CALIFORNIA NATIVE PLANT SOCIETY
Channel Islands Chapter
Channel Islands Chapter
Calendar of Events
Last updated: 1 April 2008
|
|||
|
|
|||
|
5 April 2008, Saturday 1:00 - 3:00 PM |
Weed Day, Carpinteria |
Weeding at Carpinteria Bluffs, Carpinteria, Santa Barbara County.
Leader: Andrea Adams-Morden, Naturalist/Weed Specialist Andrea will lead an afternoon, just 2 hours, of weeding on the beautiful Carpinteria Bluffs, overlooking the Santa Barbara Channel near the boundary of Santa Barbara and Ventura Counties. The weather should be nice. When is ever not nice in Carpinteria? Join CNPS members and other community enthusiests in improving habitat conditions of the Carpinteria Bluffs. Directions: Meet at the Carpinteria Bluffs Bailard Parking Lot, on the west side of the City of Carpinteria. From the south (Ventura and points south), take U.S. 101 North to the Bailard Exit, turn left over the freeway, and park at the end (ocean side) of the road. From the north (such as from Santa Barbara and points north, take US 101 South through Carpinteria, taking the Bailard exit, and turning right towards the ocean. Contact Andrea Adams-Morden [aadamsmorden@yahoo.com] for more information. |
|
|
|
|||
|
9 April 2008 Wednesday 6:30 PM |
Chapter Board Meeting Ojai |
Please attend the meeting of the chapter leadership to discuss timely chapter-related issues, including the upcoming plant sale on the 16th. They are held at a private residence in Ojai. Call 805/646-6045 or 646-9948 for more information. This meeting will focus on filling vacant positions, elections, upcoming plant sales, Earth Day, conservation items such as Newhall Ranch, Santa Barbara Ranch, botany hikes, quarterly programs, Ventura Marsh Milkvetch re-establishment, and sharing of good food and company. If you want to get further involved in your local CNPS chapter, come to a meeting - there are always plenty of volunteer opportunities, or just come and listen. | |
|
|
|||
|
Wednesday 16 April 2008 |
Evening Program E.P. Foster Library, Topping Room Ventura |
Landscaping with Local Native Plants
Speaker: Donald Rodrigues, Landscape Architect/Professor Emeritus/Arborist, owner of Pacific Horticulture Progessor Rodrigues will provide us with many interesting ideas on how to landscape your yard with native plants found locally (Ventura/Santa Barbara Counties). It is planting time and a great year to trade in your old, tired, water-hogging European landscape plants for ones that are truly native, and adapted for growing here. Don has taught horticulture and landscape design at Ventura College for decades, and retired a couple of years ago. He has a wealth of knowledge and experience in landscaping, what works and what does not. And, just in time for the spring plant sale. We will have a mini plant identification session immediately before the evening program, so bring those plants you are finding frustrating to identify, and we will see what you have. |
|
|
|
|||
|
Saturday 19 April 2008 Plant Sale 9:00 AM to 2:00 PM |
Spring Native Plant Sale |
This spring's plant sale will occur in conjunction with the City of Ventura's Earth Day Expo, located at the city's San Jon Road Fleet Maintenance Yard on the west side of San Jon Road, just south of Thompson Boulevard, in downtown Ventura (Note: this is NOT our usual venue for the plant sale!). Besides the cNPS plant sale, there will be lots of other vendors and booths that certainly be of interest to you. Contact your chapter vice president, Lynne Kada, at 805/642-4842 to volunteer, or just to attend and purchase native plants for your garden. The Spring Native Plant Sale will be on Saturday, 19 April 2008, at the City of Ventura's San Jon facilities, held in conjunction with the Midtown Community Council Green Home and Garden event, in midtown Ventura. There with a nice selection of local native plants to choose from. The Fall sale date has not yet be determined; however, it will either be in late October or early November 2008. |
|
|
|
|||
|
|||
|
|
|||
|
1st Saturday Monthly 1:00 - 3:00 PM |
Weed Day, Carpinteria |
Weeding at Carpinteria Bluffs, Carpinteria, Santa Barbara County.
