Using Alpine Flora to Measure Ecological Effects of Climate Change
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$10.00 (Free to Members) VOL. 38, NO. 4 AND VOL. 39, NO. 1 • OCTOBER 2010 AND JANUARY 2011 FREMONTIA JOURNAL OF THE CALIFORNIA NATIVE PLANT SOCIETY USING ALPINE FLORA TO MEASURE ECOLOGICAL EFFECTS OF CLIMATE CHANGE, SERPENTINE SOILS AND PLANTS, ANDVOLUME OTHER 38:4/39:1, ARTICLES OCTOBER 2010/JANUARY 2011 FREMONTIA CALIFORNIA NATIVE PLANT SOCIETY CNPS, 2707 K Street, Suite 1; Sacramento, CA 95816-5113 FREMONTIA Phone: (916) 447-CNPS (2677) Fax: (916) 447-2727 Web site: www.cnps.org Email: [email protected] VOL. 38, NO. 4, OCTOBER 2010 AND VOL 39, NO. 1, JANUARY 2011 MEMBERSHIP Membership form located on inside back cover; Copyright © 2011 dues include subscriptions to Fremontia and the CNPS Bulletin California Native Plant Society Mariposa Lily . $1,500 Family or Group . $75 Bob Hass, Editor Benefactor . $600 International or Library . $75 Patron . $300 Individual . $45 Beth Hansen-Winter, Designer Plant Lover . $100 Student/Retired/Limited Income . $25 Brad Jenkins, Cynthia Roye, CORPORATE/ORGANIZATIONAL and Jake Sigg, Proofreaders 10+ Employees . $2,500 4-6 Employees . $500 7-10 Employees . $1,000 1-3 Employees . $150 CALIFORNIA NATIVE PLANT SOCIETY STAFF (SACRAMENTO) CHAPTER COUNCIL Acting Exec. Director . Sue Britting David Magney (Chair); Larry Levine Dedicated to the Preservation of Finance & Administration Manager . (Vice Chair); Marty Foltyn (Secretary) the California Native Flora Cari Porter Alta Peak (Tulare) . Joan Stewart Membership & Development Coor- Bristlecone (Inyo-Mono) . The California Native Plant Society dinator . Stacey Flowerdew Steve McLaughlin (CNPS) is a statewide nonprofit organi- Conservation Program Director . Channel Islands . David Magney zation dedicated to increasing the Greg Suba Dorothy King Young (Mendocino/ understanding and appreciation of Rare Plant Botanist . Aaron Sims Sonoma Coast) . Nancy Morin California’s native plants, and to pre- Vegetation Program Director . Julie East Bay . Bill J. Hunt serving them and their natural habitats Evens El Dorado . Susan Britting for future generations. Vegetation Ecologists . Jennifer Buck, Kern County . Dorie Giragosian CNPS carries out its mission through Kendra Sikes Los Angeles/Santa Monica Mtns . Education Program Director . Josie science, conservation advocacy, educa- Betsey Landis Crawford Marin County . Carolyn Longstreth tion, and horticulture at the local, state, Administrative Assistant . Marcy Milo Baker (Sonoma County) . and federal levels. It monitors rare and Millett endangered plants and habitats; acts to Liz Parsons save endangered areas through public- STAFF (AT LARGE) Mojave Desert . Tim Thomas ity, persuasion, and on occasion, legal Fremontia Editor . Bob Hass Monterey Bay . Rosemary Foster Mount Lassen . Catie Bishop action; provides expert testimony to CNPS Bulletin Editor . Bob Hass Napa Valley . Gerald Tomboc government bodies; supports the estab- Legislative Consultant .Vern Goehring East Bay Conservation Analyst . North Coast . Larry Levine lishment of native plant preserves; spon- North San Joaquin . Alan Miller Mack Casterman sors workdays to remove invasive plants; Orange County . Nancy Heuler Website Coordinator . Mark Naftzger and offers a range of educational activi- Redbud (Grass Valley/Auburn) . ties including speaker programs, field PROGRAM ADVISORS Joan A. Jernegan trips, native plant sales, horticultural Rare Plant Program Senior Advisor . Riverside/San Bernardino counties . workshops, and demonstration gardens. Jim Andre Katie Barrows Since its founding in 1965, the tradi- Sacramento Valley . Glen Holstein Vegetation Program Senior Advisor . San Diego . David Varner tional strength of CNPS has been its Todd Keeler-Wolf San Gabriel Mtns . Orchid Black dedicated volunteers. CNPS activities Horticulture Committee Chair . San Luis Obispo . Kristie Haydu are organized at the local chapter level Laura Camp where members’ varied interests influ- Sanhedrin (Ukiah) . Geri CNPS Press Co-Directors . Holly Hulse-Stephens ence what is done. Volunteers from the Forbes, Dore Brown 33 CNPS chapters annually contribute Santa Clara Valley . Judy Fenerty Poster Program . Bertha McKinley, Santa Cruz County . Deanna Giuliano in excess of 97,000 hours (equivalent Wilma Follette Sequoia (Fresno) . Paul Mitchell to 46.5 full-time employees). BOARD OF DIRECTORS Shasta . Ken S. Kilborn CNPS membership is open to all. Sierra Foothills (Tuolumne, Cala- Members receive the quarterly journal, Brett Hall (President); Lauren Brown veras, Mariposa) . Robert W. Brown Fremontia, the quarterly statewide Bul- (Vice President); Carol Witham (Trea- South Coast (Palos Verdes) . letin, and newsletters from their local surer); Laura Camp (Secretary); At David Berman CNPS chapter. Large: Ellen Dean, Arvind Kumar, Brian Tahoe . Michael Hogan LeNeve, Nancy Morin, Vince Scheidt, Willis L. Jepson (Solano) . Alison Shilling; Chapter Council Mary Frances Kelly Poh Disclaimer: Representatives: Orchid Black, Steve Yerba Buena (San Francisco) . The views expressed by authors published Hartman Ellen Edelson in this journal do not necessarily reflect established policy or procedure of CNPS, MATERIALS FOR PUBLICATION and their publication in this journal should CNPS members and others are welcome to contribute materials for publication not be interpreted as an organizational in Fremontia. See the inside back cover for submission instructions. endorsement—in part or in whole—of their Staff and board listings are as of April 2012. ideas, statements, or opinions. Printed by Premier Graphics: www.premiergraphics.biz FREMONTIA VOLUME 38:4/39:1, OCTOBER 2010/JANUARY 2011 ISSUE DATE: OCTOBER 2010 AND JANUARY 2011. PUBLICATION DATE: MAY 2012 CONTENTS USING ALPINE FLORA TO MEASURE ECOLOGICAL EFFECTS OF CLIMATE CHANGE by Jim Bishop .................................................................................................................................................. 2 CNPS members have helped to establish a network of high elevation monitoring studies to evaluate change in the alpine flora of California that results from climate change. MANAGING A MOUNTAIN: THE SAN BRUNO MOUNTAIN HABITAT CONSERVATION PLAN by Patrick Kobernus ......................................................................................................................... 10 Efficient use of habitat management and monitoring programs will determine how native habitats—and the endangered species they host—respond to current threats facing the site of the nation’s first Habitat Conservation Plan. RARE PLANTS OF GRIFFITH PARK, LOS ANGELES by Daniel S. Cooper ......................................... 18 Following a major fire in 2007, biologists have discovered that Los Angeles’ Griffith Park contains a wealth of plant diversity, including numerous rare and locally rare plants. A PLEA TO PROTECT WALKER RIDGE by Stephen W. Edwards ......................................................... 25 Why Walker Ridge—one of California’s three richest serpentine areas known for its spectacular wildflower displays—deserves protecting. SERPENTINE SOILS AND WHY THEY LIMIT PLANT SURVIVAL AND GROWTH by Earl B. Alexander ................................................................................................................................... 28 Serpentine plants—those on serpentine rocks and in serpentine soils—are unique. Understanding the origins of the rocks and the role of the soils in plant nutrition are keys to understanding the distributions of serpentine plants. SERPENTINE ENDEMISM IN THE CALIFORNIA FLORA by Hugh D. Safford................................... 32 Serpentine soils are uncommon in California but support more than 13% of the state’s endemic plant species. Why is this rare soil type so important to California’s plant diversity? PLANT GALLS: DESERT TREASURES by Ron Russo .............................................................................. 40 The discovery of new plant galls in the Mojave is a reminder of how much we still have to learn about the fabric of desert life. LEARNING TO READ A LANDSCAPE by Phil Van Soelen................................................................... 46 Becoming a careful observer of nature is a prerequisite to being a successful native plant gardener. DEVELOPING A SUSTAINABLE MIX FOR SEED GERMINATION USING LOCAL MATERIALS by Jackie Bergquist, Michelle Laskowski, Brianna Schaefer, and Betty Young ........................................... 50 A report on research by the Golden Gate National Parks Conservancy to develop a seed germination mix as effective as commercial ones, but using only local sustainably produced materials. CNPS FELLOW: ROGER RAICHE by Phyllis Faber ............................................................................... 53 SCOTT FLEMING: 1923–2011 by John Danielson ................................................................................ 56 RALPH MILTON INGOLS: 1911–2011 by Leah Price Hawks .............................................................. 57 LETTERS TO THE EDITOR ...........................................................................................................59 THE COVER: California bristlecone pine woodlands at their upper limit give way to the alpine zone above, a cold, treeless biome being studied carefully for evidence of climate change. Photograph by Stu Weiss. VOLUME 38:4/39:1, OCTOBER 2010/JANUARY 2011 FREMONTIA 1 he early morning is cool and clear, as long shadows of the last and highest-elevation trees stretch Tacross the open slopes ahead. Our team hikes steadily on toward the