2010
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• January 13, 2010 (Wednesday). - "CNPSers in Patagonia -- the Southern Tip of South America" - evening program, Six Rivers Masonic Lodge, 251 Bayside Road near 7th and Union. Refreshments at 7 pm with program starting at 7:30 pm.
  Travel with renowned HSU botanist, author, and plant ecologist, Dr. John O. Sawyer to the rich, southern hemisphere rainforest where redwood-equivalent alerce grows, to the bizarre araucaria forest, to the continent's southernmost forest, and to the spectacular, rock-and-ice Torres del Paine National Park. See Patagonian wildflowers, southern beech, surprising species in familiar genera such as Baccharis, Gaultheria, and Ribes, all in the land of condor and penguins.
• February 10, 2010 (Wednesday). - "Poisonous Plants of Northwestern California" - evening program, Six Rivers Masonic Lodge, 251 Bayside Road near 7th and Union. Refreshments at 7 pm with program starting at 7:30 pm.
  Professor Emeritus Dr. James P. Smith, curator of the HSU Herbarium, will explain what makes certain plants poisonous or toxic, and the various ways we come into contact with them. His examples will include the most violently poisonous plant in North America, an escaped garden plant that was once used as the active ingredient in a witch’s recipe to cure dropsy, a plant that is second only to the common cold in causing lost days of work in California, a popular herbal remedy that also poisons animals after they are exposed to sunlight, a common roadside plant associated with the death of Socrates (though perhaps not in the way most people think), and a familiar plant that not only harms the animal that consumes it, but also its offspring.
• February 12, 2010 (Friday), 6-8:30 pm. "Wildflower Art Gallery" - at the monthly 'Arts Arcata' downtown art fair, upstairs at Umpqua Bank, across from Arcata Theater. The artists have agreed to donate a portion of sales to the Spring Wildflower Show's transportation fund (to bring school kids to the show). Organized by Rick Tolley, 707-668-5370.
• February 27, 2010 (Saturday). - Coastal Trail Day Hike, Klamath - Mosses, red-flowering current, canyon gooseberry, violets, and a giant purple wakerobin should be glorious along the Coastal Trail from Requa, on the north side of the mouth of the Klamath River, to Lagoon Creek, where Highway 101 meets the ocean north of Klamath. We will shuttle a car to one end and start at the other so we only need walk the 4 miles one way. Meet at 8:30 a.m. at Pacific Union School (3001 Janes Rd., Arcata) or arrange a place farther north. Dress for the weather! Bring lunch and water. Return late afternoon. Please tell Carol you are coming 822-2015.
• February 27, 2010 (Saturday), 9 am - 5 pm. - "Introduction to the Sedges of Northwestern California: a hands-on workshop" (registration, see below) - co-sponsored with HSU Vascular Plant Herbarium, Science D, 161. This workshop will follow a virtual transect from North Coast dunes, through coastal wetlands, redwood and mixed evergreen forests, coastal prairies and montane meadows to the alpine habitats of the Klamath Mountains at Mt. Eddy. The most common sedges by habitat type along the way will be keyed and reviewed. Participants will hone their skills in sedge sight recognition and keying in the Jepson Manual.
  Basic sedge terminology, morphology, ecology, evolution, and keying techniques will be covered. Much of the day will be spent dissecting and keying specimens in the laboratory using a microscope and the Jepson Manual. Many specimens will be available for review, dissection, and comparison. This workshop is geared for beginner and intermediate caricologists, but familiarity with identifying plants using the Jepson Manual is required.
  Participants should bring: dissection equipment, including extra- fine forceps; Jepson Manual; and lunch.
  Registration: $60 CNPS Members, $95 non-members. Send check made out to "NC CNPS" with your contact information, including email address: CNPS, P.O. Box 1067, Arcata, CA 95518-1067. Information: Gordon Leppig, gleppigdfg.ca.gov. Flier (PDF 59 KB)
• March 10, 2010 (Wednesday). - "Blooming Beauties and Graceful Glaciers in the Swiss Alps" - evening program, Six Rivers Masonic Lodge, 251 Bayside Road near 7th and Union. Refreshments at 7 pm with program starting at 7:30 pm.
  The Swiss Alps are rich in botanical treasures and beautiful landscapes. Botanist Birgit Semsrott will share her pictures of Grindelwald, Switzerland. Located in the Bernese Oberland Region, Grindelwald is in the heart of a massive mountain range and surrounded by majestic, ice-clad peaks. Many of Birgit's pictures were taken at Schynige Platte Alpine Garden, one of only a few botanical gardens in the world that show alpine plants in their natural environment.
• March 21, 2010 (Sunday). - Arcata Community Forest Day Hike - reaches of the this great city park are beyond the casual stroll. We will explore some of the farthest trails, hiking a long loop or shuttling cars to a different trailhead. We can count trillium for fun, practice spotting false azalea, learn at least five conifers and five ferns, and watch for fetid adder's tongue (aka slinkpod) and other early signs of spring. Meet at 9:00 a.m. at the trailhead at the top of Diamond Drive. Dress for the weather, for being in shady, redwood forest, and for walking about 4 miles on dirt roads and paths. Bring lunch and water. Return mid- or late afternoon. Information: Carol 822-2015.
• April 11, 2010 (Sunday). - Humboldt Redwoods Day Hike - Roadside stops and walks on several short trails in Humboldt Redwoods State Park should find milkmaids, western trillium, and, hopefully, fawn lilies, as well as other early bloomers under the magnificent redwoods of southern Humboldt County. Meet at 8:30 a.m. at Pacific Union School (3001 Janes Rd., Arcata), 9:00 a.m. at the McDonalds end of Bayshore Mall parking lot, or arrange another place. Dress for the weather, all sorts. Bring lunch and water. Return late afternoon. Please tell Carol you are coming 822-2015.
• April 14, 2010 (Wednesday). - "Our Coastal Grassland Treasures - contemporary conservation challenges and pathways to restoration" - evening program, Six Rivers Masonic Lodge, 251 Bayside Road near 7th and Union. Refreshments at 7 pm with program starting at 7:30 pm.
  Bureau of Land Management botanist and range conservationist Jennifer Wheeler will share the story of the historical and modern plight of grasslands on the North Coast. She will tell what defines coastal grasslands, where they are, why and how fast they disappear, and how small restoration projects could make a big impact. She will share her experiences and passion with modern methods of enhancing and restoring native perennial grass populations.
• April 30, May 1-2 (Friday-Sunday). - "Spring Wildflower Show" - ...the North Coast celebration of California wild plants. Details TBA. Volunteer! Call 707-822-2015.
• May 12, 2010 (Wednesday). - "Hiking the South Fork Trinity River". Artist, photographer, craftsman, and naturalist Rick Tolley has documented many faces of this popular trail. He will share wildflowers, vistas, and adventures from 20 years of family hikes, art hikes, CNPS hikes, Wild Heritage hikes, tubing hikes, and backpacking hikes.