Leader: Andrea Adams-Morden, Naturalist/Weed Specialist Andrea will lead an afternoon, just 2 hours, of weeding on the beautiful Carpinteria Bluffs, overlooking the Santa Barbara Channel near the boundary of Santa Barbara and Ventura Counties. The weather should be nice. When is ever not nice in Carpinteria? Join CNPS members and other community enthusiests in improving habitat conditions of the Carpinteria Bluffs. Directions: Meet at the Carpinteria Bluffs Bailard Parking Lot, on the west side of the City of Carpinteria. From the south (Ventura and points south), take U.S. 101 North to the Bailard Exit, turn left over the freeway, and park at the end (ocean side) of the road. From the north (such as from Santa Barbara and points north, take US 101 South through Carpinteria, taking the Bailard exit, and turning right towards the ocean. Contact Andrea Adams-Morden [aadamsmorden@yahoo.com] for more information. |
|
|
|
|||
|
Second Tuesday 6:30 PM |
Chapter Board Meetings Ojai |
Chapter board meetings are held monthly, customarily on the second Tuesday of each month. They are held at a private residence in Ojai. If you want to get further involved in your local CNPS chapter, come to a meeting - there are always plenty of volunteer opportunities. Call 805/646-6045 for more information. | |
|
|
|||
|
Third Wednesday 7:30 PM |
Evening Programs |
Evening programs are customarily held the third Wednesday of the month, quarterly. The next programs will be held in January, April, and July 2008, in the Topping Room of the E.P. Foster Library in downtown Ventura. Programs in Santa Barbara have been cancelled indefinitely due to lack of attendance. Please check back here often to find out what's coming up. | |
|
|
|||
|
Saturday 8:00 or 9:00 AM |
Weekend Hike and/or Activity |
Saturday activities are offered once or twice per month. They rotate between botanizing walks and work parties to eradicate non-native invasives. Call 805/646-6045 or email the chapter president at president(at)cnpsci(dot)org to volunteer to lead a hike or activity, or check back here to see what is scheduled. | |
|
|
|||
|
Semi-annually Spring & Fall 9:00 AM to 2:00 PM |
Plant Sale | The Chapter holds two plant sales each year: one in spring and one in fall. Contact your chapter vice president, Lynne Kada, at 805/642-4348 to volunteer, or just to attend and purchase native plants for your garden. The Spring Native Plant Sale will be on Saturday, 19 April 2008, at the City of Ventura's San Jon facilities in conjunction with the Midtown Community Council Green Home and Garden event, in downtown Ventura. There with a nice selection of local native plants to choose from. The Fall sale date has not yet be determined; however, it will either be in late October or early November 2008. | |
|
|
|||
| Annually | Annual Dinner | The Chapter holds a dinner for all members each year, usually in late summer or early fall. It is an opportunity to review the successes of the past year and to socialize with other members. Social hour includes wine tasting, silent auction, appetizers, and other activities. We are shifting this annual event to the spring of 2008 instead of this summer, likely again at the Old Creek Ranch Winery. Contact Cher Batchelor, chapter secretary at secretary@cnpsci.org for more information. Click here to see photos from past annual dinners. | |
|
|
|||
|
|||
|
|
|||
|
Saturday 21 April 2007 |
Old Creek Ranch, Ojai Valley |
Botany Hike of Old Creek Ranch, west slope of Sulphur Mountain, Ojai Valley, Ventura County.
