INSIDE the EXPLORER a Closer Look At
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Friends of Edgewood Natural Preserve Edgewood Explorer December 2000 Volume 7 Number 4 INTERPRETIVE CENTER CAMPAIGN 7TH ANNUAL GENERAL MEETING AND BEGINS WITH MATCHING GIFT MEMBERS APPRECIATION BBQ PROGRAM By Kathy Korbholz By Bill Korbholz The Friends of Edgewood celebrated their 7 th The San Mateo County Parks and Recreation year of existence by hosting a member’s Foundation, an organization formed in 1998 to appreciation BBQ as part of the annual general raise money for the County Parks, recently meeting on October 22 nd . Approximately 75 launched its campaign to fund a new interpretive Friends and guests mingled with each other and center for Edgewood County Park. The goal is to viewed the displays that described our weeding, design a center that fits the character of the park, docenting and other volunteer efforts before the educates visitors about the sensitive resources formal meeting began. There was even a sample and how to preserve them, and meets the needs false peacock fly under a microscope. of park volunteers and staff. The first phase of this campaign is a community- based planning process to identify the needs and constraints for the interpretive center. A consultant-led effort soliciting input through community and focused meetings will result in options, with descriptions and budgets, for facilities and programs. This information would be the basis for additional community and environmental review during phase two. One stakeholder meeting has already been held to brainstorm the scope of work for this planning Julia Bott, Elly and Bob Hess process. Among the special guests were Parks Director I’m really excited about the prospect of an Mary Burns, Parks Foundation Executive interpretive center at Edgewood, because I know Director Julia Bott, CNPS Santa Clara Valley that an interpretive center would provide the (Continued on page 5) mechanism to better inform visitors about Edgewood’s unique and fragile nature, and INSIDE THE EXPLORER having better informed visitors means better stewardship. A Closer Look at Ithuriel’s Spear ......................2 President’s Annual Report .................................3 The Friends of Edgewood is demonstrating its The Dusky-Footed Woodrat...............................4 support for this project by pledging to match up New Docent Training Has Begun ......................6 to $2,500 in donations made by FoE members to Friends Nominated for Award ...........................6 the Parks Foundation by the end of this year. Ranger Ric’s Roundup .......................................6 That means that your donation will effectively be Adopt-A-Highway Update .................................7 doubled! Membership Dues ..............................................7 (Continued on page 2) Upcoming Events ...............................................8 December 2000 Edgewood Explorer Page 2 A CLOSER LOOK AT ITHURIEL’S The Scientific name, Triteleia laxa , comes from SPEAR the Greek Tria, meaning three; from the Greek Teleo, meaning an end, or complete; and from By Bob Young the Latin laxa, meaning loose, slack, or relaxed. This is the thirteenth of a series of articles The “three-complete” reference is to the flower describing the flowers pictured in our wildflower parts which are perfectly arranged in three’s. The brochure. —ed. “loose” reference is to the flowers which grow in a relaxed umbel, rather than in a tight cluster. The common name Ithuriel’s Spear, comes from a story in Milton’s Paradise Lost written in 1667. In that story, the angel Gabriel asks the angels Ithuriel and Zephon, to search through the Garden of Eden for “…some infernal spirit… who escaped the barrs of Hell on errand bad…” They search and find Satan disguised “…like a toad, close at the ear of Eve.” He is trying to influence her with “…discontented thoughts…” Ithuriel touches the toad with his spear and Satan returns to his own likeness in a great flash, since “…no falsehood can endure the touch of…” Ithuriel’s spear. In Edith S. Clement’s book Flowers of Coast and Sierra , she states that the plant is “Fancifully likened to the spear borne by the Angel Ithuriel, Photo by Sonja Wilcomer because of its straight slimness of stem…” Ithuriel’s Spear, (scientific name Triteleia laxa, pronounced try-tuh-LAY-uh LAX-uh), is shown Other names for the plant are Blue Milla, Wally in the brochure “Common Native Wildflowers of Basket, Grass Nut, Triplet Lily, and Common Edgewood” published jointly by the Santa Clara Triteleia. ` Valley Chapter of the California Native Plant Society and Friends of Edgewood Natural (Continued from page 1) The Santa Clara Valley Chapter of CNPS and the Preserve. The scientific name was given in 1835. Emerald Lake Homeowners Association have Ithuriel’s Spear is in the Lily Family of plants. also made