ebcnps
Field Trips
Saturday, February 6, 9:00 am, winter walk on the morning side of Mount Diablo
Join Rare Plant Chairperson Heath Bartosh on this half day hike to explore Save Mount Diablo’s recent acquisition of the 165-acre Viera-North Peak property. This moderately strenous hike will be a cross-country trip, meaning we’ll be blazing our own trails with repose, through the rich woodland, grassland, and serpentine habitats this property supports. Heath spent two days on the property during May 2009 and recorded 5 CNPS-listed plant species and 43 species considered locally rare within the East Bay. Although you shouldn’t expect to see much in bloom, wintertime forays can often surprise unsuspecting native plant enthusiasts. Come help Heath expand the plant list and enjoy low angle light on the morning side of the mountain. We will meet at 9:00 am at the Clayton Library parking lot: 6125 Clayton Road in Clayton. After consolidating into fewer cars we’ll drive out to our trailhead along Morgan Territory Road. In case of rainy weather on the morning of the hike, there will be a fallback date of Saturday February 13. This excursion has a limit of 10 people due to the absence of trails through most of the property. RSVP to Heath by February 5 via e-mail to hbartosh@nomadecology.com
Directions: From points west of Walnut Creek, take Highway 24 east to its end, and then get in the left lanes marked for 680 north toward Concord. Exit immediately at Ygnacio Valley Road, before you have merged with 680 north. At the exit ramp, turn right onto Ygnacio Valley Road and follow it east about 7.5 miles to its intersection with Clayton Road. Turn right onto Clayton Road; you will need to make a U-turn at a legal place to cross the road to the side with Clayton Library.
Directions: From points west of Walnut Creek, take Highway 24 east to its end, and then get in the left lanes marked for 680 north toward Concord. Exit immediately at Ygnacio Valley Road, before you have merged with 680 north. At the exit ramp, turn right onto Ygnacio Valley Road and follow it east about 7.5 miles to its intersection with Clayton Road. Turn right onto Clayton Road; you will need to make a U-turn at a legal place to cross the road to the side with Clayton Library.
Sunday, February 14, 2:00 pm, Redwood Regional Park, Oakland
David Margolies will lead a walk along the stream and on the slopes above Redwood Creek in this large East Bay redwood forest, looking at early flowering plants and the trees and shrubs of the redwood forest. We will also look for newts and rainbow trout in Redwood Creek. The whole walk is about 2.5 miles with steep uphill and steep downhill portions. Walkers who want to avoid the steep trails can return along the stream trail about halfway through the walk. Meet at the Redwood Gate parking area at 2:00 pm.
Directions: To get there from the northern East Bay, get on 13 South (go east on Ashby Avenue in Berkeley, for example) and take the Redwood Road exit. From Oakland, go east on 35th Avenue (which turns into Redwood Road). From the southern East Bay, take 580 West to 13 North and exit at Redwood Road (immediately after the junction). From San Francisco, take the Bay Bridge, staying to the right (but do not go to San Jose). Take 580 East, and then 24 East (towards Walnut Creek). Take the 13 South exit from 24 and then the Redwood Road exit. Once on Redwood Road, go east (uphill). At the top of the hill you will cross Skyline Boulevard and then pass various equestrian facilities. Go down into the valley. About two miles from Skyline Boulevard, turn left into Redwood Regional Park, following the entrance road to the end to the parking lot. Walk takes place rain or shine.
Sunday, February 21, 9:30 am, Mount Olympia at Mount Diablo State Park
Gregg Weber will return to the canyons above Clayton to see many late winter flowers, with possible performances by sun, sky and clouds. Winter blooms to look for should include two species of manzanita, violas, Nemophila, and some early composites in flower. This is a strenuous walk with 2300 elevation gain on the way out, and all downhill on the return trip. The round trip distance is about 8 miles, so the trip will take 6-7 hours. Bring lunch and water and be prepared for a wide range of temperatures. The trip will proceed despite official predictions of rain, and we will decide on the day of the trip if the weather is sufficiently inclement before returning. If there is a heavy rain the trip will take place on February 28.
