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 ]
July 12-14, Fri.-Sun. Annual Meeting: In Joseph, Oregon. Details in April issue of the Bulletin. State Board Meeting: On Sunday morning at the annual meeting.
June 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 at the General Store (only store) in Troy at 10 A.M.
June 15, Sat. Field Trip: Karl Urban will lead to Bull Prairie Reservoir, south of Heppner. Meet at South Shore Picnic Area in the campground, 10 A.M.
June 22, Sat. Field Trip: Karl Urban leads to Frazier Campground (east of Ukiah). Meet at the shelter in the campground, 10 A.M.
Meeting: No meetings in the summer.
June 10, Mon. Meeting: 7:30 P.M. Room 2087, Cordley Hall, OSU campus. Scott Sundberg will present a slide show on "The Oregon Flora Project: Steps Toward a New Flora of Oregon." For more information, call Esther McEvoy.
June 29, Sat. Field Trip: Dan Luoma will lead to Iron Mountain. Bring a lunch and appropriate foot gear for hiking. Meet at the parking lot across from the Monroe Beanery at 8 A.M. to car pool. For more information, call Loren Russell.
June 8, Sat. Atlas Trip: Bruce Newhouse will lead to Neptune State Park to assemble a species list. Leave S. Eugene H.S. (19th & Patterson) at 8:30 A.M. Call Bruce for details.
June 15, Sat. Atlas Trip: Jenny Dimling leads to Mt. June and Sawtooth Ridge Mtn. to assemble a species list. Leave S. Eugene H.S. (see above) at 8:30 A.M. Call Jenny for details.
June 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.
June 29, Sat. Field Trip: To Wamer Creek. This trip, previously announced, has now been canceled.
Meeting: No meeting in June.
June 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. Unfortunatcly, even in this barely-grazed area, exotic weeds are a prohlem. NPSO will assist the BLM in removing medusahead from several small, infested areas. Call trip leader Stu Garrett for details.
June 15, Sat. Field Trip: Coffin Mountain has one of the most spectacular wildflower displays in the Cascades. We will join with the Salem Chapter of NPSO for this trip. Call trip co-leader for details.
June 29, Sat. Field Trip: 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 a combination work day and fun hike. Call Stu Garrett for details.
July 4-7, Thu.-Sun. Field Trip: This overnight trip to one of the most spectacular areas in Oregon's high desert is not to be missed. We will combine with the Sierra Club and look at a number of issues. From our base camps we will tour selected parts of the Refuge and adjacent BLM land. Livestock grazing has been eliminated from the Refuge for several years and the results are dramatic. You will need a high-clearance, 4 WD vehicle with 8-10 ply (load range D or E tires -- or at least two spares! Roads are terrible and be ready for dry camping. Call trip leader Stu Garrett for more information.
July 27, Sat. Field Trip: Canyon Mountain is one of the less-visited parts of the Strawberry Wilderness. On this moderate 5 mi. R.T. hike, with 1,000 ft. elev. gain, we will have spectacular views and see the rare Cymopteris nivalis and Luina serpentina. High clearance vehicle recommended. Anyone wishing to come early or stay late is welcome to camp at the leader's beautiful Morning Hill Forest Farm and have an ecoforestry tour. Call trip leader Jennifer Barker, Canyon City, for details.
Aug. 10, Sat. Field Trip: Broken Top Volcano. This is our annual trek to view the spectacular glaciated scenery and the alpine wildllowers in the High Cascades west of Bend. Six-mile, moderate to strenuous hike, with 1,700 ft. elev. gain. Mostly off-trail hiking through Three Sisters Wilderness, so number limited to 12. A Cascades classic! 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 Conservancy'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, P.O. Box 797, Silver Lake, Oregon 97638 for details.
June 5, Wed. Meeting: 7:30 P.M. Mosier School. Lance Holmberg, botanist of the Bear Springs Ranger District, will give a presentation on the mosses of the area.
