California Wetlands
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VOL. 46, NO.2 FREMONTIA JOURNAL OF THE CALIFORNIA NATIVE PLANT SOCIETY California Wetlands 1 California Native Plant Society CNPS, 2707 K Street, Suite 1; Sacramento, CA 95816-5130 Phone: (916) 447-2677 • Fax: (916) 447-2727 FREMONTIA www.cnps.org • [email protected] VOL. 46, NO. 2, November 2018 Memberships Copyright © 2018 Members receive many benefits, including a subscription toFremontia California Native Plant Society and the CNPS Bulletin. Look for more on inside back cover. ISSN 0092-1793 (print) Mariposa Lily.............................$1,500 Family..............................................$75 ISSN 2572-6870 (online) Benefactor....................................$600 International or library...................$75 Patron............................................$300 Individual................................$45 Gordon Leppig, Editor Plant lover.....................................$100 Student/retired..........................$25 Michael Kauffmann, Editor & Designer Corporate/Organizational 10+ Employees.........................$2,500 4-6 Employees..............................$500 7-10 Employees.........................$1,000 1-3 Employees............................$150 Staff & Contractors Dan Gluesenkamp: Executive Director Elizabeth Kubey: Outreach Coordinator Our mission is to conserve California’s Alfredo Arredondo: Legislative Analyst Sydney Magner: Asst. Vegetation Ecologist native plants and their natural habitats, Christopher Brown: Membership & Sales David Magney: Rare Plant Program Manager and increase understanding, appreciation, Jennifer Buck-Diaz: Vegetation Ecologist Liv O’Keeffe: Senior Dir., Communications and horticultural use of native plants. Alison Colwell: Asst. Rare Plant Botanist & Engagement Kate Cooper: Administrative Assistant Amy Patten: Rare Plant Treasure Hunt Protecting California’s native Julie Evens: Vegetation Program Dir. Manager flora since 1965 Raphaela Floreani Buzbee: Asst. Vegeta- Christine Peiper: Development Director tion Ecologist Becky Reilly: Engagement Strategist The views expressed by the authors in Stacey Flowerdew: Senior Development Steven Serkanic: Asst. Rare Plant Botanist this issue do not necessarily represent Coordinator Kendra Sikes: Vegetation Ecologist policy or procedure of CNPS. Kaitlyn Green: Asst. Rare Plant Botanist Aaron Sims: Rare Plant Botanist Nicholas Jensen: Southern California Greg Suba: Conservation Program Dir. Conservation Analyst Kristen Wernick: Outreach Coordinator Laureen Jenson: Accounting & HR Brock Wimberley: Ops & Finance Dir. Cover: Darlingtonia californica fen Seth Kauppinen: Asst. Rare Plant Botanist Sam Young: IPA Program Manager in the Siskiyou Wilderness. Photo by Michael Kauffmann. Chapter Council - Chapter Delegates Marty Foltyn: Chair Orange County: David Pryor, Thea Gavin Larry Levine: Vice Chair Redbud: Denise Della Santina Judy Fenerty: Secretary Riverside/San Bernardino: Kate Barr North Coast Shasta Alta Peak: Cathy Capone Sacramento Valley: Glen Holstein, Statewide Chapters Baja: César Garcìa Valderrama Hazel Gordon Bristlecone: Stephen Ingram San Diego: Frank Landis, Bobbie Bryophyte Chapter Bryophyte: James Shevock, Paul Wilson Stephenson, Joe Sochor Mt. Lassen Channel Islands: Patt McDaniel, Andrea San Gabriel Mtns.: Gabi McLean Tahoe Adams-Morden San Luis Obispo: Cathy Chambers, Sanhedrin Redbud David Chipping Sacramento Dorothy King Young: Nancy Morin Dorothy Milo El Dorado King Young Napa Sanhedrin: Vacant Baker Valley East Bay: Beth Wurzburg Willis Linn El Dorado: Alice Cantelow, Susan Britting Santa Clara Valley: Judy Fenerty, Jepson Sierra Foothills Kevin Bryant Marin East Kern County: Dorie Giragosian Bay North San Joaquin Santa Cruz County: Deanna Giuliano, Yerba Buena Santa LA/Santa Monica Mtns.: Snowdy Dodson Clara Brett Hall Valley Marin: David Long Sequoia: Vacant Santa Cruz County Sequoia Bristlecone Milo Baker: Liz Parsons Shasta: Vacant Monterey Mojave Desert: Timothy Thomas Bay Alta Peak Sierra Foothills: Vacant Monterey Bay: Nicole Nedeff, Brian LeNeve South Coast: David Berman Mount Lassen: Catie Bishop San Luis Tahoe: John Roos, Brett Hall Obispo Kern Napa Valley: Gerald Tomboc Mojave Willis L. Jepson: Mary Frances Kelly-Poh North Coast: Larry Levine Yerba Buena: Ellen Edelson Channel Islands San Gabriel Mtns. North San Joaquin: Jim Brugger Riverside – San Bernardino Los Angeles – Orange Santa Monica Mtns. County Board of Directors San Diego Steve Hartman: President Cari Porter: Director South Coast Bill Waycott: Vice President Cris Sarabia: Director Gabi McLean: Treasurer Vince Scheidt: Director John Hunter: Secretary Johanna Kwan: Chapter Council Baja California Julie Clark DeBlasio: Director Representative, 2017-2018 Brett Hall: Director David Pryor: Chapter Council Representative, 2018-2019. CNPS members and others are welcome to contribute to this publication. Visit www.cnps.org/fremontia to learn more. Contents INTRODUCTION...........................................................................................2 WETLANDS AND WILDLIFE ............................................................................4 GETTING THE EDGE ON SEDGES...................................................................6 Introduction to California Wetlands SEAGRASSES: CALIFORNIA’S MARINE WILDFLOWERS.......................................8 Gordon Leppig & Rebecca Garwood NORTH COAST FENS: BIODIVERSITY HOTSPOTS OF GREAT BOTANICAL RICHNESS........................... 