163

“I have put down what I have gleaned frompersonal observation of the habits of these shrubs inthe world and of the behavior under cultivation ofthose which I have grown in California during thelast 12 years. In compiling it I have followed myinvariable rule of writing only from my own notes,taken on the spot, of the things that shrubs have toldme in personal interviews.”

—Collecting Myself, 1950, Nature Magazine 43(7)

“But before the season’s climax is reached in theSierra, I shall cross and re-cross the lower westwardranges, meet the same rivers again and again, skirtthe sea, wander through the cupped beauty of thesand dunes, follow up dry water courses where cot-tonwoods and sycamores tap unseen supplies ofmoisture, search the New England-like meadows ofthe northwest, travel long trails through the foothills

INSPIRATION FROM THE WORDS OF LESTER ROWNTREE

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den, who knew Lester well, opinedthat the secret to Lester’s writingwas that she lived with the plantsfor weeks at a time, and wrote aboutthem while in the field.

Indeed, the margin notes inLester’s first Jepson manual attestedto her intimate knowledge of spe-cific plants and how they interactedwith the larger natural community.Often her writings contained asmuch information about the localbird and insect life as about theplants themselves. Certainly thisholistic natural history approach isone of her notable and lasting con-tributions to native plant studies.

Lester also believed that collect-ing seeds—and even in some casesthe plants themselves—was an ap-propriate conservation measure thatassured them at least temporary sur-vival in a nursery or botanic gardensetting. Lester’s snatching the last re-maining Franciscan manzanita (Arc-tostaphylos franciscana) plants frombulldozer death in San Francisco’sLaurel Hill cemetery—“I garnishedit ghoulishly in a gunnysack”—is

legend (James Roof interview inLevenson, 1978) (For more on themore recent conservation of this spe-cies, see Fremontia 37:4/38:1 [Octo-ber 2009/January 2010].)

Building on Lester’s extensivefieldwork were her voluminous writ-ings: two well-received books pub-lished in the 1930s, Hardy Califor-nians (1936) and California Flower-ing Shrubs and Their Value to theGardener (1939), both of which wererepublished several times, and over700 articles about native plants (Fos-ter 2006). Many of these articleswere published in wide circulationmagazines and newspapers such asThe Atlantic Monthly, Colliers, Homeand Garden, The New York Times,and the Sunday magazine section ofthe Los Angeles Times. Lester’s writ-ings, it’s frequently said, broughtCalifornia native plants to the pub-lic’s attention, changing the conver-sation about using native plants inthe garden and not unimportantlyalso creating thousands of new stake-holders for native plant conserva-tion and protection.

Two additional book manu-scripts, one on California desert plantsand the other on Sierra flora, wereunfortunately destroyed in fires thatdevastated Lester’s Carmel property.

Besides her books and articles,Lester also gave frequent public lec-tures about native plants to gardenclubs and museum groups, or whatshe called “throwing a talk.” Whilethere’s no record of these lectures,archival publicity photos and hand-bills suggest they were frequent.Complementing Lester’s books, ar-ticles, and lectures were beautifulblack and white plant and landscapephotographs taken in the field witha large format 4x5 plate cameramounted on a tripod, the same equip-ment commonly used by professionalphotographers in the 1930s. Lesterwas a small woman, just over fivefeet tall, and the notion of her lug-ging this camera equipment aroundthe landscape challenges the imagi-nation. In the high Sierra she used apack animal to carry her campinggear and camera; closer to her carshe did it herself.

Lester in the Sierra with burro, 1937. Photograph by Lester Rowntree.

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LESTER’S LATER YEARS

As mentioned earlier, in 1947and 1949 when Lester was in herseventies, a series of wildfires rav-aged much of her life’s work by de-stroying the seed collections storedin her nursery. Perhaps most devas-tating was that the fire destroyedLester’s writing studio that containedher field notes, photographs, andtwo (and perhaps three) first-draftbook manuscripts on the plants andtrees of California.

After the fires, Lester found so-lace of sorts by writing four child-ren’s books during the 1950s. Inthese books Lester drew heavilyupon her field experiences for hercharacters, landscapes, and animallore. All of these books have strongnatural history themes as her char-acters learn life lessons through theirinteractions with nature.

Lester turned 80 in 1959 andcontinued her active life of field-work, travel, lecturing, and writinguntil she lost her driver’s license in1968, a year before her 90th birth-day. This was a devastating blow toher independent life, for no longercould she move about as she pleased.Instead, she had to depend on oth-ers to do her shopping in town or

Lester in the Beartooth Mountains of Montana, 1935. Photographer unknown.

drive her to field sites. A better solu-tion came in 1970, during her nine-ties, when her son, Cedric, who wasthen teaching fire science on theMonterey Peninsula, and her daugh-ter-in-law, Harriette expanded theHighlands house so they could movein and provide her with care.

In 1978 the Regional OralHistory Office of UC Berkeley’sBancroft Library started a project onLester’s life by interviewing her, thefamily, and many others including awide array of native plan botanistsand horticulturalists. RosemaryLevenson was the project directorand major interviewer. The resultingvolume and film, “Lester Rowntree,California Native Plant Woman,” ap-peared in mid-1979, several monthsafter Lester’s death at age 100.

LESTER’S LEGACYREVISITED

In many ways Lester’s pioneer-ing work primed the pump for thecreation of CNPS in 1965 by ex-panding the public’s awareness ofnative plants, by promoting theirhorticultural value, and by arguingtirelessly for the conservation andprotection of threatened flora. Fur-ther, Lester’s emphasis on fieldwork

and her natural history approach tostudying plants within their largercontext in many ways presagedtoday’s ecological science.

But there’s more to Lester’s leg-acy—the intangibles of her life andpersonal character—that continueto inspire and energize individuals:her enthusiasm and spiritual rela-tionship with nature; her sense ofawe about the natural world; thecuriosity to explore what’s aroundthe next bend and over the next hill;the value of finding, and then actingupon one’s personal passion; believ-ing in one’s work and relishing eachday’s reward; and above all, the gritand tenacity to survive hard timesand then move on.

It’s those messages of joy andreward, coupled with a bit of back-bone stiffening, that are as much apart of Lester’s legacy as her botanyand horticultural advice. Whilenever preachy, Lester set the barhigh for herself and, more subtly,for others. Unquestionably Lesterwould nod approval that on its 50thanniversary, CNPS has met the chal-lenge and cleared the bar.

REFERENCES

Crane, M. 1932. Gardens in America,p. 62. Macmillan, New York.

Foster, R. 2006. Bibliography of LesterRowntree’s Publications. In Rowntree,L. Hardy Californians: A Woman’s Lifewith Native Plants. New ExpandedEdition, pp. xv–xlvi. University ofCalifornia Press, Berkeley, CA.

Levenson, R. 1979. Lester Rowntree:California Native Plant Woman, p. 56.Regional Oral History Office,Bancroft Library, University of Cali-fornia, Berkeley, CA.

Lowry, J.L. 2007. Supreme advocatefor California native plants: LesterRowntree. The Landscaping Ideas ofJays, p. 78. University of CaliforniaPress, Berkeley, CA.

Rowntree, L. 1939. Lone hunter. Atlan-tic Monthly 163: 809.

Lester Bradford Rowntree, 483 VermontAvenue, Berkeley, CA 94707, [email protected]

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THROUGH THE LOOKING GLASS:THE CNPS RARE PLANT PROGRAM

by Aaron E. Sims and Roxanne Bittman

n the past 35 years, the CNPSRare Plant Program (RPP)has had ten Rare Plant Bota-nists/Assistant Botanists paid

staff positions. Some onlyserved a few months to a year,while others for over ten years,yet all botanists have madeimportant, integral contribu-tions to what the RPP is to-day. After working for CNPSthey all went on to addition-ally important environmentalcareers.

When asked about their fa-vorite part of the position, allof the past botanists unanimouslyproclaimed: getting to know andwork with all of the many dedicatedCNPS members, volunteers, andbotanists across the state. Anothercommon response was having theability to work so closely and coop-eratively with the great staff at theCalifornia Department of Fish andWildlife. Such praise is well de-served, and speaking from withinthe program, we are assured that itwouldn’t be where it is today with-out such enthusiastic and fantasticplant people as you.

RICK YORK (1980–1986)

As the organization’s first bota-nist, Rick helped form the vital col-laborative bond between the RPPand the California Natural DiversityDatabase (CNDDB) (see Jensen andSims, Fremontia 43(1): 2–5 for moreinformation on this remarkable un-dertaking). Rick’s tenure began themomentous effort to computerizeall of the rare plant information. Hemanaged to collate a lot of disparatepieces of information on an electrictypewriter, and travelled to CNPSchapters asking for contributions to

purchase the first computer systemfor the RPP.

Rick recently retired as supervi-sor of the Biological Resources Unit,California Energy Commission, inSacramento.

KEN BERG (1986–1989)

1986 marked the first big CNPSConservation Conference, and thatis when Ken transitioned into theposition of RPP botanist. In 1987,with his brother’s help, Ken con-verted the original nine-inch floppydiscs of rare plant data to updatedcomputer files. He then wrote pro-grams to build county and topo quadsearches and species lists, whichbecame appendices in the printedCNPS Inventory of Rare and Endan-gered Plants (the Inventory). Ken waskeenly aware of the state listing sys-tem for rare plants, and adjustedthe CNPS ranking system of rarespecies so it could more easily dove-tail with the CEQA rules.

Ken spent several years as a highlevel administrator in the US Fishand Wildlife Service, and is cur-rently director of the Forest andRangeland Ecosystem Science Cen-

ter for the US Geological Sur-vey in Corvallis, Oregon.

MARK SKINNER(1989–1996)

Mark ushered in a new erafor the Inventory by moving allits data into an electronic ver-sion. Suddenly, instead of sev-eral hundred taxa, there werea few thousand to deal with.He sent out for review a mas-sive booklet containing all RPPinformation, along with all sta-tus changes being considered.

It was a daunting task, but Markhad tremendous focus and attentionto detail and got it done.

Mark is currently botanist forthe Region 6 Regional Office, USDAForest Service, in Portland, Oregon.

DAVID TIBOR (ASSISTANTBOTANIST 1992–1996,BOTANIST 1996–2004)

Dave was known for being in-credibly detail-oriented, as well asan excellent editor. He continued toadd to what had now become a hugeInventory, and skillfully brought ineveryone’s opinions. He was the firstto organize a “traveling roadshow”where he and Roxanne Bittman metwith groups of experts in variousregions of the state to get their com-ments on proposed changes to theInventory. This was the most exhaus-tive attempt, to date, to involve asmany botanists as possible in thereview process, only superseded andtopped by what the Program accom-plishes today with the online Fo-rum model (see cnps.org/cnps/rareplants/forum-status_review.php).

From left to right: Rick York, Mark Skinner, and Ken Berg,CNPS’s first three rare plant botanists. Self-portrait.

I

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Aaron Sims. Photo-graph by MorganKennedy.

David iscurrently asenior envi-r o n m e n t a lscientist atthe CaliforniaDepartment

of Conservation, Office of Mine Rec-lamation, in Sacramento.

MISA WERNER(2004–2006)

Misa came along for a compara-tively short time after Dave’s longtenure before joining CNPS’s first

RPP botanist, Rick York,to work for the Califor-nia Energy Commission.While with CNPS, she de-veloped a form for nomi-nating plants for inclusionand making changes to theInventory, and worked onadding some little-knowndesert rare plants to it.Misa was very personableand caring to CNPS mem-bers, and she enjoyed

helping them get the informationthey needed to conserve rare plants.

Misa is currently senior biolo-gist at the California Energy Com-mission in Sacramento.

PATRICK MCINTYRE(INTERIM IN 2006)

Patrick volunteered with Misafor about a year, and then filled in asinterim botanist until Kristi Lazarwas hired. He was instrumental inensuring that core duties of the RPPcontinued and that the review pro-

cess didn’t stop duringthe transition betweenpermanent botanists.He also helped trainKristi when she started.

During his short, yet important term,Patrick loved reading status reviewproposals and learning about plantspecies he’d never heard of before.

Patrick is currently lead scien-tist of the CNDDB at the CaliforniaDepartment of Fish and Wildlife inSacramento.

KRISTI LAZAR (2006–2007)

Kristi was also a short-time RPPbotanist before moving on to theCNDDB. She accomplished a lot inone year: processing nearly half ofthe status review backlog at the time,writing aFremont iaarticle onCNPS threatranks, andimprovingthe status re-view processby addingExcel datasheets, distribution maps, and send-ing out “Final Call” emails before afinal decision was made on species’status. She especially enjoyed play-ing an active role in rare plant con-servation, and in communicatingwith botanists across the state onrare plant issues.

Kristi is currently lead botanistof the CNDDB at the California De-partment of Fish and Wildlife inSacramento.

NICK JENSEN (2007–2010)

Nick greatly improved the earlyForum system, which wasn’t gettingmuch input at first. He increasedparticipation, which made the Fo-rum much more satisfying to useand increased confidence in the de-cisions being made, now that the in-person meetings were no longer be-ing held. In his last year, Nick raised

money for and helped design theOnline Inventory, 8th edition, whichwas released six months after hisdeparture. Also, prior to the hiringof CNPS’s first paid ConservationProgram Director, Nick raised thealarm about the overabundance oflarge-scale renewable energy projectsin the California deserts and theirpotential impacts to rare plants.Lastly, one of his greatest achieve-ments was reforming the Rare PlantProgram Committee, which is veryactive in maintaining academic andresearch support to CNPS as a keyadjunct to the RPP.

