Vol. 31, No. 1 Winter 2021 From the President’s Keyboard Dear CNGA Members, Friends, and Supporters, This year we have a lot to look forward to: p CNGA is celebrating its 30th anniversary. p With the passing of John Anderson last fall, we will have a Grasslands issue dedicated to him. p We are already planning for our annual Field Day at Mission Statement Hedgerow Farms. It will be virtual again this year. The mission of the California Native p We are working diligently on creating more virtual Grasslands Association is to promote, workshops. preserve, and restore the diversity of p The COVID-19 vaccine is on its way! California’s native grasses and grassland ecosystems through education, advocacy, Thank you, members, for your continuous support that we now need more than ever. We couldn’t exist without you. research, and stewardship. Whether you are an individual member, a corporate member, ________________________________ or a sponsor, thank you from all of us at CNGA. We will keep P.O. Box 485, Davis, CA 95617 working hard to advocate for and preserve native grassland cnga.org ecosystems and support research and education. 530.902.6009 [email protected] JP Marié CNGA Board of Directors Officers Meet the 2021 CNGA Board of Directors Jean-Phillippe “JP” Marié, President CNGA welcomes our 2021 Directors and Officers. Kendra Moseley, Vice President Officers 2021: Michele Hammond, Secretary Jodie Sheffield, Treasurer President: JP Marié Vice-President: Kendra Moseley At-Large Directors Secretary: Michele Hammond Chad Aakre Richard King Treasurer: Jodie Sheffield Emily Allen Billy Krimmel Sarah Gaffney Justin Luong New and Re-elected Directors-at-Large Michelle Halbur Leticia Morris (2021-2022): Haven Kiers Patrick Reynolds Emily Allen, Michelle Halbur, and Justin Luong Administrative Director Continuing Directors-at-Large Diana Jeffery for another term (2020-2021): Chad Aakre, Sarah Gaffney, Haven Kiers, Richard King, Grasslands Editor Billy Krimmel, Leticia Morris, Patrick Reynolds Whitney Brim-DeForest CNGA salutes contributions For membership and other organization information, contact CNGA of retiring Board members Administrator via [email protected]. As we welcome a new Board for 2021, we would like to extend our appreciation to our out-going Board members, Grasslands is published quarterly by CNGA. Dina Robertson and Kristina Wolf who have served for ©2021 CNGA ISSN No. 1540-6857 Layout design: Julie St. John the good of the organization. Thank you, all! 1 | GRASSLANDS Winter 2021 Save the Date: 14th Annual Field Day at Hedgerow Farms, Friday, June 11, 2021 — Details to come soon! Please join us for our second online Field Day with presentations and tours featuring the beautiful scenery at Hedgerow Farms Inc. in Winters and, thanks to our virtual format, in other areas of the state! p Expert speakers discuss current research and best practices. p Virtual Walking tours. Get the latest p Virtual Driving tours of Hedgerow Farms’ native grass and wildflower workshop info at: production fields and habitat areas. cnga.org Register online Ongoing: or contact Diana Jeffery Landscaping with Nature: Engaging with Evolutionary Ecology at [email protected] or in Your Native Garden 530.902.6009 Recorded talks & supporting materials available online This highly acclaimed workshop from August 2020, is suitable for landscape professionals and anyone interested in maximizing habitat values in their landscaping. Expert instructors present cutting-edge methods of design, installation, management, and maintenance including site evaluation, plant selection, evolutionary interactions, habitat features, and planting best practices to create a wildlife-friendly landscape. Register online and watch at your own pace: https://cnga.org/Events/ Grasslands Submission Guidelines In this issue Send written submissions, as email attachments, to [email protected]. All submissions are reviewed by the 3 Announcing Two Special Grasslands Grasslands Editorial Committee for suitability for publication. Issues in 2021 Written submissions include peer-reviewed 4 Selecting Coastal California Prairie Species research reports and non-refereed articles, for Climate-Smart Grassland Restoration such as progress reports, observations, field notes, interviews, book reviews, and 10 CNGA to Celebrate Milestone Anniversary opinions. 