Mary Leolin Bowerman

$5.00 (Free to Members)

VOL. 34, NO. 2 • APRIL 2006 FREMONTIA A JOURNAL OF THE CALIFORNIA NATIVE PLANT SOCIETY

MARY LEOLIN BOWERMAN (1908–2005) VEGETATION MAPPING IN WESTERN RIVERSIDE COUNTY IONE PLANTS VOLUME 34:2, APRIL 2006 FREMONTIA 1 A NATIVE PLANT GARDEN CALIFORNIA NATIVE PLANT SOCIETY FREMONTIA CNPS, 2707 K Street, Suite 1; Sacramento, CA 95816-5113 (916) 447-CNPS (2677) Fax: (916) 447-2727 VOL. 34, NO. 2, APRIL 2006 [email protected] Copyright © 2006 MEMBERSHIP California Native Plant Society Membership form located on inside back cover; Linda Ann Vorobik, Editor dues include subscriptions to Fremontia and the Bulletin Bob Hass, Copy Editor Mariposa Lily ...... $1,500 Family or Group ...... $75 Beth Hansen-Winter, Designer Benefactor ...... $600 International ...... $75 Brad Jenkins, Jake Sigg, David Tibor, Patron ...... $300 Individual or Library ...... $45 and Carol Witham, Proofreaders Plant Lover ...... $100 Student/Retired/Limited Income . $25

STAFF CHAPTER COUNCIL CALIFORNIA NATIVE Sacramento Office: Alta Peak (Tulare) . . . . Joan Stewart PLANT SOCIETY Executive Director . Amanda Jorgenson Bristlecone (Inyo-Mono) ...... Sherryl Taylor Development Director/Finance Dedicated to the Preservation of Channel Islands ...... Lynne Kada Manager ...... Cari Porter the California Native Flora Dorothy King Young (Mendocino/ Membership Assistant . . . . Christina Sonoma Coast) . . . . . Lori Hubbart The California Native Plant Society Neifer East Bay ...... Elaine P. Jackson (CNPS) is a statewide nonprofit orga- Bookkeeper ...... Anne Wood El Dorado ...... Amy Hoffman Kern County ...... Lucy Clark nization dedicated to increasing the At Large: Los Angeles/Santa Monica Mtns . . . understanding and appreciation of Fremontia Editor ...... Linda Ann Betsey Landis California’s native plants, and to pre- Marin County ...... Bob Soost serving them and their natural habi- Vorobik, PhD Milo Baker (Sonoma County) . . . . . Senior Conservation Botanist ...... Reny Parker tats for future generations. position open Mojave Desert ...... Tim Thomas CNPS carries out its mission through Rare Plant Botanist . . . . . Misa Ward Monterey Bay . . . . Rosemary Foster science, conservation advocacy, edu- Mount Lassen ...... Catie Bishop Senior Vegetation Ecologist . . . Julie cation, and horticulture at the local, Napa Valley ...... Marcie Danner Evens state, and federal levels. It monitors North Coast ...... Larry Levine Vegetation Ecologist . . . . Anne Klein North San Joaquin . . James Brugger rare and endangered plants and habi- East Bay Conservation Analyst . . . . . Orange County ...... Sarah Jayne tats; acts to save endangered areas Redbud (Grass Valley/Auburn) . . . . Lech Naumovich through publicity, persuasion, and on Marie Bain Legislative Advocate . Vern Goehring Riverside/San Bernardino counties . . occasion, legal action; provides expert Legal Advisor ...... Sandy McCoy Katie Barrows testimony to government bodies; sup- Website Coordinator ...... Sacramento Valley . . Diana Hickson ports the establishment of native plant San Diego ...... Dave Flietner John Donaghue San Gabriel Mtns . . . Gabi McLean preserves; sponsors workdays to re- CNPS Bulletin Editor ...... Bob Hass move invasive plants; and offers a range San Luis Obispo . . . David Chipping Sanhedrin (Ukiah) . Chuck Williams of educational activities including BOARD OF DIRECTORS Santa Clara Valley . . . Judy Fenerty speaker programs, field trips, native Santa Cruz County . Casey Stewman Brad Jenkins (President), Sandy McCoy plant sales, horticultural workshops, Sequoia (Fresno) . . . . Peggy Jones (Vice President), Steve Hartman (Trea- Shasta ...... Dave DuBose and demonstration gardens. surer), Lynn Houser (Secretary). At Sierra Foothills (Tuolumne, Cala- Since its founding in 1965, the tra- Large: Sue Britting, Charli Danielsen, veras, Mariposa) . . . Patrick Stone ditional strength of CNPS has been its Dave Flietner, Diana Hickson, David South Coast (Palos Verdes) ...... Barbara Sattler dedicated volunteers. CNPS activities Magney, Spence McIntyre are organized at the local chapter level Tahoe ...... Michael Hogan Willis L. Jepson (Solano) ...... where members’ varied interests influ- PROGRAM DIRECTORS Allison Fleck ence what is done. Volunteers from CNPS Press ...... Holly Forbes Yerba Buena (San Francisco) . . . . . Mark Heath the 32 CNPS chapters annually con- and Gail Milliken tribute in excess of 87,000 hours Conservation ...... position open MATERIALS FOR PUBLICATION (equivalent to 42 full-time employees). Horticulture ...... Peigi Duvall CNPS members and others are wel- CNPS membership is open to all. Posters ...... Bertha McKinley come to contribute materials for publi- Members receive the quarterly jour- and Wilma Follette cation in Fremontia. See the inside back nal, Fremontia, the quarterly statewide Rare Plants ...... Ann Howald cover for manuscript submission in- Bulletin, and newsletters from their lo- Vegetation ...... Todd Keeler-Wolf structions.

cal CNPS chapter. Printed by Premier Graphics (www.premiergraphics.biz)

2FREMONTIA FREMONTIA VOLUME 34:2, APRIL 2006 CONTENTS EDITORIAL: THE BENEFITS OF MEMBERSHIP...... 2

SAVIOR OF THE MOUNTAIN: MARY LEOLIN BOWERMAN (1908–2005) by Barbara Ertter ...... 3 Mary Bowerman was a strong force in California botany throughout her long life, and significantly contributed to the saving of Mt. Diablo, one of the prime open spaces east of the San Francisco Bay area. Her life and achievements are reviewed in this tribute by her friend and collaborator on the revised flora of Mt. Diablo.

A NEW MODEL FOR CONSERVATION PLANNING: VEGETATION MAPPING IN WESTERN RIVERSIDE COUNTY by Julie M. Evens and Anne N. Klein ...... 11 The California Native Plant Society, working collaboratively with the California Depart- ment of Fish and Game and Aerial Information Systems, has created a field-based inventory and a fine-scale map of vegetation, based on state and national classification systems. These products are particularly valuable to those involved with conservation planning efforts which represent, model, and monitor vegetation.

THE UNCERTAIN FUTURE OF IONE’S RARE PLANTS by George Hartwell ..19 Millions of years in the making, one of California’s unique natural resources is at risk of oblivion, the result of at least two insidious impacts. One is a plant pathogen; another is the malignant growth of commercial, industrial, and residential development. In this article on the rare plant species of the Ione Chaparral plant community, the author explores the manmade aspects of both threats, and whether their relentless momentum can be reversed.

A NATIVE PLANT GARDEN IN THE BERKELEY HILLS, PART ONE by Jenny S. Fleming ...... 25 A steep slope in the Berkeley Hills facing the Golden Gate Bridge is the setting for one of California’s premier native plant gardens. Created by Jenny and Scott Fleming over the course of 50 plus years, this unique half-acre garden features a redwood forest floor planting, a Sierran meadow of grasses, wildflowers, and bulbs, and a stunning rock garden filled with countless treasures.

SPRING WILDFLOWERS FROM GRASSLANDS AND OAK WOODLANDS Photographs by Barbara Ertter, John Game, George Hartwell, Carl Jones, Steve Matson, and Linda Vorobik ...... 29 Enjoy a selection of photographs of spring wildflowers that might be found in your local grassland or adjacent oak woodland, or that you might find while enjoying the trails of Mt. Diablo in Contra Costa County (see B. Ertter’s article on page 3).

BOOKS RECEIVED ...... 31 BOOK REVIEWS ...... 31

THE COVER: Goldfields (Lasthenia spp.) and new leaves on oak announce the arrival of spring in the woodlands along San Antonio Valley Road, east of Mt. Hamilton in the San Francisco Bay area. Photograph by C. Jones. For other images in this same theme, see pp. 29-30; for information on Carl Jones and other photographers contributing to this issue, see inside back cover.

VOLUME 34:2, APRIL 2006 FREMONTIA 1 GUEST EDITORIAL: THE BENEFITS OF MEMBERSHIP USEFUL WEBSITES AND CONTACT INFORMATION hat does membership in the California Native Plant Society (CNPS) California Native Plant Wsay about us? First and foremost, it indicates that we are fans of Society (CNPS): California’s native plants and natural landscapes, that we recognize and www.cnps.org, with links to appreciate the authentic and natural flora, as it existed before weeds, before conservation issues, chapters, publications, policy, etc. development and habitat destruction, and before extinctions. Beyond that, For updates on conservation CNPS membership says different things for different members, indicated by issues: the myriad activities that you, as a member, participate in. This diversity is Audubon Society one of the great strengths of CNPS and provides us with a cornucopia of ways www.audubon.org in which we can express our appreciation of native plants and share that Center for Biological Diversity www.sw-center.org appreciation with a community of like-minded individuals. Native Plant Conservation What are the benefits of being a CNPS member? Your membership Campaign www.plantsocieties.org brings you Fremontia and the CNPS Bulletin four times a year. Your chapter Natural Resources Defense affiliation avails you of programs, hikes, and chapter newsletters. Specialty Council www.nrdc.org books and posters are available to you at chapter events as well as online at Sierra Club www.cnps.org. Hard-to-find native plants for your garden are available for www.sierraclub.org purchase at chapter plant sales, often with early entry or discounts as part of Wilderness Society www.wilderness.org your CNPS membership. Membership also provides each of us ways to make a positive difference For voting information: in this world, through support or participation in schools programs, rare League of Women Voters www.lwv.org, includes online plant surveys, garden tours and wildflower shows, sensitive habitat manage- voter guide with state-specific ment, weed eradication...the list goes on. In addition, your membership nonpartisan election and candidate information. makes possible the continued availability of two publications essential to US Senate native plant conservation: the Inventory of Rare and Endangered Plants of www.senate.gov California and the Manual of California Vegetation. And our status as a large, US House of Representatives www.house.gov respected statewide organization, with over 9,000 members, including many California State Senate plant science professionals, brings additional clout when CNPS sends letters www.sen.ca.gov containing policy recommendations to government agencies. California State Assembly Membership in CNPS makes a distinct statement. It says that we appreci- www.assembly.ca.gov ate California’s genuine and often unique flora and that we value the need to To write letters: conserve what is left of it for future generations. I hope you share your President George W. Bush The White House appreciation of native plants and your enthusiasm for the work of CNPS 1600 Pennsylvania Ave. NW chapters and staff with friends and community members. Let them know the Washington, DC 20500 benefits of membership. If our numbers grow, we can accomplish even more. Senator Barbara Boxer or Senator Dianne Feinstein Make a difference with your membership: be active, join in, share, meet, US Senate lead, follow, fund, plant, maintain, research, support, save, speak about, and Washington, DC 20510 enjoy California’s authentic flora of beautiful native plants! Your CA Representative US House of Representatives Brad Jenkins Washington, DC 20515 President, CNPS

2 FREMONTIA VOLUME 34:2, APRIL 2006 SAVIOR OF THE MOUNTAIN: MARY LEOLIN BOWERMAN (1908–2005) by Barbara Ertter

n October 9, 2005, a di- physiology class, but I had seen verse group of people this nice classroom with plants gathered at the base of in it through an open door, so I Mount Diablo, some in switched to botany about two Osocial wear, others dressed for a hike. weeks after I registered. Though Conservationists, landowners, sci- I had never taken a botany or entists, agency staff, and dear friends biology course, my interest went alike had gathered together to pay back a long way. My kindergar- tribute to Mary Leolin Bowerman, ten teacher had sent a note home a woman whose interests and ac- remarking that I was especially complishments were as diverse as interested in natural history. the attendees themselves. Mary (Leo When I was 15, I thought I to her oldest friends) was extolled wanted to be a landscape gar- as cofounder and ardent supporter dener.* of the organization, Save Mount Several inspirational female Diablo, as author of the definitive teachers provided role models and flora of Mount Diablo, as recipient seminal influence for future careers, of numerous awards for her tire- not only for Mary but also for class- Mary Bowerman as young girl. Photograph less conservation efforts, as a dedi- mate Annetta Carter. In 1928, both courtesy of Save Mount Diablo. cated scientist, and as a somewhat young women matriculated at Uni- reserved, wryly humorous, self- versity of California in Berkeley and Annetta received their AB de- assured, perceptive, tenacious (but (UC): “My father would have sent grees in botany with 5 other gradu- ever-courteous), warmly remem- me to Stanford, but I said no. He ates, all women. The two friends bered friend. saved himself some money because remained at UC to pursue master’s As is so often the case, Mary’s life my botany teacher at junior college projects, at one of those heady times trajectory had taken numerous twists in Pasadena [Florence Brubaker, when a cohort of exceptionally tal- and turns, with little evidence at the who received her Master’s from UC] ented and inspired students over- beginning of her career of the form said I must go to Berkeley.” Whereas lapped and contributed to a synergy her future accomplishments would Annetta would eventually achieve of ideas from which all benefited. take. The only child of well-to-do recognition for her devotion to the Notable among Mary’s fellow stu- parents (Lindley H. Bowerman and flora of Baja California (biography dents were David D. Keck (PhD, Ada Sarah Wesson Bowerman), Mary in Fremontia 19, No.4, pp. 12–14, 1930), Katherine Esau (PhD, 1931), Leolin was born January 25, 1908, 1991), Mary made the first steps on Herbert Mason (PhD, 1932), Lin- in Toronto, Canada, and spent some the path to a lifelong commitment coln Constance (PhD, 1934), and years in England before ending up for Mount Diablo. Daniel Axelrod (PhD, 1938), who in southern California as a teenager. were destined to make significant Mary was strong-willed and a bit of a STUDENT YEARS advances in fields as diverse as bio- rebel, making choices and decisions systematics, plant anatomy, and pa- as she saw fit (e.g., favoring boys’ Coinciding with the move of the leobotany. haircuts and clothing). She attended Botany Department and University During the time that Mary started Pasadena High School and Junior Herbarium into the newly completed at UC, Willis Linn Jepson was the College, where she later recalled: Life Sciences Building in 1930, Mary reigning professor of vascular plant My father had always wanted to systematics. When Mary began her be a physician, and he picked * Quotes from an interview of M.L. Bowerman graduate work in 1930, however, out the courses I should take at conducted by Galen Rowell in 1996, pub- Jepson was on leave, visiting distant junior college, hoping to steer lished on pp. 187–191 of Bay Area Wild: A herbaria and participating in the In- Celebration of the Natural Heritage of the San me in that direction. I was gen- Francisco Bay Area, Mountain Light Press ternational Botanical Congress in erally unhappy in my human (published by Sierra Club Books), 1997. Cambridge, England. It was Herbert