June 8, Sat. Field Trip: Juniper Meadow, Barlow Ranger District, Mt. Hood NF. USFS botanist, Caitlin Cray, leads an easy cross-country walk through open oak woodlands and meadows full of balsamroot to a lovely lunch spot under a juniper tree. We'll see Howell's milkvetch, and the rarely seen (or rarely noticed) purple Scribner's grass, along with many other eastside wildflowers. Meet: 9:30 A.M., Barlow Ranger Station, rear parking lot, 13 mi. south of The Dalles, just off Hwy. 197.
July 3, Wed. Meeting: Our annual potluck at Jerry Igo's cabin and wildflower preserve.
Aug. 3 Sat. Field Trip: High Prairie, Barlow Ranger District, Mt. Hood NF. Caitlin Cray leads a moderate (ca. 4 mi.) hike through a lush subalpine rneadow to the rocky site of an old lookout. Great views of Mt. Hood and splendid flowers. Meet: Hood River Ranger District, south of Hood River on Hwy. 35, at 9:30 A.M., or High Prairie trailhead, 10:45 A.M. Preregistration required (wilderness area, limit 11). Call Caitlin to sign up.
Meeting: No meeting in June.
June 8, Sat. Field Trip: Another in our series of close-in, botany for beginners field trips. We will hike a one mile loop in the deep woods of the Audubon Sanctuary, followed by a longer walk in a nearby park for those with more time. Meet: 9:30 A.M., Audubon House, 5151 NW Cornell Rd., Portland. Contact Charlene Holtzwarth.
June 10-15, Mon.-Sat. Field Research: An opportunity for a unique vacation for those who can take a week off. Assist in a field research project and learn about life below the surface of the soil. For details see truffle article at end of Chapter News.
June 11, Tue. Meeting: 7 P.M. First Methodist Church, 1838 SW Jefferson, Portland. John Berry will talk on the history of management of the Mt. Hood National Forest. The meeting room will open at 6:30 for socializing.
June 15, Sat. Field Trip: Grand Island. Explore a mature floodplain forest south of Dayton in Yamhill County which harbors a surprisingly diverse flora and fauna. The third in a series of joint NPSO/Audubon Society trips. Meet co-leader Tom Love (PAS) at 6:30 A.M. in front of new Safeway in King City (on 99W). NPSO co-leader, Kareen Sturgeon, will meet us on the way. Trip ends at noon, so lunch is optional.
June 29, Sat. Field Trip: Aldcr Springs. Joint trip and work party with BLM and High Desert Chapter. (See High Desert Chapter news for details.) Contact Mike McKeag, mmckeag@teleport.com, for car pool arrangements from Portland.
June 1, Sat. Field Trip: High Plateau Mtn. (in California). Dave Emper, Arcata Chapter, of the California Native Plant Society, leads a hike into a remote serpentine area. The trip may extend to an overnighter with car camping. Meet: Patrick Creek Lodge (on U.S. 199, 15 mi. s. of Oregon border) at 9:15 A.M. Contact Clare Golac.
June 2, Sun. Field Trip: Flat Creek, Scablands (near Crater Lake). Ginny Post shows us multiple habitats: vernal streams, a fern grotto, open scablands, a riparian zone, and a conifer forest. Geology will be discussed and plants keyed. Bring water and lunch. Contact Ginny for details.
June 15, Sat. Field Trip: Explore the lower Rough and Ready Creek watershed (see "Oregon Plants, Oregon Places," Kalmiopsis, V. 4, 1994), with Jennifer Biegel, Barbara Ullian and others. Crossing Rough and Ready Creek is required. Bring wading shoes, lunch, water, etc. Meet: Illinois Valley Visitors Center parking lot, Cave Junction, 9:30 A.M. Limit 12. Registration is suggested. Contact Barbara Ullian.
June 20, Sat. Field Trip: Say goodby to ancient Port Orlord cedar at Snowcamp Mountain, Chetco Ranger District, Siskiyou National Forest, and explore the Snowcamp Botanical Area. We will discuss the Forest Service's Port Orford cedar root disease control strategy that logs 200 - 400 year old cedar. Meet: 10 At, Fred Meyer parking lot, Brookings. Contact Barbara Ullian.
