Bulletin of the Native Plant Society of OregonNOTE: This is an archived NPSO Bulletin.
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Bulletin of the Native Plant Society of Oregon[ Return to Bulletin Directory ]
Jul. 12 - 14 Annual Meeting: See inside for details and registration form.
Apr. 20, Sat. State Board Meeting: 10 A.M. - 4 P.M. Room 302 Walker Hall, Linfield College, McMinnville. (On Linfield Ave., across the street from Dillin Commons). For more information call Kareen Sturgeon.
Apr. 1, Mon. Meeting: 7 P.M. Small Business Development Center, SE 1 st & Dorian, Pendleton. Jerry Igo will show his beautiful wildllower videos.
Apr. 20, Sat. Field Trip: Caravan to several low-lying sites south of Pendleton, along McKay and Birch Creeks, to survey early spring flowers. Meet at NE corner of Safeway parking lot, 9 A.M. Trip leader is Bruce Barnes.
May 5, Sun. Field Trip: To survey Thornhollow Grade and Squaw Creek Canyon. Meet at the railroad crossing at Thornhollow, 9 A.M. Trip leader is Jerry Baker.
May 11, Sat. Field Trip: We will car pool to Umatilla Forks to join Karl Urban for a walk up the North Fork Umatilla River trail. Meet at NE comer of Safeway parking lot in Pendleton at 9 A.M.
May 12, Sun. Work Day: We will car pool to Lindsay Prairie, south of Boardman Bombing Range, for a day of pulling rye and knapweed at The Nature Conservancy. Bring gloves, boots, rain gear, lunch, and sense of humor. Meet at NE corner of Safeway parking lot in Pendlelton at 8 A.M., or the Irrigon exit of I-84 at 9 A.M.
Jun. 1, Sat. Field Trip: Karl Urban will lead into the Pomeroy Ranger District, an area of the state most people don't get to. Meet al the General Store (only store) in Troy at 10 A.M.
Jun. 15, Sat. Field Trip: Karl Urban will lead to Bull Prairie Reservoir, south of Heppner, Meet at South Shore Picnic Area in the campground at 10 A.M.
Jun. 22, Sat. Field Trip: Karl Urban leads to Frasier Campground (east of Ukiah). Meet at the shelter at the campground, 10 A.M.
Apr. 8, Mon. Meeting: 7:30 P.M. Room 2087, Cordley Hall, OSU campus. Dr. George O. Poinar will present "Plant Life in Amber: What Can We Learn From It?" For more information, call Esther McEvoy.
Apr. 28, Sun. Field Trip: Spring flowers at Finley Wildlife Refuge. Meet: 1:00 P.M. in the parking lot across from the Monroe Beanery. Call Esther McEvoy for information.
Disclaimer for Atlas trips:: These trips (see list below) are designated to generate complete species lists for specific sites. Target attendees are people with high levels of plant identification skills. They are not recommended for the general public as most time will be spent keying species and compiling plant lists. General field trips and other activities will provide much more enjoyment and are designed for the general plant enthusiast.
Apr. 20-21, Sat.-Sun. Field Trip: Algae workshop and field trip. Marine biologist, Bob Lemon, leads a two-part, indoor, then out to the coastal tidepools workshop. The indoor lecture-lab session will be Sat. 20th, 7-9 P.M. (location TBA). Bring hand lens and any applicable books. Sunday morning we need to leave at 7 A.M. to make low tide at Yachats. Rubber boots, rain gear and PRE-REGISTRATION ARE REQUIRED. Call Kathy Pendergrass or Phil Warner, to preregister for this great opportunity.
Apr. 22, Mon. Field Trip: Prior to monthly meeting, Dave Wagner will lead a short walk along the Willamette River to show us common mosses. Meet at EWEB building (500 E. 4th Ave.) fountain at 5:30 P.M.
Apr. 22, Mon. Meeting: 7 P.M. NEW MEETTNG PLACE NOTICE: Eugene Water and Electric Board (EWEB) building, 500 E. 4th Ave. (near Ferry St. Overpass) in the Community Room (building left of fountain). Cathy Whitlock, a researcher at the U. of O., will fascinate us with her findings on "The development of Pacific Northwest forests since the last ice age." Call Kathy Pendergrass for more information.
Apr. 28, Sun. Field Trip: Bruce Newhouse leads us along a new trail on Army Corps land adjacent to Dexter Reservoir. Trip features plants associated with old-growth cottonwood, western red cedar and incense cedar. Leave S. Eugene H.S. (19th & Pattenson) at 9 A.M. Contact Bruce, newhouse@efn.org for more details.
May 4, Sat. Field Trip: To Dennis Lueck's home to view his garden and discuss use of native plants in the home landscape. Leave S. Eugene H.S. (19th & Patterson) at 9 A.M. Call Kathy Pendergrass for further details.
May 11, Sat. Atlas Trip: Molly Widmer will lead to a canyon live oak grove in Lane County to assenlble a species list for this unique community. Please bring keys/id books for lichens, bryophytes, fungi, and other resources for "lowlifes." Leave S. Eugene H.S. (19th & Patterson) at 8:30 A.M. Call Molly Widmer for more details.