Leaders: Cher Batchelor and William Abbott, botanists with David Magney Environmental Consulting (and Channel Islands Chapter Secretary and Newsletter Editor, respectively) Cher and William will lead a hike through grasslands, coastal sage scrub, riparian and wetland habitats, and Coast Live Oak Woodland on the Old Creek Ranch property. The ranch is located on the east side of San Antonio Creek and the northwest edge of Sulphur Mountain, with in the Ojai Valley. This ranch has never really been botanized before, except for along the creek for activities occuring within the creek. Cher and William will identify plants and wildlife observed along the way, and discus the ecology of the plant communities occurring on the ranch. The ranch is the site of the Old Creek Ranch Winery, which will be open for wine tasting (after) the hike. Hike level: Easy hiking with minor elevation gains (gentle ups and downs). Bring comfortable but sturdy shoes, layers of clothing, water, snacks, and lunch if you like. Post-hike Review: The weather was perfect. A nice group had a good time with Cher and William, seeing what plants were in bloom (not very many) and what birds were out. The ranch is at the west end of Sulphur Mountain, with grassland and Coast Live Oak Forest, and riparian vegetation in San Antonio Creek. David Magney found a new record for Ventura County, the diminuative plant in the Rose family, Aphanes occidentalis (Dew Cup or Western Lady's Mantle), growing with the Ranunculus californicus (California Buttercup) under the Quercus agrifolia (Coast Live Oak) trees. In the creek, we saw a Green-backed Heron and a Southwestern Pond Turtle sunning itself on a boulder in the middle of the creek. Thanks to Cher and William for a very nice outing. |
|
|
|
|||
|
Sunday 6 May 2007 |
Burton Mesa Ecological Reserve 1/2-day hike |
Natural History Hike Through Burton Mesa Ecological Reserve, Western Santa Barbara County.
Leader: Elihu Gevirtz, Condor Environmental Planning Services, Inc. Elihu will lead a hike through Burton Mesa Chaparral, and visiting some local wetlands and other plant communities along the way. Burton Mesa is a special place just north of Lompoc, in western Santa Barbara County. Elihu will identify plants and wildlife observed along the way. Hike level: Relatively easy to moderately difficult hiking with minimal elevation gains. Post-hike Review: Our hike on Burton Mesa was fun on a beautiful sunny day with encounters of Burton Mesa endemics: Purisima Manzanita and Shagbark Manzanita (Arctostaphylos purissima and A. rudis), Santa Barbara Ceanothus and Lompoc Ceanothus (Ceanothus impressus and C. cuneatus var. fascicularis), as well as Santa Cruz Island Shrub Oak (Quercus parvula ssp. parvula). We were also delighted to come upon a California Horned Lizard (Phrynosoma coronatum) and a barking Coyote (Canis latrans). The hike took us through one of the stands of Burton Mesa Chaparral that hasn't burned in more than 70 years with tall shrubs towering over our heads, multi-trunked oak trees, a grassy meadow containing a small wetland, a fern grotto (Pteridium aquilinum var. pubescens), and a freshwater marsh with Red-winged Blackbirds singing. Our thanks to Elihu for his time and knowledge. |
|
|
|
|||
|
Saturday 19 May 2007 |
Botany Expedition |
Ladybug Creek Canyon, Upper Sespe Creek, Ventura County
Leader: David L. Magney, Botanist Intermediate to difficult level hike, with cross-country travel up and down some steep slopes. This is a challenging hike/botanizing expedition into areas of Ventura County that have never been botanized before (at least I have seen no collections from this canyon at any California herbarium). We will be searching for and cataloguing all the plants we find. Ladybug Creek Canyon is a small northward-oriented canyon draining the north slope of Ortega Hill, and a tributary to Sespe Creek. We will meet at the Los Padres National Forest Wheeler Gorge Visitor's Center along State Route 33 across from the Wheeler Gorge Campground entrance. We will then drive out to the Chorro Grande Canyon trailhead along SR33 and hike cross-country to the mouth of Ladybug Creek Canyon to the south. Wear sturdy walking shoes or boots, a hat, and layered clothing that you don't mind getting dirty from some bushwacking, and bring lunch and water. Remember to bring your camera and your Jepson Manual. Click here for a map of Ladybug Creek Canyon. Click here for an aerial photo of Ladybug Creek Canyon. Post-hike Review: Stephen Hoskinson and Richard Sweet joined me in this little botany expedition. Hiking was relatively easy but some scrambling and climbing