11 Using California Native Grasses in Garden Also considered for publication are high- Design resolution color photographs. For each 15 Seasonal Changes in Forage Nutrient and issue, the Editorial Committee votes on Toxicity Levels on California Central Coast photos that will be featured on our full-color Rangelands: A Preliminary Study covers. Send photo submissions (at least 300 dpi resolution), as email attachments, to 24 Students! Apply for a GRASS Scholarship the Editor at [email protected]. Include 25 Multiple-Year Control of Medusahead on a caption and credited photographer’s the Modoc Plateau name. 32 GRASSLANDS RESEARCHER: Roxanne Hulme Submission deadlines for articles: Foss Spring 2021: 15 Feb 2021 p Summer 2021: 15 May 2021 p Fall 2021: 15 Aug 2021 p Winter 2022 15 Nov 2021 34 Bunchgrass Circle Winter 2021 GRASSLANDS | 2 Announcing Two Special Grasslands Issues in 2021 John Anderson Memorial Grasslands Issue — Spring 2021 Remembering John Anderson CNGA is honoring John Anderson, one of our founding members who passed last year, by dedicating the Spring 2021 issue of Grasslands to him. We are asking folks who knew and loved him to consider contributing a short (150 words or less) quote or statement to be included in this issue. The submission deadline for the Spring issue is February 15, 2021. If you have photos of John, please consider sending them in for possible publication in the issue. If you are sending a photo, please reference our photo submission requirements below or on our website at https://www.cnga.org/Grasslands-guidelines. CNGA’s 30th Anniversary Grasslands Issue — Summer 2021 CNGA’s 30th Anniversary: Tell Us What You Know! 2021 is CNGA’s 30th Anniversary and for the Summer 2021 issue of Grasslands, we are focusing on CNGA: Our Past, Present, and Future. To do this, we would like feedback from our membership. In 150 words or less, please answer one of the following questions: p What have you learned about grasses or grasslands in the past 30 years? p What is the biggest takeaway you have learned through CNGA? p Where do you think CNGA and research in grasslands is headed or what should CNGA and research focus on next? Please send your responses to us at [email protected]. Submission deadline for the Summer issue is May 15, 2021. If possible, please send a picture of yourself we may publish with your response. If you are sending a photo, please reference our photo submission requirements below or on our website at https://www.cnga.org/Grasslands-guidelines. Photo Submission Requirements: All photos must be original—please only submit photographs that you took and for which you own the copyright. Please include caption information, including photographer, date, place, and photo description; we will always credit you as the photographer. Photos should be at least 300 dpi and sent as email attachments (not embedded in an email or a document). By submitting a photo, you give CNGA permission to print or display your submitted photo on our website and social media. 3 | GRASSLANDS Winter 2021 STUDENT RESEARCH CNGA Grassland Selecting Coastal California Prairie Species Research Awards for Student Scholarship for Climate-Smart Grassland Restoration Winner, 2019 & 2020 JUSTIN LUONG by Justin C. Luong1and Michael E. Loik1 Abstract help with selecting species for restoration that are more suitable for establishment in variable and changing climates (Pérez-Harguindeguy California is predicted to experience warmer temperatures and more et al. 2016). Functional traits can include morphological features of frequent droughts in future years, which will increase local and leaves, shoots, or roots; physiological processes such as photosynthetic regional climatic water deficit. Understanding how commonly used rates; or life-form descriptions like “bunchgrass” or “shrub.” Life-form restoration species will respond to drought may help with approaches classification is a framework, readily accessible through the Jepson to mediate the negative impacts of changing climates on restoration. eFlora, for describing species that tend to have similar overall Associated plant functional traits can increase understanding of how morphologies (Pérez-Harguindeguy et al. 2016). a group of species responds to variable environmental conditions, and aid with selecting broader mixes of drought-tolerant plants for The coastal prairie, a special type of grassland that receives coastal fog restoration. For this study, we established ambient rainfall, first-year during the summer, is one of the most diverse grassland types in North watered and drought treatments (60% rainfall reduction), in a coastal America (Ford and Hayes 2007). Restoration of these habitats is often grassland in Santa Cruz, CA. Drought was created using rain-out mandated by the California Coastal Commission through the shelters that simulate a 1-in-100-year drought. We planted 12 California Coastal Act of 1976, so it is important to understand the California native coastal prairie species to determine which species factors that limit the success of these restoration efforts. Some species and life-forms had greater survivorship. We monitored the survival of might be better adapted than others