Nick is currently a PhD gradu-ate student at Rancho Santa AnaBotanic Garden in Claremont, Cali-fornia.

AARON SIMS(2010–PRESENT)

Aaron has helpedstrengthen and improvethe status review pro-cess by developing aform for becoming a re-viewer, increasing Fo-rum and reviewer mem-bership, and makingstatus reviews more comprehensive.He has also implemented manychanges to the RPP, including theOnline Inventory, 8th Edition, thechange from “CNPS List” to “Cali-fornia Rare Plant Rank,” new 2A and2B ranks, and the inclusion of li-chens in the Inventory.

DANNY SLAKEY(2011–PRESENT)

Danny started as half-time assis-tant botanist in 2011, while also co-ordinating the Rare Plant TreasureHunt (RPTH) half-time for the Edu-cation and Rare Plant Programs. To-ward the end of 2014 he startedworking full-time. Due to his tre-mendous work with the status re-view process, the number of reviewsperformed annually has nowdoubled. Danny has also done a great

Dave Tibor.Self-portrait.

Misa Werner. Photo-graph by Leslie Stair.

Patrick McIntyre. Photo-graph by N. Ivalu Cacho.

Kristi Lazar. Photo-graph by Dan Lazar.

Nick Jensen.Photographby RachelHutchinson.

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job at increasingvolunteerism inthe RPP. Morechapter mem-bers are nowhelping with sta-tus reviews andparticipating inthe Rare PlantTreasure Hunt.Part of his recent

work has involved increasing aware-ness of rare plants most in need ofprotection, and continuing to shapethe RPTH by emphasizing trainingsand volunteer leadership.

MONA ROBISON(PROGRAM MANAGER,2015–PRESENT)

In May 2015, Monawas hired as CNPS’s firstRare Plant ProgramManager, just in time toensure that this year’sRPTHs are a huge suc-cess. In addition to man-aging the RPTH, Mona

is tasked with developing andimplementing many exciting newprojects within the Program, includ-ing the implementation of its stra-tegic plan.

The CNPS 50th anniversarymarks the first time in the history ofthe Program that it has had threefull-time staff. We are exceedinglygrateful and excited to have theopportunity to fully maintain andexpand upon our mission to developthe most current, accurate informa-tion on California’s rare and endan-gered plants, and to promote sci-ence-based plant conservation inCalifornia.

Aaron Sims, 2707 K Street, Suite 1, Sacra-mento, CA 95816, [email protected];Roxanne Bittmann, CNDDB, Departmentof Fish and Wildlife, 1700 9th Street, 4thFloor, Sacramento, CA 95811, [email protected]

Danny Slakey.Photograph bySylvia Wright.

itizen science projectshave garnered signi-ficant media atten-tion in recent years.

They’re not in any way restrictedto the realm of biology and ecol-ogy. At a recent citizen-scienceconference I attended, projectsran the gamut from mapping neu-rons in the brain to analyzingimages of distant galaxies.

In 2010 CNPS officiallyjumped on the citizen sciencebandwagon with the foundingof the Rare Plant Treasure Hunt(RPTH), a project aimed at mo-bilizing volunteers to survey forand document rare plant popu-lations throughout California.While the RPTH only started in2010, its origins go back to thefounding of the CNPS Rare PlantProgram (RPP) in 1968. Eversince those early years, CNPSchapters and individual mem-bers have been contributingtheir rare plant expertise, knowl-edge, and survey re-sults to the RPP. Theprogram would notbe what it is todaywithout the thou-sands of hours do-nated annually bysuch a wide range ofbotanists and plantenthusiasts.

While those pre-vious contributionsare invaluable, theRPTH brought withit a new approach tocollecting rare plantdata. It is a statewidecoordinated effort tosurvey California’s

C

THE CNPS RARE PLANT TREASUREHUNT: THE FIRST SIX YEARS

by Danny Slakey and Aaron E. Sims

rare plants, with target plants andareas chosen by RPP staff, botanyexperts, and volunteers. This coor-dinated effort allows CNPS to tar-get funding sources that are neededto support the project and track itsaccomplishments. Nearly six yearslater, it’s time to review where weare and how we are moving for-ward with this immensely success-ful project.

A STATEWIDE EFFORT

The RPTH is truly a statewideeffort aimed at gathering rare plantdata from all corners of our hugeand ecologically diverse state. Any-one who has followed the projectwill notice that the staff-led RPTHtrips are often geographically clus-tered. This is due to the fact that thegrants funding the project oftenhave geographic restrictions, andbecause staff concentrate trips inareas that are threatened or are seri-ously in need of updated rare plant

Rare Plant Treasure Hunters key out jewelflower (Strep-tanthus spp.) plants at a recent trip to Berryessa SnowMountain National Monument. Verifying plant identi-fications through keying and specimen vouchering is acrucial part of the Rare Plant Treasure Hunt (RPTH). Pho-tograph by Sylvia Wright.

Mona Robison.

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FIGURE 1. TYPES OF RARE PLANT OCCURRENCESDOCUMENTED IN THE FIRST FIVE YEARS OF THERARE PLANT TREASURE HUNT.

The 1,000 new occurrences documented in the first five years of the project area testament to its valuable scientific contributions. Documentation of other typesof occurrences, such as those that haven’t been seen in over 20 years (historical),those seen in the past 20 years (recent), and those that cannot be found at aknown rare plant location and at the right time of year (absent) are also extremelyimportant for rare plant conservation. Lastly, data gathered on California RarePlant Rank (CRPR) 3 and 4 plants can help determine if they need to be re-rankedin the future.

Source: California Native Plant Society, 2015.

deserts are among the least botani-cally documented part of the state.Other regional focuses have in-cluded the Central Coast, San Fran-cisco Bay Area, and Carrizo PlainNational Monument.

CNPS chapters and members cancustomize their participation inthe RPTH to their own strengthsand interests, and often they don’tconfine themselves to the chapter’sboundary. The North Coast Chap-ter, for example, organizes one large-group RPTH annually to search fora few target plants, often ones thatare newly-described or in need offurther research. At the opposite endof the spectrum (and the state), theSan Gabriel Mountains Chapter has

The Kern River evening-primrose (Camis-sonia integrifolia), was rediscovered in 2015by separate groups almost simultaneously,after decades without a single sighting ofthis plant. Photograph by John Game.

fielded a crew of between one andfour volunteers that consistently doRPTH survey trips week after week,year after year. The East Bay Chap-ter has yet another approach, inwhich volunteers adopt a particularrare plant that they search forthroughout the chapter’s region. Anumber of adventurous volunteersfrom different chapters frequentlycross chapter boundaries in searchof elusive rare plants in all cor-ners of California. While these ap-proaches vary widely, they have thecommon goal of acquiring valuablerare plant data and increasing par-ticipation in rare plant conservationand research.

RESULTS TO DATE

The RPTH has been an immensesuccess, both in terms of the amountof rare plant data gathered and howengaged volunteers are in the project.In the first five years of the program,volunteers and staff gathered dataon over 2,500 rare plant occurrences,of which almost 1,000 were new toscience (Figure 1). This abundanceof new occurrences illustrates theneed for continued botanical explo-ration throughout California.

The data gathered by our volun-teers is incredibly valuable, and hasbeen used by the RPP to make someimportant decisions on the status ofrare plants in the CNPS Inventory.For example, a group of CNPS mem-bers in the central Sierra Nevadaturned in so much new data onBrandegee’s clarkia (Clarkia bilobasubsp. brandegeeae) that the plantwas downranked to the watch list,California Rare Plant Rank (CRPR)4. A few years later, members of thatsame group searched for the singleCalifornia occurrence of westernrock-jasmine (Androsace occiden-talis) at Emigrant Gap and helpeduncover historical records showingthat the plant was probably never

data. The Desert RPTH was so cru-cial because of the immense threatsto the desert from solar energyprojects, and because California

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found in California, which ledto its deletion from the Inven-tory.

Other volunteers contributeby suggesting new plants to addto the Inventory. Water star-grass (Heteranthera dubia) wassuch a plant, added to CRPR 2B,rare in California and elsewhere,based on a dedicated volunteer’srecommendation and prior nega-tive survey results. Additionalvaluable contributions includesignificant range extensions andrediscoveries, such as the RPTHgroup that found the first knownpopulation of Parish’s checker-bloom (Sidalcea hickmanii subsp.parishii) in Kern County, and adifferent group that rediscoveredKern River evening-primrose(Camissonia integrifolia) in 2015after many decades without anyobservations.

LOOKING AHEAD

As we near the end of oursixth year of the RPTH, we arestill hoping to find new plantsand new ways to look for them.And in terms of tools, we willcontinue to develop devices andtechniques that make all aspectsof being a Rare Plant TreasureHunter easier. One developmentto look out for is county-levelrare plant datasets in GoogleEarth that will be shared withour most dedicated volunteers.We always encourage new vol-unteers and members to join inon the project, especially thosewho have prior plant ID experi-ence. More information on theRare Plant Treasure Hunt is avail-able at cnps.org/cnps/rareplants/treasurehunt/.

Danny Slakey, 2707 K Street, Suite 1,Sacramento, CA 95816, [email protected]

THE CNPS CONSERVATIONPROGRAM

by Greg Suba

or 50 years, the California Na-tive Plant Society (CNPS) hasbeen the voice for native plantconservation in California.

Through its network of CNPS chap-ter activists and a small staff, theCNPS Conservation Program worksto preserve California’s remainingnatural landscapes, to help restorenative habitats where possible, andto educate the public about nativeplant biodiversity.

Although the faces and struc-ture of the Conservation Programhave changed over the years (a com-prehensive retrospective of the pro-gram is available in David Chipping’sThe CNPS Conservation Program inFremontia’s 40th anniversary issue,Fremontia 33(3), July 2005), the Pro-gram’s mission remains the same: to

F preserve California’s native flora. Wedo this for the plants themselves aswell as for ourselves and future gen-erations.

Today the CNPS ConservationProgram consists of a statewide net-work of volunteers and three paidstaff (a full-time Conservation Pro-gram Director, a part-time Legisla-tive Analyst, and an East Bay Chap-ter Conservation Analyst). Our ad-vocacy is science-based and accom-plished primarily by CNPS ChapterConservation Chairs, their commit-tees, and other dedicated individu-als who live and work across Cali-fornia and Baja California, Mexico.Conservation Program staff in Sac-ramento provide statewide coordi-nation and guidance on plant-relatedissues that affect multiple chapters.

A landscape worth protecting. Oak savanah and native wildflowers in spring near CarrizoPlain, CA. Photograph by Nick Jensen.

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ties of North Coast pygmy forest,East Bay maritime chaparral, orSouthern California old growthchaparral, CNPS Chapter volunteersare there—and in more places thanI can list here—to speak up forthreatened plants and defend theirhabitat from destruction.

No matter the scale of the ef-fort, CNPS’s approach to conserva-tion has remained basically the sameover the years: identify the nativeflora within a planning area, createmaps and descriptions of theseareas to share with others, andprotect plant resources by avoidingimpacts where possible and mini-mizing or mitigating the rest.

The recent publication of “Bo-tanical Priority Protection Areas”from the CNPS East Bay Chapter isan excellent example of this ap-proach. Its chapter members nowuse this information for both chap-ter-wide and project-level advocacy.

Chapter volunteers can also usethe resources of CNPS programs toincrease their effectiveness. Rareplant and vegetation mapping infor-

CNPS volunteers map Mendocino County pygmy forest stands, a first step towards conserving them. The small-diameter, furrow-barkedbishop pine (Pinus muricata), and Mendocino or pygmy cypress (Hesperocyparis pygmaea) surrounding them appear as young trees, buttheir estimated ages range from 80 to 100 years old. Pictured left to right: Angela Liebenberg, Adrienne Long, and CNPS Fellow TeresaSholars. Photograph by Clare Golec.

PROTECTING NATIVEPLANT BIODIVERSITY

Now more than ever, conserva-tion management actions are beingdriven by an urgency to address cli-mate change. California has set someof our nation’s most ambitious lawsrelated to climate change, includingstatewide greenhouse gas reductiongoals. This has significantly im-pacted where and how developmentis occurring in California, and alsohow quickly. In the past severalyears, bioregional-scale conservationand development plans have createda pressing need for detailed infor-mation on the distribution of sensi-tive plant and animal species andthe range of their habitats in orderto determine which lands are moresuited for development and whichfor conservation.

The Desert Renewable EnergyConservation Plan, the CaliforniaHigh Speed Rail project, the Renew-able Energy Transmission Initiative,and the San Joaquin Valley least-conflict solar planning processes are

a few examples of land-use plan-ning where local CNPS chapterexperts have contributed botanicalinformation to improve plant con-servation elements associated withthese plans. Increasingly, when spe-cies distribution and habitat rangedata is lacking, planners considermodeled highest-probability/lowest-probability habitat scenarios forplants and animals when prioritiz-ing conservation decisions.

Locally, CNPS chapter conser-vation advocates continue to fightfor native plants project by project,as we have done now for half a cen-tury. There are projects affectingnative plants in each of our 35 chap-ters (including our two newest ones,the Baja and Bryophyte Chapters).And in every chapter there are localactivists and experts who are eitherinvolved in project-level conserva-tion, or able to provide much neededbotanical information to those whoare. Whether this involves rare plantspecies threatend by developmentin Los Angeles, Orange, or SantaCruz Counties, unique communi-

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“as integral elements of the State’swildlife” and will help refine admin-istrative and legislative actions onbehalf of native plant conservation.

