Volume 39 * Number 4 winter * 2015 PO Box 221789 Carmel, CA 93922 866.338.7227 www.pointlobos.org President Docent Coordinator/School Augie Louis Group Coordinator Melissa Gobell Vice President Cynthia Vernon Cooperating Association Liaison Secretary Jim Bilz Bill Eckert Development and Treasurer Communications Director Patty Parker Anna Patterson Directors Point Lobos Magazine Sue Addleman Editorial Director Kit Armstrong Dida Kutz Fred Brown [email protected] John Drum Copyeditor Features Cynthia Garfield M. A. Fink Old Friends, New Eyes 5 Jeff Johnson Diana Nichols Patrice Vecchione Photo Contributors Jim Rurka Jay Sinclair Chuck Bancroft If a Tree Falls in the Forest... 7 Jim Westbrook Ed Clifton Tom Clifton Trudy Reeves Docent Administrator Dave Evans Stella Rabaut Don McDougall Departments Elizabeth Murray Development Coordinator Trudy Reeves A Message from the President 3 Marty Sloop Augie Louis Tracy Gillette Ricci Observations 4 Sparky Starkweather Notes from the Docent Log 10 Cover: Jim Messer Memorials and Tributes 14 www.jimmesserphoto.com Special Events 16 The Mission Statement of the Point Lobos Foundation is to advance visitors’ enjoyment and understanding of Point Lobos State Natural Point Lobos Magazine is printed on recycled paper Reserve, to protect its natural environment for future generations, and and published four times per year by the Point Lobos to strengthen the Monterey County network of coastal California Foundation. State Parks. Copyright © 2015. All rights reserved. PDF versions available at www.pointlobos.org Or scan this code to visit the archives. Message from the President Augie Louis want to invite all of our members to our Annual the most important themes I hope to pass along. Meeting scheduled for January 9th at Asilo- We have some fantastic new members joining Imar Conference Center. Steve Palumbi will be our board. We filled four positions by appoint- our featured speaker. Steve is a marine biologist ment during this year: Sue Addleman, Cynthia who studies the way humanity and ocean life Garfield, Jim Westbrook, and Jim Rurka are interact and intertwine. I hope he will spend a already working hard as our newest members. little time introducing us to his book The Death We will also be recommending Joe Vargo and and Life of Monterey Bay. This should be a won- Jacolyn Harmer during our Annual Meeting. derful event and I hope you will join us. This will take our board to full strength with 15 I am now approaching the end of my two members. Please join me in welcoming these fine year term as President. I want to thank every- people as they begin to pick up our program goals one for their warm wishes and support. It has and lead us into new and exciting ventures. been a great joy to get to know so many of our Finally, I want to share a favorite experience supporters. I want to continue my efforts to pre- from this past October. I was invited by The Tor serve and protect the “Crown Jewel of the State House Foundation to participate in a panel discus- Parks system”; now my efforts will be more sion regarding a film titled “Once Upon a Sunday.” behind-the-scenes. I want to find sensible and This film was made in 1957 by Nick Cominos. It creative ways to provide access for visitors. features Point Lobos along with poet Robinson There are many days throughout the year that Jeffers and writer Henry Miller. I found the film Point Lobos simply has too many visitors. We need to be simply fascinating. Here was Point Lobos, to reduce this number and the impact visitors have filmed in 1957, just as recognizable as it is today. on the Reserve. However, we also need visitors The beautiful images took my breath away. I don’t to be inspired by Point Lobos. We need people to want to spoil the fun of seeing the film for your- protect and preserve the area and this will only self so I won’t go into too many details. However, happen if people are inspired. If we hope to be good I will say that conflict between different groups stewards we need people to care for and love the is just as relevant then as today. I am having dis- place. We need to introduce more people, especially cussions with the family of Nick Cominos about younger folks, to preservation and protection of how to screen the film for Foundation members. the Reserve. My thoughts are not new or original, Please wish me success and I hope to see you at an but I hope to remind us all of these themes. Parks evening screening event for our members soon. need people and people need parks—this is one of WINTER 2015 3 Observations by Sparky Starkweather, State Park Squirrel s El Niño really going to happen this winter? That’s what forecasters say. Rain has finally started coming our way, but not enough as yet. Some early Iarrival