May 18, Sat. Field Trip: Cheshire Mayrsohn will lead to Grassy Mt., a low elevation grassy bald in the Coburg Hills. We hope to see Githopsis speculariodes . Leave S. Eugene H.S. (19th & Patterson) at 9:30 A.M. Call Cheshire Mayrsohn, 683-6407, for information
May 19, Sun. Wildflower Show: The annual show at Mt. Pisgah Arboretum.
May 19, Sun. Field Trip: To look at West Eugene wetland restoration sites and discuss wetland mitigations. Meet at 1 P.M., West Eugene Wetlands office of BLM, just off Hwy, 126 at Danebo Ave. (first and red house on right off Hwy. 126). Call Kathy Pendergrass, 683-6477, for further details.
May 25, Sat. Field Trip: Ethen Perkins will lead to see serpentine plants around Merlin, Oregon. Leave S. Eugene H.S. (see above) at 8 A.M., or meet at Merlin exit off I-5 at 10:30. Call Ethen or Kathy Pendergrass for more information.
May 27, Mon. Meeting: EWEB building. (For directions see above.) Scott Sundberg, from the OSU Herbarium, will update us on the Oregon Flora project, which is aimed at developing an up-to-date flora on the higher plants of Oregon (a book to replace Peck and Hitchcock et. al.) For more information call Kathy Pendergrass.
Jun. 8, Sat. Atlas Trip: Bruce Newhouse will lead to Neptune State Park to assemble a species list. Leave S. Eugene H.S. (see above) at 8:30 A.M. Contact Bruce, newhouse@efn.org for more details.
Jun. 15, Sat. Atlas Trip: Jenny Dimling leads to Mt. June and Sawtooth Ridge Mt. to assemble a species list. Leave S. Eugcne H.S. (see above) at 8:30 A.M. Call Jenny for details.
Jun. 22, Sat. Field Trip: John Koenig leads to see the rare Pityopus californica and other strange ghost plants lacking chlorophyll (no green leaves). Site depends on where the plants are blooming. Leave S. Eugene H.S. (see above) at 9 A.M. Call John for details.
Jun. 29, Sat. Field Trip: To Warner Creek proposed RNA to view and discuss plant succession in an area of burned old-growth Douglas fir. We plan to look at some fire ecology plots and hope to see Astragallls umbraticus Led by Kim McMahan (Forest Service botanist) and Jane Kertis (FS fire ecologist). Leave S. Eugene H.S. (see above) at 9:30 or meet at Oakridge at 10:30. Call Jenny Dimling for further details.
Apr. 23, Tue. Meeting: 7:30 P.M. Central Oregon Environmental Center, 16 NW Kansas, Bend. Dr. Tony Svecar of OSU's Northern Great Basin Experiment Station will talk about his research on the native grasslands of central Oregon. We will also plan a summer field trip to see the projects.
May 19, Sun. Flower Show: Annual Central Oregon Plant Show, in conjunction with the USFS Wildflower Week, at the Central Oregon Environmental Center, 16 NW Kansas, Bend. This free event, from Noon to 8 P.M., displays hundreds of native wildflowers, shows slides at 3:30 and 6:30, has an edible and poisonous plant seminar, information on ethical plant collecting, and a wealth of information on local flora. Experts available to identify your unknown plants. Call Howie Brounstein for more information.
Jun. 8, Sat. Field Trip: The Island is a remnant of our native grasslands. Much of the local high desert probably looked like this before grazing, farming and urbanization took over. Unfortunately, even in this barely-grazed area, exotic weeds are a problem. NPSO will assist the BLM in removing medusahead from several small infested areas. Call Stu Garrett, trip leader, for details.
Jun. 29, Sat. Field Trip: Alder Springs Thistle Attack and Nature Hike. One of the most dramatic canyons in our area is Alder Springs on Squaw Creek. Exotic thistles are starting to take over here and we will cooperate with the BLM and the Portland Chapter of NPSO to attack it! Be ready for combination work day and fun hike. Call Stu Garrett for details.
Jul. 4-7 Thu.-Sun. Field Trip: Hart Mountain National Antelope Refuge. This overnight trip to one of the most spectacular areas in Oregon's high desert is not to be missed. We will carpool from Bend and meet at Refuge headquarters. From our base camps we will tour selected parts of the Refuge and BLM land. Livestock grazing has been eliminated from the Refuge for several years and results are dramatic. You will need a highclearance, 4WD vehicle with 8 - 10 ply (load range D or EE) tires or at least two spares. Roads are terrible and be ready for dry camping. Call trip leader Stu Garrett for details.
Aug. 10, Sat. Field Trip: Broken Top Volcano. Our annual trek to view the spectacular, glaciated scenery and alpine wildflowers in the High Cascades west of Bend. 6 mi. R.T., moderate to strenuous hike, 1,700 ft. elev. gain. Mostly off-trail hiking through Three Sisters Wilderness, so limit is 12 persons. Pre-registration required. Call trip leader Stu Garrett to sign up.