Among other things, the newpolicy acknowledges that transplan-tation has been a largely ineffectualmitigation measure over time, andalso acknowledges the need to re-examine wild fire management prac-tices such as fuels management andpost-fire salvage and their impacton native plant conservation.

FORESTRY

California has unrivaled bio-diversity and numbers of endemicspecies, yet many forest dependentecosystems and species are in de-cline. Thresholds for acceptablelevels of habitat alteration due todisturbance from timber harvest cur-rently do not exist. There is also noguidance on the amount and dis-tribution of seral stages that is de-sirable and necessary for healthyforest ecosystems. In 2012 CNPSworked collaboratively with part-ner environmental groups, theGovernor’s administration, and thetimber industry to create a Califor-nia law (AB 1492, the Timber Regu-lation and Forest Restoration Fund)that establishes the need to developstandards for assessing forest healthand ecological performance result-ing from the implementation of stateforest practices. Forestry standardswill provide a yardstick by whichstakeholders can track and measureacceptable level of impacts from tim-ber harvesting, and prevent the de-cline of forest health from cumula-tive impacts over time.

On federal forest lands in Cali-fornia, in addition to advocating ap-propriate monitoring and manage-ment of forest rare plant species,CNPS continues to advocate the con-servation of complex early seral-stage forest habitat (Fremontia 42(3),September 2014), and the use of fireas an ecological management toolduring ongoing forest plan revisions.

CEQA

The California EnvironmentalQuality Act (CEQA) is the one lawused most often by CNPS conserva-tionists. Each year CNPS chaptermembers across California reviewCEQA reports and draft and submitnative plant related comments.When our arguments for plantprotection are scientifically soundand supported by law, but not ad-equately reflected in a lead agency’sfinal decision, our last option toalter the outcome is litigation. Whileeven a favorable court decision maynot stop a project from being built,litigation can be the only recourseto forcing developers and/or leadagencies to re-examine a badly ap-proved one, and to require bettermitigation for significant impacts tonative plants.

OUR HIGEST PRIORITY

Given the sum of environmen-tal stressors from the bulldozer togreenhouse gas emissions, our high-est conservation priority must beto preserve as much natural landin as native a condition as possible,for as long as we are able. In Cali-fornia (as others do elsewhere),CNPS joins those who strive to pre-serve highest quality habitats acrossa system of core reserves, bridgedtogether by land corridors. In theseplaces we can provide nature asmuch elbow room as possible topersist, disperse, migrate, adapt, andevolve—allowing these processesto unfold as they have for millionsof years.

The work of the CNPS Conser-vation Program, with its chapter vol-unteers engaged in local land-useplanning and decision-making, andProgram staff working on regionaland statewide issues, are helping tobuild this reserve system piece bypiece.

Greg Suba, 2707 K Street, Suite 1, Sacra-mento, CA 95816, [email protected]

mation from the CNPS Rare Plantand Vegetation Programs is avail-able to them, as are research resultsand effective outreach materials fromthe CNPS Horticulture and Educa-tion Programs.

PARTNERSHIPS

Landscape-level planning initia-tives like the Desert Renewable En-ergy Conservation Plan, the BayDelta Conservation Plan, and forestand rangeland carbon planning, aswell as individual projects such asthe proposed Newhall Ranch devel-opment in Los Angeles County, gen-erate concerns shared by other con-servation groups. CNPS frequentlypartners with others to develop com-prehensive conservation recommen-dations. This strength-in-numbersapproach can both bolster all par-ties’ arguments and increase theirimpact.

LEGISLATION ANDREGULATIONS

To minimize where and howprojects impact native plant speciesand communities, CNPS relies onlocal, state, and federal laws to pro-vide as robust protection for nativeplants as possible.

Every year CNPS analyzes newlegislative proposals to determine ifthere is a nexus to plant conserva-tion, and to determine whether ornot to support them. When neces-sary we propose and negotiateamendments. As with other conser-vation work, we place a high prior-ity on coordinating with other envi-ronmental groups to ensure that astrong coalition supports commonlegislative goals. (For additional in-formation, see Vern Goehring’s ar-ticle in this issue on page 31.)

Recently CNPS worked closelywith the California Fish and GameCommission to draft a progressiveState Policy on Native Plants that theCommission adopted in 2015. Thenew policy describes native plants

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THE CNPS VEGETATION PROGRAMby Todd Keeler-Wolf and Julie M. Evens

he CNPS Vegetation Programbegan 26 years ago when ateam of visionaries, the CNPSLong-Range Planning Com-

mittee, came together to advance anew model for conserving the state’snative plants called “plant commu-nities.” This approach identifiedbiodiversity at the landscape-scaleby taking into account the repeatingpatterns of plant species occurringtogether in a particular environment,

and the wildlife associated withthem. It has allowed biologists todistinguish important vegetationtypes for conserving biodiversity,including those that contain rarespecies, and those that are represen-tative of all ecological regions in thestate. Previously, individual specieswere the primary focus for inven-tory and conservation efforts.

The Planning Committee thenprovided a broad rationale that in-cluded the need to identify and quan-tify discrete plant communitiesthrough classification and mapping;the value of conserving communi-ties themselves, including those thatare rare or threatened; the need ofprotecting and properly managingall plant communities; and the need

for enacting laws to conserve plantcommunities.

Dr. Michael Barbour, a nation-ally prominent plant ecologist, wasappointed the first chair of the CNPSPlant Communities Committee in1991. He assembled a well-balancedvolunteer committee that includedecologists from academia, state andfederal agencies, the consulting com-munity, and chapter members(Keeler-Wolf 1993; Hillyard 1999).

The Com-mittee initiallyfocused on twogoals: 1) devel-oping a data col-lection proce-dure for inven-torying and pro-tecting plantcommunities,and 2) advanc-ing an effectivesystem to clas-sify plant com-munities intovegetation typessince a standardsystem did not

exist previously that would allowbiologists to consistently identify andrecognize them.

DATA COLLECTIONPROCEDURE

By 1992 the Committee estab-lished a simple, repeatable standardsampling protocol—The CNPS PointIntercept Sampling Technique (Saw-yer and Keeler-Wolf 1995)—to en-able quantitative data collection forany type of plant community. Ama-teur and professional botanists weretaught how to collect the necessaryfloristic and environmental informa-tion through a workshop and train-ing video. Afterwards, over 900transect data records were collected

in five years, the majority by chap-ter volunteers throughout the state.Then the data records were analyzedto develop defensible definitions.Finally, maps were created for sev-eral of the most threatened vegeta-tion types in the state, as identifiedby the California Natural DiversityDatabase, including Sycamore Allu-vial Woodland (Keeler-Wolf et al.1994), Riversidian Alluvial Fan SageScrub (Barbour and Wirka 1997),and Southern Maritime Chaparral(Hogan et al. 1996). These defini-tions were used in conjunction withexisting laws to defend the validityand rarity of these plant communi-ties, and to support decisions toavoid or mitigate their disturbanceor elimination.

Two additional sampling proto-cols were also established by CNPSto address others issues: the relevémethod (adopted in 1997) and thevegetation rapid assessment method(adopted in 2001). These protocolsenabled CNPS and many federal,state, and local agencies to launchmultiple vegetation mapping andinventory projects covering broadareas, so that a much larger numberof vegetation samples could be col-lected.

VEGETATIONCLASSIFICATION ANDMAPPING

The Committee also began writ-ing a new compendium of the knownplant communities in Californiabased on ecological literature, quan-titative data collection and analysis,and expert opinion. Starting withthe existing classification of naturalcommunities in California (Holland1986), the Committee developedmore standard floristic definitionsto improve plant community defen-sibility. A draft classification system

T

CNPS vegetation workshop on A Manual of California Vegetationpresented by Julie Evens, Todd Keeler-Wolf, and Michael Barbourat Calaveras Big Trees State Park, fall 2009. Photograph by JeffreyCox.

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was completed in 1994, includingdetailed descriptions of all knownplant communities. Following ex-tensive peer review, CNPS publishedA Manual of California Vegetation(Sawyer and Keeler-Wolf 1995). Atthat time, Todd Keeler-Wolf tookthe chair position of the Committee.

This new classification systemwas vetted, in part, by symposia heldthrough the American Academy forthe Advancement of Science (AAAS)in 1993 and again in 1996 (Barbour1995, Barbour and Keeler-Wolf1997). A Manual of California Veg-etation (MCV) quickly became re-garded as the state’s new standardfor vegetation classification. How-ever, experts also correctly recog-nized it as being far from complete.Based on the book’s existing frame-work, more valuable quantitativedata on California plant communi-ties began pouring in to CNPS.

Also, CNPS, along with local,state, and federal agencies, beganmany new vegetation projects be-tween 1996 and 2006. The informa-tion in the MCV was quickly beingrefined and expanded upon withcollections and analyses of large newdatasets used not only to classify,but also to map various areas of thestate. This efficient accumulation ofnew information evolved into an in-tegrated approach of vegetation sam-pling, classification, and mapping,which has now been implementedfor baseline data compilation andlong-term management in manynatural areas in California.

By 2000, coauthors John Sawyerand Todd Keeler-Wolf envisionedthe next edition of the MCV to in-clude more information on distri-butions and ecological characteris-tics of plant communities. A grantfrom the federal Joint Fire SciencesCouncil enabled CNPS to compileinformation on ecological distur-bance (damage caused by fire, floods,erosion, climate change, etc.)through five expert workshops heldfrom 2000 to 2002. A third coau-thor, Julie Evens, was brought on to

help with writing the set of vegeta-tion alliance definitions that hadgrown rapidly from approximately250 to almost 500. Thus, the secondedition of the MCV (referred to asMCV2) (Sawyer, Keeler-Wolf, andEvens 2009) included twice as manydescriptions for vegetation alliancesas the first edition, and incorporatednew information on fire and otherdisturbance ecology, distributionmaps, and explanations of the usesof vegetation for conservation.

Since 2009 CNPS has convertedthe MCV2 into a database and inter-active website (see vegetation.cnps.org), which now includes a photo-graphic catalog of California vegeta-tion alliances.

Similar expansion of vegetationprograms has occurred nationallywith increased federal agency at-tention to vegetation classificationand mapping. This has resulted inthe Federal Geographic Data Com-mittee’s ratification of a NationalVegetation Classification Standard(NVCS). In addition, a significantupdate has been made to the NVCSwith support from a VegetationClassification Panel through theEcological Society of America (seeusnvc. org, esa.org/vegweb2/, FGDC2008, Franklin et al. 2014). Thesenational efforts have mirrored whatCNPS and others have been doingin California, and both the CNPSVegetation Committee Chair andCNPS Vegetation Program Director

are active members of the nationalpanel.

FURTHERING THEVEGETATION TYPE MODEL

A thorough and systematic clas-sification and mapping of well-de-fined plant communities can providea strong foundation for conservationand management planning. Oncein place, biodiversity can be repre-sented, conserved, and monitored ata range of scales from species to eco-system levels. While one-third of thestate’s vegetation has been mappedat a fine scale, we need further sup-port to attain both a complete veg-etation classification and a detailedvegetation map of California.

Using the integrated vegetationclassification and mapping modeland with help from our partners atthe California Department of Fishand Wildlife, Calflora, and ESRI, wehope to improve California vegeta-tion information by employing newtechnologies that will allow us tomove our field and map data intoaccessible online formats that canbe queried. We also plan on con-tinuing to educate the public aboutthe incredible diversity of our state’svegetation through newly publishedreports, articles, and books, includ-ing the imminent release of a beau-tiful new picture book—California’sBotanical Landscapes by Barbour etal. (in press).

Over the past 15 years, CNPS staff have been collecting data on the diversity of vegetationsuch as here in the southern Sierra Nevada foothills region. This image was taken in thespring of 2015 for a herbaceous vegetation sample with Madia species. Photograph by SaraTaylor.

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VEGETATION PROGRAMSTAFF

In 1999 CNPS officially estab-lished the Vegetation Program andhired its first part-time vegetationassistants to help synthesize ecologi-cal information from the MCV work-shops, develop formal descriptionsfor new vegetation types, and helpin sampling, classification, and map-ping efforts. By 2001 CNPS had hiredits first permanent full-time vegeta-tion ecologist and now program di-rector. She coordinates the statewidevegetation classification system, veg-etation workshops and mappingprojects, works with outside part-ners, and currently supervises a vi-

brant team of five full-time staff. Theyinclude three ecologists (JenniferBuck-Diaz, Kendra Sikes, and JaimeRatchford) and two field staff (DanielHastings and Joslyn Curtis). We arealso indebted to numerous past veg-etation staff for their contributions,and to the incredible volunteers inCNPS chapters throughout Califor-nia who support the program in somany ways.

REFERENCES

Barbour, M. 1995. The story behind theManual of California Vegetation.Fremontia 23: 19–22.

Barbour, M.G., and J. Wirka. 1997. Al-luvial scrub vegetation in Southern

California: A case study using thevegetation classification of the Cali-fornia Native Plant Society. US Fishand Wildlife Service Section 6 Pro-gram. Unpublished report on file atthe California Department of Fishand Game. California Natural Diver-sity Database, Sacramento, CA.

Barbour, M.G., et al., eds. In press. Cali-fornia’s Botanical Landscapes. Califor-nia Native Plant Society, Sacramento,CA.

FGDC [Federal Geographic Data Com-mittee]. 2008. Vegetation Classifica-tion Standard, FGDC-STD-005, Ver-sion 2. Washington, DC. http://www.fgdc.gov/standards/projects/FGDC-standardsprojects/vegetation/NVCS_V2_FINAL_2008-02.pdf.