over boulders was required in some places. The temperature was perfect, and fresh, clean water was flowing in the lower half of the canyon, going underground at the mouth. The perennial portions of the stream supported Alnus rhombifolia-Acer macrophyllum (White Alder-Bigleaf Maple) Riparian Forest, and several small Rainbow Trout were seen in some of the deeper pools. Pseudotsuga macrocarpa (Bigcone Spruce) and Quercus chrysolepis (Canyon Live Oak) Forest occur on the steep slopes and along much of canyon walls, with Ceanothus leucodermis (Whitethorn Ceanothus), Cercocarpus betuloides (Birchleaf Mountain Mahogany), and Rhamnus tomentella (Hoary Coffeeberry) are the chaparral dominants covering the slopes of the canyon. Of particular interest were the following botanical prizes we found: Aralia californica (California Spikenard), Cardamine pachystigma (Toothwort), Osmorhiza chilensis (Mountain Sweetroot), Clarkia rhomboidea (Rhomboid Clarkia), Prunus virginiana var. demissa (Western Choke Cherry), and Ceanothus palmeri. About half way up the canyon, there is a very large boulder, which split into two pieces hundreds of years ago, that sits on top of a perennial spring. This rock I have dubbed Saxum Fissum. I took a short video of the twin waterfalls through and around Saxum Fissum. |
|
|
|
|||
|
Wednesday 20 June 2007 |
Evening Program E.P. Foster Library, Topping Room Ventura |
Los Padres National Forest Flora
Speaker: Lloyd Simpson, Botanist, Los Padres National Forest Lloyd will tell us what interesting things are happing in the Los Padres National Forest, the largest one in California. We will have a mini plant identification session immediately before the evening program, so bring those plants you are finding frustrating to identify, and we will see what you have. Post-talk Review: A nice group showed up to listen to botanist Lloyd Simpson talk about the goings on, botanically, on the Los Padres National Forest. Lloyd gave a "formal" presentation and program focusing on the native trees of the Los Padres, some very rare, like the Abies bracteata (Santa Lucia Fir), and some very common, like the Quercus agrifolia (Coast Live Oak). He also showed photographs of the Day Fire burn, and some of the plants that sprouted after the fire, even though there was basically no rain this last winter and spring. Thank you, Lloyd, for your interesting talk. |
|
|
|
|||
|
Saturday 23 June 2007 |
Horn Canyon Hike, Ojai Valley |
Botany Hike Up Horn Canyon, Ojai Valley/Nordhoff Ridge, Ventura County.
Leaders: Cher Batchelor and William Abbott, botanists with David Magney Environmental Consulting (and Channel Islands Chapter Secretary and Newsletter Editor, respectively) Cher and William will lead a hike through Coastal Sage Scrub, Ceanothus Chaparral, riparian and wetland habitats, and Coast Live Oak Woodland, up Horn Canyon. Horn Canyon is located behind Thacher School, at the northeast end of the Ojai Valley and south slope of Nordhoff Ridge. The canyon is rich with wildflowers and flowers shrubs, all along a perennial stream with cool fresh water. Cher and William will identify plants and wildlife observed along the way, and discus the ecology of the plant communities occurring on the canyon. Hike level: Easy hiking with minor elevation gains (gentle ups and downs). Directions: Meet at the Horn Canyon Trailhead behind Thacher School, east of Ojai. From the south, take U.S. 101 to State Route 33 (Ojai Freeway), take SR 33 to SR 150 through downtown Ojai and continue east to Reeves Road and turn left at Boccalli's (do not go up Denison Grade to the right). Take Reeves Road to McAndrew and turn Left. Take McAndrew to its end at Thacher School and stay to the Right, through a parking lot to a dirt road, cross a little creek, and park at the trailhead (there is a sign). If you find yourself at the horse pastures, you have gone too far. Post-hike Review: A nice group of members joined Cher and William for the botany hike along the Morgan Barnes Trail in Horn Canyon. Hiking was relatively easy but it was quite hot. A few new plants were found for Horn Canyon, including: Delphinium cardinale, Monardella hypoleuca ssp. hypoleuca, M. lanceolata (which has such a strong and refreshing mint fragrance), Brickellia nevinii, Allophyllum gilioides ssp. violaceum. Some of these are rare in Ventura County, but none are "unexpected" for the canyon. Regardless, finding them in a new location is exciting! |
|
|
|
|||
|
Saturday 14 July 2007 |
Hike trough Ventura River Preserve, Ojai Valley |
Botany Hike through Ojai Land Conservancy's Ventura River-El Nido Preserve, Ojai Valley, Ventura County.