fungi have appeared in our area so it’s a good time to talk about the do’s and don’ts of collecting mushrooms. Be 100% certain of what you have. Do not eat any- thing unless its identity is incontrovertible. Don’t rely only on a book of images to identify what you have. Contact the Fungus Federation of Santa Cruz if in doubt. They have the experts! Some of the fungi we will see here are eaten by slugs, snails, rabbits, squirrels, deer, and yes, humans. Gnats and flies can deposit their eggs on some of the fungi and their larvae will feed on the fruiting bodies. Although there are a good number of different fungi appearing in the Reserve, these are a just a few. REMEMBER: COLLECTING IS NOT PERMITTED! From http://mykoweb.com: Mycena capillaripes is one of the first to appear in the pine needle duff. These little brown mushrooms are ubiquitous. They are readily seen along the entrance road at the edge of the pines in slightly open areas. Due to their very small size, they are not considered edible. Chroogomphus vinicolor (aka pine spike) grows in the duff under our pines. It is recognized by a Mycena capillaripes mahogany-colored cap, salmon-orange flesh, orange-brown tapering stem, and gills that run down the stem. Although it is said to be edible, it is very mediocre when fresh. Some people dry this mushroom to store and later reconstitute for use in soups and sauces. Chroogomphus vinicolor Sparassis radicata (aka cauliflower fungus). As its common name suggests, the densely branched fruiting body of Sparassis radicata resembles a cauliflower. Initially creamy-buff in color, the long-lived fruiting bodies (the part that produces spores) gradually darken in age, especially along the branch edges. Sparassis radicata is believed to be parasitic on conifers. Gymnopilus junonius (aka jumbo gym) grows at the base of our pine trees. It is quite distinctive because its yellowish- orange clustered fruitings are often massive in a huge cascade of mushroom caps. The combination of a clustered group on wood, orange cap, well-developed ring, bitter taste, and rusty spores make it easy to identify. This one is fantastic to photograph but can make you very ill. Severe gastrointesti- nal distress is not something you want to fool around with. Sparassis radicata POINT LOBOS MAGAZINE All photos by Chuck Bancroft. Phaeolus schweinitzii (aka Dyer’s polypore) grows solitary or plentifully at the base of our pines. Nicely moist when fresh this will dry out and become very woody, per- sisting throughout the season. It is highly esteemed by dye-makers for coloring yarn. It is thought to be poisonous. Omphalotus olivascens (aka jack-o-lantern) grows at the base of the live oaks or from buried roots. The fruiting bodies are among a variety of fungi that are luminescent, at least when fresh, though to appreciate this quality requires sit- ting for many minutes in a completely dark room before the greenish glow becomes visible. The incredibly large cluster of caps is toxic and causes severe gastrointestinal distress. Some Gymnopilus junonius people have often mistaken this for the delectable chanterelle. Amanita muscaria (aka fly agaric) with its bright red, sometimes dinner plate-sized caps, is one of the most striking of all mushrooms. The white warts that adorn the cap, white gills, well-developed ring, and distinctive volva (membranous sacs or cups) of concentric rings separate this from all other red mushrooms. There are several color variet- Phaeolus schweinitzii Omphalotus olivascens ies of A. muscaria in the U.S. ranging from red, orange, yellow, and white. Fruitings occur in early winter, and can be spec- tacular, with large groups or rings brightening the woods. Amanita phalloides (aka death cap) IS DEADLY POISONOUS. Important field characteristics are the smooth, yellowish-green to yellowish-brown cap, sometimes with a thin, appressed (lying flat) white universal veil (a covering over the gills or pores of young mush- rooms) patch, usually non-furrowed cap Amanita muscaria margin, free, cream- colored gills, normally solid, not hollow stem, and thin, white, membranous, sac-like volva. The death cap is found widely in coastal areas under live oak. Color can vary and can easily be mistaken for other mushrooms. And yes….I’ve left off the truly incredible edibles found off the Reserve, because no fungophile would ever tell you which ones are the very best and exactly where to find them. Your best bet is to join the Fungus Federation of Santa Cruz and learn from the experts. Amanita phalloides WINTER 2015 5 Old Friends, New Eyes by Patrice Vecchinione he first time my best friend Gina and I went to Point TLobos together we were free spirits in our early 20s, hobbled only by the difficult childhoods we wanted to walk out of.