Franklin, S., et al. 2012. Building theUnited States National VegetationClassification. Annali di Botanica 2:1–9

Hillyard, D. 1999. A short history ofCNPS Vegetation Committee andplans for the future. Fremontia 27(2):7–11.

Hogan, D., J. Sawyer, and C. Saunders.1996. Southern maritime chaparral.Fremontia 24(4): 3–7.

Keeler-Wolf, T. 1993. Conserving Cali-fornia’s rare plant communities. Fre-montia 22(3): 14–22.

Keeler-Wolf, T., C. Roye, and K. Lewis.1994. The definition and distributionof Central California sycamore allu-vial woodland. Unpublished report onfile at the California Department ofFish and Game. California NaturalDiversity Database, Sacramento, CA.

Keeler-Wolf, T., and M.G. Barbour.1997. Conservation and classifica-tion of vegetation in California: Asymposium. Fremontia 25(4): 17–27.

Sawyer, J.O., and T. Keeler-Wolf. 1995.A Manual of California Vegetation.California Native Plant Society, Sac-ramento, CA.

Sawyer, J.O., T. Keeler-Wolf, and J.M.Evens. 2009. A Manual of CaliforniaVegetation, 2nd edition. CaliforniaNative Plant Society, Sacramento, CA.

Todd Keeler-Wolf, California Departmentof Fish and Wildlife, 1700 Q Street, 4thFloor, Sacramento, CA 95811, [email protected]; Julie M. Evens, Cali-fornia Native Plant Society, 2707 K Street,Suite 1, Sacramento, CA 95816, [email protected]

Locations of past and present vegetation sampling and mapping efforts involving CNPSstaff and volunteers in California.

Source: Jaime Ratchford, CNPS Vegetation Program, 2015.

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THE CNPS LEGISLATION PROGRAMby Vern Goehring

hile the CaliforniaNative Plant Society(CNPS) may have beenestablished largely to

advance the science of native plantsand promote native plant landscap-ing, it didn’t take long for ourfounders to recognize the impor-tance of public policy and laws onthe status of native plants. I was notable to determine the first time CNPSweighed into a legislative or publicpolicy matter, but by the mid-1980sCNPS was routinely involved in suchdeliberations.

In 1984 the California Endan-gered Species Act (CESA) was sig-nificantly updated to include nativeplants, invertebrates, and other de-sirable features of the Federal En-dangered Species Act. The originalversion of CESA, enacted in 1970,omitted plants; plants were grantedrather weak protection in 1977 inthe Native Plant Protection Act.However, CNPS was an active par-ticipant in Assembly Bill 3309 in1984. The adoption of the first everfederal Habitat Conservation Planin 1983 to protect San BrunoMountain’s silverspot and Missionblue butterflies revealed gaps inCESA’s ability to protect habitat andprevent projects from jeopardizinglisted species. AB 3309 was intendedto fix these concerns. Historical filesalso contain a letter of support sub-mitted by Jo Smith, then CNPS VicePresident of Legislation. CNPS iseven listed in the Senate RepublicanCaucus analysis of the bill.

In 1986 CNPS partnered withthe Department of Fish and Game inhosting the first native plant conser-vation conference, certainly basedin part on recognition that publicattention to the value of and thechallenges facing native plant com-munities and species was agood thing. By the late 1980s

CNPS regularly engaged in policydeliberations with both the stateadministration and the legislature.

In recent years CNPS has en-gaged in some high profile legisla-tive issues: reforming the NaturalCommunity Conservation PlanningAct, wildland fire and urban inter-face challenges, protecting CEQA,forest management and timber har-vest reform, and wetlands/vernalpool protections, among others.CNPS was instrumental in strength-ening the state’s forest managementpractices, including timber harvest-ing, based on comprehensive eco-logical considerations.

Legislation adopted in 2012 es-tablished a new one percent assess-ment fee on lumber product sales tofund forest management measures.At CNPS’s urging the Legislatureincluded a requirement that ecologi-cal performance standards be devel-oped to guide all aspects of forestmanagement. Establishing thesemeasures is a complex and ongoingundertaking in which CNPS contin-ues to participate, contributing sci-entific and stakeholder support.

New emerging issues will eitherdemand our attention or offer sig-nificant opportunities to advanceunderstanding, appreciation, andprotection for native plants. Cali-fornia’s current multiyear droughtis challenging everyone’s views oflandscaping practices. It has affordedCNPS many occasions to explain tothe Legislature and the public theenvironmental and public healthbenefits that can be derived fromincorporating more native plants

into our landscaped areas. Introduc-ing people to native plants in horti-cultural settings will help bolsterour efforts to educate Californiansabout native plants and build appre-ciation for them in natural habitats.

Another new issue is the escalat-ing drive to reduce green waste goingto landfills by converting such wasteto compost and adding it to land-scapes and natural lands. It’s likelymost CNPS members appreciate thepotential problems that could resultfrom arbitrary and excessive use ofcompost, so being engaged in thisissue will be critical to both nativeplant conservation and horticulture.

Another issue that is gaining in-creased attention is the significantand widespread environmental dam-age that can result from the indis-criminate and unregulated growingof marijuana. CNPS and others arenow reviewing the legal, scientific,and fiscal aspects of the lawful grow-ing of marijuana and how best toregulate that in order to protect theenvironment.

A successful legislative programfor CNPS requires more than justworking in the Capitol; it requireslegislators knowing that their con-stituents care about native plantsand want strong protections for theenvironment. Few things are moreeffective politically than when vot-ers contact their local legislators tovoice their concerns. Regardless ofone’s experience, any CNPS mem-ber can join with other members tomeet with elected officials to edu-cate or advocate for specific actions.Resources to help undertake a localgrassroots effort are available on theCNPS website or by contacting stateCNPS staff.

Vern Goehring, CNPS, 2707 K Street, Suite1, Sacramento, CA 95816, [email protected]

W

CNPS successfully advocated for the adop-tion of Ecosystem Performance Standardsas a means of accomplishing healthy ma-ture forests such as this one in CalaverasCounty. Photograph by Susan Robinson.

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THE CNPS EDUCATION PROGRAMby Josie Crawford

ince its formation, educationhas been a priority and atthe heart of the mission ofthe California Native Plant

Society. Most public educationoccurs at the chapter level as ourvolunteers share their knowledge,enthusiasm, and support in all theirvaried activities. The history of ev-ery chapter informs the history ofeducation in CNPS.

The Mini Grants Program, es-tablished in 1978, followed by theEducational Grants Program in 1983,and the 1986 Conservation Confer-ence, were some of the early state-wide CNPS education efforts. CNPSposters were also developed as edu-cational tools in the 1980s. The PlantScience Training Program, whichbegan in 2007, trains consultants,agency staff, and academics on plantidentification and survey skills. Then,in 2008, at the urging of a number ofCNPS leaders, the formal CNPS Edu-cation Program was established.

EDUCATIONAL GRANTSPROGRAM

The purpose of the EducationalGrants Program is to fund student

and other research that supportsthe CNPS mission. This researchshould contribute to our conserva-tion knowledge, while the fundssupport the work of future plantconservation leaders. This programbegan in 1983 when two endowedfunds were established.

The six funds below were cre-ated and added to over the years bythe CNPS Board of Directors andmade possible through the generos-ity of several major and many smallerdonors—all in honor of some of ourSociety’s most dedicated membersand leaders. Over the 32 years of theprogram, we have supported morethan 300 students and researchers,with the vast majority being stu-dents. Many of our leaders in plantconservation today received fund-ing through this program, includingDan Gluesenkamp, our currentexecutive director.

Some of the leaders and champi-ons of the Educational Grants Com-mittee, beginning in 1983, were: TimMessick, Jim Nelson, Lorraine VanKekerix, John Sawyer, Pam Muick,Joan Stewart, and Betsey Landis.Many dedicated volunteers haveserved on the committee since its

inception.The Doc Burr

Grants: Established bythe CNPS Board of Di-rectors in 1983 to honorHorace K. “Doc” Burr, afounder and Fellow ofthe Society and direc-tor-at-large for manyyears.

Helen SharsmithGrants: Established in1983 by Carl Sharsmithas a memorial tributeto his wife, Helen, theauthor of Flora of theMount Hamilton Range ofCalifornia.

The Hardman Native Plant Re-search Award: Established in 1994by Doris Hoover in honor ofGertrude R. Hardman, who for yearswas involved with the Botany Clubof the Academy of Science in SanFrancisco.

Natalie Hopkins Award: Estab-lished in 2007 in honor of NatalieHopkins, lifelong supporter andmentor of women in plant sciences,and past president of the Santa ClaraValley Chapter of CNPS.

Joan Stewart Educational GrantAward: Established in 2014 to honorJoan Stewart, who chaired the CNPSEducational Grants Committee from2005 to 2014.

The Karen Callahan ScholarshipAward: Established in 2014 in honorof Karen Callahan of the RedbudChapter of CNPS.

CNPS CONSERVATIONCONFERENCES

In 1986 the first statewide CNPSConservation Conference was heldin Sacramento, under the leadershipof Jim Nelson. It was a mammoth,all-volunteer endeavor. Over 800people attended, and the proceed-ings were published. Twenty yearswent by. In 2006, Gordon Leppigmade an impassioned plea to theChapter Council on the importanceof holding another conference. Hesaid that if we wanted to be an orga-nization heralded for its leadershiprole in native plant and conserva-tion science, we needed to step upto the plate now. And we did byhosting the CNPS 2009 Conserva-tion Conference “Strategies and So-lutions” in Sacramento with the helpof hundreds of volunteers.

Following the 2009 event, wedecided that we would hold state-wide conferences every third year inorder to give contributors time to

It was a spectacular year (not this year or the last) for aVernal Pool Plant Taxonomy workshop taught by CarolWitham. Identifying tiny vernal pool plants requires thisderrières-in-the-air pose. Photograph by Josie Crawford.

S

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complete new re-search, and staffenough time to orga-nize the event. CNPShas held subsequentconferences in 2012in San Diego, and in2015 in San Jose. Allhave been a tremen-dous success, with in-creasing attendance,hundreds of speakersand events, and manystudents participat-ing. The next confer-ence will be held in2018.

PLANT SCIENCE TRAININGPROGRAM

The Plant Science Training Pro-gram arose from the vegetation work-shops we held as part of the CNPSVegetation Program. During theseworkshops we noticed that many at-tendees from consulting firms andagencies did not know the most com-mon plants, and were attending, inpart, to learn how to identify them.We also learned that these partici-pants were being sent out on botani-cal surveys but lacked even rudimen-tary skills to conduct them. We rec-ognized the need for a workshop pro-gram that taught environmental eth-ics and survey and identification skillsfor rare plants and wetland plants, inaddition to our existing vegetationsampling and mapping workshops.In 2007, with the support of AmandaJorgenson, Carol Witham, Jim Bishopand David Magney, we began offer-ing about eight workshops per yeartaught by experts.

Over the years we have providedtraining for over 1,000 participants.Most have been entry level to mid-career biologists or botanists fromconsulting firms, agencies, and uni-versities. This program gives us achance to stay connected to the up-coming generation of plant scien-tists while providing much sought-after training.

THE CNPS EDUCATIONPROGRAM

The CNPS Education Programwas formally created in 2008, thanksto strong support from AmandaJorgenson, Carol Witham, JimBishop, Julie Evens, Betsey Landis,and Brett Hall. I was the director ofthe program from 2008 until De-cember 2014. Under the EducationProgram we expanded the Plant Sci-ence Training Program; created theRare Plant Treasure Hunt in collabo-ration with the CNPS Rare Plant Pro-gram; developed a nature journalingcurriculum; organized three Conser-vation Conferences; and expandedthe Educational Grants Program.

RARE PLANT TREASURE HUNT

In 2010 we launched the CNPSRare Plant Treasure Hunt, a citizenscience program and brainchild ofNick Jensen, CNPS Rare Plant Bota-nist at the time, where volunteerssearch for and document popula-tions of rare plants that have notbeen seen in 20 years or more. Thisprogram helps conserve our rareflora by providing valuable data tothe CNPS Rare Plant Program andthe California Department of Fishand Wildlife. Now in its fifth year,over 2,500 populations of rare plantshave been recorded by staff and hun-dreds of volunteers. Many of thepopulations are new. It has been

primarily funded byland managementagencies, foundations,and major and smalldonations from indi-viduals.

Recently this proj-ect expanded to in-clude rare plant seedcollections and tissuesampling for geneticevaluation. Past staffwho have assistedwith the Rare PlantTreasure Hunt in-clude Nick Jensen,

Amber Swanson, Shannon Still,Deanna Giuliano, Duncan Bell, andKim Clark. Current staff includeDanny Slakey, Aaron Sims, andRamona Robison, director of the pro-gram and CNPS’s new Rare PlantProgram Manager.

NATURE JOURNALINGCURRICULUM

During the first CNPS EducationCommittee meeting in 2008, we de-cided that one of the most importantthings we could do would be to pro-vide an innovative, stimulating cur-riculum to get children to fall in lovewith nature. We were lucky to havevisionary direction from the com-mittee, which included Carol Witham(chair), Carol Baird, Betsey Landis,John Muir Laws, Sarah Jayne, DavidMagney, and Teresa Sholars. Weagreed that John Muir Laws wouldcreate a curriculum on nature jour-naling. Since then, thousands ofpeople and organizations in Califor-nia and around the world have down-loaded the curriculum, Opening theWorld through Nature Journaling, 2ndEdition, developed by John MuirLaws, Emilie Lygren, Emily Breunig,and Celeste Lopez. It may be down-loaded from the CNPS website forfree, or hard copies may be purchasedthrough the CNPS online store.