Aug. 16-18, Fri.-Sun. Field Trip: Sycan Marsh. This trip to The Nature Coservancy's preserve to see this wonderful marsh environment and help collect native seeds shouldn't be missed. This huge marsh is being returned to its natural state and we will help collect seeds to start plants for restoration. Includes fun camping, bird watching, marsh and forest hikes. Contact the Conservancy's preserve manager, Linda Rexroat, PO Box 797, Silver Lake, OR 97638 for details.
Apr. 3, Wed. Meeting: 7:30 P.M. Mosier School. Wilbur Bluhm presents his multi-media slide show on "Oregon alpine wildflowers."
Apr. 27, Sat. Field Trip: Aaron Liston, a botany professor at OSU, will lead a field trip/workshop on Astragallls.
May 1, Wed. Meeting: 7:30 P.M. Mosier School. Henrietta Chamhers gives a slide show on the flowers of Iron Mountain in the Cascades.
Meeting: Call Christine Stanley for information.
Apr. 6, Sat. Item Title: Catherine Creek. Moderately strenuous hike up the Atwood Road, then descending across country. Great show of spring wildflowers. Walking: 5 mi., elev. gain 1,000 ft. Driving: 150 mi. R.T. Meet at Lewis and Clark State Park at 8:30 A.M. Call Jan or Dave Dobak for more information.
Apr. 9, Tue. Meeting: 7 P.M. First Methodist Church, 1838 SW Jelferson, Portland. Dick Dewey of Portland State University will talk on Palau's mangroves and forests and the people who depend on them. (Reschedule of canceled March program).
Apr. 13, Sat. Field Trip: The Butte RNA. Botanist Kareen Sturgeon will lead a visit to this site, characterized as in between a Willamette Valley oak woodland and a typical Coast Range Douglas fir forest (mixed old growth and younger trees). It's also known as a location of Cimicifuga elata, a candidate for state protection and currently listed as sensitive on Forest Service and BLM lands. (The Butte is administered by BLM.) There is no trail, just a scramble up the steep north side of the Butte. Bring lunch. Total time about 3 hrs. Meet at Linfield Community College, Murdock Hall, 10:30 A.M. Enter campus at Linfield Ave. entrance, corner of Melrose Ave., McMinnville. Preregistration required. Limit 20. Contact Mike McKeag, mmckeag @ teleport.com.
Apr. 14, Sun. Field Trip: Powell Butte. Plant ID Tutorial Series. First in a series of monthly trips, with the focus on instruction and practice in the use of field guides and plant keys. Over the field trip season, we will visit a variety of locations and learn the habitats and distinguishing features of a number of important Oregon genera. Led by USFS botanist Marty Stein. Preregistration required. Limit 15. Meet at 10 A.M., top of Powell Butte, (SE 162nd). Contact Mike McKeag, mmckeag @ teleport.com
Apr. 27, Sat. Field Trip: Camassia Preserve. Easy walk through Nature Conservancy preserve in time to see spring bloom, including Camssia and relatively rare pale larkspur. This is another in our series of monthly walks for beginning botanists. Meet at 10 A.M., West Linn H.S., 5464 West A St., to carpool to preserve. Preregistration required. Limit 20. Call Charlene Holzwarth.
Apr. 28, Sun. Field Trip: McCord Creek. 1 mi. trip, 500 ft. climb to top of McCord Creek Falls. Trail traverses a forest habitat punctuated by the special ecological niches created by cliffs and seeps. Second in a monthly series of habitat field trips co-sponsored by the Portland Chapter of NPSO and Portland Audubon Society. Meet at ODOT lot, 60th & NE Glisan, 8 A.M. Call Jon Titus & Priscilla Stanford for more information
May 25-27, Sat.-Mon. Field Trip: Memorial Day trip to southwestern Oregon. Please contact the leaders, Jan and Dave Dobak, 248-9242, for information about a semi-scouted, informal field trip of exploration centered around Agness on the lower Rogue River. A more detailed description will be in May Bulletin.
Apr. 18, Thu. Meeting: 7:30 P.M. Room 171, Science Building, Southern Oregon State College, Ashland. John Proctor will fascinate us with a presentation entitled, "The Remote Sensing of Darlingtonia Fens."
Apr. 20, Sat. Field Trip: Barbara Mumblo will lead a hike up Lower Table Rock. Meet at the trail head on Wheeler Road at 10 A.M.
May 4-5, Sat.-Sun. Wildflower Show: Come visit the wildflower show at the Shady Cove Elementary School, just off Hwy. 62. Lots of exhibits and displays. A small admission fee is donated to Mercy Flights. The Siskiyou Chapter of NPSO will have a photo display. If you can help identify plants on Friday night, call Margaret Meierhenry.
Apr. 20, Sat. Field Trip: To Marial, Oregon to see early spring wildflowers along Rogue River. We will possibly see over 70 species of natives. Trip will be on Saturday, but we may want to plan on camping overnight. For more information, contact Bruce Rittenhouse, brittenh@sc0126wp.sc.blm.gov, or call Tim Rodenkirk.
Apr. 11, Thu. Meeting: 7 P.M. Room 310, Douglas County Courthouse, Roseburg.