VOLUME 34:2, APRIL 2006 FREMONTIA 3 with Mount Hamilton, then being studied by Helen Sharsmith. Given the scope of Mary’s interests, it quickly became evident that her intended flora was well beyond the senior paper it had started as, and was accordingly continued as a master’s project. In later years, Mary delighted in relating how she had the effrontery to inform Jepson that the Mt. Diablo project was further- more going to be her doctoral project, not just a master’s thesis: . . . I made my way into Jepson’s inner sanctum in the Life Sci- ences Building at Berkeley, and View of Mt. Diablo, Contra Costa County, from the east. Photograph by B. Ertter. when I announced that my thesis was now going to be a doc- Mason, acting as Jepson’s assistant, California Geological Survey housed toral dissertation, he looked a who first directed Mary toward at Harvard University. Ecology, at little startled and fell silent. . . . Mount Diablo, initially as a senior that time a novel and still somewhat I remember standing there while project. At that time, it was com- suspect addition to the family of bio- he discussed the pros and cons. mon for botany majors at UC to be logical sciences, caught Mary’s spe- After a while he said, “All right.” assigned the flora of a local peak. cial interest, resulting in a detailed Mary made her first visit to Constance, for example, was doing analysis of plant communities and a floristic survey of Redwood Peak associated species. Putative hybrids, in the Oakland Hills, published in especially in Quercus, were also fa- 1932. As one of the only botany vored subjects, and a major fire in students to own a car, Mary was 1931 provided an abundance of post- granted Mount Diablo: fire observations. Mary was also well- I don’t think I thought of Mount situated to incorporate concurrent Diablo as being anything spe- studies and revolutionary new ideas cial, at least in the beginning. I by her fellow students, such as the was a student at Berkeley, and geoflora concept of Daniel Axelrod, Professor Mason had suggested and floristic assemblage comparisons I do a study to identify all the plants up there, and that was all RIGHT: Mary on Mt. Piños in May of 1928. there was to it. I wasn’t suffi- BELOW: Mary and her car, a Nash Junior, at ciently knowledgeable to real- the summit of Mt. Diablo, in June of 1930. Photographs courtesy of Save Mount ize whether anything was spe- Diablo. cial on Mount Diablo because I’d been living in England and then Pasadena. Mary nevertheless threw herself whole-heartedly into the study, dis- playing the tenacious and exhaus- tive commitment to detail that represented both her hallmark and bane to scholastic productivity. Not being satisfied with a simple inventory of species, Mary accumulated data on climate, soils, geology, paleo- botany, and the history of collecting efforts on Mount Diablo, including an effort to locate collections by the

4 FREMONTIA VOLUME 34:2, APRIL 2006 Mount Diablo in June of 1930, and 1935), published a paper on west- continued making regular visits ern skunk-cabbage (Madroño 2:106- through 1935, totaling 150 days 107, 1933), and participated in field spent on the mountain. Field work trips with other botany students in was complicated by the fact that al- the Calypso Club. The year 1934 most the entire mountain was in was a particularly eventful one, with private hands. One of seven state turbulent departmental and regional parks created before the establish- politics forming a backdrop to Mary’s ment of the California State Park success in passing her German and System in 1927, Mount Diablo State French examinations and advanc- Park began in 1921 as a 630-acre ing to candidacy for a PhD. William “state park and game refuge” and Setchell retired as Chair of the was only 1,463 acres at the time it Botany Department, Herbert Mason was incorporated into the new state assumed charge of the University park system in 1931. The small par- Herbarium, and Jepson was in the cel of summit was at one time owned throes of one of his periodic epi- by the Mount Diablo Development sodes of depression. And, on June 4, Company, which had constructed the herbarium observed “three hours an automobile road to the summit cessation of activity out of respect to (North Gate Road) with plans for a the Governor” (from UC herbarium luxury hotel, but which then went records), following the fatal heart bankrupt following World War I. attack of Gov. James “Sunny Jim” I started going up there every Rolph, who had achieved notoriety Johnny-jump-ups (Viola pedunculata) from week about a year before the for his praise of a lynching mob in Mt. Diablo, as might have been seen by top became a state park, in 1931. San Jose the year before, in the Mary on one of her many field expeditions. There was a private toll road depths of Depression-era turmoil. Photograph by B. Ertter. with a steep entrance fee, but when I went to the owner in FLORA OF MT. DIABLO The California landscape is Oakland and told him I was changing rapidly as a result of studying all the flowering plants Mary’s dissertation was titled “A the impact of man. Already we and ferns and didn’t want to phytogeographic analysis of the vas- have to guess what the pristine pay each time, he graciously cular plants of Mount Diablo, Cali- vegetation was like; but we may agreed. I was usually working fornia.” Eight years passed before at least leave for posterity the on private property, even after an expanded version was published record of its composition today. the park was created. as The Flowering Plants and Ferns of Such a record is essential to Beyond the limited network of Mount Diablo, California: Their Dis- knowledge and understanding existing roads, Mary chose to do tribution and Association into Plant of what changes are taking place most of her exploring on foot, espe- Communities, printed in 1944 by the and is prerequisite to any at- cially after an equestrian mishap left Gillick Press and offered for sale at tempt at intelligent control. her stranded. She benefited by the $3.75. In addition to its utility as a Conservation of our resources creation of additional trails and im- synopsis of the flora of Mount is contingent upon our under- proved roads built on Mount Diablo Diablo, Mary’s opus was trend-set- standing of the role of the vari- by the Civilian Conservation Corps ting in its comprehensive approach ous elements of the environ- during the Depression years of the to floristics, notably in the incorpo- ment. 1930s. Botanizing was particularly ration of ecological information. As Parental resources allowed Mary limited on Lime Ridge, with special noted in the foreword, “This is the to remain buffered from the De- arrangements needed to access the first attempt in California to describe pression and financially indepen- quarries that were still being actively the habits of each species individu- dent, a particular boon in a time mined for calcium carbonate to make ally. The habitat, altitudinal range, when suitable jobs were few and far cement. abundance, period of blooming, as- between. One job she was consid- It took Mary six years to com- sociated species, and distribution ered for, which would have taken plete the requirements for her doc- upon the mountain have been inde- her back to southern California, was torate, bestowed in 1936. During pendently determined for each spe- a pro tempore position at Pomona this time she also served briefly as a cies.” Presciently, Mary also took College, resulting from Philip A. teaching assistant in botany (fall note of the future conservation value: Munz’s departure in 1944 to accept

VOLUME 34:2, APRIL 2006 FREMONTIA 5 cent about it! . . . Poor girl! She After a falling-out with the mu- is seeking the impossible for her seum in 1934, Tom obtained space thesis—now six years plus 4 in the herbarium, where his increas- years old. . . . She would like, ing number of collections were however, to talk it all over from housed as a separate unit on the now until Domesday [Dooms- eighth floor. Unwilling to distribute day]. She cannot reach deci- duplicates for fear of rivals, he nev- sions! ertheless allowed the loan of par- It is probably not mere coinci- ticularly difficult groups to special- dence that Mary finally published ists, including willows and sedges. her opus and deposited her pressed Violets were sent to Milo S. Baker at collections in the University Her- Santa Rosa Junior College, who de- barium in 1944, the same year as the scribed Viola McCabeiana in 1940. opening at Pomona College; such is Tom apparently had the gift of standard practice when aligning one- inspiring young researchers. Several self for an academic opportunity! zoologists cite his influence in their own careers (e.g., Barbara Blanchard, FLORA OF BRITISH Ian McTaggart Cowan), and mycolo- COLUMBIA gist Vera Miller worked with McCabe on fungal inventories of British Co- In lieu of a professional appoint- lumbia and the Bay Area. Deriving ment, Mary remained at Berkeley impetus from her own Canadian and continued to pursue projects of roots, Mary also fell under Tom’s interest in the University Herbarium. influence and became engrossed in Springtime slope of Mt. Diablo with oak Evidently she continued her field- his vascular plant collections, with (Quercus) leafing out and the silver lupine (Lupinus albifrons) in full bloom. Photo- work on Mount Diablo, but the ex- the ultimate goal of producing a full- graph by B. Ertter. pectation of a new, updated edition fledged flora of British Columbia. somehow remained unmet even af- This project suffered a serious set- a professorship at Cornell Univer- ter the original book was long out of back when Tom suddenly died of a sity. Instead, Lyman Benson was print. At some point, however, her heart attack in 1948. Mary’s deter- hired at Pomona College, and two focus shifted to a new floristic mination to finish the flora remained years later Munz returned to Cali- project, triggered by the British Co- strong, but the manuscript was both fornia to take over the position va- lumbia collections and influence of incomplete and increasingly out- cated by Carl Wolf at Rancho Santa Thomas T. McCabe. dated as the years went by. Ana Botanic Garden. Purportedly a graduate of Har- As a final setback to Mary’s aspi- Although the opening at Pomona vard, McCabe and his wife Elinor rations of an academic career, a space College did not provide Mary a por- Bolles McCabe (a direct descendent crunch developed at the University tal into an academic career, it may of writer/naturalist Frank Bolles) Herbarium, exacerbated by the flood have nevertheless had a significant were living in a remote part of Brit- of veterans enrolling on the G.I. Bill. effect on her research productivity. ish Columbia in the late 1920s, when With no formal appointment and a The same financial independence they contacted the Museum of Ver- scanty publication record, Mary that served so well in other regards tebrate Zoology at UC Berkeley with could not successfully compete for left Mary without the external pres- offers of zoological specimens. Even- increasingly limited work space sure to produce, leaving her perfec- tually the McCabes moved to Berke- within the herbarium. Annetta tionist streak unfettered. In a 1940 ley, returning to British Columbia Carter, then serving as Principal letter to Helen Mar Wheeler, his fa- during the collecting season, and Herbarium Botanist, was given the vorite former student and confi- Tom became a research associate at unenviable task of informing her old dante, Jepson expressed his frustra- the museum. Beginning in the early friend that she would have to vacate tion with this aspect of Mary: 1930s, he also began submitting the herbarium, taking her specimens When I returned from lun- plant collections from British Co- with her. The McCabe collections cheon, poor Miss Bowerman lumbia to the University Herbarium, from British Columbia were taken cheerfully caught me in the cor- to be determined by a Mrs. Linsdale by Mary to her home in Lafayette ridor (where so many persons (presumably the wife of Jean M. and returned to campus only after lie in wait for me). I know when Linsdale who also worked at the many years had passed. They are I’m caught and I try to be de- museum). now fully integrated into the main

6 FREMONTIA VOLUME 34:2, APRIL 2006 University Herbarium collection, where they represent an invaluable record of the British Columbia flora.

SAVE MOUNT DIABLO The eviction from Berkeley not only interfered with Mary’s research activities, but also curtailed regular social interactions with the vigorous botanical community in the herbarium. While staff and students struggling to meet tight deadlines may have breathed a sigh of relief at the departure of someone with no such constraints, Mary now needed to seek elsewhere for a social outlet. Following her father’s death in 1954, Mary and her mother (a major pres- ence in Mary’s life until her death in nearby areas had also been preserved 1980 at the ripe age of 108) moved as public open space, huge swaths of to Lafayette, closer to Mary’s beloved bucolic pastureland and bountiful mountain but more removed from oak woodlands in the central East the botanical scene at Berkeley. Once Bay were disappearing under subur- in Lafayette, Mary became involved ban development. With the immi- in the local conservation group of nent arrival of Bay Area Rapid Tran- the Sierra Club, which she had first sit (BART) to interior Contra Costa joined in 1942 as an active member County in 1972, the situation was of the Natural Science Section. She doomed to go from bad to worse. As led field trips, where she is remem- recalled by Mary, at a meeting of the bered as “a very patient teacher,” local Sierra Club conservation group: and also became active in the Cali- In 1971, a member named Art fornia Native Plant Society (CNPS). Bonwell [an electrical engineer Mary’s life took a new turn in at Dupont] came up to me and 1971, setting her on the course that said, “Don’t you think we ought would ultimately be her primary to do something about Mount claim to fame, as well as deep per- Diablo?” He was referring to sonal satisfaction. Although some how moneys [sic] appropriated additional acreage had been added to by the state to buy additional cember 7, 1971, where Mary stated Mount Diablo State Park, and some lands for Mount Diablo State her dream “that the whole of Mount Park had been diverted to buy Diablo, including its foothills, should Franks Tract in the Sacramento- remain in open space.” The organi- San Joaquin Delta for a state zation Save Mount Diablo (SMD) recreation area. was formed that night, with the ob- Taking up the challenge, Mary jectives of educating the public and and Art organized a meeting of rep- acquiring lands. SMD eventually resentatives of local groups. Fifteen grew into one of the dominant land- people attended the meeting on De- acquisition forces in the central East

TOP: View from Mt. Diablo looking west, with encroaching urban sprawl in the distance. Photograph by B. Ertter • ABOVE: Mary Bowerman and Arthur Bonwell hiking on a property (Kittrell) where development was proposed in Morgan Territory on Mt. Diablo’s east side, 1993. Photograph by S. Joseph. LEFT: Mary Bowerman and Arthur Bonwell photograph for December 2000 Diablo Magazine, announcing their “Diablo Magazine 2000 Threads of Hope” award for lifetime achievement. Image by S.Hoover and S. Bromberger. Photographs courtesy of Save Mount Diablo.