Josie Crawford, 17627 Vintage Dr., Grass Val-ley, CA 95949, [email protected]

A number of CNPS chapters have created native plant gardens and assumedresponsibility for their design, installation, and maintenance. These becomeaesthetically pleasing educational showcases of local flora for the public.Here, Bristlecone Chapter board members Katie Quinlan and Sue Weissparticipate in a workday at the Mary DeDecker Native Plant Garden, adjacentto the Eastern Sierra Museum in Independence, CA, November 2014. Photo-graph by Stephen Ingram.

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THE CNPS HORTICULTURE PROGRAM AT 50:THEN AND NOW

by Caroline Garland

or CNPS’s 40th year anniver-sary, Peigi Duvall wrote an ar-ticle for Fremontia titled, “Na-tive Horticulture: Who needs

it? The CNPS Horticulture pro-gram.” Ten years later we are cel-ebrating CNPS’s 50th anniversaryin the midst of a seemingly unre-lenting California drought, and theHorticulture Program and its re-sources have become an even moreimportant part of CNPS’s mission.Recently I interviewed Peigi to dis-cuss the program’s evolution fromthen to now, and to briefly describesome of the program’s exciting newresources.

Caroline: Peigi, how successful doyou think the Horticulture Program

has been in working toward one ofthe CNPS Strategic Plan goals youidentified in your 2005 article: “Pro-mote, support, and encourage theappropriate horticultural use of Cali-fornia native plants in gardens andlandscapes?”

Peigi: 50 years ago CNPS came intobeing based on some amazing ef-forts of a group of botanists andnature lovers from the Berkeley area.Most of these people were tendingnative gardens of their own, so in asense, horticulture has been part ofCNPS from the very beginning.

During the 40th anniversary, Ithink we were able to make moreprogress than had been made beforebecause there was a concentration

of people helping to cross-pollinatebetween the different programs andthroughout the state. Over the last10 years, and especially in this lastyear, the Horticulture Program hasdone so much work to develop, pro-mote, support, and encourage theappropriate use of California nativeplants in the landscape. CNPS isbuilt and highly fueled by volunteerefforts, but whenever there’s theavailability of a full-time staff posi-tion and there is a person who canspend a concentrated amount of timeto support the incredible efforts ofchapter volunteers, then you canmake great progress.

Caroline: You referred to nativeplants as being “strangers in their

This garden, designed by landscape designer Greg Rubin, is featured on the CNPS San Diego Chapter Garden Native Tour. Garden toursare an enjoyable and interactive way to introduce California native plant gardens to the public. They provide opportunities for homeownersand tour visitors to exchange information on plant recommendations and gardening tips. Photograph by James Soe Nyun.

F

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own land.” What role has CNPSplayed in reintroducing native plantsback into the landscape?

Peigi: There is a constant need tomake greater efforts in education.People think California is so beauti-ful, but then they come and build alandscape that is filled with exot-ics—how does that connect? CNPS,especially at the state level, can bethe broad voice for making the con-nection that, in order to celebrateCalifornia’s natural beauty, weshould be reflecting it in the homegarden. Chapter activities are im-portant because it’s the local pas-sion, knowledge, and experience thatare specific to the needs and thehealth of California native plants.The chapters are the best vehicle forgetting this information out to thelocal communities, whereas the stateorganization lets people know thatthey can go to the chapters for localsources of information, plant sales,educational programs, outings, work-shops, and garden tours.

Caroline: As California enters itsfourth year of extreme drought, it isbecoming increasingly important toempower the public to conserve wa-ter. Do you think this call to actionhas increased the demand for nativeplants?

Peigi: It has made a huge, huge dif-ference. What we’ve seen in the land-scape industry is a tremendous in-crease in the number of people want-ing to replace their lawns withdrought tolerant plants and receiverebates. As a result, many of mycolleagues and I are busier than we’veever been.

I’ve found that many of my newclients are people who have abso-lutely no understanding of why Cali-fornia native plants are important.All they’ve heard is that all Califor-nia native plants are “drought toler-ant, and require less water and lessmaintenance.” We’re seeing an in-creasing number of people wanting

to install California native plant gar-dens, but at the same time they don’tknow what that really means. So theopportunity for education is great.

Caroline: You said: “One indicationthat we need to do a better job ofeducating the public is the lack ofnative plants in nurseries, in resi-dential and corporate landscapes,and in public sites managed by mu-nicipalities or agencies.” Do youthink we still have a long road ahead?

Peigi: Horticulture provides a gate-way for the populace to become fa-miliar with the importance of Cali-fornia native plants in our environ-ment and in our ecosystems, andhow that plays into the overall healthand happiness of ourselves, as wellas of the planet. I think we’ve madegreat progress, but we have to con-tinue with great determination andspeed. Landscaping with Californianative plants goes beyond just orna-mental horticulture. It applies to ourentire environment and the healthof the planet.

Since Peigi’s Fremontia article,the Horticulture Program has blos-somed in the last 10 years throughthe support of staff and chaptermembers to promote and encouragethe horticultural use of native plants.A pivotal moment in the develop-ment of the program was largelydue to the increased public aware-ness brought on by California’s his-toric drought. Widely viewed as theleading resource on California na-tive plants and the critical role theyplay in response to the drought,CNPS proceeded with great deter-mination and speed and hired itsfirst full-time Horticulture ProgramDirector, Susan Krzywicki. Susan’shard work and dedication set inmotion a number of vital projects.CNPS has been given opportunitiesto advise on various statewide poli-cies and initiatives, such as the newlyrevised Model Water Efficient Land-scape Ordinance, which will sub-

stantiate the demand for nativeplants in both residential and com-mercial landscapes.

Other recent developments thatincrease the Program’s outreachefforts include:

• The launch of the first horticul-ture workshop series called “DitchYour Lawn,” which teaches home-owners how to transition theirlawns to regenerative native plantlandscapes.

• A valuable online tool, Calscape,CNPS’s new native plant database,helps Californians identify nativeplants that are local to their regionand where to purchase them, inorder to help restore nature onegarden at a time.

• The Certified Native LandscapeSpecialist Program is designed toequip landscape professionals withthe necessary tools to properly in-stall and maintain native plants.

• CNPS has been given the honor ofworking with partners to redesignthe State Capitol grounds, whichwill feature California native plantsin the gardens surrounding all fourmain entrances. This historic op-portunity will showcase the beautyof California’s flora to over onemillion visitors each year who visitthe site.

The driving force behind the suc-cess of the Horticulture Program isthe tireless work of CNPS membersin chapters across the state, whohave played a critical role in sup-porting these initiatives by contrib-uting their vast expertise and localknowledge. With their help, CNPSis communicating a vital message—that native plants are not just anattractive addition to any garden,but can also save water and supportthe local ecology to create a sense ofplace that is uniquely Californian.

Caroline Garland, CNPS, 2707 K Street,

Suite 1, Sacramento, CA 95816, [email protected]

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CNPS PRESS AND THE CNPS PUBLICATIONS PROGRAMby Nancy Morin

NPS publications, like itschapters, members, andthe California flora, arediverse in content, form,

and origin. News from CNPS firstcame in a mimeographed, few-pagednewsletter. Unpreposessing in ap-pearance, it contained thoughtfulconsiderations of the conservationstatus of California’s plants and avision for the future from some ofthe best botanical thinkers in Cali-fornia’s history, as well as progressreports from the first CNPS chap-ters. The 24-page April 1973 issuewas the first official “Fremontia.”CNPS Bulletins, begun in 1971, con-tained more organi-zational news andchapter reports.Chapters also pro-duce their ownnewsletters, each agem evocative of thepeople and places inthat chapter.

More substan-tial publications aresimilarly diverse.The earliest CNPSbook published(that I can find) wasNative Plants, a Vi-able Option, 1977,proceedings of asymposium. TheCNPS Inventory ofRare and EndangeredVascular Plants ofCalifornia, 1984,which appeared asCNPS Special Pub-lication Number 1,marked the begin-ning of the CNPSPress and has beenpublished in mul-tiple editions. TheCNPS PublicationsCommittee reviews

proposals for potential publicationsand, with board approval, assists inbringing projects to completion forCNPS Press, and sometimes jointlywith collaborators. In the past threedecades CNPS and its chapters havepublished nearly 50 titles.

Checklists and wildflower guideshave often originated through aCNPS chapter, sometimes publishedby the chapter itself and sometimeswith or by the CNPS Press. Theyrange in scope from the charmingWildflowers of Highway 58 by theSan Luis Obispo Chapter to the re-cent Wildflowers of Nevada andPlacer Counties, California, by the

Redbud Chapter. Since 1982 CNPShas published floras of the MountHamilton Range, Santa Cruz Island,Santa Monica Mountains, MountDiablo, northern Mojave Desert, andof a number of counties includingButte, Kern, Marin, Monterey, andSonoma. These floristic works areimportant scientific resources forplant enthusiasts as well as profes-sional botanists.

Similarly, CNPS has publishedlandmark references on plant con-servation (California’s ChangingLandscapes: Diversity and Conserva-tion of California Vegetation; Ecologyand Restoration of Northern Cali-

fornia Coastal Dunes;Ecology, Conservation,and Management ofVernal Pool Ecosys-tems). CNPS also pub-lished proceedings ofthe first symposiumon Conservation andManagement of Rareand Endangered Plantsin 1987 and the Pro-ceedings of the 2009CNPS ConservationConference in 2011.The Terrestrial Veg-etation of Californiaand A Manual of Cali-fornia Vegetation aremodels for vegetationclassification nation-wide.

Publications suchas California’s WildGardens: A LivingLegacy and The BestSpring Ever: Why ElNiño Makes the DesertBloom have been es-pecially effective at in-troducing the generalpublic to the beautyand wonder of Cali-fornia’s native plants.

Pictured are bright yellow common hillside daisy (Monolopia lanceolata),conspicuous orange California poppy (Eschscholzia californica), blue arroyo lupine(Lupinus succulentus), and light orange common fiddleneck (Amsinckia intermedia)on the Tejon Hills south of Arvin. This is from the soon-to-be-published CNPSpublication, Kern County Flora. Photograph by Neal Kramer.

C

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These publications have requireda great deal of work by authors, chap-ters, editors, photographers, illus-trators, and many others. For manyyears the CNPS Publications Pro-gram was overseen by Phyllis M.Faber. After her, Holly Forbes andDore Brown cochaired the Publica-tions Committee. Since I becamechair in 2011, the committee hastried to continue this good work.Soon to go to press is a revised floraof Kern County. Other floras in theworks are of Napa County, MontereyCounty, and Sequoia and Kings Can-yon. Smaller guides and wildflowerbooks include the Flora of Lava BedsNational Monument (published ear-lier this year), Wildflowers of RockCreek, Field Guide to Redwood Vas-cular Plants, Flora of Palos VerdesPeninsula, and Flora of San BrunoMountain.

Two books on special plantgroups will treat liveforevers and se-dums. A spectacular picture book toaccompany the Manual of CaliforniaVegetation titled California’s Botani-cal Landscapes (scheduled for publi-cation later in 2015) will show peoplethe magnificent landscapes in Cali-fornia. At least one book on garden-ing with California native plants isalso in the works.

CNPS is taking advantage of re-cent advances in technology, fromdatabases to websites, to social net-working, to make information avail-able in new ways and to a wide audi-ence. Both The Rare Plant Inventoryand Manual of California Vegeta-tion have online versions, are fullysearchable, and are tremendousresources. Calscape, which providesa searchable database on locallyappropriate California native plantsfor gardens, recently was added tothe CNPS website. These onlineresources complement and extendCNPS print publications. We havea great deal to look forward to inthe second 50 years of CNPS Press.

Nancy Morin, PO Box 333, Point Arena,CA, 95468, [email protected]

PUBLICATIONS FROM CNPS PRESSCATEGORY YEAR TITLE AUTHOR

periodical 1971 California Native Plant Society Bulletinproceedings 1977 Symposium Proceedings: Native Plants, A Viable Option Walters, editorvegetation 1978 Distribution of Vernal Pools in Sacramento Valley, Holland

Californiaflora 1982 Flora of the Mount Hamilton Range of California Sharsmithflora 1984 Flora of the Northern Mojave Desert DeDeckerspecial 1984, Inventory of Rare and Endangered Vascular Plants of Skinner and Pavlik,

1988, California editors1994

proceedings 1987 Conservation and Management of Rare and Endangered Elias, editorPlants (proceedings)

vegetation 1988 Terrestrial Vegetation of California Barbour and Majorvegetation 1989 Plant Communities of Marin County Shufordgardening 1990 Native Plants for Your Garden: A Collection of Articles

on Gardening with California Native Plantsconservation 1993 California’s Changing Landscapes: Diversity and Barbour et al.