Apr. 20, Sat. Field Trip: View the Kalmiopsis fragrens on Copeland Creek, just up from its confluence with the North Umpqua River. Meet at BLM parking lot, 777 Garden Valley Rd., off exit 125 of I-5, Roseburg, for 8 A.M. departure. Call Alan Romeril for more information.
Apr. 15, Mon. Meeting: 7 P.M. United Methodist Church, 600 State St. NE, Salem. Don Roberts will present a slide show, "The garden of Bush's Pasture Park."
Apr. 20, Sat. Field Trip: Mill Creek in Polk County. This is a beautiful, low elevation meadow and riparian area west of Salem. It's an opportunity to add to the current plant list and the data base of the Oregon Flora Project. Mild to moderate walk led by experienced Clint Urey (NPSO). If time permits we may stop at the Delbert Hunter Arboretum in Dallas, on the return trip. Driving: 50 mi. R.T. Meet at parking lot of West Salem Safeway at 8 A.M. For more information, call Clint Urey.
Apr. 27, Sat. Work Party: At Deepwood Natural Area in Bush's Pasture Park. The Erythronium oregonum, Trillium ovatum and other woodland plants are struggling to survive against the onslaught of English ivy, Vinca and blackberry. Help these natives survive by ripping out the exotics. Meet at Deepwood parking lot, corner of Mission and 12th Sts., Salem. Bring gloves, loppers, clippers and an attitude. Call Don Roberts for more information.
May 4, Sat. Field Trip: To North Santiam (Bird Haven) ACEC. This is an alluvial, forest and riverine, cottonwood bottomland on the Santiam River. We have botanized here before and will be looking for changes, damage, and enrichment brought about by the flood of 1996. We pass Kingston Prairie on the way to this ACEC, and may also botanize there if time permits. Mild to moderate walk led by experienced team of Barbara and Glenn Halliday (NPSO) with possible assistance of Walt Yungen (Audubon Society). Driving: 60 mi. R.T. Meet at K-Mart parking lot, Mission St. in south Salem at 8 A.M. Call Barbara or Glenn Halliday for more information.
Apr. 6, Sat. Work Day: Join the fun and learn about the process of growing native plants. The Nature Conservancy needs help planting native bunchgrass seeds in containers. The grass plugs will be grown in a nursery and outplanted at the Lawrence Grassland Preserve in the fall. Wear old clothes and bring gloves. Work should be finished by 1:00 P.M. Meet at Plantworks Nursery, 1805 U Ave., La Grande, 9 A.M. Call Berta Youtie for more information.
Apr. ? Work Day: In early April, on a day to be announced in the La Grande newspaper, we will have a tree planting at Rebarrow Forest Stewardship Plot. Approximately 500 ponderosa pine, Douglas fir and western larch trees at the Cusick Chapter's 10-acre plot. We plan to meet in the Forest and Range Laboratory parking lot at 8 A.M. and carpool to the site. Bring digging tools like a polaski or a sharp shooter shovel (tile spade). Bring lunch and prepare for any kind of weather. Call Bob Ottersberg after March 25th, for final date.
Apr. 17, Wed. Meeting: 7 P.M. Forest and Range Sciences Laboratory, Gekeler Lane and C Ave., La Grande. Paula Brooks, Forest Botanist, Wallowa-Whitman National Forest, presents a program on the Oregon Flora and Atlas Projects. A new Oregon flora is in the process of being written! The Atlas Project is being conducted in conjunction with it to document the statewide distribution of plant species. Volunteers are needed this spring and summer to do library research and field surveys. Paula will overview the projects and demonstrate plant collection techniques. Come join the fun!
May 3, Fri. Field Trip: Loren Hughes, one of our new members, would like to show us the healthy riparian area of Owsley Canyon Creek which runs through his land, and the results of 35 years of range rehabilitation. Meet at 5:30 P.M., Safeway parking lot in La Grande. Bring a snack to munch on as we walk and enjoy the spring wildflowers. Call Barbara Russell for more information.
Art Kruckeberg and I wish to sincerely thank the board of directors and members of NPSO for a second generous grant to support our upcoming book on botanical explorers and plant collectors of Oregon, Washington, Montana, Idaho and British Columbia, 1790 -1970. I am proud to report that we have made great progress in the past year. As Bulletin readers may remember, Art and I are editors-in-chief of this project, and we have signed a contract with the University of Washington Press. Regional editors in each of the northwestern states and British Columbia have done a superb job of finding writers -- botanists, historians, and interested folks -- to write biographies of our colorful plant hunters. We announced a January, 1996 deadline for first drafts, and fascinating essays have been pouring in from all over the West and as far away as England.