Aug. 3, Sat. Field Trip: A tentative trip to Hinkel Lake in the upper Applegate River drainage. Richard Brock is considering showing us a serpentine botanical area that is in need of rest from grazing.
TBA Field Trip: In late September or October Gordon Larum may show us some of the wealth of mushrooms that grow in western Oregon in the fall.
Meeting: No meetings in June, July or August.
For information on South Coast Chapter, call Bruce Rittenhouse.
June 13, Thu. Meeting: Bring family and fliends to Powell Point any time after 4 P.M. for fishing. swimming or botanizing. See how high water changed the channel and bar. Picnic at 6:30 P.M. with BBQ chicken and beverage furnished. Call Mildred Theile for information.
June 15, Sat. Field Trip: Stroll along Ashland's Lithia Park woodland trail to view the native and introduced specimens. The tree and shrub guide will be available. Leave at 8 A.M. from BLM parking lot, 777 Garden Valley Blvd., Roseburg, or rendezvous, 10 A.M., lower duck pond. For information call Alan Romeril.
July 11, Thu. Meeting: 7 P.M. In room 310, Douglas County Courthouse, Roseburg. Discuss the Oregon Flora Project. Bring a plant you don't know for identification.
July 13, Sat. Field Trip: Begin at Twin Lakes Mountain trailhead for a gentle, 2 mi. descent through mountain meadow to Upper Twin Lakes (Little River drainage). Meet: BLM parking lot, 777 Garden Valley Blvd., Roseburg, for 7 A.M. departure. Rendezvous. 8 A.M., Lake-in-the-Woods, for pit stop and car pooling. Call Alan Romeril for information.
July 27, Sat. Field Trip: Explore Crater Lake's rim drive pumice fields for subalpines. Long legs can hike the Mt. Scott trail. Leave, 7 A.M., from BLM parking lot, 777 Garden Valley Blvd., just off I-5 exit 125, or rendezvous, 9 A.M., at Diamond Lake Lodge. For information call Alan Romeril.
Aug. 17, Sat. Field Trip: Explore the Mt. Bailey trail, a glacial cirque, or Silent Creek. Leave, 7 A.M., BLM parking lot (see above) or rendezvous, 9 A.M., Diamond Lake Lodge. For information call Alan Romeril.
Aug. 24, Sat. Field Trip: Drive to Calamut Lake just south of the Cowhorn-Sawtooth Divide that separates the Umpqua and Willamette watersheds. For subalpines explore near lake, or hike to Sawtooth Mountain. Leave, 7 A.M., BLM parking lot (see above) or rendezvous. 9 A.M., Kelsay Valley road iunction. For information call Alan Romeril.
May 31, Fri. Field Trip: Buena Vista area. We will be looking for Delphinium pavonaceum on this trip which will take us to Ankeny National Wildlife Refuge, Buena Vista Ferry and the hills west of Buena Vista. A chance to add to plant lists of this beautiful area. Meet at Roth's IGA on South Commercial (where Liberty and Commercial branch) at 8 A.M. Travel distance: 100 mi. Trip leader is Wilbur Bluhm. Contact Don Roberts. Note: Trip originally scheduled for June 1.
June 15, Sat. Field Trip: Coffin Mountain. Joint trip with the High Dcsert Chapter to a beautiful site southeast of Detroit Lake. A 4 mi. hike into the mountain, of moderate difficulty. Travel distance: 160 mi. Meet: South Salem K-Mart, 8 A.M. Co-leaders are Wilbur Bluhm and Stu Garrett.
June 21-23, Fri.-Sun. Field Trip: Illinois Valley area, Eight Dollar Mountain, Oregon Mountain. Joint trip with the Willamette Chapter of the Rhododendron Society. Lilium vollmeri, Lilium bolanderi, Hastingsia bracteosa and other later seasonal bloomers will be sought. Persons may join the trip for one or more days. Coordinate through leader Wilbur Bluhm.