matching gift pledges toward this The flower stem grows from a bulb (actually, a project. corm) found in clay soils in open forest, woodland, or grassland. During the summer, the Your support, by sending a contribution today above-ground portion of the plant dries. Its and by attending the public meetings once we've energy for next year’s growth is stored in the funded the process, is key to the success of this bulb. effort. On Edgewood, the plant blooms from April to Donations can be sent (using the attached June in serpentine grassland. The flower color is enveloped) to San Mateo County Parks and blue, blue-purple, or, rarely, white. Elsewhere, it Recreation Foundation, 215 Bay Road, Menlo can be found from sea level to 4,500 feet, from Park, CA 94025. For more information, please southwestern Oregon to the Transverse Ranges call or email the Parks Foundation’s Executive of southwestern California, as well as in the Director, Julia Bott, at (650) 321-5812 or Sierra Nevada. [email protected]. ` December 2000 Edgewood Explorer Page 3 PRESIDENT’S ANNUAL REPORT Education The Wildflower Docent Program continues to By Peter Ingram draw people from all walks of life into This is Peter’s report as distributed at the General Edgewood. A new docent manual has been Meeting on October 22 nd . — ed. developed, a stronger training curriculum / If the old adage, “time flies when you’re having implemented, and annual refresher update fun” can be used to measure the warp speed of sessions are being held for all docents preceding 2000, then I would say that the Friends had a lot the walks season. Many hours have been of fun while accomplishing a significant amount invested assessing docent and participant of work in this, our 7 th year. In January the feedback from last year’s program and current board, officers, and executive committee incorporating the learning into the 2000 members were affirmed in their positions and program. took on the following priorities: Last year’s community outreach effort has Weed Management evolved into the Schools Outreach Program , with Edgewood is under siege by the Yellow star- a stronger linkage to the Docent Program. This thistle. In the summer of 1999 we marshaled our shift in focus is a result of the significant resources and energy to confront this threat and increase in requests for pre-scheduled group in doing so we learned anew that this walks, many from local schools and youth organizations. 250,000 300.0 The Volunteer Trail Patrol continues to provide a 250.0 valuable presence in the Preserve, helping to 200,000 educate users and mitigate problems encountered 200.0 in the past years, such as the “stealth outlaws” 150,000 that continue to slip into the preserve with their 150.0 dogs or bikes, and/or wander off the designated 100,000 100.0 trails. The County has increased enforcement activities to support the volunteers. 50,000 50.0 Hours Worked, Total=1,700 (Line) Plants Removed, Total=625,781 (Bars) The proposed Edgewood Visitor Center is a step 0 0.0 closer to reality. Recently, the Executive Jan Feb Mar Apr May Jun Jul Aug Sep Oct Nov Dec Committee passed a resolution expressing our commitment to support the effort to create the organization can make a real difference right center and to work collaboratively with the where it matters the most: In the grasslands of County and other groups throughout the many the Preserve. In January, 2000 a 3-way steps ahead. In addition, our own Bill Korbholz partnership between San Mateo County, is now a member of the San Mateo County Parks California Native Plant Society and the Friends & Recreation Foundation Board of Directors and was formed to design and execute a weed will in essence be the fund-raising campaign management plan for Edgewood. On Earth Day chair for Edgewood - within the context of the 2000 the Friends hosted a major public Foundation’s charge to raise funds for the entire awareness event (which was grant funded) that County parks system. The launching of the first formally kicked off the program. More than 100 phase of fund-raising coincides with today’s people turned out. Our goal of 2,000 weeding gathering. Your generous contributions made by hours in the year 2000 is now within reach. To the end of this year will be matched dollar for date we have invested 1,700 volunteer hours and dollar by the Friends, up to $2,500. removed an estimated 625,000 plants. By the end of the year we hope to have bettered 1999 numbers by 100,000! (Continued on page 5) December 2000 Edgewood Explorer Page 4 THE DUSKY-FOOTED WOOD RAT By Elly and Bob Hess Wood rat lodges have been observed in Edgewood Preserve for many years, especially in the fall when the trailside vegetation is easier to see through. The wood rat in the Preserve is the Dusky-Footed Wood Rat, Neotoma fuscipes . In October and November of this year we made a count of lodges visible from all the trails.