VOLUME 34:2, APRIL 2006 FREMONTIA 7 Bay, working closely with both the Save Mount Diablo provided the rapidly growing Mount Diablo State outlet and focus where Mary’s par- Park and the East Bay Regional Parks ticular blend of attributes finally District. Mary served as the group’s bloomed. Her tenaciousness and in- vice president for resources until the ability to say “Enough!” were chan- end of 1995, and remained on its neled into an unyielding effort to Land Acquisition Committee for the always acquire more land, and more, rest of her life. and a little bit more. At the same Serving with Mary on this com- time her level-headed manners and mittee was Bob Doyle, who met Mary positive outlook, combined with the when he became a volunteer teach- inherent self-confidence of the well- ing assistant for Jane Helrich, an TOP: A solitary oak nestled within one of to-do, enabled her to appeal effec- elementary school teacher and friend Mt. Diablo’s many distinctive rocky out- tively to potential donors, politicians, of Mary’s. In the heady atmosphere crops. Photograph by C. Jones. ABOVE: Bob and landowners alike. Above all, she Doyle and Mary Bowerman at Save Mount of environmental activism that char- Diablo 25th Anniversary, on December 11, stayed true to her scientific roots, acterized the late 1960s and early 1996. Photograph by S. Kraughto, courtesy insisting on strict adherence to sup- 1970s, Helrich organized a field trip of Save Mount Diablo. portable facts and scientifically de- for youth representatives to Sacra- fensible arguments. According to mento, to see first-hand the work- Mount Diablo with Art Bonwell. Doyle, “Mary Bowerman was always, ings of environmental legislation. As I was the kid among this group always, questioning me: ‘Are you recalled in Bay Area Wild by Doyle, of elder statespersons, witness- sure? Explain what you saw.’ I who became one of Mary’s closest ing a series of battles that mus- watched her exercise that same pre- friends and who went on to become tered grassroots support for cision in her land and financial deal- Assistant General Manager of the funding of parks and conserva- ings for Save Mount Diablo—taking East Bay Regional Parks: tion efforts. Their successes at the principles of natural sciences and Dr. Mary Bowerman joined us that time—not just locally but applying them to the political world.” on that bus ride to Sacramento also statewide and in Washing- Mary’s commitment to SMD be- and voiced her own advocacy. ton—are a fantastic legacy that came her crowning achievement for She became a very dear friend I feel so lucky to have been part which she received multiple awards, before she cofounded Save of at such a young age. including a State of California Golden

8 FREMONTIA VOLUME 34:2, APRIL 2006 Bear award, John Muir Memorial Dr. Mary Bowerman, native plant to Mount Diablo in conjunction with Association’s John Muir Conservation preservationist; life-long ob- the first Jepson Herbarium Sympo- Award (1980), the Chevron Times server of and authority on the sium. This in turn led to my own Mirror Magazine National Conserva- botany of Contra Costa County; collaboration with Mary, beginning tion Award (1996), Contra Costa distinguished author of The with a joint collecting trip to the County Women of Achievement Hall Flowering Plants and Ferns of summit of Mount Diablo on June of Fame Award (1998), Diablo Mount Diablo and numerous bo- 19, when we realized that both of us Magazine’s Threads of Hope Volun- tanical and conservation articles. had regretted not being able to par- teer Award for Lifetime Achievement It is intended to commemorate ticipate in the other’s field trip! We (2000), and the Daughters of the her great affection for and knowl- hit it off well enough that arrange- American Revolution’s National Con- edge of the native plants of Cali- ments were made in 1995 for the servation Medal. She was recognized fornia which she has generously Jepson Herbarium to take on the on September 9, 1998, in the Con- shared with her fellows along challenge of updating The Flowering gressional Record, and on May 22, many pleasant trails. Plants and Ferns of Mount Diablo, by 1982, a trail at the summit of Mount Mary’s connection with the Uni- then an increasingly out-of-date and Diablo was named the Mary Leolin versity of California was reinitiated hard-to-obtain collector’s item. I Bowerman Fire Interpretive Trail. in the early 1980s, when she struck tackled the taxonomic updating, up a friendship with a fellow mem- various sections were farmed out to A NEW EDITION (FINALLY!) ber of the CNPS, Susan D’Alcamo. appropriate specialists, and Susan Mary’s former mentor, Willis Linn served as project “midwife.” Funds Although her work with Save Jepson, had left an endowment that provided by Mary allowed graduate Mount Diablo took up a majority of established the Jepson Herbarium student Lisa Schultheis to serve as her time, Mary retained her self- following his death in 1946, as an technical editor, beginning with the identity as a botanist first and fore- administrative unit separate from the scanning of the original edition. most. She continued to study and departmental herbarium that en- The initial plan was to produce a collect the flora of Mount Diablo sured a continued focus on the Cali- straight-forward update, staying as and adjacent areas, sharing this fornia flora. A key provision was that true as possible to the original book knowledge with friends and col- his Manual of the Flowering Plants of while incorporating any additional leagues in the Sierra Club and CNPS. California be kept current and in species discovered on the mountain James B. Roof, director of the East print. Susan had taken on the chal- since 1944 and whatever updates Bay Regional Parks Botanic Garden, lenge of fundraising for a completely were needed to reflect current no- paid homage to her efforts in this revised edition, and Mary became a menclature and scientific knowl- regard when naming a variant man- significant contributor. The result- edge. What was calculated to be a zanita growing at nearby Black Dia- ant book was published in 1993 as two-year project reached completion mond Mines Regional Preserve as The Jepson Manual: Higher Plants of seven years later, with manifold rea- Arctostaphylos bowermaniae (The California. sons for the prolonged preparation Four Seasons Volume 5, No. 4, pp. Mary’s ties to the Jepson Her- period. Foremost was the sheer mag- 15–18, 1978): barium continued to grow, and in nitude of changes needed, well be- This Arctostaphylos is named for 1994 she agreed to lead a field trip yond what anyone expected, especially given the exemplary nature of The fifth and final Blackhawk development dedication to Mt. Diablo State Park, with Save Mary’s original survey. Amazingly, Mount Diablo President Malcolm Sproul, Governor Gray Davis, Congressman George the number of species known from Miller, Mary Bowerman, Senator Tom Torlakson, and Blackhawk developer Ken Behring Mount Diablo was increased by one- on May 15th, 1999. Photograph by S. Joseph, courtesy of Save Mount Diablo. fourth, consisting of a combination of new weeds, taxonomic “splits,” and outright new discoveries. Mary’s inevitable reluctance to “sign off” on the manuscript also delayed final publication, further complicated by her seasonal routine of spending winters in Hawai’i at the home of her close friend Gordon Haas, who she had met at a financial convention, followed by the gantlet of tax season. All of this further-

VOLUME 34:2, APRIL 2006 FREMONTIA 9 two months before Mary’s 95th birthday. A well-attended book signing took place on December 6, co- sponsored by CNPS and the Jepson Herbarium. Mary, while undeniably pleased with the long-awaited new edition, was still chagrined that numerous species found on Mount Diablo subsequent to the decision to “close the book” to changes were relegated to an appendix. She was Mary at the summit lookout, 1998. Photo- mollified only with the promise of graph by B. Ertter. their full incorporation in a third edition, and further expressed her natural landscape could be, and hopes that the British Columbia flora should be, preserved. Above all else, could one day be completed. Mary serves as the quintessential ex- Blessed with good genes and a ample of someone who, after facing temperate lifestyle, Mary entered her severe setbacks in her initial career nineties in excellent health and con- aspirations, went on to find a truer tinued to enjoy walks on her be- calling, yielding much more pro- loved mountain whenever possible. found contributions than she would In 2000, she participated in a ban- have ever achieved in academia. quet celebrating the 50th anniver- Mary saved Mount Diablo; who sary of the Jepson Herbarium, as could ask for a better legacy? one of Jepson’s last surviving students (the other such participant, RESOURCES Lincoln Constance, died the following year). Declining health was evi- Adams, S., compiler. History dent by age 95, however, and after of Mount Diablo State Park. several hospital stints Mary Leolin Available at: www.mdia.org/ Bowerman passed away on August mtdiablohistory.htm. 21, 2005, at age 97. Fortunately this Holleuffer, C., compiler. 1985. Annetta Carter’s oral history. California was not before she was able to enjoy Women in Botany series. Regional the celebrated rediscovery by Mike Oral History Office, Bancroft Library. Park of the Mount Diablo buck- University of California. Berkeley, CA. TOP : Barbara Ertter, Mary wheat (Eriogonum truncatum), a spe- Rowell, G. 1997. M.L. Bowerman and Bowerman, and Lisa cies which Mary was the last to see B. Doyle, interviews in 1996. In Bay Schultheis at lookout on nearly 70 years previous. Mary was Area Wild: A Celebration of the Natu- Mt. Diablo, 1998. Pho- ral Heritage of the San Francisco Bay tograph by B. Ertter. • interred with her parents at Chapel Area. Mountain Light Press, Sierra ABOVE: Mary Bowerman of the Chimes in Oakland, and a with Susan D’Alcamo, celebration of her life was held by Club Books. San Francisco, CA. Barbara Ertter, and Lisa Save Mount Diablo at Mitchell Can- Save Mount Diablo website: www. Schultheis at the book yon on October 9. savemountdiablo.org, especially “SMD signing celebration for the Cofounder Dies” link. Mary’s judicious management of new Flora of Mount Diablo University Herbarium and Jepson Her- ( LEFT). Photograph by T. financial resources allowed her to barium Archives, University of Cali- Morosco. be generous with friends and causes fornia at Berkeley. that she supported, and allowed her more coincided with a period when to leave significant legacies to Save Barbara Ertter, University of California, CNPS itself was undergoing serious Mount Diablo and the Jepson Her- 1001 Valley Life Sciences Bldg #2465, restructuring, with the publication barium. More important by far are Berkeley, CA 94720-2465. ertter@ program eventually coming under the more intangible contributions berkeley.edu the wing of Susan D’Alcamo. she left, in the form of abiding friend- A final determined push resulted ships, lasting inspiration, and an INSET ABOVE: Mary at the Blackhills dedi- in the publication of a second edi- ever-expanding vision of the extent cation in 1997. Photograph by S. Kraughto, tion by CNPS in November 2002, to which her favorite mountain’s courtesy of Save Mount Diablo.

10 FREMONTIA VOLUME 34:2, APRIL 2006 A NEW MODEL FOR CONSERVATION PLANNING: VEGETATION MAPPING IN WESTERN RIVERSIDE COUNTY by Julie M. Evens and Anne N. Klein

n southern California, conservation Elsinore, which efforts have focused on identify- all border the ing and protecting “coastal sage wildlands of the scrub” habitat, which is home to Santa Ana Moun- Ithe California gnatcatcher and over tains. The north- 100 other imperiled plant and ani- western portion mal species (CDFG 2005). This habi- of the county in- tat is fragmented across 6,000 square cludes the ever- miles of southern California. The expanding devel- western portion of Riverside County opments of Co- makes up nearly one-quarter of this rona, Moreno fragmented area and is under in- Valley, Perris, and creasing pressures from growth and Riverside. The development (RCIP 2003). The pres- central-eastern sures upon coastal sage scrub and portion of west- other habitats have prompted an ern Riverside Figure 1. Map of Western Riverside County showing public/quasi- public (PQP), undeveloped and private (Criteria Area), and urban integrated regional planning effort County includes lands. The Habitat Conservation Plan will include 347,000 acres with new resource-based method- the towns of of PQP and 153,000 acres of Criteria Area as the core area for ologies. Anza, Hemet, and reserves (RCIP 2003). Map by K. Fien. Western Riverside County’s Idyllwild, and population is expected to double these cities are surrounded in the CAN CURRENT DIVERSITY from 1.4 million to 2.8 million south and east by the Agua Tibia SURVIVE FUTURE people by 2020 (RCIP 2003). The Wilderness and the San Jacinto southwestern portion of the county Mountains in the Cleveland and San DEVELOPMENTS? includes the rapidly growing cities Bernardino National Forests, respec- of Temecula, Murrietta, and Lake tively. Until recently, western Riverside County was largely rural, agricultural, and undeveloped. The County spans 1.26 million acres and currently has over 800,000 acres of undeveloped land (see Figure 1). A diversity of climates and natural plant communities occurs across the remaining wildlands—from coastal and lowland areas containing coast live oak (Quercus agrifolia), Califor- nia sagebrush (Artemisia californica), California buckwheat (Eriogonum fasciculatum), and alkali grasslands; to foothill regions with chamise (Adenostoma fasciculatum), hoaryleaf ceanothus (Ceanothus crassifolius), interior live oak (Quercus wislizeni), and other chaparral or woodlands; to montane zones with Eastwood manzanita (Arctostaphylos glandu- A view showing intact vegetation in the Santa Ana Mountains and urban development in losa), Coulter pine (Pinus coulteri), the Perris Plain, Western Riverside County. Photograph by K. Ironside. black oak (Quercus kelloggii), and