June 2, Sun. Field Trip: Join Karen Antell, EOSC botany professor, for a walk through Ladd Marsh to enjoy the diversity of early blooming wildflowers. Dave Larson, Ladd Marsh manager has requested our assistance in compiling a species list and for plant collection. Meet: 9 A.M., Forest and Range Lab, Gekeler Lane and C Ave., to carpool to the Marsh.
June 8-9, Sat.-Sun. Work Days: Hike 6 mi. down hill in a spectacular riparian canyon pulling noxious weeds on the way. On Sunday view sensitive species on the ridge. Camp Saturday at the cabin on the Clear Lake Ridge Natural Area. Meet: Jerry's Market in Joseph, 9 A.M. Saturday. Contact Berta Youtie.
June 15, Sat. Work Day: Please help protect the rare pink thelypody from the weeds which are displacing it in the Baker Valley, the only place it grows. Meet: North Powder Cafe, 9 A.M. Bring gloves, lunch, water, weed removal tools. Contact Berta Youtie.
June 22, Sat. Work Day: Gangloff Park trail work. The trail will be paved this summer and will have lots of detail work on finishing touches. Weed pulling is needed to protect the emerging native plant community. Start al 9 A.M. and bring lunch if you can spend the day. We will provide drinks.
June 29, Sat. Field Trip: Nick Otting and Danna Lytjen will be sharing some of their recently completed graduate school research on the ecology of willows and sedges of the Upper Grand Ronde River area. Nick will cover sedges and Danna will inform us about willows. Meet at Safeway parking lot for 8 A.M. departure. Bring lunch and clothes for stomping around in wet areas.
July 13, Sat. Work Day: Devil's Gulch late season knapweed and Scotch thistle weed pull, led by Tom Rohn who knows the many birds common to the riparian setting of Devil's Gulch. Meet at Jerry's Market in Joseph at 8 A.M.
July 27, Sat. Field Trip: Jennifer Barker will lead to Canyon Mountain, one of the less-visited parts of the Strawberry Mountain Wilderness. See plant communities of the southern Blue Mountains, including the sensitive Cymopteris nivalis and endemic Luina serpentina. This is a moderate 5 mi. R.T. hike, with 100 ft. elev. gain, and spectacular views. High clearance vehicle is desirable. Call Jennifer Barker for more information and possible camping spots.
Aug. 3, Sat. Work Day: Rebarrow Forestry. Join us for a day of forest land management. We will be cutting and piling slash for fire prevention. There is always weed pulling to do. Maintenance of the nature trail is an ongoing project.
Meeting: No meeting in June.
Volunteers are sought to assist in truffle sampling near Mt. Adams, June 10-15. This is an opportunity to learn botany below ground, help expand our knowledge of an important aspect of forest ecology, and get in shape for the rest of the field season too. We need to average four people a day, and a two day minimum commitment will be necessary to allow for training time. Six people for three days would be ideal, and four people for four days would work. If we get 4 to 6 people for 3 or 4 days, we can provide transportation from Portland. Lodging and $25 per day for food will be paid. The work involves truffle collecting from specific forest plots on a steep mountain slope near Mt. Adams. Interested persons should contact me by email at luoma@fsl.orst.edu.
In the present year's NPSO budget, the state organization was unable to contribute to the Oregon Flora Project, to the Carex Working Group, or to the Oregon Department of Agriculture's Internship Program at the same levels we did in 1995. Taken together, funding for the three projects decreased about $3,000. All three projects are in rather serious need of additional funding now. If a chapter or individual wishes to contribute to the Flora Project, you may send your check directly to Scott Sundberg at OSU. For the Carex Working Group, checks should go to Aaron Liston at OSU. (For both the above, your check should be made out to the OSU Foundation.) Contributions toward the ODA Internship Program should be addressed to NPSO Treasurer. Jean France.