14 Gordon Leppig, Mike van Hattem, & William Maslach THE EXTRAORDINARY DIVERSITY OF NATIVE TIDAL MARSH PLANTS IN CALIFORNIA..........................................21 Michael Vasey & Peter Baye DOWN BY THE RIVER: RIPARIAN FORESTS OF CALIFORNIA.............................30 Bruce Orr & Amy Merrill VERNAL POOLS: BIODIVERSITY, BIOGEOGRAPHY, THREATS, AND CONSERVATION..................36 Carol W. Witham, Jennifer Buck-Diaz, & Robert F. Holland MOUNTAIN MEADOWS: EMERALD OASES OF THE SIERRA NEVADA..............42 Amy Merrill & Nicole Jurjavcic PALEOBOTANY OF A COASTAL CALIFORNIAN WETLANDSCAPE....................48 Chelsea L. Teale & Eileen Hemphill-Haley GROUNDWATER DEPENDENT ECOSYSTEMS................................................54 Christian A. Braudrick, Amy G. Merrill, & Bruce K. Orr WETLANDS: HOW DO WE PROTECT THEM? .................................................56 Greg Suba, Julie Neander, & Gordon Leppig TRIBUTE: BOB HALLER...................................................................................60 INTRODUCTION TO THIS SPECIAL ISSUE ON CALIFORNIA WETLANDS Gordon Leppig umboldt Bay is California’s second largest blood of early civilizations because of the yearly bear- estuary. Those on the North Coast who live ings of irrigation water and nutrient-rich sediments, and work around this large and alluring body they are today often viewed as catastrophic flood-in- of water are fortunate for the many ways to ducing and bank-eroding dangers. So what have we Hexperience the beauty of its open water, salt marshes, done to our rivers? We have armored their banks, put and streamside wetlands. The bay’s vast and charis- them in concrete channels, disconnected them from matic wetland ecosystem is rich with a variety of fish, their floodplains, and generally dammed, straightened, wildlife, and interesting plants. and diverted them. While we may think of it as grand, its diversity, In the last half of the 20th century however, a deeper fecundity, and size were once much greater. Humboldt appreciation for wetlands has emerged. Beyond their Bay has lost all but 900 of its original 9,000 acres of numerous economic values, wetland and riparian hab- salt marsh habitat due to diking, draining, filling, and itats offer untold ecosystem services. People also flock shoreline protection for transportation, agriculture, to wetland and riparian areas to enjoy the open space, and the development of cities and industry. hike, swim, relax, and find spiritual replenishment and In many ways, the fate of Humboldt Bay’s wetlands creative inspiration. mirrors that of all California wetlands. Western civ- Despite their incalculable value, California and the ilization has commonly viewed wetlands as useless rest of western North America continue to lose wet- wastelands, infeasible for agricultural, and too wet for land acreage and values annually. Over the last 150 development. Additionally, wetlands were considered years, wetland filling or conversion for flood control, breeding grounds for mosquitos, vermin, and disease. agriculture, navigation, transportation, and develop- Consequently, what have we done to our wetlands? ment has had the following results: Cleared, filled, diked, and drained them. • California has lost approximately 90 percent of While our wild rivers were once the heart and life- its original wetlands, a greater percentage than any other state. Above: Sunset over the salt marshes of Humboldt Bay’s vast estuary. Photo by Andrea Pickart. • Approximately 90 percent of California’s vernal 2 FREMONTIA pools and 80-90 percent of its original riparian Moving further inland along our rivers, Bruce Orr forest are gone, and and Amy Merrill explore disturbance-driven riparian • Almost every major river in the state has been forests. California’s famously floriferous vernal pools dammed, diked, and substantially diverted for are explored by Carol Witham et al. The transect ends agricultural and domestic water use or flood with a review of the ecology and flora of our beautiful control. wet mountain meadows by Amy Merrill and Nicole However, the joyful and motivating