VOLUME 34:2, APRIL 2006 FREMONTIA 11 other hardwood or conifer forests; and to semi-desert regions with DEFINITIONS OF CONSERVATION APPROACHES AND Great Basin sagebrush (Artemisia PROJECT COLLABORATORS tridentata), California juniper (Juni- Habitat Conservation Plan (HCP), per Section 10 (a) (1) (B) of the perus californica), honey mesquite Endangered Species Act of 1973: (Prosopis glandulosa), and other To provide species protection and habitat conservation within the scrublands. context of non-federal development and land use activities; to The natural communities are de- provide a process that promotes negotiated solutions to endan- clining rapidly due to the effects of gered species conflicts; and to provide an alternative to litigation, historic development patterns and providing a species a pathway to stability and recovery. Private increased development pressures landowners minimize and mitigate the incidental take of listed, within the last 15 years. Past efforts proposed and candidate species associated with their actions, and to preserve natural communities the Fish and Wildlife Service issues an incidental take permit as long as the action will not “appreciably reduce the likelihood of have been haphazard and largely the survival and recovery of the species in the wild.” uncoordinated. Piecemeal efforts to Multi-Species HCP: To cover all listed species and species that mitigate development have little abil- may be listed in the future. ity to sustain flow within and be- Natural Communities Conservation Plan Program (NCCPP), per tween ecosystems, including wild- Fish and Game Code 2805 and CDFG (2005a): life mobility and genetic flow within To identify and provide for the regional or areawide protection species. As development pressures and perpetuation of natural wildlife diversity, while allowing continue to increase, so have con- compatible and appropriate development and growth. “Wildlife” flicts between landowning interests means and includes all wild animals, birds, plants, fish, amphib- and the state and federal regulatory ians, and related ecological communities, including the habitat processes associated with protect- upon which wildlife depend for their continued viability (Fish and ing endangered, threatened, and oth- Game Code 711.2). erwise rare species (RCIP 2003). Adaptive Management, per the California NCCP Act of 2002: Since local agencies need to re- To use the results of new information gathered through the moni- spond to increased demands on toring program of the plan and from other sources to adjust natural resources, the County has management strategies and practices to assist in providing for the conservation of covered species. begun a comprehensive regional Species and Habitat monitoring, per the California Department of planning effort involving the local Fish and Game (CDFG) Resource Assessment Program (2005b): cities, developers, landowners, en- The collection and analysis of observations or data repeated over vironmental organizations, and time and in relation to a conservation or management objective. other stakeholders. Specifically, the Over time, monitoring develops information on trends (increas- County has undertaken conserva- ing, decreasing, static) in species or habitats that can be related to tion planning through a federal Habi- conservation and management activities. tat Conservation Plan (HCP) in conjunction with a state Natural Com- Project Collaborators (and acronyms): munities Conservation Planning Aerial Information Systems (AIS) (NCCP) effort. The land-use plan- California Department of Fish and Game (CDFG) ning efforts have been combined into Resource Assessment Program (RAP) a Multi-Species Habitat Conserva- tion Plan (MSHCP; see sidebar for definitions). The MSHCP effort be- Further, the County is implement- 2003). The core areas for the MSHCP gan in 1999, and includes the NCCP, ing the MSHCP to initiate an open- were identified using a general habi- an update of the county General space plan for the western part of tat and vegetation map, which was Plan, and a transportation corridor the County. completed by biological consultants plan (RCIP 2003). These plans were In 2005, the MSHCP was offi- in 1995 (PSBS and KTU+A 1995). integrated to help address the in- cially adopted by the local and re- tense demands by development gional governing agencies to con- LIMITATIONS OF THE while protecting multiple species serve over 500,000 acres of reserve ORIGINAL MSHCP MAP and habitats under multiple juris- land. The core area of reserves will dictions (from undeveloped foothills include different habitat types across Since 1995, the extent and char- and montane forests to urbanized 347,000 acres of public land and acter of vegetation and habitats have centers in the valleys) (RCIP 2003). 153,000 acres of private land (RCIP changed within western Riverside

12 FREMONTIA VOLUME 34:2, APRIL 2006 County. For example, suppression In addition, animal habitats are of fire has resulted in shifts from misrepresented or difficult to iden- ponderosa pine and Jeffrey pine tify when vegetation patterns are not (Pinus ponderosa and P. jeffreyi) to properly depicted in maps. For ex- incense cedar and white fir (Calo- ample, suitable habitat for target cedrus decurrens and Abies concolor), animal species are not easily identi- while increases in fire frequency and fiable using the 1995 map, because nitrogen deposition have resulted in the map lacks structural features shifts from chaparral and coastal sage important to animal species, such as scrub to grasslands with exotic plant plant overstory height and cover, species (Allen et al. 2000; Keeley and the degree of exotic plant inva- 1990; Minnich 1995; Minnich and sion and land clearing. Further, the Dezzani 1998; Zedler et al. 1983). different types of coastal sage scrub The existing 1995 map is not communities that California gnat- able to represent recent ecological catchers prefer are not reliably cap- changes in western Riverside Coun- tured in the 1995 map. However, ty; further, it characterizes vegeta- this is an important species that the tion very broadly and anecdotally, MSHCP aims to conserve in perpe- without reliably differentiating the tuity. When detail is not included in main plant communities (Allen et vegetation maps for NCCPs, essen- al. 2005; RCIP 2003). Because the tial habitats for rare/target species map is based upon limited ground- are characterized poorly. truthing and out-dated data (e.g., early 1900s Weislander surveys), NEW RESOURCE-BASED vegetation types are not accurately ASSESSMENT EFFORTS TOP TO BOTTOM: A rare vegetation community depicted. Common vegetation types dominated by smooth tarplant (Hemizonia are clearly under-represented, in- Current emphases within the pungens subsp. laevis). Photograph by A. cluding black oak (Quercus kellog- western Riverside MSHCP are to in- Klein. INSET: Close-up of smooth tarplant, gii), Coulter pine (Pinus coulteri), tegrate a monitoring program and a CNPS List 1B plant. Photograph by D. and redshank (Adenostoma sparsi- an adaptive management plan, Taylor. • An association of limber pine and lodgepole pine with chinquapin (Pinus folium). Additionally, there is a lack which will be guided by stronger flexilis-Pinus contorta/Chrysolepis semper- of specificity within broad habitat resource assessments of species and virens), a locally rare community near San categories of the map, such as mon- plant communities. The first five Jacinto Peak. Photograph by A. Klein. tane coniferous forest, oak and ri- years of the newly adopted MSHCP parian woodland, coastal sage scrub, are devoted to gathering objective, vegetation inventory and mapping and chaparral. baseline information on the distri- effort within the MSHCP area. They Likewise, rare vegetation types bution and abundance of plants, ani- initiated the study to develop con- are under-represented in the 1995 mals, and the habitats in which they sistent and reliable monitoring strat- map. Desert scrub types have not live. This information will be used egies for the county’s conservation been differentiated, including types to determine long-term monitoring plan. Since HCP-NCCP efforts have with jojoba (Simmondsia chinen- strategies and will include periodic 50+ year lifespans, CDFG wanted to sis), lotebush (Ziziphus parryi), and evaluations of the adequacy of miti- include reliable vegetation mapping Muller oak (Quercus cornelius- gation and conservation strategies. substantiated by field data and map mulleri). Also, well-known but lo- The California Department of Fish accuracy assessment. If that were cally rare types have not been differ- and Game (CDFG) is responsible done, conservationists, county plan- entiated, such as conifer woodlands for developing the strategy for the ners, and land managers would be with lodgepole pine and limber pine first eight years of the MSHCP (RCIP assured that the mapped locations (Pinus contorta and P. flexilis) and 2003), and the University of Cali- adequately represented the different alkali plains with smooth tarplant fornia (UC) Riverside, Center for vegetation types found on the (Centromadia pungens subsp. laevis), Conservation Biology, has been ground. a List 1B rare plant. Understanding hired to help build and implement Knowing that the products and and mapping the distribution of rare the monitoring strategy. outcomes of this effort provide a plant communities statewide and lo- In mid 2002, the CDFG’s Re- new standard for future NCCPs cally is necessary for developing source Assessment Program funded and HCPs in California, CDFG proper conservation strategies. a pilot study including a fine-scale partnered with other entities that

VOLUME 34:2, APRIL 2006 FREMONTIA 13 had already developed standardized Native Plant Society (CNPS) Veg- the vegetation classification, while techniques for vegetation invento- etation Program was hired to con- Aerial Information Systems (AIS) rying and mapping. The California duct field sampling and to develop was hired to create the map. CNPS

Table 1. Example showing fine-scale CNPS Alliances and Associations nested within broader MSHCP coastal sage scrub habitat types.

Diegan Coastal Sage Scrub Habitat Alliance Association Artemisia californica Artemisia californica/Amsinckia menziesii Artemisia californica-Malosma laurina Artemisia californica-Eriogonum fasciculatum Artemisia californica-Eriogonum fasciculatum Artemisia californica-Eriogonum fasciculatum- Malosma laurina Artemisia californica-Eriogonum fasciculatum- Salvia apiana Artemisia californica-Salvia apiana Artemisia californica-Salvia apiana Artemisia californica-Salvia mellifera Artemisia californica-Salvia mellifera Encelia californica Encelia californica-Artemisia californica Eriogonum fasciculatum Eriogonum fasciculatum Keckiella antirrhinoides Keckiella antirrhinoides Keckiella antirrhinoides-Artemisia californica Keckiella antirrhinoides-Eriogonum fasciculatum Malacothamnus fasciculatus no association currently defined Malosma laurina Malosma laurina-Eriogonum fasciculatum Malosma laurina-Eriogonum fasciculatum- Salvia apiana Malosma laurina-Eriogonum fasciculatum- Salvia mellifera Malosma laurina-Tetracoccus dioicus Riversidean Sage Scrub (Upland) Habitat Alliance Association Artemisia californica-Eriogonum fasciculatum Artemisia californica-Eriogonum fasciculatum Encelia farinosa Encelia farinosa Encelia farinosa-Artemisia californica Ericameria palmeri no association currently defined Eriogonum fasciculatum Eriogonum fasciculatum Eriogonum fasciculatum-Encelia farinosa Eriogonum fasciculatum-Encelia farinosa Eriogonum fasciculatum-Salvia apiana Eriogonum fasciculatum-Salvia apiana Lotus scoparius no association currently defined Malacothamnus fasciculatus no association currently defined Salvia apiana Salvia apiana-Encelia farinosa Coastal Scrub Habitat Alliance Association Salvia mellifera Salvia mellifera Salvia mellifera-Lotus scoparius Salvia mellifera-Rhus ovata

14 FREMONTIA VOLUME 34:2, APRIL 2006 and UC are working collaboratively across an extensive landscape when with CDFG to ensure that data are time and funding are limited. The collected consistently and are main- Rapid Assessment was most suit- tained within a centralized database able for the western Riverside effort system for this project and others because field staff were tasked to throughout the state. collect as much information as pos- Use of concomitant efforts to in- sible across >800,000 acres of land ventory and map vegetation enables in an 11-month timeframe. a broad-based and reliable approach, During the sampling season, field which can extend beyond the MSHCP staff traveled around the county col- area to all of California. Instead of lecting information to represent as using Holland’s (1986) method to many common and rare plant com- generally define and map vegetation, munities as possible. The informa- this study uses the National Vegeta- tion they collected was continually tion Classification System (Grossman supplied to AIS staff who were work- et al. 1998) and A Manual of Califor- ing simultaneously on the map. In nia Vegetation (Sawyer and Keeler- turn, AIS helped the field ecologists Wolf 1995). This system places veg- select their sampling sites by provid- etation into a multi-level hierarchy ing boundaries of existing natural system, where “associations” are con- landscapes within the MSHCP Area. sidered the finest level of vegetation AIS created the vegetation map (e.g., Engelmann Oak/Poison Oak/ by manually photo-interpreting re- Grass Association), and “alliances” cent digital aerial photographs. They are at the next highest level (e.g., used environmental data layers and Engelmann Oak Alliance). Because the survey data to guide their map- the inventory is hierarchical in na- ping. Since the mapping was based ture, different plant communities may on the best interpretation of aerial be represented at multiple scales and photography (which had a base reso- may be cross-linked to other systems lution of 1–2 meters), their poly- that define vegetation at coarser scales gons of vegetation had minimum (see Table 1). mapping units of 1–2.2 acres. (The Agencies (such as CDFG, Cali- map can be accessed at http://bios.dfg. fornia State Parks, National Park ca.gov/ by selecting the “Public BIOS Service, and the US Forest Service) Data Viewer” option. To view the have adopted the same system for map, click on the “Add Bios Layers” documenting vegetation across Cali- function button and add the data fornia. Because the system has been layer entitled: “Vegetation–Western used in Ventura, Los Angeles, and Riverside Co. [ds170]”.) TOP TO BOTTOM : California Buckwheat San Diego counties, the western Riv- The polygons were labeled with Alliance (Eriogonum fasciculatum), Brittle- erside County classification adds to vegetation names using the CNPS bush Alliance (Encelia farinosa), and mixed the understanding of vegetation at reference data and classification, and California Sagebrush—California Buck- the local as well as the regional level. the polygons were assigned at- wheat Alliance (Artemisia californica- tributes for structure (amount of Eriogonum fasciculatum), three relatively common coastal sage scrub vegetation types NEW DATA COLLECTION overstory cover) and disturbance in western Riverside County. Photographs AND MAPPING STRATEGIES (degree of clearing or exotic spe- by J. Evens (top), L. Vorobik (inset), and cies). AIS used the CNPS informa- K. Ironside (center and bottom). In September 2002, CNPS be- tion to associate aerial photo signa- gan collecting field data to develop a tures to vegetation types defined on was not able to differentiate among vegetation inventory of western Riv- the ground. Then they extrapolated plant communities, they merged erside County. The primary sam- those signatures to the rest of the combinations of similar alliances or pling method used to develop the study area by modeling characteris- associations into “mapping units.” inventory was the CNPS “Vegeta- tic environmental factors (e.g., slope More detailed mapping may need to tion Rapid Assessment” (see sidebar and aspect, geologic substrate) that occur within the adaptive manage- on p. 16). This method is used to correlated to the field-defined alli- ment plan as preserve lands are ac- collect a large number of samples ances and associations. When AIS quired and/or managed.