The NPSO Board of Directors met on April 20, 1996 at Linfield College in McMinnville. Two board members of the Environmental Federation of Oregon, Doug Meyers and Sally Tinker, attended to participate in an assessment of NPSO's participation in EFO. The main topic of discussion was the overhead percentage, and how much of the total contribution revenue is distributed to member organizations. For the most recent year, revenue was $420,000, and $244,000 was distributed to member groups, so overhead was 48%. The 1997 goal is $550,000 revenue with overhead less than 35%. Dan Luoma expressed the belief that a long term goal for overhead should be 15%, and asked when the development phase will taper off into a sustaining phase.
Doug Meyers explained that the development expense remains high because the "easy target" employer groups (government) are almost all signed up, and now private employers need to be signed up, which is tougher. EFO will always need a general director, development director and office person, plus office rent and expenses. Expenses will remain about constant and will be a smaller percentage of revenue as revenue grows. With this fixed expense level about $200,000, the revenue has to be $1,350,000 to realize 15% overhead. The question was posed to EFO: "Is this a reasonable expectation?" [After the meeting, a response from EFO indicated that overhead will probably never be that low.]
Maya Muir assessed her first contract year, as NPSO's liaison to EFO. Her achievements are attending Board meetings with quarterly reports, writing articles for the Bulletin, and establishing a regular and continuing link. Her greatest frustration was not getting any volunteer help in response to many requests. Maya pointed out the importance of NPSO members putting in volunteer hours making presentations and other contacts with participating employee groups, and emphasized the importance of getting more designated contributions. If NPSO wants to continue participating in EFO, which contributes more than $5000 a year to NPSO's budget, members need to do more volunteer hours.
The Board concluded that this is the best communication we've ever had with EFO, and the most effective EFO representative we have ever had. We are making real progress on getting better understanding of this situation. Dan Luoma said we can in good conscience tell our members and contributors that EFO has a realistic two year plan to decrease the overhead percentage, and we will increase our efforts to help EFO follow through with longer range planning and achievement of their goals. Our participation in EFO will continue and Maya's contract was renewed for another year.
Treasurer Jean France has received financial reports from only three chapters. The Board needs these for a meaningful discussion of what percentage of membership dues should be split with the chapters.
Tom Kaye reported on plans to publish Proceedings of last November's symposium, Conservation and Preservation of Oregon's Native Flora. About 40 papers will be included. The review process is under way and publication is expected in the fall.
Three candidates have been selected for this year's summer intern projects, sponsored by NPSO and Oregon Department of Agriculture. Our budget has money for only two, and the Board continues to hope that one or more chapters will be able to fund the third.
There are three field research grant requests which the Grants Committee intends to approve. All will be paid from the R&E Plant Fund and the Leighton Ho Memorial Fund. [See article in this issue.]
Bruce Newhouse proposed, and the Board endorsed a statement of purpose for the Rare & Endangered Plants Committee and fund. "The purpose of NPSO R&E program and budget is to further the knowledge, awareness and protection of rare plant, lichen and fungus species in Oregon. Financial support for rare plant research and educational materials are examples of appropriate uses of the R&E fund. The Board will target a minimum of one $500 grant per year to support this effort as funding permits." The fund now has about $1500, and gets about $500 annually in contributions from members when they send their dues at renewal time.
Bruce Newhouse reported on the Oregon Flora Atlas project. Eleven regional coordinators are now working, but no one has signed up for the far southeast (Klamath Falls to Ontario). Emerald Chapter is now sponsoring field trips which are specifically working trips to compile site lists.
Jerry Igo, Education Committee Chair, reported that a 15 minute video presentation is in preparation; it tells about NPSO (who, what, why, how, etc.). A group of speakers is being formed, people who are willing to speak to other groups about NPSO.
Mike McKeag has the World Wide Web pages ready to load to the server. The Web site will probably be functioning when this article is published. Contact Mike (mmckeag@teleport.com) for the URL. Many thanks to Mike for lots of great work!
The Board of Directors approved, on April 20, the following amendment to the bylaws, to be voted on by the membership.