In the past months, I have read dozens of superb manuscripts. Art and I are very grateful for these examples of detailed research and lively writing. The project has been an incredible learning experience for me. Space does not allow me to mention all the authors and essays here. However, I can report on the following, whom I consider "my stable" of writers. The following have recently sent completed manuscripts or late drafts: Ed Alverson (David Douglas); Richard Beidleman (Charles Fremont); Mariana Bornholdt (William D. Brackenridge, Charlcs Pickering); Robert Clark (Meriwether Lewis); Ron Cox (Charles A. Geyer); Marge Ettinger and Susan Harless (Warm Springs Reservation collectors); Stu Garrett (John Strong Newberry); Lucile Housley (Nathaniel Wyeth, the Spaldings); Claire Johnson (William Fraser Tolmie, Meredith Gairdner); LaRea Johnston (Helen Gilkey); Susan Kephart (Morton E. Peck); Robin and Ken Lodewick (genus Penstemon); Rhoda Love (A.R. Sweetser); Bob Ornduff (E.L. Greene, John Scouler); Jessica Wade (Lilla Leach).
The following report work in progress and I have no doubt will submit drafts this spring: John Christy (Nelson); Mildred Detling (Le Roy Detling); Barbara Ertter (Lincoln Constance, Arthur Cronquist, C.A. Purpus); Norman Garrison (C.C. Parry); Frank Lang (Applegate, Jeffrey); Rhoda Love and Marcy Nelson (W.N. Suksdorf); Ken Phillips (Lincoln Savage, Anne Marie Finch); David Wagner (Howell, Henderson, Gorman); Carolyn Wright (W.C. Cusick). We still have some figures for whom we need authors. If you have been wanting to take part in this project, please contact Art Kruckeberg or me and we will suggest some figures still waiting for interested researchers. I'l1 mention just a few here: Sereno Watson; Robert Horner of the Blue Mountains; Henry J. Biddle of southern Oregon; Reuben D. Nevius; Henry N. Bolander of southwestern Oregon; Jim Hickman of Oregon and California; William Baker, Calapooya and Iron Mountain floras. Our book has now attracted grant support from both the Washington and Montana native plant societies. Again we express our gratitude to NPSO for its continuing interest in this project.
April 13, Sat., 8-10 A.M. Nature's Incredible Flying Machines. Led by Dan and Barbara Gleason, Lane County Audubon Society. April 20, Sat. 10-Noon. Plant Life, Plant Lore. Led by Judith Manning. $2 suggested donation. April 27, Sat., 8-10 A.M. Songbirds of Spring. Led by Diane Petty Granger, Audubon Society. June 2, Sun., 1-4 P.M. Wildflower Photography. Bring 35 mm. camera, slide film and tripod. $12 members, $15 non-members.
When reading Catalog of the Colorado Flora: a Biodiversity Baseline, by W.A. Weber and R.C. Wittmann. (University Press of Colorado, 1992), I was struck by a simple and eloquent statement that I thought NPSO readers would appreciate. I excerpt it here, with permission of the authors.
"Biodiversity, during the past few years, has become a 'buzz' word, as if this were a brand new concept. The word appears in the news, on television, in advertising, in grant proposals ... Furthermore, the study of biodiversity has become a magic new source of prestige and money, fore many biologists as well as politicians. Yet the study of biodiversity is the oldest branch of biology. The word simply means the many kinds of living things. Robert Louis Stevenson put it neatly when he wrote the nursery rhyme: 'The world is so full of a number of things, I'm sure we should all be as happy as kings.' We don't generally refer to our work as studies in biodiversity. A much older word is floristics, the systematic study of floras, and faunistics, the study of faunas."
Now maybe I'm a fossil, but I think that's a nice comment on trendiness in science. The authors went on to decry the disappearance of systematic botany from universities, and the orphaning of herbaria.
"The practitioners of a popular branch of science may become so flushed with success in receiving support that they may tend to denigrate a supporting field as being 'traditiona1' or 'classical.' When these things happen, institutions, both public and private, may dispense with their natural history collections and the scientists, who deal with them. Orphaned collections are passed on to more affluent institutions that may have the space to hold them, but the pool of scientists ultimately disappears."
As we all know, such a thing happened at the University of Oregon. Let's hope it stops there.
By the way, Weber and Wittmann's Catalog is a fine reference. Thanks to the authors' encyclopedic knowledge of Colorado's flora, the Catalog includes lichens (694 taxa), bryophytes (375 mosses, 92 liverworts), as well as vascular plants (3,088 taxa). It includes checklists of accepted names and recently-used synonyms for all taxa, cross-referenced with a bibliography containing 1,100 citations, documenting the original reports of which taxa occur in Colorado. The bibliography alone is a gold mine. There are no keys, as identification is not the purpose of a catalog. The authors use a quirky system of acronyms that differs from the four and six-letter codes that we are used to dealing with in the Pacific Northwest, but readers can ignore most of them. Acronyms must be used for the cross-references for the bibliography, but they are so easy to follow that it does not present a problem. The Catalog serves as a quick guide guide to what plants grow in Colorado, and the supporting literature documenting the flora. It complements the floras written for Colorado by Weber and others, and we all could profit from such a catalog for the flora of Oregon.
Under this title, American Nurseryman magazine reported the following item in its February 1, 1996 issue:
"The United Nations' first comprehensive report on the world's fading biodiversity found that animal and plant species were being destroyed at an 'alarming rate.' According to a Chicago Tribune account, the UN's findings, released at an international conference in Jakarta, Indonesia, stated that 5,400 animals and 26,100 plants are threatened with extinction. However, those estimates only cover species that are known and have been classified by scientists. The report also estimates that the number of extinctions related to the presence of humans on the earth is 50 to 100 times what it would be without people."