VOLUME 34:2, APRIL 2006 FREMONTIA 15 the set of data collected on the THE CNPS “VEGETATION RAPID ASSESSMENT ground. The map and classification PROTOCOL” IS DERIVED FROM THE CNPS “RELEVÉ afford better representation of tar- PROTOCOL” (CNPS 1998) get habitats for conservation plan- Both protocols can be viewed at www.cnps.org. ning because they are based on a unified state and national classifica- Characteristics of the Rapid Assessment method: tion system that can be used at mul- • Surveys takes 15 to 30 minutes to complete tiple scales. • Surveys can be collected year-round (with caveats) The data collected in over 1,200 • Surveys represent stands of vegetation varying from <1 acre to >5 field surveys have a variety of appli- acres cations. Land managers can use the Examples of attributes collected using the Rapid Assessment method: information to effectively implement restoration projects, to monitor plant • List of dominant and characteristic species communities over time, and to • Percent cover of species model plant and animal habitats us- • Percent cover of tree, shrub, and herbaceous layers ing the structure and composition • Slope, aspect, and elevation data. Land managers also can use • Soil texture and geology the data to identify “quality” stands • Site history, clearing, erosion, exotic plant and grazing intensity, of vegetation based on disturbances etc. of invasive species or human impacts. Fire ecologists are already using the species and structural infor- Accuracy of the new map was suggestions were provided to the mation to develop better fire fuels assessed by the CDFG ecologists to photo-interpreters to improve the models and vegetation trend analy- establish the value of the final map final map. ses. Continued collection and analy- and determine areas for improve- sis of vegetation and habitat data ment. Around 10% of the field ADVANTAGES OF AN will allow land planners and manag- samples, representing the main veg- INTEGRATED APPROACH ers to adaptively manage the areas etation types in the map, were with- within the MSHCP. held from the photo-interpreters. This is the first time that an inte- The new map has additional ap- The names assigned to these samples grated and standard approach has plications for county planners to in the vegetation classification were been used in an HCP-NCCP effort, conserve species habitats within the compared to the names assigned to and it provides a model for use in MSHCP reserve area. CDFG has them on the draft map, and an accu- future conservation plans. This in- made broad comparisons of the new racy assessment score of >80% was tegrated approach results in several map with previous land coverages, desired. The new map received an products that benefit conservation providing rough estimates of how overall score of 84% and systematic planning: the map, classification, and much agricultural land or natural

Figure 2 (BELOW LEFT). A comparison of the 1995 map’s delineation of a Diegan Coastal Sage Scrub habitat with the 2005 map’s fine-scale delineation of coastal sage scrub vegetation types. Figure 3 (BELOW RIGHT). Habitat features of gnatcatchers are modeled in GIS using the 2005 map from high to low quality. Gnatcatchers have shown a preference for coastal sage scrub dominated by California sagebrush and buckwheat, with shrub cover between 25-40 percent and shrub height less than 2 meters (Allen et al. 2005; Atwood and Bontrager 2001). Maps by K. Fien.

16 FREMONTIA VOLUME 34:2, APRIL 2006 land has already been lost to development (see Table 2). This informa- Table 2. The area of land covered by natural and non-natural tion will assist county planners in features in the 1995 vegetation map as compared to the 2005 map. prioritizing areas to be conserved MSHCP Name (Collapsed) 1995 acres % 2005 acres % based on what natural habitats re- Agricultural Land 169,348 13.5% 151,999 12.1% main. Other possible comparisons include determining the proportion Water 12,197 1.0% 21,100 1.7% of rare and common alliances that Developed/Disturbed Land 218,098 17.4% 296,621 23.6% occur within versus outside the cur- Grasslands 154,024 12.3% 91,219 7.3% rently conserved areas, so that plan- Playas, Vernal Pools, and Marshes 10,194 0.8% 4,365 0.3% ners can identify new areas for con- Coastal Sage Scrub 156,330 12.4% 222,153 17.7% servation on land that is not pro- Riversidean Alluvial Fan Scrub 7,937 0.6% 4,665 0.4% tected. Desert Scrub 14,575 1.2% 8,922 0.7% Wildlife biologists, botanists, Chaparral 434,622 34.6% 368,173 29.3% ecologists, preserve managers, and Riparian: Scrub; Woodland; Forest 15,019 1.2% 21,950 1.7% others can use the new map for a variety of purposes because the new Woodland and Forests 34,478 2.7% 33,255 2.6% map, in addition to indicating the Montane Coniferous Forest 29,884 2.4% 31,633 2.5% vegetation type, has multiple at- Rock Outcrop 0 0.0% 650 0.0% tributes associated with each poly- Totals 1.26 million 1.26 million gon of vegetation. For example, wild- Polygon Count 17,004 72,264 life biologists at UC Riverside are using the map to more accurately analyses that could assist in target- IMPLICATIONS FOR LAND- model and identify suitable habitat ing locations for new reserves. USE PLANNING AND for the imperiled California gnat- In order to maximize implemen- CONSERVATION catcher. Since gnatcatchers show tation of the classification system preferences for certain coastal sage for inventory and monitoring, we The MSHCP aims to conserve scrub species and certain overstory recommend that CDFG and the over 500,000 acres of land. This cover of shrubs, habitats correlated County of Riverside collect addi- inventory and mapping approach with gnatcatchers are modeled in tional surveys, including those gen- allows for detailed assessments in GIS (see Figure 3). erated by the CNPS relevé method. reserve design and land manage- Additional value is inherent in Now that a consistent and more ac- ment. Fortunately, the structure of this type of integrated project. Spe- curate classification system has been Riverside’s MSHCP allows updates cifically, the map and field inven- put in place, CNPS anticipates that and new information to be incorpo- tory contain information on distur- additional data will build upon this rated into the vegetation map dur- bance impacts from land clearing base. Luckily, the adaptive manage- ing the term of the permit. There and exotic plant species. Land man- ment plan allows flexibility for fu- are many applications of using the agers easily can use information to ture sampling and analysis, which new map and inventory for land use locate highly impacted stands of veg- will help provide a more complete planning. etation, so that they can restore them picture of the diversity of plant com- With the new vegetation map, to more natural states. See the munities occurring in western Riv- survey data, and report produced in sidebar for various landscape-level erside County. this project, resource managers have stronger and more scientifically- based tools for their land-use plan- RECOMMENDATIONS FOR ADDITIONAL FIELD ning and conservation activities. SAMPLING AND INVENTORYING Agencies and land managers are better equipped to prioritize specific • Private lands that have not been surveyed reserve locations within the general • Plant communities that are more accurately captured in moist or footprint of western Riverside’s core El Niño years reserve lands by using more detailed • Grass, forb, wetland, riparian, vernal pool, and alkali playa on-the-ground information for veg- communities that should be visited during peak phenology using etation and habitats. Further, they relevé/quadrat techniques have more precise location informa- • Alliances and associations that have fewer than 5 samples tion on habitats in which specific rare species may occur, and they

VOLUME 34:2, APRIL 2006 FREMONTIA 17 sult in wiser land-use and conserva- APPLICATIONS OF THE NEW MAP tion decisions in the future. In sum the new map can be implemented in numerous ways: • To accurately identify habitat locations which are suitable for spe- ACKNOWLEDGMENTS cies covered in GIS modeling Many thanks to the AIS team, • To accurately reflect current site environmental and habitat condi- including Carmelita Gutierrez, tions (e.g., intact versus disturbed coastal sage scrub) Debbie Johnson, John Menke, and • To identify locations that need further study or monitoring for Marci Young. Additional thanks to adaptively managing the region Kristi Fien for creating map fig- ures, and to Kirsten Ironside • To identify areas converting from coastal sage scrub to grassland (as human population and nitrogen deposition increase) (Larsen) and Todd Keeler-Wolf for providing their expertise in the field • To identify locations that support high biodiversity of vegetation in and office. GIS modeling • To better identify the rarity and diversity of plant communities, so SELECTED REFERENCES* that adequate representative areas are conserved for all the different alliances and associations found in the region Allen, M., et al. 2005. CCB 2005: To- wards developing a monitoring framework for Multiple Species can better quantify how much of a The general public and resource Habitat Conservation Plans. Part I. given habitat they already have in managers also have more informa- University of California. Riverside, conservation versus how much they tion on the importance, rarity, and CA. may still need to conserve. They also abundance of vegetation, which can Atwood, J.L. and D.R. Bontrager. 2001. are better apt to identify areas on be applied to conservation planning California gnatcatcher (Polioptila californica). In: Poole and Gill, eds. the map that have high vegetation and management decisions. With The Birds of North America, No. 575. diversity, so that they can better pro- rarity rankings established for the The Birds of North America, Inc. tect all of the unique coastal, mon- new vegetation classification, local Philadelphia, PA. tane, and desert environments found CNPS chapters and other groups CDFG (California Department of Fish in the area. can provide direction to local land and Game). 2005. Natural Commu- Since the new vegetation map is planners on conservation strategies. nity Conservation Planning. Avail- based on standardized methods, re- People involved in restoration can able at www.dfg.ca.gov/nccp/index. peat mapping of the vegetation can make more informed decisions on html. be done at set intervals (e.g., every how to restore vegetation to a more Grossman, D.H., et al. 1998. Interna- 8-10 years) using the same quanti- natural state, applying information tional classification of ecological tative rules. Thus, the baseline map- from a mostly intact area to a dis- communities: Terrestrial Vegetation of the United States. The Nature Con- ping and future re-mapping can pro- turbed area. Thus, they have better servancy. Arlington, VA. vide a complete picture of the status information to steer management Minnich, R.A. and R.J. Dezzani. 1998. and trends in vegetation and habi- efforts, as well as conservation ef- Historical decline of coastal sage tats, which could assist adaptive forts. scrub in the Riverside-Perris Plain, shifts in MSHCP management deci- With the vegetation information California. Western Birds 29:366- sions over the lifetime of the plan. and methods presented in this inte- 391. Further, land managers can assess grated project, people have a solid PSBS and KTU+A. 1995. Western Riv- the total number of acres per plant knowledge base in vegetation assess- erside County Multi-Species Habitat community that have been histori- ment and mapping to apply in their Conservation Plan Phase I—Infor- cally lost and the acres that could be efforts. This information allows mation Collection and Evaluation potentially lost in the future, so that people to be more aware and en- Report for Riverside County, CA. RCIP (Riverside County Integrated they can prioritize and drive conser- gaged in scientifically-based conser- Project). 2003. MSHCP Final Docu- vation of vegetation types that may vation and management of natural ments Volume I—The Plan. Avail- be experiencing significant losses. plant communities, which can re- able at www.rcip.org/mshcpdocs/vol1/ mshcpvol1toc.htm. *The following website contains the full vegetation report, PowerPoint presentation, and complete references associated with this project: Julie M. Evens and Anne N. Klein, 2707 K www.cnps.org/programs/vegetation/index.htm Street, Suite 1; Sacramento, CA 95816. [email protected]; [email protected]

18 FREMONTIA VOLUME 34:2, APRIL 2006 Habitat of Ione buckwheat (Eriogonum apricum var. apricum). All photographs by author except as noted. THE UNCERTAIN FUTURE OF IONE’S RARE PLANTS by George Hartwell

ithin an hour com- wrote in 1865, “. . . there are more ment of the elements of the scenery mute southeast stupendous rocks, more beetling can any idea of that scenery be given, from Sacramento cliffs, there are deeper and more any more than a true impression can lies a geologic odd- awful chasms, there may be as beau- be conveyed of a human face by a Wity known as the Ione Formation. tiful streams, as lovely meadows; measured account of its features.” Roughly 18 miles long and 3 to 4 there are larger trees.” The US Fish and Wildlife Ser- miles wide, it is located in gently While he was actually describ- vice (FWS) described the region’s rolling Sierra foothills juxtaposed ing a portion of the Yosemite Valley, geology in 1999 in its petition for with pastoral ranchlands, strands of his words may as well have depicted listing Ione manzanita, one of the foothill woodland, vernal pools, the austere, ascetic harshness and area’s rare plant species: swales, and meadows. The plant understated complexity of the Ione The Ione Formation, comprised community that grows upon it is chaparral landscape. This unique is- of a unique Tertiary Oxisol, con- known as Ione chaparral. land of rare endemic, edaphic plant sisting of fluvial [stream or river From a hilltop perspective, low species evolved to thrive in an oth- produced] estuarine, and shal- heath-like chaparral vegetation erwise barren ecologic niche on nu- low marine deposits [Bureau of dominates the viewscape, punctu- trient poor, highly acidic soils—satu- Land Management 1989] was ated with an abstractly patterned rated in winter, bleached-bone dry developed under subtropical or patchwork of chalky-white to sepia- in summer, and hostile to most other tropical climate during the colored sunburnt earth. As landscape plant life. Eocene [35–57 million years architect Frederick Law Olmstead Olmstead also noted, “By no state- ago]. The Ione soils are coarse-

VOLUME 34:2, APRIL 2006 FREMONTIA 19 gered buckwheats, a diminutive Perhaps the mostly widely manzanita, and a couple of other known of Ione’s rare plants is Ione unusual plant species of the Ione manzanita (Arctostaphylos myrtifo- chaparral have managed to survive lia) and two forms of Eriogonum, this austere wilderness, but their fu- Ione buckwheat (Eriogonum apricum ture remains uncertain. var. apricum) and Irish Hill buck- Clay, sand, lignite (a form of wheat (Eriogonum apricum var. coal), gravel, aggregate, and gold mining continue to chew away at Soil in the habitat of Ione buckwheat. the dwindling habitat for these rare species. The urban workplaces of textured and exhibit soil prop- Sacramento and Stockton drive new erties typical of those produced residential and commercial devel- under tropical climates, such as opments—upstart centers of eco- high acidity, high aluminum nomic sprawl—deeper into areas content, and low fertility [Singer once reserved for rattlesnakes. Yet, 1978 in US FWS 1999]. the impacts of human tinkering with The face of the Ione Formation Ione’s suite of rare plants exceed is cratered by decades of surface min- even the obvious: the invasion of an ing, cleft by roads and highways, often fatal plant pathogen, Phytoph- and blotched with an incongruous thora cinnamomi, is complicating any collage of agricultural, commercial, strategy for the conservation of at and residential development. Grow- least the Ione manzanita, and may ing like persistent stubble beard from affect many other plant species that its weathered skin, a pair of endan- are commonplace in the area.