Conservation of California Vegetationwildflower book 1993 Wildflowers of California’s Central Coast San Luis Obispo

Chapter, McLeodflora 1994 Manual of the vascular plants of Butte County, California Oswaldwildflower book 1994 The Flora of Edgewood County Park Santa Clara Chaptervegetation 1995 A Manual of California Vegetation Sawyer and

Keeler-Wolffield guide 1995 A Flora of Lassen Volcanic National Park, California Gillettflora 1995 A Key to Vascular Plant Species of Kern County, Moe and Twisselmann

Californiaflora 1995 A Flora of Santa Cruz Island Santa Barbara Botanic Gardenspecial 1995 Origin and Relationships of the California Floristic Raven and Axelrod,

Province reprint of 1978 paperflora 1996 A Flora of Sonoma County: Manual of the Flowering Best

Plants and Ferns of Sonoma County, Californiaplant group 1996 Rare Lilies of California Fiedlerwildflower book 1996 Wildflowers of Point Reyes National Seashore Marin Chapter with Pt. ReyesNatl. Seashore Assn.checklist 1997 Annotated Checklist of the East Bay Flora: Native and East Bay Chapter

Naturalized Plants of Alameda and Contra Costa Countieschecklist 1997 A Simplified Key to the Major Families of California Hartman

Flowering Plantsflora 1997 An Illustrated Field Key to the Flowering Plants of Matthews

Monterey County and Ferns, Fern Allies, and Conifersspecial 1997 California’s Wild Gardens: A Living Legacy Faberconservation 1998 Ecology and Restoration of Northern California Pickart and Sawyer

Coastal Dunesconservation 1998 Ecology, Conservation, and Management of Vernal Pool Witham

Ecosystemsspecial 1998 Plant Life in the World’s Mediterranean Climates: Dallman

California, Chile, South Africa, Australia, and theMediterranean Basin

wildflower book 1999 Plants of the Tahoe Basin: Flowering Plants, Trees, and GrafFerns: A Photographic Guide

flora 2000 Flowering Plants: The Santa Monica Mountains, Coastal, LA/Santa Monicaand Chaparral Regions of Southern California Mountains Chapter

children 2001 Dune Mother’s Wildflower Guide San Luis ObispoChapter

flora 2002 The Flowering Plants and Ferns of Mount Diablo, ErtterCalifornia

conservation 2004 The Ecology and Management of Rare Plants of Brooks, Carothers,Northwestern California: Proceedings from a 2002 LaBlanca, eds.Symposium of the North Coast Chapter of theCalifornia Native Plant Society

special 2004 The Best Spring Ever Bowersspecial 2004 Our Garden: The Golden State: An Anthology Ingolswildflower book 2004 Wildflowers of Highway 58 San Luis Obispo

Chapter, McLeodwildflower book 2004 Wildflowers of the Carrizo Plain Area San Luis Obispo

Chapter, McLeodspecial 2006 Back of the Beyond: An Anthology of Memories Ingolsflora 2007 Marin Flora: An Illustrated Manual of the Flowering Marin Chapter, Howell

Plants, Ferns, and Conifers of Marin County, Californiawildflower book 2007 Wildflowers of Nevada and Placer Counties, California Redbud Chaptervegetation 2009 A Manual of California Vegetation, 2nd edition Sawyer, Keeler-Wolf,

and Evenswildflower book 2010 Skyline Wilderness Park: Nature’s Gift to Napa Valley Ingolschildren 2010 Opening the World Through Nature Journaling John Muir Laws and` Emily Breunigproceedings 2011 Strategies & Solutions: California Native Plant Society Willoughby, et al., eds.

2009 Conservation Conference Proceedingschecklist 2011 Checklist of the Vascular Plants of San Mateo and Santa Clara Valley

Santa Clara Counties Chapterspecial 2014 California Bees and Blooms: A Guide for Gardeners and Frankie, et al.

Naturalists (Heyday)checklist 2005, Annotated Checklist of the Vascular Plants of Santa Cruz Neubauer

2015 County, California

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FREMONTIA’S PAST AND PRESENT EDITORS

T

The cover of Fremontia’s first issue, which came out in April 1973.

he first issue of CNPS’s bo-tanical journal, Fremontia, aname proposed by RobertOrnduff, former director of

the UC Botanical Garden and aCNPS Fellow, was published inApril 1973. The original publica-

tion of the newly formed Cali-fornia Native Plant Society wascalled Native Notes, the precursorto the Bulletin, the Society’s statenewsletter that was later renamedthe CNPS Bulletin. Laurence Hyman,an early art designer for Scientific

American, became art director forCNPS publications under MargeHayakawa’s guidance and remainedin this position until 1985, whenBeth Hansen-Winter became Fre-montia’s new designer. This articleis a salute to all Fremontia editors.

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Gunder HeftaEditor: 1973

Gunder was editor of Fremontiafor its inaugural issue that came outin April 1973.

Margedant HayakawaEditor: 1973–1982

Marge was responsible for build-ing and sustaining publication ofFremontia during the early years ofCNPS. During her editorship,Fremontia became essential readingfor any botanist in California. It con-tained a wide range of articles, in-cluding some by prestigious bota-nists such as Robert Ornduff andLedyard Stebbins, and others by

r e n o w n e dhorticultur-ists such asJim Roof andW a y n eRoderick. Acolumn ofbook reviewswas added,as well as ar-ticles aboutnew CNPSFellows.

L a t e rMarge was named a CNPS Fellow.She also served on the board of thePacific Horticultural Foundationfrom its earliest days, was its presi-dent from 1976 to 1986, and wasexceedingly generous in her finan-cial support. She was among thegroup of people who helped launchthe magazine Pacific Horticulture in1976. Her husband was president ofSan Francisco State College, and in1976 was elected to the US Senate.She died in 1998 at the age of 82.

Phyllis M. FaberEditor: 1983–1999

I assumed the editorship of Fre-montia from Marge Hayakawa at

Bob Ornduff’sinvitation forthe July 1983issue. In 1985L a u r e n c eHyman ap-pointed BethHansen as thep e r m a n e n tdesigner. Sheproved to be atreasure andremains in this position today.

Early issues of Fremontia hadarticles by prestigious botanists suchas UCLA’s Mildred Mathias on thevalue of natural areas, and TomHowell from Cal Academy writingon various special native plantsfound in California. Margorie G.Schmidt started a valuable column,“Natives for Your Garden,” thatlasted for many years. She was suc-ceeded by Nevin Smith, who con-tinued writing the column on grow-ing natives into the millennium.

Until the late 1990s computerswere not in use, so all material foreach issue required being edited andthen typed. All articles were thenfinally proofread before being printedon sheets which then had to be cutaccording to the design of the maga-zine and pasted up onto boards withthe illustration by the designer. De-sign work was far more difficult backthen. Nora Harlow did yeoman’swork for much of the typing of ed-ited manuscripts and proofreading,and Barbara Leitner performed hoursof additional proofreading in theearly years. Today’s computers withtheir spellcheck capability havevastly facilitated the submittal, edit-ing, and production process.

My goal as editor was to offerreaders information on as much ofthe botanical scene in California aswe could capture. What special stud-ies would be of interest to readers?Where were the special areas in Cali-fornia that readers might find inter-esting? What was happening in thescientific botanical world and whowas doing exciting new things?

What trips were available and whatmade California so great? It was afun quest into the world of botanyfor my 17 years!

Fremontia remained a black-and-white production during my tenure.Color printing was very expensiveand the finances of the Society re-quired constant vigilence. We ex-panded from the original 28 pagesto 32 and then to 36 pages for a fewyears, having to cut back page num-bers in lean years, so color alwaysseemed beyond our reach. We pub-lished two ten-year indexes that havebeen invaluable to students andauthors alike.

Linda VorobikEditor: 2000–2006

When presented with the op-portunity to edit Fremontia, I wasexcited: this was a journal that I hadread for years, finding the articlesinspiring. Following Phyllis Faber(whose work I greatly admired) waseasy, especially coupled with skillsacquired from my experience andeducation: I have a PhD in biology(systematic botany), taught numer-ous collegeb i o l o g yclasses, il-lus t ra tedover one-third of thespecies inThe JepsonM a n u a l ,and servedas editor oftwo publi-cations forthe Native Plant Society of Oregon(the NPSO Bulletin and the NPSOjournal, Kalmiopsis).

Even with the strong foundationthat Phyllis had built for this greatjournal, there were changes I couldimplement to make Fremontia evenbetter. I worked with the talenteddesigner Beth Hansen-Winter to cre-ate a new three-column look for the

Marge Hayakawa.Photograph courtesyof George Waters,editor emeritus, PacificHorticulture.

Phyllis M. Faber. Pho-tograph by NancyDionne.

Linda Vorobik. Photo-graph by Steve Sharnoff.

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journal, and changed production toan all-electronic process so that eachissue could be copyedited in PDFformat with both text and images. Ihired a copy editor (our currentFremontia and CNPS Bulletin editor,Bob Hass) and created an editorialboard whose members solicited ar-ticles from their peers, reviewed sub-mitted articles, and were availableto iron out disputes between theeditor and CNPS. Total electronicproduction allowed each issue to beposted to the CNPS website, andwith the support of the Universityof California at Berkeley, the manyyears of back issues were scanned topdf format and posted to the CNPSwebsite—a gargantuan task. Duringthose years, additional Universitysupport made it possible to houseFremontia at the University andJepson Herbaria.

Along with co-editors, I producedseveral theme issues covering the top-ics of rare plants, seaweeds, mosses,plants and insects, and gardening withnatives. I am very grateful to these co-editors, as they solicited and editedall articles, gathered art, and saw thesejournals through to publication. Withthe huge contribution of chaptermembers, I also created a regular hor-ticultural series, a series that high-lighted individual CNPS chapters, anda series on CNPS programs.

Perhaps the change I institutedthat was most noticeable toFremontia readers, and for whichFremontia continues to receive ac-colades, was my bringing the issueinto color. Beth and I had wanted todo this for years; I finally found aprinter who would do the job forless than the cost of printing in blackand white. I worked with Beth onanother redesign, including thumb-nail pictures on the Contents page,and voila, a “new” Fremontia forreaders was created.

Bart O’BrienEditor: 2006–2009

While editor of Fremontia, I wasalso employed full-time at RanchoSanta Ana Botanic Garden as direc-tor of special projects. The issues ofFremontia I helped to produce wereamong the first full-color issues ofthe journal. (Linda Vorobik hadmade that leap for the journal andhad produced two full-color issuesbefore she stepped down as editor).This was a great time to be experi-menting with all kinds of beautifulcolor images of our native flora. Afew of the articles that immediatelycome to mind which were enhancedby magnificent color photographsinclude: the double issue on Cali-fornia native plant public gardens;the special issue on chaparral; Ri-chard Dickey’s spectacular imagesand article on the Gorman-westernAntelope Valley region; AlanHarper’s gorgeous piece on ColonetMesa in northwestern Baja Califor-nia; and of course Carolyn Curtis’sarticle on the successful CNPS ef-forts to save what is now EdgewoodNatural Preserve in San MateoCounty.

While editor, I particularly en-joyed getting to know and work withBeth Hansen-Winter, Fremontia’s de-signer. We would often discuss andedit the journal over the phone dur-ing the small hours of the night,when both of us were regularly upand working.

When I stepped down as editor,I was givena CNPSPresident’sAward. Tothis day, itis the onlyaward that Ihave everput up onthe walls ofmy home.W o r k i n g

with all those involved in the journalwas challenging and lots of fun. Iwould certainly welcome the oppor-tunity to do it all again—when I’veretired!

Bob HassEditor: 2009–Present

I’ve brought to Fremontia a some-what different skill set than previ-ous editors, as I’d been a profes-sional editor of many different typesof materials and publications, al-though a majority of it was con-cerned with academic research thatneeded to be made more understand-able to a broader audience. EarlierI’d also been a freelance journalist.Most of my botanical backgroundhas come from working part-timefor many years in the field of na-tive plant restoration and invasiveplants, from volunteer work with aCNPS chapter where I learned muchfrom botanists who were CNPSmembers, and from personal expe-rience gardening with native plants.

There are afew accomplish-ments I can pointto, thus far, as thecurrent editor ofFremontia. First, Iproduced sixdouble issues in arow in order tocatch up the jour-nal to the publi-cation schedule.Three were themed issues on firesafety, California prairies and grass-lands, and gardening with nativeplants. Later, we published two back-to-back issues on California’s desertsat a time when renewable energydevelopment was beginning tothreaten sensitive ecosystems. I havealso attempted, when possible, toincrease the number and size of pho-tographs in the journal, to makeFremontia’s articles understandableto its broad readership, and to pro-vide diversity in article topics, in-cluding horticultural content.

As past editors also attest to, it isa pleasure working with Fremontia’slong-time designer Beth Hansen-Winter. I consider her the most tal-ented and meticulous designer I haveever known.

Bart O’Brien. Photo-grapher unknown.

Bob Hass. Photographby Tracy Enhelder.

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ecoming a Fellow is the highest recognition CNPS awards its members. As Marian Reevestated on our 25th anniversary in 1990, “the title was originally created in 1973 to givespecial recognition to ‘elder statesmen’ who have made significant contributions to the

knowledge, appreciation, and preservation of our native flora.”In the following quarter century a range of contributions have been recognized, and include

those hard working people who have run the activities of CNPS chapters as well as the botanistsand conservationists that you might expect. The requirement of being elder has been modified,so that elected Fellows may be able to continue many more years of service to CNPS and theflora after their election.

Below is a list of CNPS Fellows named since 1991. A list of Fellows named from 1965–1990appears on pages 30–32 of the 25th anniversary issue of Fremontia (18:4, October 1990).

1992Jim and Car-men Hicklingwere honoredfor the workthey did inp r o t e c t i n gCalaveras Big

Trees Park, where they served asdocents for 20 years. They created aphoto catalog of the park’s flora andfunded the construction of the visi-tor center.

Marian Reeve wasa founding mem-ber of CNPS andactive in the EastBay Chapter inmany roles, in-cluding president.

She headed the CNPS ConservationCommittee for many years, playinga role in saving Edgewood Park inSan Mateo County, in protectingthe desert, and in commenting onlocal issues.

Florence Marshestablished na-ture gardens inSacramento areaschools, was in-strumental withher husband,

Warner, in establishing the CMGoethe Arboretum at SacramentoState University and the AmericanIndian Botanic Garden in Car-michael. She held positions on theSacramento Chapter Board for over20 years.