Existing: NPSO Bylaws, Article V, Section 3, Disposition of Dues. The dues of all chapter members shall be paid to the Membership Chair. Thirty-five perccnt (35%) of all dues shall be remitted by the Treasurer to the chapters for local expenses or any other use desired by the chapter except for dues in the Patron category. For Patron dues, an amount equal to thirty-five percent (35%) of one year's dues shall be remitted to the chapter to which the member belongs.
Proposed: NPSO Bylaws, Article V, Section 3, Disposition of Dues. The dues of all members shall be paid to the Membership Chair. Dues revenue will be shared between the state and the chapters as determined by the Board of Directors.
Discussion: Since the dues-sharing percentage of 35% was set many years ago, NPSO has grown substantially, and taken on new activities. Among those activities is the publication of Kalmiopsis, which costs over $3000 per year. The Board believes it is appropriate to reconsider the dues sharing percentage. Also, the percentage should be determined with more interactive consideration of the state budget and chapter budgets. It will be easier to adjust the sharing percentage if the number is not specified in the bylaws, which require a general membership vote for amendment. The chapters are well represented in this decision making, because the eleven chapter presidents constitute a majority of the 21 voting members of the state Board of Directors.
Some confusing and illogical language regarding the sharing percentage for Patron memberships would be removed.
The Board of Directors recommends a YES vote on this amendment to the bylaws.
Tiehm, Arnold. Nevada Vascular Plant Types and Their Collectors. New York Botanical Garden, 1996. (104 pages; hardcover. ISBN 0-89327-401-1. $19.50)
I am delighted with this slim but information-packed volume, just published as Memoirs Volume 77 of the New York Botanical Garden. Author Arnold Tiehm has done a superb job of researching Nevada's botanical history. On the technical side, he provides a useful, annotated list of all type specimens of vascular plants collected in Nevada from the 1840's to the present. Equally interesting to me is his 37-page section of mini-biographies (with some photos) of the fascinating botanists who collected the Nevada types.
The biographical section is divided by decade. The first type specimens were collected by the legendary John Charles Fremont in 1844. Fremont collected nine types including Pinus monophylla and Astragalus preussii. The list of collectors contains the names of relatively unknown men and women as well as those of some of the greats of Western botanical history including C.L. Hitchcock, Arthur Cronquist, Alice Eastwood, Barbara Ertter, E.L. Greene, the Holmgrens, Willis Linn Jepson, M.E. Jones, D.D. Keck, Philip Munz, James Reveal, Reed Rollins, and Tiehm himself.
The most recent Nevada type noted is Ionactis caelestis collected by Patrick Leary in 1991. Tiehm manages to make his botanists come alive in biographical sketches which are both succinct and personal. For example, on page 15, one learns that M.E. Jones once more-or-less told Katherine Brandegee to go to Hell! (In passing I might add that Arnold Tiehm has submitted a very fine biographical essay on Per Axel Rydberg for "Northwest Plant Hunters," a book in progress edited by A.R. Kruckeberg and Rhoda Love. Also included in the Nevada volume is a 13-page comprehensive bibliography.
During some recent researches at the Washington State University library in Pullman, I leamed that former WSU botany instructor Rolla Kent Beattie (1875-1960) spent many years gathering information on Northwest type specimens which was, unfortunately, never published. His notes on the subject presently occupy 8 feet of shelf space in the Special Collections. Perhaps the present book by Tiehm will inspire someone to do a similar job.
I strongly recommend Nevada Vascular Plant Types and Their Collectors to anyone interested in the history of Western botany. The review copy will be donated to the OSIJ Herbarium where Bulletin readers may use it. Or, to order a copy, call the New York Botanical Garden at (718) 817-8721.
The third annual plant identification workshop for grasses, sedges and rushes will be presented on June 27th and 28th, 1996, at Willamette University in Salem, by Hortus West, PO Box 2870, Wilsonville, OR 97070, FAX (503) 570-0855.