Confirming an idea suggested by Charles Darwin, biologists studying prairie plants have shown that the more species there are in an ecosystem the greater the productivity of the plants. They studied 147 plots of 100 square feet, with each plot containing from one to 24 native species. The study was done at the Cedar Creek Natural History Area in Minnesota.
N.Y. Times, 3/5/96, B8
For the third annual willow planting and Earth Day observance weekend at Klamath Marsh National Wildlife Refuge, April 19, 20, 21, 1996, the Oregon Natural Resources Council and the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service are inviting interested individuals to help plant willow trees on Friday and Saturday, the 19th and 20th, and to enjoy a birding and refuge tour on Sunday, the 21st.
Wendell Wood will be the host and and will lead the field trip to Wocus Bay and other parts of the refuge. Additional (and better insulated) heated sleeping spaces are available this year. Restrooms and indoor cooking areas are also provided. You may arrive as early as Thursday night.
Please respond before April 12. For more information, contact Wendell Wood, ONRC South Central Field Representative, 943 Lakeshore Drive, Klamath Falls, OR 97601, ww@onrc.org, (541) 885-4886, Fax (541) 885-4887. Please let us know if you can volunteer a pick-up truck for willow branch hauling.
A field trip to the far southeastern reaches of the state of Oregon is being planned. It is an area little explored and virtually unknown to botanists and wildlife biologists. On June 7, all interested parties are requested to report to the parking area of McDermitt Motel, McDermitt Nevada (on the Oregon border) at 4 P.M. We will then depart for Anderson Crossing and points east. Saturday and Sunday, June 8th and 9th, will be spent making collections and exploring the Toppin Creek Butte country, or any other interesting looking areas in this remote region of Oregon once called the "geographical center of nowhere."
Detailed maps will be available. (Some will be left at motel for late arrivals.) Four-wheel drive vehicles are preferable, although people may double up if rigs are available. We will be camping in remote places; everyone will be responsible for their own gear, food and gas. Please call Jean Findley (botanist) or Al Bamman (wildlife biologist) at the Vale District BLM office (541) 473-3144 if you are interested.
Here in Oregon we have many data bases of plant lists from specific areas, but no data base of people who are actively working in botany and related plant science fields. Many times we are unaware of other people in the state who who may provide information that will help us with some project concerning native plants. This is an attempt to collect the names of these people in one database which will help facililate information sharing on botany and native species.
If you are an agency botanist (federal or state), graduate student, university professor, contractor, work for a consulting firm, interested plant enthusiast, or just an expert on a specific area in the state, and would like your name in the database, this is for you. This is open for anyone interested in native plants.
All you need to do is send me your name, address, phone number, email address, specific topics of interest (i.e. rare plant monitoring, lichens, bryophytes, etc.). Please be as specific as possible with interests, like describing what species you are familiar with, or areas of expertise. (An example would be: working with Lilium, Phacelia, Gilia, with interests in lichens and plant re-introduction.
Please pass the word around to those who may not see this or who are not NPSO members. This database will be sent out periodically to those who submit their names, and to anyone else who wants a copy.
Send your response to: Bruce Rittenhouse, brittenh@sc0126wp.sc.blm.gov.
On March 27th, 1978, the Friends of Berry Botanic Garden met for an update on efforts to save the internationally recognized six acre estate in Dunthorpe. This was the estate of the late Mrs. Berry, and was purchased for $184,000 from the U.S. National Bank, which represented the heirs. The garden is now owned by the Friends and work has already been started to make it a true botanic garden, the first of its kind in Oregon.
One of the biggest hurdles at this time is the identification, cataloging and labeling of every plant. It is eslimated that well over 2,000 species are represented. Mr. Edward McRae, the executive director, is well qualified for this. All NPSO members are invited to contribute to the Garden and become a part of this very significant venture.
November, 1982. Paul Lutus, independent computer software writer, has donated two pieces of land on Eight Dollar Mountain to The Nature Conservancy. This is a rich botanical site near Grants Pass, Oregon. When Paul presented the deeds he added a personal check for $50,000 as well. He commented: "I hope this can help save Eight Dollar Mountain. Natural lands are one of the values being threatened by our uncontrolled population growth. Saving lands is one of the only significant things left for us to do."
Eight Dollar Mountain has long been known by botanists for its mountain bogs which are rich in Siskiyou serpentine soil endemics. NPSO members will be enabled to take joy in viewing these plants with the assurance of their protection.
If you have material you wish to contribute to the archives of NPSO -- slides, prints or written material -- please contact Jerry Igo, P.O. Box 603, Mosier, OR 97040
The "Sustainable Forestry Ballot Initiative" article in the Bulletin of December, 1995 suggested that it would be obvious that the initiative to ban clearcutting and chemical pesticides would benefit plants. After reading the initiative, we believe it is not so obvious and may actually be detrimental to native species. We would like to offer the following reasons why the proposed ballot initiative would not be good legislation and why it should not be supported as it is now written.