TOP RIGHT AND BOTTOM RIGHT: Irish Hill buckwheat (Eriogonum apricum var. prostratum). • BELOW: Ione buckwheat (Eriogonum apricum var. apricum). Photograph by S. Matson.

20 FREMONTIA VOLUME 34:2, APRIL 2006 prostratum). Ione manzanita is a federally listed threatened species. Both varieties of Eriogonum apricum are state and federally listed as endangered. There are at least two other un- common upland plant species in Ione-associated soils, both of which also occur in Amador and neighbor- ing counties in the same elevation Amador rush rose (Helianthemum suffrutescens). • Parry’s horkelia (Horkelia parryi). ranges—Amador or Bisbee Peak rush rose (Helianthemum suffrutescens), endary race horse Seabiscuit. It is 2005), senior adviser with the real and Parry’s horkelia (Horkelia one of the largest privately-owned estate company, “The property is parryi). The former still buds in ranches in California. under contract with a buyer and will botanic limbo until debate over its Other populations of rare Ione likely close in the second quarter of specific status is resolved. Some bota- plants grow mostly on lesser-sized 2006,” in the absence of complica- nists think of it only as a local aber- private lands. The California Depart- tions. ration of the common sun rose ment of Fish and Game (CDFG) Amador County District 2 (Ione (Helianthemum scoparium). and the US Bureau of Land Manage- area) Supervisor Richard Forster According to the Fish and Wild- ment own small protective reserves. (personal communication, January life Service, “Arctostaphylos myrti- Some rare plants grow on state high- 9, 2006) commented on the ranch folia is reported from 17 occurrences. way rights-of-way. Others occupy sale and the perceived intent of a [It] may occur in about 100 indi- the skinny edges of western Amador prospective buyer: “Gold Rush De- vidual stands which cover a total of County’s rural roadways, and some velopers [is] talking about [build- about 404.7 hectares (1,000 acres) occur on the East Bay Municipal ing] 8,000 homes over 20 years. That (Roy Woodward, Bechtel, in litt. Utility District’s Lake Comanche would seriously impact plants and 1994). It occurs primarily on out- land holdings in northern Calaveras more species that have been identi- crops of the Ione Formation within County. fied under the Endangered Species an area of about 35 sq. mi in Amador The specter of potentially explo- Act as either threatened or endan- County. In addition, a few disjunct sive land development in western gered. Namely, there’s the tiger sala- populations occur in Calaveras Amador County may be the most mander and vernal pool fairy County.” obvious and imminent threat to the shrimp.” “Eriogonum apricum is rarer,” the survival of Ione’s rare plants. The While Forster is an advocate for FWS said (1999), citing a 1984 Na- Howard Ranch was offered for sale the economic well-being of the area, ture Conservancy document: “Erio- in 2005 at a market price believed to including mining and related busi- gonum apricum var. apricum is re- be in excess of $85 million. nesses, he also supports a realistic stricted to nine occurrences occu- A sales brochure produced by approach to environmental impacts. pying a total of approximately 4 hect- real estate broker Grubb & Ellis “Being cognizant that the native ares (10 acres) on otherwise barren heralded “A Once in a Lifetime Op- plants thrive in areas where mining outcrops within the Ione chaparral portunity” for the potential buyer. occurs, we need to have a program . . . The two known occurrences of “With its combination of size, wild- that is protective of those native spe- E. apricum var. prostratum are re- life, natural resources, and inherent cies and follows the mandate of the stricted to otherwise barren outcrops beauty, Rancho Arroyo Seco is a law.” Whether Amador County will on less than 0.4 hectares (1 acre) in unique and desirable property,” the embrace natural resource conserva- openings of Ione chaparral on pri- brochure declares. “The ranch’s tion in the future is unclear. The vate land.” proximity within northern Cali- county’s General Plan (County of Perhaps three-quarters of Ione’s fornia to the employment growth Amador 1996)—the local govern- unique plant community exists on areas of Sacramento, San Francisco, ment document that prescribes a Rancho Arroyo Seco, site of the and the Silicon Valley creates op- blueprint for community develop- Howard Ranch, a 20,000-acre pri- portunities to share in their bur- ment—includes “wild west” lan- vate holding established originally geoning economies and real estate guage that promotes the philosophy through a Mexican land grant in appreciation,” the advertisement of self-governance in the form of 1844 and operated, at this writing, asserts. “home rule” at the expense of re- by the heirs of Charles S. Howard, According to Ken Noack (per- source protection: an entrepreneur who owned the leg- sonal communication, December 6, It is important to understand

VOLUME 34:2, APRIL 2006 FREMONTIA 21 discovered a pathogenic phenom- enon that appeared ominous: We were working in the CDFG [Apricum Hill] reserve. One day when I happened to be out there I took a stroll over to an area beyond where we had our [research] plots. This isn’t Fusic- occum, it’s something else, [Swiecki thought] It’s worse than that. This mortality center obviously wasn’t Fusicoccum. This was a patch that was to- tally devastated. Potentially, [it was] something more important than Fusicoccum. Swiecki’s subsequent reports to Clean Water Act or others is CDFG revealed the pathogen to be nothing more than a de facto Phytophthora cinnamomi, a plant dis- taking of the right to mine. ease that he characterized as “a pretty The General Plan goes further aggressive” pathogen: in its diatribe, stating in another It’s a root-rotting organism. It paragraph: has a wide host range. It moves Territories set aside for the pro- fairly rapidly. It can move with tection of endangered species water. It spreads around a lot threaten every use of the land, faster than some other soil- including hunting and fishing. borne fungi. Amador County’s General Plan He also points out that once it’s is under review in anticipation of established, getting rid of it is prob- revision by the end of 2008 or early lematic: 2009, according to Planning Direc- It tends to be very long lived in tor Susan Grijalva (personal com- the soil, and beyond that, also munication, December 20, 2005). difficult to eradicate. Once the “We would assume and expect that soil’s infested there’s not much our new general plan would address you can do about it. Arctosta- the issues of endangered species, phylos myrtifolia is limited to possible habitat conservation, and certain soil types. Once those things of that nature that the public soils become infested with has asked the Board [of Supervi- Phytophthora cinnamomi it’s an sors] to consider,” she explained. almost irreversible loss of habi- While continued land develop- tat for [Ione manzanita]. They ment will surely imprint additional can no longer support healthy permanent and irreversible scars on stands of Arctostaphylos myrti- the face of the Ione chaparral, the folia. If this pathogen gets spread subcutaneous emergence of the throughout the range of Ione Ione manzanita (Arctostaphylos myrtifolia), Phytophthora pathogen may produce manzanita, those plant popula- from the Carbondale Road area. Photo- an affliction from which there is no tions are headed for extinction. graphs by S. Matson. foreseeable recovery for Ione’s unique Since we aren’t making new suit- manzanita species and others. Plant able habitat anywhere, that’s a that the value of minerals is not pathologist Ted Swiecki, founder of problem for the survival of the in the minerals themselves, but the consulting firm Phytosphere Re- species. in the right to mine those min- search, was studying another fungal The disease is affecting other erals . . . Unlegislated or regula- disease of Ione manzanita, Fusi- California manzanitas, too, Swiecki tory taking under the guise of coccum spp., cankers that causes noted. “It’s almost as severe on Arc- the Endangered Species Act, the branch and twig dieback, when he tostaphylos viscida [white-leaf man-

22 FREMONTIA VOLUME 34:2, APRIL 2006 zanita] as A. myrtifolia. Probably most manzanitas are going to be sensitive to Phytophthora cinnamomi to varying degrees.” The extent of the disease and its relentless spread is worrisome from a macroscopic perspective. “It’s clearly affecting a native ecosystem,” Swiecki observed. “What’s uncom- mon is to see it taking out a chunk of native vegetation here in Califor- nia. It hasn’t been seen as a major pathogen in these types of native habitats in California prior to these times, at least on a large scale.” Phytophthora cinnamomi has af- fected plant species from Europe to South Africa to Australia and beyond. In a paper presented for the Sudden Oak Death Online Sympo- sium in 2003, writer Gretna Weste of the University of Melbourne dra- matically described the effects of the disease on the native forests of Australia: Phytophthora cinnamomi has Chaparral about two miles southeast of Ione, on the north side of Highway 88 (Amador caused severe dieback and dis- County). Photograph by S. Matson. ease in the native forests, woodlands, and heathlands of south- problem in planted landscapes. Storm runoff can exacerbate the ern Australia. The Australian It also turns out to be a problem problem. flora is entirely different from in various Christmas tree farms, According to Swiecki, two basic that of other countries; high spe- including the foothill and Si- management strategies are critical cies richness developed during erra regions. Curiously, it re- to minimizing the impact of P. a long period of isolation, . . . ally hasn’t been found [to be] cinnamomi on A. myrtifolia popula- P. cinnamomi has devastated the causing problems in native eco- tions: diverse species of the under- systems in California until this First and foremost, it is neces- story, caused epidemic disease particular finding. It may be [re- sary to prevent the spread of P. since 1973. More than 1,000 spe- sponsible] for coast live oak de- cinnamomi into stands that are cies are susceptible, and the rarer cline in San Diego County. currently free of this disease. species are endangered and may In the absence of known eradi- Secondly, and of almost equal become extinct. . . . The death cation methods, many researchers importance, the spread of the and degradation of a complete, advocate avoidance of infected ar- pathogen from existing disease unique, and beautiful forest eco- eas to prevent epidemic spread of centers within extant stands system is shocking. the disease to healthy plant commu- needs to be slowed or stopped. Phytophthora cinnamomi has nities. Activities that cause the move- In addition to the Phytophthora stewed in the soils or in horticul- ment of soil from one place to an- studies commissioned by the CDFG, tural and agricultural environs of other may spread the disease. These the US FWS is developing manage- California for decades, according to include vehicle traffic, especially off- ment strategies for the recovery of researcher Swiecki: road travel, mining, grading, con- Ione’s rare plants. A draft plan, pre- We’ve had it in California since struction activities, and even foot pared by consultant botanist Roy A. the turn of the 20th century. It’s traffic. Infested soil is most readily Woodward, is under review and re- been in avocado and citrus or- moved when it is wet, so avoiding vision by the Sacramento office of chards. It’s a pretty common dis- activities that spread the pathogen the FWS. It outlines ways the fed- ease of nursery container stock is particularly important through- eral government, in collaboration and consequently it becomes a out the wet season, Swiecki reported. with others, may implement effec-