Laboratory and field identification classes will be held on both days, and there will be a two-hour evening lecture. with slides and herharium specimens, on the 27th. Ed Alverson, an ecologist for The Nature Conservancy, will be the field team leader, and M. Loverna Wilson, a plant ecologist, is the laboratory team leader. The registration fee is $195, if received by June 14, and $215 thereafter. For more information contact Kalhrynn Carrico, phone (503) 570-0859, FAX (503) 570-0855.
A guide to the 57 BLM Research Nalural Areas in Oregon and Washington has been published. We are very interested in promoting research and educational opportunities in these areas and encourage you to contact Cheryl McCaffrey, BLM Oregon State Office at (503) 952-6050 if you would like a copy of the guide sent to you. You can also contact the BLM district closest to you and ask to speak to the RNA Coordinator. [Reprinted from BLM News]
Linda Ann Vorobik, principal illustrator of The Jepson Manual and illustrator and designer of A Flora of Santa Cruz Island, will teach a ten-day course in botanical illustration this coming August at the Crooked Creek Field Station in the White Mountains of Ca]ifornia.
Pen and ink and watercolor illustration will be taught and the needs of both beginners and more advanced illustrators will be considered. The course is sponsored by the Friends of the Jepson Herbarium, will take place from August 16th to the 25th, and is limited to 20 participants. The cost of the course is $250 for members and $300 for non-members, and room and board will be $375. (Full payment is due by August 1, 1996.) The accommodations are dormitory style and students take their own bedding and towels. Meals are provided. Since Crooked Creek is at an elevation of 10,150 feet, there is a need to become acclimated; a night at 8,000 feet beforehand is suggested. And participants must be in good physical condition.
The Friends of the Jepson Herbarium are at l001 Valley Life Sciences Building, #2465, University of California, Berkeley, CA 94720-2465. Information can be obtained from Susan D'Alcamo at the Jepson Herbarium, (510) 643-7008.
More and more natural plants, many native to the Northwest, are being found that are of medical or therapeutic value. The Natural Products Consortium at OSU is helping with discovery and maximizing the full potential of these plants. The NPC has hundreds of natural product extracts and/or isolates available for biological evaluation, according to G.H. Constantine, Ph.D., coordinator of the College of Pharmacy program.
"Over the years, NPC members have obtained information and extracted natural products from a variety of sources, including bacteria, fungi, algae, marine and terrestrial plants. Coded samples of extracts or purified compounds with a history of biologic activity are available for testing. In addition, NPC will supply a technical report describing the source of the material, its previous biologic history, folklore, its use among natives, and its general method of extraction and/or solubility," according to Constantine. [From The Oregon Scientist, Spring, 1996]
The Rough and Ready Creek watershed of southwest Oregon (Illinois Basin -- see "Oregon Plants, Oregon Place," Kalmiopsis, V. 4, 1994) is a landscape of great integrity, antiquity and diversity. It also has the dubious honor of being the site of the largest active mineral patent in the Unitcd States (4,680 acres).
Rough and Ready Creek is the meeting ground for plants of diverse habitat requirements. Rabbitbrush (Chrysothamnus nauseosus), a desert plant, grows beneath Port Orford cedar (Chamaecyparis lawsoniana), a coastal/cool riparian tree. The same Western white pine (Pinus monticola) you find on cold, snowy slopes at Crater Lake is found at low elevations on Rough and Ready's open, desert-like floodplain and alluvial valley. Coastal Western hemlock (Tsuga heterophylla) and Port Orford cedar forests are juxtaposed with open Jeffrey pine (Pinus jeffreyi) and native bunchgrasses in Rough and Ready's headwaters.
Rough and Ready Creek is also the meeting ground for the archaic Mining Law, remnant of the gold rushes and land giveaways of the 1800's (the price in 1996 is still $2.50 an acre), and an evoiving land ethic that values ancient, unbroken ecological processes and habitat diversity as much as it values cathedrals and Corinthian columns, or in the case of NICORE's plans for Rough and Ready Creek, smelters and stainless steel. (Note: Ostensibly, mineral patents are filed on the basis of mineral value but are often little more than real estate schemes.)