1. A ban on tools such as prescribed fire, or harvest techniques such as clearcutting, takes decision making out of the hands of qualified land managers who have a knowledge of local conditions.
2. The ban is not good for species diversity and may increase the number of sensitive species threatened by extinction.
3. The ban creates polarization in the community at a time when divisiveness is having negative consequences on the land.
Therefore, several of us who are members of the William Cusick Chapter of the Native Plant Society of Oregon would like to have the following ideas read by anyone considering signing the initiative petition. This is not an endorsement of clearcutting, but an encouragement to address the problems with clearcutting more specifically.
A complete ban on an important tool of management is poor policy as illustrated with the ban on fire as a tool of government agencies and by the attempt to control or stop every wild fire for most of the twentieth century. We are living with the consequences of the near total control of fire in the Blue Mountains where timber stands are unhealthy and prone to epidemic levels of insects and disease. Some say the ecosystem is on the verge of collapse. Researchers are demonstrating how the plant communities of this region evolved with fire as a natural part of the process. It is not yet too late to learn from our mistakes and try to mimic natural processes by supporting land managers who use scientific knowledge of ecosystem function at the watershed or ecoregion level as it pertains to local conditions.
The ban on clearcutting severely reduces the ability of managers to mimic natural disturbance regimes which promote species diversity. Such a diversity is greatest in a dynamic, ever-changing, naturally functioning ecosystem which has representatives of all stages of plant succession. Current land management has favored late stage species over the pioneers by banning the most common natural disturbance mechanism of the ecosystem -- fire. Many forests in Oregon evolved under a low frequency, high intensity fire regime, which was expressed at higher elevations with stand replacing crown fires every 100 to 200 years. Clearcuts mimic the stand replacement fires which were effectively eliminated by the control of wildfire. We do not like clearcuts and are not promoting their use in all situations because they can result in severe impacts to ecosystem function if done carelessly. Clearcuts are the closest thing there is to stand replacement fires, especially in areas where Oregon Department of Environmental Quality smoke management considerations prevent the use of prescribed fire.
A complete ban on chemical pesticides is also a problem because not all species can be controlled manually or mechanically. Rhizomatous species for example are most effectively controlled with responsible applications of herbicides. Biocontrol is not available for all weed species and takes extensive resources to develop and implement. The elimination of chemical forms of weed control will actually reduce species diversity. Noxious weeds can form a monoculture which replaces the natural variety of native species; therefore, we promote responsible use of herbicides rather than a ban on their use.
The clearcut ban would accomplish one thing for sure. It would get the attention of the logging industry and most private landowners. However, social behavior seems to follow the laws of physics; every action creates an equal and opposite reaction. The polarization that is spawned by this extreme type of political power play merely puts nature at risk. Right now in Union County a noxious weed is being allowed to spread, in part because of a negative reaction to what is considered government meddling in private land management. Yellow star thistle and others can be a threat to sensitive plant species and in general decrease species diversity. The ability to stop the spread of noxious weeds requires much more than the passive cooperation of land owners. It takes an active and aggressive effort by agency personnel working side by side with the landowner. Aggressive, active management may include the use of chemical pesticides in some places but that option may not be available if the proposed initiative becomes law. Local landowners are not sure they want to participate in an attempt to control star thistle in Union County. Just five years ago many of the same landowners would have been leading the fight to stop the spread of this noxious weed. Why not now? The animosity they feel may be due to the perception that the government is under the control of extreme environmentalists and we feel this initiative if enacted would support that fear. We think it better to nurture respect for nature through education and appreciation of native vegetation as the mission statement of the Native Plant Society of Oregon states. We encourage legislation that supports scientifically based resource management.
The following are new items we are selling through our booth at various events and local meetings. We'd like to make them available to NPSO members and Bulletin readers as well. For more information, or to place an order, contact Phil Warner, Treasurer, NPSO -- Emerald Chapter, P.O. Box 902, Eugene, OR 97440. Price includes postage and handling.
The Environmental Federation of Oregon (EFO) is the United Way-like funding agency for environmental organizations, from which NPSO receives roughly one quarter of its budget. I am just finishing my first year as the representative from NPSO to the EFO, and I recently attended that organization's annual Board retreat and membership meetings.
At the latter, members voted to end the allocation of a yearly bonus to founding groups. In light of the fact that groups entering now must pay a larger fee to join than founders did then, and they must wait a year after joining to receive a percentage of funds raised, the "founders bonus" does not seem equitable any more.
At the Board meeting, EFO's ambitious plan for growth was evaluated, now the first year is drawing to a close. This was the year corporate downsizing hit several companies which had run major campaigns in the past -- but no more! The good news is that EFO grew 12% despite this trend; the bad news is that this fell short of the 20% goal. Goals for the next two years were readjusted, but the commitment to distribute 65% of funds (rather than the current 50+ percent) to member groups by the end of the plan was realfirmed.