Directions: Take 24 or 680 to Ignacio Valley Road. Continue on Ignacio Valley Road into the city of Clayton, where you turn right onto Clayton Road. Take Clayton Road past the first intersection with Marsh Creek Road; in about a mile, it becomes Marsh Creek Road. Continue straight on Marsh Creek Road and turn right onto Regency Drive. Go three blocks on Regency Drive, then turn left onto Rialto Drive and follow it to the end. Regency Drive also ends at a trailhead, but that is for a different trail; be sure to turn left onto Rialto. Meet the group at the end of Rialto.
Larry Abers
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Larry, John Game, and Jeff Greenhouse have a chance encounter in the wilderness. Photo by Delia Taylor. |
Larry Abers, EB chapter activist and plant photographer familiar to many of us from wonderful field trips, workshops, lectures and other activities, died on the evening of July 30th while he was camping at Tuolumne Meadows at the beginning of the Jepson Herbarium Alpine Botany Workshop in Yosemite. Those with him at the time said that he was relaxed and in good spirits until he suddenly lost consciousness from an apparent heart attack and could not be revived.
I had known Larry for some time, especially through Jepson workshops, which he attended once or twice a year, accompanied recently by his companion Britt Thorsnes. We shared a strong interest in photography, and he was always very helpful, encouraging, and friendly. I remember him particularly from San Miguel Island, where the plants were so good that I ran out of film. He provided a spare roll and shared his top-of-the line lenses. Larry liked to visit Anza Borrego in the spring of most years, and this year he encountered our CNPS group by chance in Borrego Palm Canyon. He had found an unusual penstemon that most of us had never seen, and obligingly retraced his steps to show it to the group (see Delia Taylor’s photograph). Later, I talked more about penstemons with Larry on the excellent San Jacinto Mountains workshop in May. Early in July, Larry came to Berkeley and we visited the herbarium to talk at length with others about plant locations in Oregon, where Larry was going to look for rare Calochortus species. The genus was always a favorite with Larry, me and others in our loop, and he would, as always, share his enthusiasm and information about it. We had talked of going to Oregon together one day, but sadly it wasn’t to be. His knowledge, warmth, companionship and generosity will be missed by many.
John Game
He was a long-time boy scout troop leader and took the boys out on many outdoor and nature outings, including rafting on the Klamath River. He was also a dedicated desert rat and arranged his schedule most years so he could spend as much of the spring in various southern deserts as possible, much of it on his own.
It was when he gave his first lecture/slide show at the Botanic Garden earlier this decade that I realized he not only took great photos of the flora, but also was a wonderful all-around nature photographer with fabulous shots of birds, mammals, reptiles/amphibians, insects, landscapes, etc. In addition, he shared wonderful stories of his experiences as he roamed the natural world. I always looked forward to his annual slide show at the Garden.
I was lucky to have been friends with both Larry and his girlfriend Britt Thorsnes separately before they “found” each other and fell in love, and so feel fortunate that I witnessed that wonderful relationship from its beginnings. They went on so many terrific nature explorations during their years together, including participating in several Jepson Herbarium workshops.
More recently, this past year Larry led two field trips for our chapter for the first time, helped the Regional Parks botanist monitor rare plant populations, and volunteered regularly with Britt to get the Bay Leaf mailing out on time; they have been volunteering at the plant fair each fall as well. Also, this spring he confirmed Britt’s rediscovery of a fairly large population of the rare Oakland star tulip, Calochortus umbellatus, (not reported since the 1960’s) on or adjacent to EBMUD land near Wildcat Canyon Road. I am glad to have seen Larry grow through the years in his relationship with and contribution to native plants through both our chapter of CNPS and the Regional Parks Botanic Garden. We will miss him..
Celia Zavatsky
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