Mary Rhyne wasa CNPS chartermember, servingon the first CNPSBoard of Directors.She organized thefirst CNPS plant

sale to save the organization’s fi-nances. Moving to Gualala, sheserved as president of the DorothyKing Young Chapter, protected rareplants, removed invasive weeds, andadvised on native school gardens.

1991Mary Bowermanplayed a majorrole in savingMount Diablo, in-cluding publish-ing in 1944 TheFlowering Plants

and Ferns of Mount Diablo, Califor-nia. She dedicated over 30 years toprotecting the mountain and itsflora, and led many CNPS field tripsto the area.

Paul Covel was acharter member ofCNPS and madesignificant contri-butions to savinglands around SanFrancisco Bay. He

established a naturalist program inOakland Parks, cofounded Save SanFrancisco Bay Association, andserved actively on the CNPS Con-servation Committee.


CNPS FELLOWS:1991 TO PRESENT

by David Chipping

B

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Gladys Smith wasthe first uniformedfemale naturalistwith the US ParkService. She au-thored floras ofMuir Woods, the

Tahoe Basin, and MendocinoCounty, and a wildflower guide forLassen Volcanic National Park. Sheheld positions at the CaliforniaAcademy of Sciences and UC Berke-ley, and donated 35,000 botanic pho-tographic slides to the Academy.

L e o n o r aStrohmaier was acharter member ofCNPS when theorganization wasformed to protectTilden Park, and

was a founder of the East Bay Chap-ter. She served on the chapter boardas secretary for nearly 20 years, whilealso serving as an officer in the Cali-fornia Garden Club.

1994Doris Fredendallhelped found theBristlecone Chap-ter. Her extensivefield work andplant lists contrib-uted to our knowl-

edge of the area’s flora, and she wasvery involved in controlling inva-sive weeds along Highway 190. Shewas also active in chapter board ac-tivities, serving twice as presidentand hosting board meetings.

James Griffin wasa research ecolo-gist at the Univer-sity of California’sHastings Reserve,where he was con-sidered the fore-

most expert on California’s oaks.He was among the first to recognize

problems with oak regeneration,and then helped to create a pro-gram that for over 25 years re-searched all aspects of oak conser-vation.

Corky Matthewsis author of aflora of MontereyCounty. She hasbeen active in landconservation since1963, helping es-

tablish the Ventana Wilderness andMonterey Peninsula Park, and co-founded the Monterey Dune Coali-tion and the Monterey Pine ForestWatch. She has also served as con-servation chair for the MontereyChapter.

1995James Smithhelped found theNorth CoastChapter, servingtwice as chapterpresident. He wasalso twice CNPS

president, active on state commit-tees, and co-edited the first editionof the CNPS Inventory. He coau-thored keys of North Coast plantfamilies and grasses, and a collegetextbook on plant families.

John Sawyerhelped found theNorth CoastChapter, servingas chapter presi-dent before be-coming state

CNPS president, and then servedon the CNPS Executive Counciland four years as the state Conser-vation Chair. He coauthored thesecond edition of the CNPS Inven-tory and also the Manual of Califor-nia Vegetation.

Jo Kitz has workedwith CNPS andother groups inconserving theSanta MonicaMountains, co-ed-iting a flora of the

area and leading restoration projects,and was recognized with the SamLutz Award for exceptional volun-teer service there. She served on thestate board and executive counciland as LA/Santa Monica MountainsChapter president.

1996George Clarkhelped to revital-ize the SacramentoChapter, andaided the forma-tion of other chap-ters. He worked

tirelessly on public promotion ofnative plants, on vernal pool con-servation, and on protection of spe-cial areas. He served the chapter aspresident and conservation chair,and was a respected president of thestate organization.

Lyman ‘Don’Smith was a char-ter member ofCNPS, makingmajor contribu-tions to the floraof El Dorado

County and Eldorado National For-est. He was a founder of the ElDorado Chapter, contributed to thefirst CNPS Inventory, and workedto educate National Forest plan-ning staff on plant issues.

Peter Rubtzoff co-authored A Floraof San Franciscoin 1958. He re-searched the wet-land plants of San


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Francisco and Sonoma County, andprovided valued information to theyoung Dorothy King Young chap-ter. He made contributions to thefirst Jepson Manual and to the SanBruno Mountains flora.

Lillian Mott wasone of the firstmembers of CNPS,and active with theSacramento andRedbud Chapters.She made major

contributions to the flora of NevadaCounty, creating many local plantlists and leading field trips. She pub-lished articles on native wildflowersin the Sacramento Bee as well as in alocal newspaper.

Mary Ann Henryplayed a signifi-cant role in pro-tecting the Cali-fornia desert, serv-ing as BristleconeChapter’s eastern

Kern County conservation leaderand with other organizations includ-ing the Bureau of Land Management.She was an active educator on na-tive flora, working with MaturangoMuseum and with the Indian WellsSchool District.

Ralph andE v e l y n eI n g o l swere de-v o t e dmembersof the

Napa Valley Chapter. Over severaldecades they worked on many taskssuch as plant propagation, the chap-ter plant sale, newsletter produc-tion, and outreach to Napa Countyschools. Ralph filled in whenever aboard position became open. Theystarted the one-acre Martha WalkerMemorial Garden that features na-tive plants and an education centerin Skyline Park.

Phyllis M. Faberserved as Fremon-tia editor for 16years, and headedthe CNPS Publi-cations Programwhere she encour-

aged the publication of local floras.She wrote two wetland field guides,still in print, chaired a Departmentof Fish and Game Natural AreasCommittee, and served as a Califor-nia Coastal Commissioner. She wasalso active with the Marin Chapterfor many years.

1997Vince Yoder wasfirst active withthe Marin Chapterbefore becomingthe first presidentof the BristleconeChapter. He was

highly involved in plant conserva-tion and water issues, and served onthe Inyo County Water Commis-sion. He created a plant list of theAlabama Hills, located near the east-ern slope of the Sierra Nevada, andorganized joint field trips with Marinand Bristlecone Chapters.

Jacob Sigg be-came Yerba BuenaChapter’s Presi-dent in 1989 andinitiated thatchapter’s empha-sis on habitat res-

toration and protection. He ran thechapter’s conservation program fordecades and promoted natural his-tory education in San Francisco. Hehas served as CNPS President, andhas been active with the CaliforniaInvasive Plant Council.

Robert Ornduff was a foundingBoard member of CNPS, servingboth as president and vice-president.He presided over the newsletter com-

mittee and pro-posed the nameFremontia for theorganization’s bo-tanical journal. Asa professor ofbotany at UC Ber-

keley, he made major contributionsto the knowledge of the Californiaflora, publishing 130 titles.

Sally Casey wasfounder of theSanta Clara ValleyChapter and itsfirst vice-presi-dent. She led fieldtrips all over the

Bay Area, and concentrated her in-terest on native grasses. She alsocollaborated with Master Garden-ers and the Western HorticulturalSociety to promote gardening withnative plants.

1999Joan Stewart wasactive in CNPSgovernance sincethe 1980s. She wasSan Diego Chap-ter president, or-ganized their plant

sales, helped found and was presi-dent of the Alta Peak Chapter, wasstate Vice President for both Ad-ministration and Development, andwas active in the CNPS ChapterCouncil and Educational GrantsCommittee.

2000Randall Morganis a renownedexpert on thenatural historyof Santa CruzCounty, He hasfought for con-

servation of areas such as the


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Zayente Sandhills, and watched overthe rare plant program for SantaCruz Chapter for years. He has alsoserved as chapter president and con-servation chair.

2004Malcolm McLeodwas professor ofbotany at Califor-nia PolytechnicState University,San Luis Obispo,and served as

chapter president, rare plant chair,and in other chapter board posi-tions. He organized protection ofrare plant habitat, cataloged specialbotanic areas, created rare plant edu-cation materials, and wrote severalpopular plant guides.

2005C h a r l iand JohnDanielsenh a v ebeen ac-tive in theEast Bay

Chapter as well as in state activitiessince the early 1980s. Charli has beenboth chapter president and CNPSState President, and John was StateTreasurer. They worked on CNPScollaboration with the California De-partment of Fish and Game, editingparts of the Jepson Manual, the CNPSoffice move to Sacramento, the firstCalifornia rare plant conservationconference, fire management of theOakland Hills, and the establishmentof the Natives Here Nursery.

Steve Hartmanhas served boththe Los Angeles/Santa MonicaMountains Chap-ter and the StateBoard of CNPS for

over 30 years. A few of his majoractivities included helping establishthe CNPS Plant Communities Pro-gram, serving on the CaliforniaDesert District Advisory Council, andcreating the Vertical Vegetation Pro-gram at Joshua Tree National Park.

Halli Mason’s con-tributions to CNPSinclude fundrais-ing, weed whack-ing, plant sales,public educationalevents, and state-

wide chapter relations management.For many years she coordinated re-ceiving annual reports from all CNPSchapters. Halli also provided exper-tise and outreach to diverse groups,often well beyond the Society’s typi-cal conservation and gardening con-stituencies.

Elizabeth ‘Liz’Parsons has beenactive in the MiloBaker Chaptersince 1976. Shebegan by volun-teering at plant

sales, then propagating plants, andeventually running the chapter’s an-nual plant sale, as well as givingworkshops on plant propagation. Lizhas served as chapter president, andalso as publicity and hospitalitychair.

Bob Soost servedMarin Chapter formany decades, in-cluding sevenyears as president.He ran the chapterconservation pro-

gram, commenting on numerousprojects and interacting with manyconservation groups and govern-ment bodies in Marin County. Healso helped to produce a wildflowerbooklet for Point Reyes National Sea-shore.

2006Ken Himes servedas vice presidentand president ofthe Santa ClaraValley Chapter,chaired manycommittees, and

reinvigorated the chapter’s field tripprogram. He was instrumental inhelping to conserve EdgewoodPark’s botanic resources, especiallyits serpentine grasslands, which in-cluded developing weed removalprograms.


Barbara and Roland Pitschel wereleaders in the restoration of SanFrancisco’s natural areas and theBernal Hill bunchgrass-wildflowerecosystem. Roland served as vicepresident for the Yerba Buena Chap-ter for 17 years, and helped the chap-ter in myriad ways. Barbara andRoland produced the chapter news-letter, and Barbara supervised theprogram and hospitality committees.

2009Carol Witham hasserved as CNPSPresident, and onstate executivecommittees formany years. In theSacramento Valley

Chapter, she has worked tenaciouslyto protect vernal pools by all legalmeans. She convened a statewidevernal pool conference and played asignificant role in reconfiguring theUC Merced campus.

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2010Sue Brittingjoined the ElDorado Chapterin 1990, servingas president, con-servation chair,and Chapter

Council delegate. She served as presi-dent of CNPS between 2001–2003,heading key committees that haveshaped CNPS, and has also served asActing Executive Director. She iscurrently trying to bring sustainableforestry to the Sierra Nevada.

Teresa Scholarsmoved to theMendocino coastto study the pyg-my forests andjoined CNPS aschapter rare plant

chair. While teaching at College OfThe Redwoods she brought manystudents into CNPS, has been activein protecting the pygmy staircase for-est, and has contributed to the Floraof North America.

2011Roger Raiche hasthree plantsnamed in hishonor. A botanistat UC BotanicalGarden for 23years, he intro-

duced and named 20 cultivars. Rogermade significant contributions tohorticultural literature on native spe-cies. He purchased “The Cedars,”an ecologically unique SonomaCounty serpentine barrens, in orderto protect it, and later passed it intoFederal protection.

Dirk Walters was professor at Cali-fornia Polytechnic State University,San Luis Obispo, when he becamepresident of the new San Luis Obispo

Chapter. He hasserved as presidentand in other boardpositions continu-ously since thattime, including ed-

iting Native Plants—A Viable Option,staffing a CNPS table at events, lead-ing field trips, and bringing studentsinto CNPS.

2012Jim Bishop joinedthe Mount LassenChapter’s board in1996 as president.He has been activein the CNPS Chap-

ter Council, playing a leadership roleon governance and policy issues, andproducing a Council Manual to fa-cilitate operations. He and his wifeKatie are active in monitoring highaltitude flora for climate change.

David Chippingwas geology profes-sor at CaliforniaPolytechnic StateUniversity, San LuisObispo (SLO) whenhe began working

on conservation issues with the SLOChapter, and later served as chapterpresident. Starting as State Director-at-Large, he took on the job of CNPSConservation Director from 1999–2005, and in that position empha-sized regional outreach programs. Hismany accomplishments include duneconservation around Morro Bay.

Donald Mayallhas been continu-ously active inCNPS since join-ing the Santa ClaraValley Chapter inthe mid-1980s. As

chapter conservation chair he playeda major role in the protection of Coy-ote Ridge and Edgewood Park’s ser-pentine habitats. He has served in

numerous chapter positions includ-ing president and rare plants chair.

2013David Magneyserved many yearsas president andconservation chairof the Channel Is-lands Chapter. Atthe state level he

has served in numerous positionsincluding CNPS President, VicePresident for both Legislation andConservation, and Chair of the CNPSChapter Council. He is currently con-servation chair of the Redbud Chap-ter. He has completed many VenturaCounty flora checklists.

Doreen Smith hasmade significantcontributions tothe Marin Chapterand the countyflora for over 25

years. She has rediscovered severalrare plants, made significant collec-tions, created plant lists, and pro-vided input to local government onnative plants. She has presentedmany chapter programs, and workedto detect invasive species.