With Earth Day approaching, EFO is helping coordinate its member groups' activities and arranging for publicity among its participating businesses. Look in The Oregonian for a list of Earth Day events. Lastly, PLEASE NOTE, Louise Tippens, Executive Director of EFO, will be at our April 20 board meeting in McMinnville. ANYONE WITH QUESTIONS ABOUT EFO OR OUR AFFILIATION WITH IT, PLEASE COME. This is the time to assess our relationship.
A Conservation Committee Report:
Sometimes there is good news! NPSO members responded strongly last year to my column requesting support for the management plan by the Vale District BLM for the Leslie Gulch Area of Critical Environmental Concern. Leslie Gulch is a geologically and ecologically spectacular area in Malheur County along the Owyhee River. The BLM had proposed ending grazing in this 10,000 acre area to protect the five rare plant species that grow there. These are the same species that NPSO petitioned the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service to place on the Endangered Species List in 1993. Our petition was denied, but to a large degree the current management plan resulted from our efforts to list those species.
The final BLM proposal did eliminate grazing from this area and provided other protections for the plants. It allows for the removal of wild horses from the ACEC. It restricts camping and climbing. It calls for a hardening of the road that threatened a colony of rare plants.
Cattlemen appealed the final decision to the Director of the BLM in Washington, D.C. He upheld the local decision and the final plan is now in motion. The other good part of the story is that mineral withdrawal procedures have begun, and in the end this area will be protected from mining also. Jean Findley, BLM botanist, and Jim May, BLM district manager, were supportive of this plan. NPSO members can take pride in a significant victory for rare plants in Oregon. Now, if you have never been to Leslie Gulch, plan to go and see this spectacular place that we helped to protect.
"Gardening for Wildlife & Community" is the theme of the National Wildlife Federation's HOME IS WHERE THE HABITAT IS conference on April 20 - 21, 1996. It will be held at the Lorenzen Conference Center, Legacy Emanuel Hospital & Health Center, in North Portland.
Keynote speaker, Sara Stein, the author of Noah's Garden: Restoring the Ecology of Our Own Backyards, will also facilitate a gardener's forum, along with NPSO's Mike McKeag. Mike will lead a workshop on gardening with native plants, as well.
Among the other highlights of the conference are:
"Hands-On Habitat," giving conference participants the opportunity to plant a habitat in the hospital's Children's Garden.
"Politics for Gardeners: Breakfast with Environmental Decision Makers."
An interactive walking tour of the new Willamette Butterfly Park along the Willamette River Greenway.
Conference sponsors, including Sevenoaks Native Nursery, will have display and sales tables set up during the weekend.
To register, contact Beth Stout, National Wildlife Federation, 921 SW Morrison, Suite 512, Portland, OR 97205, 503-222-1429, or stout@ nwf.org.
The Blue Mountain and William Cusick chapters will be hosting the 1996 NPSO Annual Meeting in the beautiful Wallowa Mountains of eastern Oregon on July l2 - 14. The mountain town of Joseph, ancestral home of the Nez Perce leader, Chief Joseph, has been chosen as the site for this year's event. With just over 1,000 residents, this small town sits at the northern end of Wallowa Valley nestled against the majestic Eagle Cap Wilderness and just 35 miles from Hell's Canyon National Recreation Area. In addition to its spectacular natural setting, Joseph is a thriving arts colony with three foundries specializing in bronze sculptures and several art galleries lining its main streets.
The NPSO annual meeting will be held at the Joseph Community Center. The Friday Night Social includes gourmet finger foods (enough for dinner), a bluegrass band and a lively Contra Dance (don't worry, all the dances are taught!). A variety of Saturday field trips are scheduled (see following list) but group size is limited, so sign up early to have the best chance of getting your first pick. Saturday's banquet features a social hour, a sumptuous buffet feast (including vegetarian entrees) by Blue Willow Catering, and an evening speaker. This year's speaker is Dr. Charles G. Johnson, Jr., Area Plant Ecologist for the Malheur, Umatilla and Wallowa-Whitman National Forests, and author of Plant Associations of the Wallowa-Snake Province and Common Plants of the Inland Pacific Northwest. His program, "Endemics of the Wallowa Mountains and Snake River Canyonlands," is a one hour slide lecture highlighting plants found in a restricted set of habitats ranging from 10,000 ft. mountain peaks and alpine ridges to the hot, dry slopes of the Snake River and its tributaries. The meeting concludes on Sunday with the quarterly board meeting.
Joseph, Oregon is located about six hours drive east of Portland. Take I-84 east to Hwy. 82 just north of La Grande; follow Hwy. 82 to Joseph (the end of the road). Information on lodging, camping, restaurants and other "things to do" in the area will be sent to all registrants. Use the registration form to register. Questions? Contact Barb Russell or Kathleen Cheap.
All trips, unless noted, start at 8 A.M. and return to Joseph in the mid-to-late afternoon. Participants should prepare for a variety of weather conditions and wear sturdy walking/hiking shoes. Lunch will be in the field (prepared sack lunches can be ordered -- see registration form). Car pooling is encouraged.
Use the registration form to register.
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© Copyright 1996 Native Plant Society of Oregon, All Rights Reserved
Last Modified July 2, 1996