Mar/Apr 2013
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March/April 2013 CALENDAR Expanding our horizons… Mar 7.................Board Meeting There are lots of field trips on the calendar—a total of sixteen for the year! This is all Mar 9....Chapter Council RSABG owing to the diligence and enthusiasm of our field trip chairman, Ron Vanderhoff. In Mar 10...FT Santiago Truck Trail addition to his encyclopedic knowledge of our local native plants, Ron has visited most if Mar 21............Chapter Meeting Mar 31.............FT Elsinore Peak not all likely spots to find them, at different times and seasons over many years. Apr 4..................Board Meeting Choose one or do them all! From easy driving to more strenuous hiking, there’s a trip for Apr 6..................FT IRC - limited everyone. Check our website at occnps.org for the latest information. Apr 13-21 CA Native Plant Week Apr 14............................FT LCW THE CONSERVATION REPORT: Apr 18.............Chapter Meeting Apr 20-21...............Green Scene NEW LAND MANAGEMENT PLAN PROPOSED FOR SO CAL NATIONAL FORESTS Apr 21.... FT O’Neil Conservancy The US Forest Service (FS) has issued a Draft Supplemental Environmental Impact Statement Apr 28..FT Starr Ranch – limited (DSEIS) for the proposed Southern California National Forests Land Management Plan May ...................Board Meeting Amendment. The Amendment is for the Land Use Management Plans (LMPs) of the four southern May 4.....................Garden Tour California National Forests: Angeles, Cleveland, Los Padres, and San Bernardino--a.k.a. the Four May 5................FT Gorman Hills Forests. May 11?................SAMNHA trip The DSEIS describes three alternative land use zonings for what are now designated as May 16............Chapter Meeting Inventoried Roadless Areas (IRAs). Two of the zonings would be more restrictive of public use, May 19.. FT Upper Newport Bay hence more protective of natural values. Alternative 1 - No Action (existing status continued). • Under Scoping: CNF - Coldwater, Ladd & Trabuco IRAs Map. • No changes to current land use zones or to current • Under Supporting: Cleveland National Forest - North Final management direction. Land Management Plan Land-Use Zones Map (2005). • No change in allowable vegetation management activities; The District’s three IRAs, Coldwater, Ladd, and Trabuco, are now allows vegetation removal for roads, trails and fuel breaks, zoned mostly as Back Country Non-Motorized, edged with some and hazardous fuels modifications and fire suppression Back Country (motorized uses allowed) and Developed Area activities that would modify stand structure and species Interface (minimum 300-foot fuel treatment zones around composition. structures and facilities). Alternative 2 - Proposed Action (the FS’ Preferred Alternative). • Under Alternative 1, the three IRAs’ current zoning and • More/bigger non-motorized and Recommended Wilderness management, hence public uses, would remain as is. zones. • Under Alternative 2, the IRAs’ Back Country and Developed • Fewer/smaller zones for motorized use, especially motorized Area Interface zones would be rezoned to Back Country recreational use. Non-Motorized. This zoning allows a low level of public • Fuels modifications and fire suppression activities and their use, and is managed to retain undeveloped character effects would be the same as those in Alternative 1. and natural appearance. Fuel breaks that contrast with • No change in Existing Wilderness zones. the natural character may be present. • No construction of new roads. • Under Alternative 3, the Trabuco area and most of the Alternative 3 – Recommended Wilderness Emphasis (developed Coldwater area would be zoned as Recommended in response to comments from groups wanting more wilderness Wilderness. The Ladd IRA, because it is bisected by the zoning). existing Valley-Serrano 500 kV electric transmission line • More/bigger Recommended Wilderness zones. and its 160 foot maintenance right-of-way, is not • Significant decrease in human disturbance by prohibiting: suitable for Recommended Wilderness. ◦ Public motorized access of any kind. Analysis of what the new LMP means for our backyard Santa Anas ◦ The use of mechanized tools/equipment for fuels will continue next time, in time for the May 16 comment reductions and fuel break construction. deadline. Stay tuned! • No change in Existing Wilderness zones. —Celia Kutcher, Conservation Chair • No construction of new roads. WHAT THIS MEANS FOR THE TRABUCO DISTRICT of the Cleveland NF, which manages our backyard Santa Ana Mountains. See the extensive background and maps at Native Plant Garden Tour fs.fed.us/nepa/fs-usda-pop.php?project=35130: Saturday, May 4, 2013 • Under Appendix 1 Maps: Cleveland National Forest - North Contact Sarah Jayne to submit a garden or to volunteer. Maps. CNPS Orange County Chapter 2 March/April 2013 02-24-13 Native Gardener’s Corner—Members’ Tips, Tricks, and Techniques early seekers of gold risked life & limb This column is a regular newsletter feature offering chapter members and in searches of riches local experts a chance to briefly share information on many things related many died to gardening with natives. many failed This Issue's question was "What edible native plant are you most likely to grow & why?" i set my foot upon canyon trail & Answers listed in order received. head up the slope Laura Camp-"OC natives Woolly Blue Curls (Trichostema lanatum) and San there at my feet Miguel Savory (Clinopodium or Satureja chandleri) - both the flowers and startling yellow petals leaves are great tea ingredients either fresh or dried: one floral, the other four perfect arcs minty." surrounding a miniature globe Orchid Black-"Rubus ursinus - Blackberry! Fruit for me and the birds. Ribes a diminutive pearl of yellow aureum, it's tasty, too, if small. Oaks, for the more adventurous." suncups is its common name Mark Sugars-"Fragaria vesca, Woodland Strawberry. It's hardy, it catches the sun’s rays & dependable, and evergreen; it forms a dense ground cover and grows in reflects them back to me & all soils; and it produces scads of "berries" (yes, I know, accessory fruits)— warms my soul & small, but jam-packed with flavor." puts a smile upon my face Gene Ratcliffe-"I have the native grape hybrid 'Roger's Red', which makes a richness beyond compare to the wonderful jelly or juice, and if I don't harvest the grapes the birds love golden nuggets & flakes sought by the argonauts them as well." stepping up canyon trail Ron Vanderhoff-"I love berries, so I also love being near a "female" patch James Dilley Preserve of our native California Blackberry (Rubus ursinus). Ummm, I could stop Laguna Coast Wilderness Park and snack for an hour. In a garden I'll opt for another native berry, Orange County, CA California Strawberry (Fragaria vesca). A fine groundcover for semi- shaded areas and quite tasty." Suncups Trude Hurd-"Lemonadeberry. When struggling up a trail, I can't resist Camissonia bistorta stopping and tasting its red fruit. It jolts me back to attention! It's a nice- looking shrub that attracts wildlife." chuck wright Sarah Jayne-“I didn’t plant it for the purpose but soon discovered Cleveland Sage to be the best sage for cooking, far superior to the regular cooking variety Salvia officionalis. ‘Winifred Gilman’ works just as well as straight Salvia clevelandii. I always dry a bunch of it when I trim. California Bay Laurel, Umbellularia californica, I planted with the full intention of using its leaves—sparingly—as seasoning.” Dan Songster-"Onion species (like Allium unifolium) to trim and use like chives in season. Also, Miner's lettuce (Claytonia perfoliata) in salads. Oh, and Our Lord's Candle (Hesperoyucca whipplei) blossoms thrown into a skillet with onions as a base for an omelet." Thanks to all who responded! Next issue's question: "Which native flowers do you most like to pick for an indoor bouquet?" Email your responses to Dan Songster at [email protected]. Please remember to keep replies brief so we can include most of the responses! —Dan Songster February Heat Wave in the Foothills PLANT SALE AND MEMBER CELEBRATION AT TREE OF LIFE NURSERY Saturday, March 16, 2013, 9am-4pm Eighty degrees of separation Please join us for our spring event at Tree of Life Nursery. All are welcome, and from our mid-west friends there will be educational speakers throughout the day. Check our website at with all their stuff to shovel occnps.org for the schedule of speakers. out from under The day will be a special celebration for members. Members receive a 10% means we cannot speak discount on plant purchases, and will receive a free plant or seed pack with any our winter secret: plant purchase. Renew your membership at the plant sale! how lupine swing their violet hips A special plant will be available on plant sale day only! to the golden tune of fiddlenecks Tree of Life is releasing a special crop of Delphinium cardinale—Scarlet while a California thrasher courts us all Larkspur—in D-40 pots for plant sale day only. This special beauty of the from his perch atop the glistening laurel chaparral, with 4' tall spikes of red flowers, is seldom available in the nursery sumac. trade, and has been growing for three years in the pots. The plants bloomed last year and are expected to bloom again! They will be sold for $15 each, and $5 Thea Gavin from each purchase will be contributed to CNPS. Limit 3 per person. CNPS Orange County Chapter 3 March/April 2013 Chapter Meetings Directions to the Duck Club Chapter meetings are held on the third Thursday of the month, The Duck Club is located in the San Joaquin Wildlife Sanctuary next to except in July and August. Unless otherwise stated, meetings the IRWD water treatment facility. Access is off Campus Drive. To get take place at the Duck Club in Irvine. Doors open at 6:45 pm; the there: program begins at 7:30.