VOLUME 34:2, APRIL 2006 FREMONTIA 23 tive species protection and recovery Depending on your perspective, If we intervene and act wisely, programs. FWS officials state that five or so years may be a lifetime or we can save some of this pristine the plan may be released for public just a nanosecond in the geologic wilderness. If not, time and those comment within a year. time required for the evolution of processes already in motion will de- Craig Aubrey (personal commu- Ione’s rare plants. Regardless, it’s cide the fate of the Ione chaparral. nication, January 12, 2006), FWS time enough for developers’ bull- Sacramento Recovery Branch chief, dozers to wipe from existence any REFERENCES reviewed the plan’s major strategies. number of Ione’s rare plants. It may “A variety of tools are available un- be inadequate time to see the Beveridge, C., and D. Schuyler, Eds. der the Endangered Species Act to completion of effective recovery 1983. The Papers of Frederick Law help states and landowners plan and plans, the allocation of funding to Olmstead, Volume III: Creating Cen- implement projects to conserve spe- advance them, or their final imple- tral Park, p.196. The Johns Hopkins cies,” Aubrey explained. The toolkit mentation. University Press. Baltimore, MD. Available at www.centralparknyc.org. includes so-called “traditional” con- Whatever the number of years, County of Amador. 1996. General Plan, servation grants: they may chronicle many more soggy Policy 14, Public Lands Policy. Funded activities include habi- winters in the Ione area like the one Olmstead, F.L. 1865. Yosemite and the tat restoration, species status of 2005–2006, when rivers, streams, Mariposa Grove: A Preliminary Re- surveys, public education, and and drainages swelled beyond ca- port. Library of Congress Exhibit. outreach, . . . propagation and pacity, and washed eroded soil, silt, The Evolution of the Conservation reintroduction, . . . surveys, ge- and debris far afield. Subtly blended Movement, 1850–1920. Converted to netic studies, and development into the muddy brew, a covert cas- html by D. Anderson, 1998. Avail- of management plans. cade of millions upon millions of able at www.yosemite.ca.us. Conservation lands might be ac- living, motile fungal zoospores per- Swiecki, T.J., E.A. Bernhardt, and M. quired through “Recovery Land Ac- colated deep into their new-found Garboletto. 2003. Diseases threaten the survival of Ione manzanita (Arc- quisition Grants,” Aubrey added, environs, some to touch the vulner- tostaphylos myrtifolia). Phytosphere stating: able roots of susceptible species with Research, Vacaville, CA and Univer- Loss of habitat is the primary a caress of certain death. sity of California, Berkeley. Available threat to most listed species, and It’s only a matter of time— at http://phytosphere.com/onlinelist. land acquisition is often the whether measured in years, months, htm. most effective and efficient or days—that the fate of Ione chap- Swiecki, T.J., E.A. Bernhardt, and M. means of protecting habitats es- arral will be decided. With prudent Garboletto. 2005. Distribution of sential for recovery of listed spe- management, some of its natural Phytophthora cinnamomi within the cies before development or heritage may be preserved for fu- range of Ione manzanita (Arctosta- other land use changes impair ture generations. Absent that, an- phylos mytrifolia). Phytosphere Re- or destroy key habitat values. other of California’s unique natural search, Vacaville CA and University of California, Berkeley. Available at I asked Aubrey whether the emer- resources may disappear, suffocated http://phytosphere.com/onlinelist.htm. gence of the Phythophthora pathogen beneath the concrete, asphalt, and US Fish and Wildlife Service. 1999. would precipitate relisting of Ione greened front lawns of epidemic Endangered and threatened wildlife manzanita from its current threat- land development, or killed by a and plants. Federal Register 64(101): ened status to that of endangered. He less visible but equally lethal en- 28403–28413. Available at www.fws. responded: emy, Phythophthora. gov/policy/library/99fr28403.html. We are not currently consider- As F.L. Olmstead (1865) wrote Weste, G. 2003. Disease caused by ing upgrading the listing status about another once-natural place: Phytophthora in Australia and its im- of Ione manzanita. When we do The time will come when New pact on native forests, woodlands, our five-year review for Ione York will be built up, when all and heathland. American Phyto- manzanita, we will evaluate rel- the grading and filling will be pathological Society. Sudden Oak Death Online Symposium. Available evant new information regard- done, and when the pictur- at: www.apsnet.org/online/SOD/. ing the magnitude and immi- esquely-varied, rocky formation Woodward, R.A. 2003. Ione species re- nence of previously identified of the Island will have been con- covery plan draft. Region 1, US Fish or new threats to the species, verted into the foundations for and Wildlife Service. Portland, OR. and then provide an updated rows of monotonous straight Unpublished. assessment of the status of the streets, and piles of erect, angu- species and its threats. lar buildings. There will be no George Hartwell, 5875 Park Circle, Ione, The next review is expected suggestion left of its present var- CA 95640. chaparral95640@hotmail. within five years, he said. ied surface. com

24 FREMONTIA VOLUME 34:2, APRIL 2006 Douglas irises, checkerblooms, and bunch grasses grace the meadow portion of Scott and Jenny Fleming’s garden. All photographs by S. Holt. A NATIVE PLANT GARDEN IN THE BERKELEY HILLS, PART ONE by Jenny S. Fleming

ur garden, which some neighbor’s property on our north- two tall elderberry shrubs (Sambu- knowledgeable people eastern border. Our exposure curves cus caerulea [Jepson = S. mexicana]), believe to be the oldest around from the west to nearly plentiful bulbs (Triteleia laxa, Di- privately owned Cali- north. Prevailing winds come from chelostemma capitatum), California Ofornia native plant garden, sur- the west, through the Golden Gate, poppies (Eschscholzia californica) rounds our home on a very steep and often bring fog. and grass iris or blue-eyed grass lot in the Berkeley hills north of the Our property was originally cov- (Sisyrinchium bellum). Much of the University of California campus. ered primarily with annual grasses, original cover was bulldozed out Our irregular, one-half acre lot rises about 110 feet from the lowest cor- ner on Shasta Road diagonally his article is reprinted as a three-part series with permission from across the property to the top cor- TRancho Santa Ana Botanic Garden. The original publication is: ner, from about 760 to 870 feet in Fleming, J.S. 1997. A Native Plant Garden in the Berkeley Hills. In Out of elevation. the Wild and Into the Garden II: California’s Horticulturally Significant The property is predominantly Plants. 1995 Symposium Proceedings. Rancho Santa Ana Botanic Garden situated on a northwest-facing ridge Occasional Publications #2. Pp. 218-225. adjoining a ravine cutting across the

VOLUME 34:2, APRIL 2006 FREMONTIA 25 26 FREMONTIA VOLUME 34:2, APRIL 2006 when we leveled an area to provide flat space for the house, patios, and a tiny lawn. Creating a building site and some level outdoor living area required extensive excavation and grading, including scalping the top- soil across the center of the property down to what my husband calls “God’s own concrete”—a pebble- studded, heavy, hard clay. While excavating for a drainage line, my husband, Scott, found it easier to break out a concrete overflow from the foundation footings than to dig through the subsoil. Our wide, exposed, aggregate driveway leads diagonally uphill to the garage level below the single floor living area of the house. You can reach the living area by climb- ing a concrete staircase in front or by a ramp going up along the west side. From a landing halfway up the Hearst ceanothus gracefully drapes over boulders in the rock garden. front stairway, a path leads down along the top of the driveway retain- dirt resulting from the excavation. other potentially unstable areas of ing wall and a rock stairway leads Our most attractive, along the street deep fill on steep slopes. These walls, up to the meadow and patios. From frontage, is a 4-foot high “dry rock” especially the dry rock walls, are the southwest end of this level, a wall of Sonoma County fieldstone. “self-landscaping.” Eventually ferns, well constructed stepping stone path By “dry rock” I mean a wall built heucheras, and other nice plants made of flat pieces of lava 3 to 4 only of rock stabilized by dirt com- have filled the joints between the inches thick switchbacks up the hill, pacted behind the rock. Our walls rocks and spaces between the rails, providing foot and wheelbarrow ac- generally slope back about 15 de- a lovely sight. Over time, lichens cess to the garden on the sunny up- grees from vertical for increased sta- have discovered much of the rock. per hillside. A rock stairway built of bility and are built up from a firm With our first child coming along the same natural stepping stones pro- foundation layer in a trench. These in 1954, we needed to develop some vides an alternate route up the hill- walls, ranging from 1 foot to about 8 paths and play space and build fences side at the northerly end of the main feet high, have stood for nearly 40 so a toddler would not “fall off the yard level. years with virtually no displacement, yard.” Before we had time to con- Drainage, a major consideration, despite numerous minor earth- sider serious landscaping, we vis- is provided by drainlines under the quakes and downpours. A dry rock ited the Native Plant Botanic Gar- uphill edge of the paths. These paths wall assures excellent drainage. den in Tilden Park, just a mile up are sloped to direct water to the We have also built walls of con- and over the hill. We soon devel- drainlines. Another major drainage crete rails and “deadmen”—concrete oped the habit of taking lunch there feature is a recirculating waterfall, beams with wide ends to lie between on sunny weekend days. pool, and stream system that over- the rails and project back into the We fell under the spell of the flows into a 6-inch diameter drain- slopes of dirt fill—to handle more garden’s beauty and, following many pipe leading to the street along our demanding fill-retention problems. long conversations with James Roof, northeasterly boundary. This was a necessary, though less founder and director, we decided to Good sturdy retaining walls are attractive, means to support an 8- develop a native plant garden. This essential for stabilizing areas of fill foot rise above the driveway and in appealed to Scott, who liked many of the plants that he had met while Rockwork is a critical element to the architecture of the Fleming garden. Adjacent to the hiking in the Sierra near his teenage flagstone patio, the meadow garden is separated from the rock garden by a dry streambed home in Reno, Nevada. that is flanked by a flagstone path. When we started, did we plan to

VOLUME 34:2, APRIL 2006 FREMONTIA 27 be purists? I don’t think we ever easy. The area in front of the house sorrel and the herbaceous inside- gave it a thought. These were beauti- was on a steeply descending north out flower (Vancouveria hexandra) ful plants and we wanted to use them. slope, an obvious site for shade lov- interspersed with iris (Iris innom- The idea of remaining purists came ing redwood plants. We have two inata) and meadow rue (Thalictrum later. Jim put us into contact with large redwood trees and a big-leaf polycarpum [Jepson = Thalictrum Louis Edmunds, owner of a native maple (Acer macrophyllum) shading fendleri var. polycarpum]). Featured plant nursery in Danville, and we the bank. Understory shrubs include here are some very special bulbs. were off on a lifetime commitment. vine maple (Acer circinatum), mock Fetid adder’s tongue (Scoliopus orange (Philadelphus lewisii), ever- bigelovii) appears early in spring, green huckleberry (Vaccinium ova- with elegant, shiny, pleated leaves tum), salal (Gaultheria shallon), and with purple dots close to the ground my prized western dogwood (Cornus and small narrow-petaled flowers. nuttallii), collected from the wild as The unpleasant odor is noticeable a tiny tree. Its growth is very slow only very close to the plants. A fawn now, perhaps from too much shade lily with mottled leaves and showy and too many years in our clay soil. I white flowers (Erythronium califor- transplanted it, with a few incanta- nicum), also appears in late Febru- tions, on the lower part of the slope ary, soon followed by trilliums (Tril- on April 8, 1958, a few hours after it lium ovatum and T. chloropetalum). collapsed into the driveway in a The narrow strip on the upper mudslide. The little dogwood kept side of the driveway, elevated by a growing in this shady site, spreading row of fieldstone, displays the same but gaining little in height. groundcovers and ferns plus sugar Groundcovers for this area were scoops, (Tiarella unifoliata [Jepson easy to come by: wild ginger (Asarum = T. trifoliata var. unifoliata]) and caudatum), false Solomon’s seal deer fern (Blechnum spicant). (Smilacina stellata), and redwood The 8-foot high concrete rail wall, sorrel (Oxalis oregana) quickly cov- mentioned earlier, supports the next ered the slope. I planted one or two garden terrace. Between the rails of sword ferns (Polystichum munitum) this wall I have used more oxalis, and their descendants proceeded to wild ginger, and vancouveria. Fea- pop up in many available places, tured here are many clumps of five- especially in the crevices between fingered fern (Adiantum aleuticum) rocks. This area receives occasional and other ferns—sword fern, Cali- summer water and the dense cover fornia polypody (Polypodium cali- provides excellent protection from fornicum), and goldback fern (Pityro- soil erosion. During the last two gramma triangularis [Jepson = Penta- years of drought, thrips were an un- gramma triangularis]). In areas of sightly problem by summer’s end; light shade are sugar scoops, island the salal was especially hard hit. We alum root (Heuchera maxima) and Blue dicks and sword fern soften the con- have pruned heavily and used Safer a delicate pink form of common tact between a fence and adjacent rocks. Soap with pyrethins, but with little alum root (H. micrantha ‘Martha effect. Roderick’). In a larger rock pocket I Ours is a collector’s garden, not There is a wide planting strip on have displayed the coastal bead lily a landscaped garden. When we saw the downhill side of the steep drive- (Clintonia andrewsiana), and wake attractive plants new to us, we would way, and a narrow, raised planting robin, (Trillium ovatum). make another trip to the Edmunds strip on the uphill side, topped by nursery, hoping to acquire them. We the near vertical concrete rail wall [See the next two issues of Fremontia also obtained permits from the For- mentioned earlier. Overhanging red- for a continuation of this delightful est Service to collect from the wild, woods shade the driveway and the journey through the Fleming garden.] using great care to minimize im- planting strips on both sides. pact. I am pleased that casual col- The planting on the lower side, Contact the author through Bart O’Brien, lecting is no longer allowed. running the length of the driveway, Rancho Santa Ana Botanic Garden,1500 The topography of our property continues the theme of redwood for- N. College Avenue, Claremont, CA 91711. helped make some plant placement est floor plants, with much redwood [email protected]

28 FREMONTIA VOLUME 34:2, APRIL 2006 SPRING WILDFLOWERS FROM GRASSLANDS AND OAK WOODLANDS Photographs by B. Ertter, J. Game, G. Hartwell, C. Jones, S. Matson, and L. Vorobik

o many wildflowers are in their full glory this time of year. Presented here are images of landscapes and flowers that one might see while strolling through the oaks or nearby grasslands. SMany of these flowers might be discovered while enjoying the trails of Mt. Diablo in Contra Costa County (see B. Ertter’s article on page 3).

TOP: Lupines (blue—Lupinus benthamii; white—L. microcarpus var. Photographers are invited to densiflorus) in a sea of frying pan poppies (Eschscholzia lobbii) submit their work for publication along Point Grade, Highway 120, just below Big Flat. Photograph in Fremontia. For more infor- by C. Jones. • ABOVE, CLOCKWISE: Blue-eyed-grass (Sisyrinchium mation, contact the editor at bellum). Photograph by L. Vorobik. • Tidy tips (Layia platyglossa). Photograph by C. Jones. • Cream cups (Platystemon californicus). [email protected]. For informa- Photograph by L. Vorobik. • FAR RIGHT: Wall flower (Erysimum tion on individual photographers, capitatum). Photograph by L. Vorobik. see the inside back cover.

VOLUME 34:2, APRIL 2006 FREMONTIA 29 VERTICAL ROW ON LEFT, TOP TO BOTTOM: Mount Diablo fairy lantern (Calochortus pulchellus). Photograph by J. Game. • Ithuriel’s spear (Triteleia laxa). Photograph by G. Hartwell. • Purple owl’s-clover (Castilleja exserta ssp. latifolia). Photograph by S. Matson. • A brodiaea found on coastal serpentine (Brodiaea stellaris). Photograph by J. Game. • Close-up of disk flowers of balsamroot (Balsamorhiza deltoidea). Photograph by S. Matson.