The land on which NICORE has filed mineral patents includcs much of the Rough and Ready Area of Critical Environmental Conccrn (BLM) and Botanical Area (US Forest Service) and miles of river corridor eligible for National Wild and Scenic River designation. If successful, NICORE would own the habitat of the largest populations of Fritillaria glauca, Calochortus holvellii, Hastingsia bracteosa and other sensitive species too numerous to mention here. It would own and control the corridor of a stream whose water clarity approaches that of distilled water. The Oregon Chapter of the American Fisheries Society's Oregon Critical Watersheds Database describes Rough and Ready as a "pristine, highly sensitive, reference watershed and genetic reserve" and recommends protection for the entire watershed.
Currently, Congress has placed a moratorium on mineral patents. The moratorium can be renewed or lost on a yearly basis in energy-consuming political battles, and each year some patents go forward. It is up to us to take this time to bring Rough and Ready's plight and values to national attention. Get to know this exceptional place (See the Siskiyou Chapter field trip, Saturday, June 15th, with Jennifer Beigel and others.)
From the Bulletin, June, 1979:
"The annual meeting, hosted in Ashland and Medford, by the Siskiyou Chapter, drew 75 to the banquet, and 65 to the Upper Table Rock field trip. Native plant enthusiasls came from as far away as Mosier, Portland, Gold Beach and Lakeview. Weather and wildflowers were great. Guest speaker at the banquet was Dr. Dave Wagner. His topic was "Protection of Rare Plants." The event was enjoyed by all."
Archives editor's note: Our annual meeting in July, 1996 will carry on this tradition. We look forward to seeing you there. If you have material you wish to contribute to the archives of NPSO, please contact Jerry Igo, P.O. Box 603. Mosier, OR 97040.
The Field Research Grants Committee approved three grant proposals. One was from Lynda Boyer, a Masters degree student in Plant Biology at Portland State University. Her proposal title is "Field Research on Delphinium oreganum." This rare species is appropriatly known as Willamette Valley larkspur, since it is endemic to the Willamette River basin. Through her work as a volunteer for Oregon's Natural Heritage Program, Lynda has determined that information on the status of existing populations is minimal. This summer's efforts will involve verifying historic locations of the species and looking for new populations. Detailed morphological and pollinator information will also be gathered. Lynda's request for $450 was authorized and she was selected as a recipient of a Leighton Ho Field Botany Award.
A second proposal was submitted by Kelly Amsberrv, a Masters degree student in Botany at Oregon State University. The title of her proposal is "Conservation Biology of Plagiobothrys hirtus (Boraginaceae): Evaluation of Life History Strategy and Population Enhancement." Plagiobothrys hirtus (hairy popcorn flower) is a rare wetland species listed as Endangered by the Oregon Department of Agriculture and is considered critically imperiled by The Nature Conservancy. The plants have showy, white flowers and are known only from the Umpqua Valley in Douglas County. The central goals of her research will be (1) to increase the size of existing populations of P. hirtus in protected sites by transplanting greenhouse grown cuttings, and (2) to add to currently available knowledge about the vegetative life history and pollination ecology of this plant. Kelly was awarded $750 from NPSO's Rare and Endangered P]ant Fund.
The third proposal was submitted by Esther McEvoy and Ayn Whytemare of Corvallis. "Population dynamics of Sidalcea hirtipes in an abandoned pasture on the Oregon Coast" continues research initiated in 1994 with the help of a NPSO grant. Hairy stemmed checker-mallow is a regional endemic with populations restricted to coastal Oregon and Washington. The species is considered threatened or endangered by the Oregon Natural Heritage Program. This study is monitoring a population of S. hirtipes that was found in an abandoned pasture after the successful biological control of Senecio jacobeae (tansy ragwort). New and old patches of S. hirtipes will continue to be mapped, areas will be prolccted from elk grazing and trampling, data relating to the plant's reproduction will be gathered, and general ecological observations will be made. Esther and Ayn's request for $685 was authorized and they were selected as recipients of a Leighton Ho Field Botany Award.
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Last Modified July 2, 1996