2014Sarah Jayne hasserved on theOrange CountyChapter Boardsince the 1980s ina great many posi-tions, including

two terms as president. She was Sec-retary of the CNPS Board of Direc-tors, and has also served on manystate committees. Hers is a record ofalmost continuous service to CNPSfor 30 years.

David Chipping, 1530 Bayview Heights Dr.,Los Osos, CA 93402, [email protected]


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BOTANICAL ART CONTEST WINNERS

FIRST PLACE: JOAN KEESEYSalvia spathacea, hummingbird sageWatercolor

SECOND PLACE: STEPHANIE LAWPrunus ilicifolia, holly-leaved cherryWatercolor

THIRD PLACE: LESLEY RANDALLMalva assurgentiflora, island mallowPen and Ink

AWARD WINNERS OF THEBOTANICAL ART AND PHOTOGRAPHY CONTESTS:

CNPS 2015 CONSERVATION CONFERENCE

wo contests are held at each CNPS Conservation Conference, one showcasing botanical art, and the otherphotography. Art is one way of expressing one’s appreciation of our California flora and natural landscapes,which is a part of the CNPS mission. As Josie Crawford, former CNPS Education Director, summed up so wellfollowing the previous conference, “We wanted art and photography as counterpoint to the science in the

conference, and to remind us of why we are involved in conservation science in the first place.”In this issue of Fremontia we present images of the First, Second, and Third Place, and Conference Choice

winners. Names of the Honorable Mentions and their images will appear in the January 2016 issue of Fremontia.

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CONFERENCE CHOICE:AIMEE BALDWINCalochortus albus, whitefairy lanternPaper Sculpture

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SECOND PLACE: PAUL G. JOHNSONChorizanthe douglasii, Douglas’s spineflowerTaken in Pinnacles National Park, San Benito County, April 2013

THIRD PLACE: DYLAN NEUBAUERClaytonia perfoliata subsp. perfoliata, miner’s lettuce

FIRST PLACE: DON JACOBSONPinus longaeva, Great Basin bristlecone pineTaken in the White Mountains, Inyo National Forest, October 2013

PHOTOGRAPHY CONTEST WINNERS

CONFERENCECHOICE: KEIR MORSEEquisetum hyemalesubsp. affine, commonscouring-rush

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A Flora of Lava Beds NationalMonument by Sean B. Smith. 2014.California Native Plant Society (in co-operation with Lava Beds NationalMonument and Klamath Inventoryand Monitoring Network), Sacra-mento, CA. 152 pages. 8 color plates.$6, spiral bound. ISBN #978-0-943460-53-6.

Among the far-flung corners of thestate where local floras are far andfew-between, the Modoc Plateau standsout as an area most in need of one.Now there is a new flora for the LavaBeds National Monument, a 73-square-mile maze of lava flows, lava caves,cinder buttes, and other volcanic fea-tures that mark it as one of the pre-mier attractions of the region. The au-thor, Sean Smith, has updated and ex-panded upon the pioneering work ofElmer Applegate, the ranger-natural-ist who explored and collected in thepark and compiled the first annotatedcatalog and keys to the plants of theLava Beds, as well as the work of oth-ers who have studied the flora andvegetation of the park.

The author describes the primaryaudience of the book as professionalsengaged in “formal research and re-source management.” This is evident

from the bare-bones content of thebook, which consists mainly of keysand descriptions for the vascular plantsoccurring in the park. Nevertheless,the book also provides informationuseful to “naturalists and plant enthu-siasts.”

The introduction provides a re-view of the geological history of theLava Beds and how the geology andclimate interact to influence the veg-etation, a description of the plantcommunities, and additional tidbitson the land use history, previous bo-tanical research, and nonnative andrare species. In the interest of “edu-cating interested amateurs,” the au-thor also provides instructions on howto use a dichotomous key, a shortlesson on scientific nomenclature, anda glossary of the terminology used inthe key. There are eight color plateswith 37 thumbnail images of plantsoccurring within the Monument. Thenomenclature follows that of TheJepson Manual (second edition), withsynonyms provided for names usedin the previous works on the parkflora.

The book has a few shortcomingsthat limit its usefulness as a stand-alone reference. The text referencesmany geographical localities within

BOOK REVIEW

the Monument but does not providea map. This is a minor criticism, asvisitors using the flora can easily pickup a map at the Lava Beds visitorcenter. While the photos provide rep-resentative examples of the plant fami-lies, perhaps to facilitate keying, theyare not referenced in either the keysor the descriptions. A better choicemight have been to illustrate the mostcommon or showy species. Less ex-perienced wildflower buffs may alsowish to use one of the more generalfield guides for Great Basin, suchas Taylor’s Sagebrush Country orBlackwell’s Great Basin Wildflowers.In addition, many of the images are ofphotocopy quality, and although someclearly show the subject species, oth-ers make plant identification morechallenging.

On the plus side, the book is abargain and is spiral bound with clearplastic protective covers, which shouldprovide good durability in the field.Lava Beds Monument is a fantasticplace to explore, and I recommendthis book to anyone seeking to en-hance their experience of the park. I’mlooking forward to using it on my nexttrip there.

—Robert Preston

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F R E M O N T I AV O L . 4 3 , N O . 3 , S E P T E M B E R 2 0 1 5

❏ Enclosed is a check made payable to CNPS Membership gift:

❏ Charge my gift to ❏ Mastercard ❏ Visa Added donation of:

Card Number TOTAL ENCLOSED:

Exp. date

Signature

Phone

Email

Join Today!

Please make your check payable to “CNPS” and send to: California Native Plant Society, 2707 K Street, Suite 1, Sacra-mento, CA 95816-5130. Phone: (916) 447-2677; Fax: (916) 447-2727; Web site: www.cnps.org.; Email: [email protected]

❏ Enclosed is a matching gift form provided by my employer

❏ I would like information on planned giving

CNPS member gifts allow us to promote and protect California’s native plants and their habitats. Giftsare tax-deductible minus the $12 of the total gift which goes toward publication of Fremontia.

NAME

ADDRESS

CITY STATE ZIP

❏ $1,500 Mariposa Lily ❏ $600 Benefactor ❏ $300 Patron ❏ $100 Plant Lover

❏ $75 Family ❏ $75 International or Library ❏ $45 Individual ❏ $25 Limited Income

CORPORATE /ORGANIZATIONAL

❏ $2,500 10+ Employees ❏ $1,000 7-10 Employees ❏ $500 4-6 Employees ❏ $150 1-3 Employees

SUBMISSIONINSTRUCTIONS

CNPS members and others areinvited to submit articles for pub-lication in Fremontia. If inter-ested, please first send a shortsummary or outline of whatyou’d like to cover in your ar-ticle to Fremontia editor, BobHass, at [email protected]. Instruc-tions for contributors can befound on the CNPS website,www.cnps.org, under Publica-tions/Fremontia.

Fremontia Editorial AdvisoryBoardJim Andre, Phyllis M. Faber,Holly Forbes, Naomi Fraga, DanGluesenkamp, Brett Hall, DavidKeil, Patrick McIntyre, Kara Moore,Pam Muick, Bart O’Brien, RogerRaiche, Teresa Sholars, DickTurner, Mike Vasey

CONTRIBUTORS (continued from back cover )

Telos Rare BulbsP.O. Box 1067, Ferndale, CA 95536

www.telosrarebulbs.com

The most complete offering

of bulbs native to the western USA

available anywhere, our stock is

propagated at the nursery,

with seed and plants

from legitimate sources only.

TELOSRAREBULBS

Robert Preston is a senior botanist with ICF International, and particularly en-joys exploring seldom-visited areas in northernmost California.

Lester Bradford Rowntree is a research associate at the University of California,Berkeley, and a professor emeritus of environmental studies at San Jose State Uni-versity.

Danny Slakey is CNPS Assistant Rare Plant Botanist, and Coordinator of the RarePlant Treasure Hunt.

Aaron Sims is current CNPS Rare Plant Botanist, and manages the CNPS Inven-tory and rare plant status review process.

Greg Suba has been CNPS Conservation Program Director since 2009.

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F R E M O N T I A V O L . 4 3 , N O . 3 , S E P T E M B E R 2 0 1 5

CONTRIBUTORS

California Native Plant Society2707 K Street, Suite 1Sacramento, CA 95816-5130

Nonprofit Org.

U.S. PostagePAID

A.M.S.

(continued on inside back cover )

Duncan Bell is a field botanist for Rancho Santa Ana BotanicGarden.

Roxanne Bittman recently retired as lead scientist with theCNDDB, where she administered the ranking system for stateand global rare plant species status, and coordinated withCNPS in editing Status Reviews.

Laura Camp is the general manager of Tree of Life Nursery,a native plant grower in San Juan Capistrano, Orange County,and is president of the CNPS Board of Directors.

David Chipping is former CNPS Conservation Director, chairof the CNPS Fellows Committee, and serves as conservationchair for the San Luis Obispo Chapter.

Josie Crawford worked at CNPS from 2005 until 2014 asthe Vegetation Training Coordinator, Plant Science TrainingCoordinator, and Education Program Director.

Julie M. Evens is CNPS Vegetation Program Director, andco-author of the Manual of California Vegetation, 2nd edition.

Caroline Garland is CNPS Horticulture Program Coordi-nator.

Vern Goehring has been CNPS Legislative Consultant since1987.

Hazel Gordon is a vegetation ecologist with the USDA For-est Service, and has been involved with CNPS for over 25years.

Todd Keeler-Wolf is senior vegetation ecologist with theVegetation Classification and Mapping Program of the Cali-fornia Department of Fish and Wildlife, and chair of theCNPS Vegetation Committee.

Nancy Morin is a plant taxonomist whose work focuses onCampanulaceae, and an editor for Flora of North Americanorth of Mexico. She is CNPS state treasurer, and chair ofthe CNPS Publications Committee.

Printed on sustainably harvested paper containing 50% recycled and10% post-consumer content, processed chlorine-free.

(continued on inside back cover )

FROM THE EDITOR

his year marks the 50th anniversary of the CaliforniaNative Plant Society. So much has happened since theorganization first began that it is extremely difficult to

do justice to it all in one publication. Therefore, I hopereaders will consider this issue merely a snapshot of CNPS’srich history.

Fremontia has previously celebrated the Society’s his-tory at two milestones, the first at 25 years (Vol. 18, No. 4,October 1990), and the second at 40 years with articlesappearing in four consecutive issues (Vols. 33, Nos. 1–4,January, April, July, and October 2005). Those interested inadditional details are encouraged to consult those issues, allof which are available online at cnps.org/publications. Whilethis issue of Fremontia offers a historical context for manyCNPS programs and activities, its focus is on what hastranspired in more recent years.

A 50th anniversary of anything is a time for reflection aswell as celebration. I think CNPS members generally holdthe organization in high regard. That is likely because whileits organizational structure is complex, it derives its strengthfrom the individual chapters where so much grassrootsleadership, decision-making, and action takes place. Theexpertise and dedication of individual chapter membersthroughout the state is impressive, and in reading the sto-ries of their work over the decades, what also comes acrossis their caring and humility.

In preparing this issue of Fremontia, two sources ofhistorical information about CNPS stand out. The first isthe oral histories available at bancroft.berkeley.edu/ROHO/search.html. A number are of prominent CNPS foundersfrom the 1960s, and the accounts are fascinating to read.The second is back issues of Fremontia, especially some ofthe earlier ones, all of which are available online.

—Bob Hass

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MLP

Anza-Borrego. Photo: Dan Gluesenkamp

The rare Calochortus plummerae, Plummer’s Mariposa Lily, Photo: Amber Swanson

Cephalanthus occidentalis, Buttonwillow and skipper. Photo: Paul G. Johnson

Carrizo Plain National Monument. Photo: Julie Evens

CNPS members on field trip at Yolo Bypass. Photo: Gary Hundt

Dear Friend, We hope you enjoy this publication. It is full of great articles and beautiful photos, all contributed by dedicated volunteers, and is just one of countless benefits offered by the California Native Plant Society. CNPS is dedicated to understanding, saving, and celebrating California’s wild plants and places. You likely already know and appreciate CNPS. You love our beautiful flowers, and probably glad CNPS is saving them. You may make a field trip once in a while to reconnect with a favorite landscape that replenishes your sense of wonder, and you are happy we have laws to protect these special places. You love seeing native plant gardens springing up in front of homes and businesses, and you point out the butterflies and hummingbirds to friends. You get it; you understand: you are a CNPS-er. With your help, we can do much more. Will you please join us? Here are some of the reasons you should use the enclosed remittance form to join CNPS.

35 chapters across California and in Baja offer hikes, public programs, plant sales, restoration events, garden tours, workshops, and camaraderie. The Conservation Program continues to fight for California’s places. CNPS has been the voice for plant conservation during development of a 30 year plan that will cover 23 million acres of desert. We successfully pushed to map vegetation on 5.5 million acres, and are using these data identify areas that should be avoided by industrial scale energy projects in the region.

The Rare Plant Treasure Hunt (RPTH) teams volunteer Citizen Scientists with trained botanists to discover and map rare plants. RPTH volunteers have mapped more than 2,500 rare plant populations –1/3 of them new discoveries!

Once you join, you will receive a CNPS membership card that entitles you to discounts at dozens of nurseries, stores, and businesses. We’ll also send you the latest flower-filled issues of Fremontia and the CNPS Bulletin. You’ll learn about talks and hikes in your local chapter. Most of all you will help to save rare plants and places, train young scientists, and replace thirsty lawns with wildlife-friendly native plant gardens. Please join CNPS and help us make a real and lasting difference! Thank you for your help, Dan Gluesenkamp

Executive Director

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