TOP RIGHT GROUPING, CLOCKWISE FROM MIDDLE: Purple owl’s-clover (Castilleja exserta ssp. latifolia), in a sea of goldfields (Lasthenia californica). Photograph by C. Jones. • Baby blue-eyes (Nemophila menziesii) with Johnny-jump-up (Viola pedunculata). Photograph by B. Ertter. • California poppies (Eschscholzia californica) with annual grasses and vetch (Vicia villosa), a non-native. Photograph by C. Jones.

LARGE PHOTOGRAPH, ABOVE: Hint of spring gold from California poppies on slopes east of Bakersfield along Highway 233. Photograph by C. Jones.

RIGHT: Johnny-nip (Castilleja ambigua), from coastal grasslands. Photograph by J. Game.

30 FREMONTIA VOLUME 34:2, APRIL 2006 BOOKS RECEIVED

Field Guide to the Vernal Pools The vernal pools of California are of Mather Field, Sacramento County, biological communities that are not only by Carol W. Witham. Copyright © unique to California, but also differ 2006 Sacramento Valley Chapter, Cali- from each other—including nearby and fornia Native Plant Society. Soft cover, adjacent pools. The author of what is 3 3 spiral bound, 48 pages, 5 /8x8 /8, 130 likely to be a popular guide to the ver- color photographs, map. $10.00. Visit nal pools of Mather Field explains in www.sacvalleycnps.org for ordering in- layperson terms the special conditions formation. that, over millions of years, create these distinctive and stunningly beautiful CLOCKWISE FROM TOP LEFT: Yellow carpet (Blen- communities, and the adaptations of nosperma nanum), Fremont’s tidy-tips (Layia the plants and animals that enable them fremontii), vernal pool goldfields (Lasthenia to survive and exploit the demanding fremontii), flying pan poppies (Eschscholzia environment. She explains why the lobbii). Photographs by C. Witham. CLOCKWISE FROM TOP LEFT: Bluedicks (Dichel- pools differ from each other, and from ostemma capitatum), alkali checkerbloom one region to another. The copious (Sidalcea hirsuta), horned downingia photographs—of the concentric-ringed (Downingia bicornuta), and Douglas’s pools as well as close-ups of plants and beardstyle (Pogogyne douglasii). animals in various stages—tell why the author is passionate about them, and trays the different worlds of the aquatic why we must save them. and the flowering phases, both of Not the least fascinating aspect of which are intricate examples of the these delightful areas are the close re- precious diversity we have inherited. lationships between plants and the in- Protecting this heritage is not easy; the teracting fauna—many of which exist very terrain that favors development only in a given pool—and the fact that of the pools favors the development of hundreds of plants and animals can houses, and the pools are located in exist nowhere else. The author por- burgeoning areas of the state. BOOK REVIEW

San Diego County Native Plants, of San Diego County. That book is de- cations that can quickly be caught with by James Lightner, 2006. San Diego lightfully portable, ideal for identify- a photograph, so the book has proven Flora, San Diego, CA. 320 pages, cloth, ing species in the field, and gives the a valuable complement to Beauchamp’s $29.95. essentials needed by professional bota- Flora. Plant species are local. It always nists: a key and the locations and abun- In his guide, Lightner takes an ap- surprises me how few people know that dance for each species in the county. proach that needs to be used in more the secret to accurate plant identifica- Unfortunately, identifying plants wildflower guides: Instead of provid- tion is to have a guide specific to plants using technical keys can be a difficult ing a single picture for each plant, he of the region. If you are interested in skill to learn, so most plant enthusi- typically includes two to three photos southern California plants, even the best asts in San Diego County have been showing various aspects of the plant. I book on plants of northern California forced to use picture books from other well remember my first days in the will result in many incorrect identifica- areas. But when James Lightner came field puzzling over whether a picture tions. Even for regions within southern out with his first edition of San Diego matched a given plant or not. Often, California, you are likely to misidentify Native Plants in 2004, amateur bota- seeing another picture—whether from roughly 5–10% of the species if, for nists interested in local plants were a different angle, showing a different example, you use a book on plants of ecstatic. Finally, here was a book that part of the plant, or at a different the Santa Monica Mountains to try to concentrated on San Diego County and scale—helped immensely in deciding identify species of the Santa Rosa Pla- only featured species known to be in whether I had a match or not. Of course teau, even though the two spots are the area. The book was as portable as the only drawback to having more pic- less than 100 miles apart. Beauchamp’s, and was filled with won- tures, as this guide does, is that they Since 1986, botanists comfortable derful pictures. Even advanced bota- tend to be a bit small and therefore with using technical plant keys have nists were quite pleased with Lightner’s show less detail. been well served for San Diego County book. There’s nothing like a key to Lightner organizes his book into with Beauchamp’s wonderful A Flora lead you to some horrible misidentifi- two parts: Trees and Shrubs; and Her-

VOLUME 34:2, APRIL 2006 FREMONTIA 31 baceous Plants. By doing so, he imme- this one is accessible to the beginning cluded birds, insects, and spiders in diately reduces the number of plants to botanist! The new edition highlights his photos, and provides an index to be searched by about half. Each section which species are often confused, and them. Second, at the back is a list of is then further organized by family. in most cases gives the critical differ- naturalists associated with species in Amateurs may be unhappy that entiating characters—an extremely San Diego County, with biographical the book is not organized by flower valuable addition. Text has been added information on each person. color, since most beginners are unfa- for many species, and the introduc- Having bestowed all this praise on miliar with the plant families, and the tion does an excellent job in summa- Lightner’s book, I’d like to offer a few guide makes no attempt to teach them rizing San Diego County plant life. suggestions for improving the next to the reader. By and large, however, The most critical part of any plant edition. First, two species are often organization by plant family is far guide is the accuracy of the identifica- discussed together, accompanied by a more useful. tion of photographs of the species number of pictures. In a fair number Lightner’s first edition covered treated, which is quite high in this of cases, he fails to specify which pic- only the non-desert portions of San volume due to the pre-publication re- tures go with which species. Second, Diego County, and he received many view of the book by Dr. Jon Rebman, the text is printed in too delicate a requests to cover the desert portion as an expert on plants of San Diego font, which makes it somewhat diffi- well. His 2006 edition now includes County. Lightner even has six accu- cult to read. Apparently this font was about 350 desert species and an addi- rately-identified Cryptantha species, used to save space. Third, a list of the tional 150 cismontane species. instead of the typical “Cryptantha sp.” very few misidentifications I’ve found, Lightner has also tripled the number given in most such books. along with a few other comments, are of grasses, sedges, and rushes to nearly One useful feature in the book is available at http://tchester.org/plants/ 100. Advanced plant enthusiasts will the use of single-letter abbreviations lists/books/lightner.html. especially treasure these added pic- to designate one of the many geo- Notwithstanding these minor criti- tures and descriptions. The new book graphic regions (C for coast, F for cisms, anyone with more than a pass- is truly a bargain; doubling the num- foothills, etc.) in which each species is ing interest in San Diego County plants ber of species only marginally in- found. Each photo also lists the spe- will most certainly want to get hold of creased the price. The book is dense cific location where it was taken. this book. with information and could almost be There are two unexpected bonuses Tom Chester called a mini-Jepson Manual except that to Lightner’s guide. First, he has in- San Diego County Chapter

32 FREMONTIA VOLUME 34:2, APRIL 2006 Please Join Today! CNPS member gifts allow us to promote and protect California’s native plants and their habitats. Gifts are tax-deductible minus the $12 of the total gift which goes toward publication of Fremontia and the CNPS Bulletin.

❏ $1,500 Mariposa Lily ❏ $600 Benefactor ❏ $300 Patron ❏ $100 Plant Lover ❏ $75 Family or Group ❏ $75 International ❏ $45 Individual or Library ❏ $25 Limited Income

NAME

ADDRESS

CITY STATE ZIP

❏ 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 ❏ Enclosed is a matching gift form provided by my employer Phone ❏ I would like information on planned giving Email Please make your check payable to “CNPS” and send to: California Native Plant Society, 2707 K Street, Suite 1, Sacramento, CA 95816-5113. Phone (916) 447-2677; fax (916) 447-2727; www.cnps.org.

CONTRIBUTING PHOTOGRAPHERS MATERIALS FOR PUBLICATION Kristi Fien is a Geographic Information Systems (GIS) Research Analyst for the California Department of Fish and Game. Members and others are invited John Game works for the Life Sciences Division of the Lawrence Berkeley Na- to submit material for publica- tional Laboratory and is a research associate at the University/Jepson Herbaria, tion in Fremontia. Instructions UC Berkeley. More of is work can be seen at the Calphotos website, http:// elib.cs.berkeley.edu/photos. for contributors can be found Saxon Holt is a professional photographer who specializes in garden landscapes on the CNPS website, www.cnps. and plants. He has been selling his work as fine art prints and licensing use of his org, or can be requested from the images for over 20 years. His work can be seen at http://saxonholt.com. next Fremontia Editor, Bart Kirsten Ironside is a plant ecologist and GIS specialist at Northern Arizona O’Brien at [email protected] or University’s Merriam-Powell Center for Environmental Research. She has taken many photographs in California while surveying vegetation. c/o Rancho Santa Ana Botanic Carl Jones is a professional illustrator, graphic designer, and photographer who Garden,1500 N. College Avenue, has spent much time exploring California’s scenic back-country with his camera. Claremont, CA 91711. Carl’s work can be seen at www.carlsgallery.com. Steve Matson is vice-president of the CNPS Tahoe Chapter, botanist, and photographer. His images can be seen at the Calphotos website, http://elib.cs.berkeley. FREMONTIA EDITORIAL edu/photos. ADVISORY BOARD Save Mount Diablo has graciously provided use of many of their images from an assortment of photographers. For more information on Save Mount Diablo, see Susan D’Alcamo, Ellen Dean, www.savemountdiablo.org. Kathleen Dickey, Phyllis M. Dean Taylor is a professional botanical consultant and long-time member of Faber, Holly Forbes, Pam Muick, CNPS. His photographs can be seen at the Calphotos website, http://elib.cs.berkeley. Bart O’Brien, John Sawyer, Jim edu/photos. Shevock, Linda Ann Vorobik, Linda Vorobik is the editor of Fremontia, a professional botanist, and botanical illustrator. For information on her work, workshops, and illustrations, see and Carol W. Witham www.VorobikBotanicalArt.com.

VOLUME 34:2, APRIL 2006 FREMONTIAFREMONTIA 3 FROM THE EDITOR

h spring, the time of change and Mary Leonin Bowerman. Barbara Ertter unique soils and species, educates us renewal, and the California shares rare insights into Mary’s life, about these and about the threat to A Native Plant Society (CNPS) and helps us relive her exploration of this area by development and by the is in step. As many of you know, our Mt. Diablo and her work to save this invading plant disease, Phytophthora new Executive Director, Amanda botanical gem and east San Francisco cinnamomi. Jorgenson, came on board this Janu- Bay promontory. For pure pleasure and delight look ary, and our new Fremontia Editor, The vegetation series that began to pages 29 and 30 for a photographic Bart O’Brien, will begin his tenure by in the January 2006 issue of Fremontia layout of spring flowers. And don’t co-editing the July issue. Welcome Bart continues with a look at advances in miss the Books Received note on Carol and Amanda! I am also happy to re- vegetation mapping as used by the Witham’s Field Guide to the Vernal Pools port that all who have contacted me CNPS vegetation ecologists Julie Evens of Mather Field, or the review of the are very pleased with their color and Anne Klein. In supporting such second edition of the 2004 volume, Fremontia. Please check the inside back research, CNPS is greatly contribut- San Diego Native Plants, by James cover for more information on those ing to the understanding of habitat Lightner, which is replete with photo- who have generously offered use of diversity, and through it, protection graphs useful for plant identification. their photographs. of native plants. The next article is a Happy reading, but most of all, happy This issue begins with a tribute to case in point of an area that needs our botanizing! one of California’s premier women attention now. George Hartwell, a Linda Ann Vorobik botanists and conservationists: Dr. champion of the Ione area and its Fremontia Editor

CONTRIBUTORS

Tom Chester is a retired astrophysicist who got hooked on botany in 2001 and studies the flora of southern California

full-time, now concentrating on the plants of Santa Rosa Pla-

Address Service Requested Service Address

Sacramento, CA 95816-5113 CA Sacramento, 2707 K Street, Suite 1 Suite Street, K 2707 teau and Borrego Springs. Society Plant Native California Barbara Ertter, PhD, is curator of vascular plants of western North America at the Jepson and University Herbaria, Uni- versity of California, Berkeley. She and Dr. Mary Bowerman coauthored a new edition of The Flowering Plants and Ferns of Mt. Diablo, California, published by the California Native Plant Society in 2002. Julie Evens is the lead vegetation ecologist for the Califor- nia Native Plant Society. She provides outreach and man- ages a variety of projects to describe vegetation statewide. Jenny S. Fleming is one of the founding members, and a long time Fellow, of the California Native Plant Society. Throughout her long horticultural career, and as an extraor- dinary volunteer on behalf of our native flora, Jenny and her garden have provided inspiration and plants to innumerable gardening enthusiasts. George Hartwell is an amateur botanist and photographer. He is retired from an eclectic career that morphed from mer- chant seaman to radio/TV news reporter; book, magazine and newspaper writer; documentary film/video author, narrator

and director; and, marketing and public affairs specialist. Some

U.S. Postage U.S.

Permit # 3729 # Permit Nonprofit Org. Nonprofit of his photos may be seen at the Calphotos website, http:// CA Oakland, elib.cs.berkeley.edu/photos. PAID Anne Klein is a vegetation ecologist for the California Na- tive Plant Society, where she works on vegetation projects within California. Her current focus is on the Sierra Nevada foothills vegetation classification project.

4 FREMONTIA VOLUME 34:2, APRIL 2006