Leaders: Ken Niessen and William Abbott, botanists and active Channel Islands Chapter members Ken and William will lead a hike through riparian and wetland habitats, and Coast Live Oak Woodland on the Ojai Valley Land Conservancy's Ventura River-Rancho El Nido Preserve, which was purchase a few years ago. The preserve is located within and west of the Ventura River, near Meiners Oaks, within the Ojai Valley. This preserve has a wide range of natural habitats and many native plants, and a few invasive species too. Ken and William will identify plants and wildlife observed along the way, and discus the ecology of the plant communities occurring on the preserve. A checklist of plants documented as present at the preserve by botanist David Magney is available on the Plant Checklists webpage. Look for Rancho Matilija-Wills Canyon. Hike level: Easy hiking with minor elevation gains (gentle ups and downs). Directions: Meet at the Preserve Riverview trailhead parking area along Rice Road between El Roblar and Lomita Avenue, Meiners Oaks, CA 93023. From the south, take U.S. 101 to State Route 33 (Ojai Freeway), take SR 33 to Baldwin Road/SR 150 towards Carpinteria, then turn Right on Rice Road (northward). After the third stop sign at Lomita, and going up a small hill, turn Left into the parking area. |
|
|
|
|||
|
Saturday 27 October 2007 9:30 AM - 1:00 PM |
Work Day, Oxnard |
Mini Tour and Work Day at Ormond Pointe Restoration Site, Oxnard, Ventura County.
Leader: Trisha Munro Trisha was to lead a mini tour of the Ormond Pointe restoration/educational site, more of a work site for school children and volunteers, focused on teaching about, and growing native coastal wetland plants. The weather was nice, but no one showed up. Too bad, as this is an exciting and worthwhile CNPS project. It is a good chance for members and other community enthusiests to improve habitat conditions of the new Ormond Pointe restoration site in southern Oxnard. CNPS was recently awarded a reimbursement grant from the South Coast Wetlands Project to help defray the costs of this unique (mobile ethereal) native plant nursery and educational facility, used to show local school children how to grow native plants for habitat restoration purposes. The "nursery" is growing local native plants for use in restorating coastal wetland habitats at Ormond Beach, a cooperative project funded by California State Coastal Conservancy in partnership with the City of Oxnard, The Nature Conservancy, CNPS, and others. Bring gloves, water, and lunch along with your favorite weeding tool or clippers, to help remove a number of invasive exotic plants that have invaded the nursery site. Directions: Meet at the Ormond Pointe Nursery, next to the Oxnard Wastewater Treatment Plant. Take Hueneme Road in Oxnard and/or Port Hueneme and go to Perkins Road, between Ventura Road and Saviers Road. Take Perkins Road south to the wastewater treatment plant, and you are there. Contact Trisha Munro [Burgess1312@aol.com] or 805/983-1312 for more information and how you can help. |
|
|
|
|||
|
Saturday 10 November 2007 9:00 AM - 2:00 PM |
Native Plant Sale Plaza Park, Ventura |
Fall Native Plant Sale
The chapter had its semi-annual plant sale, featuring plants native to Ventura and Santa Barbara Counties. Most of our plants are provided to the chapter by Matilija Nursery, a local wholesale native plant nursery. Many members and the public found what they were looking for in local native plants for their garden, as well as helpful books on native plant gardening. Almost none of the native plants we offer can be found at the local retail plant nurseries, so if you want local natives, you need to come to our plant sale. Other items of interest to the native plant gardener will also be available at the plant sale. If you have a specific species you want, order it, and we will do our best to have it available for you. Not all species desired will be available, and we strive to have on hand the true natives (no cultivars) that are found locally. Contact Lynne Kada at 805/643-4842 or email her at lynnekada@yahoo.com for more information about our plant sales, and when the next one will likely be. |
|
|
|
|||
|
Saturday 17 November 2007 9:30 AM - 3:00 PM |
Botany Hike |
Fall Color Hike, Lion Canyon, Ventura County Backcountry
Leader: David Magney, Botanist Review: Chapter president and botanist David Magney lead a leiserly hike up Lion Canyon starting at Middle Lion Campground to see the Fremont and Black Cottonwoods and willows in fall color. The trailhead is at Middle Lion Camp in the Los Padres National Forest, Ventura County. David met 5 members at 9:30 AM at the Los Padres National Forest Wheeler Gorge Visitor Center, on State Route 33 north of Ojai and carpooled, in two Honda Civic Hybrids, both light blue in color. This was an easy to moderate hike up a beautiful canyon with a perennial stream and mature Fremont and Black Cottonwoods and White Alder trees growing in Lion Creek. The canyon walls contain mixed chaparral and Bigcone Spruce, and are quite picturesque. We had lunch under the White Alder trees next to a nice, clear-water pool with fall-color leaves floating on the water, and Carex senta growing along the edge of the creek. Heather brought fresh brownies for desert, and were they ever delicious. Richard saw a young Bobcat, and we flushed a covey of California Quail as we passed through a grove of Bigcone Spruce (Pseudotsuga macrocarpa). Over the years, I have now documented a total of 232 vascular plant taxa in Lion Canyon, almost all native species. Visit the Plant Checklists page on this website for the most current checklist of plants in Lion Canyon, which is titled "Lion Creek-Spruce Falls". On our way driving back to the Visitor's Center, we had to stop to investigate the colony of shrubs with bright red leaves in a small drainage to the northwest of Middle Lion Campground. And it was a good thing too, it was a population of Brown Dogwood (Cornus glabrata), representing a new population for the Ventura County flora (I did notice the red bushes last year but didn't have time to investigate). Well, guess what was growing on both sides of Piedra Blanca-Rose Valley Road west of Rose Valley? More Brown Dogwood. Lion Canyon Fall Color photo Brown Dogwood bushes photo Brown Dogwood leaf photo Directions: From the south (Ventura and points south), take US 101 North to SR 33 North, past Ojai to Wheeler Gorge. From the north (such as from Santa Barbara and points north, take US 101 South through Carpinteria, taking US 101 to Ventura and SR33 or SR 150 over Casitas Pass to SR33 south of Ojai, then stay on SR 33 North to Wheeler Gorge. From Wheeler Gorge, take SR33 North to the Rose Valley/Piedra Blanca Recreation Area turnoff, and drive to the end to Middle Lion Campground and the Lion Canyon Trailhead. |
|
|
|
|||
|
Wednesday 23 January 2008 |
Evening Program E.P. Foster Library, Topping Room Ventura |
Landscape and Flora of Chile
Speaker: David Magney Finally, we will actually get an opportunity to see the landscape and flora of central Chile, based on Mr. Magney's visit to the Santiago and Patagonia areas of Chile in December 2004. Magney explored a preserve east of Santiago and the Lake District of southern central Chile, visiting parks and glaciated canyons lush with exotic plants. Take a whirlwind tour of this interesting part of South America with Mr. Magney. You can get a preview by visiting Mr. Magney's Chile website Review: The pictures were beautiful, of lush rainforests, waterfalls, subalpine scrub of the Andes, and even a smoggy city. You missed it, too bad. |
|
|
|
|||
CHANNEL ISLANDS CHAPTER, CALIFORNIA NATIVE PLANT SOCIETY, P.O. Box 6, Ojai, CA 93024-0006
Special thanks to Carlin Moyer for the beautiful illustrations on our site.
CNPS HOME | SITE MAP | CHANNEL ISLANDS CHAPTER HOME