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location(s) of each meeting. Directions to each
location .)
Wed
Monday, February 8, 2010 (Olympia) 7PM
“Winter Twig Identification” - Erica Guttman
Brush up on your old skills or learn new skills at this
session for newcomers and veteran twig lovers alike! Erica Guttman from WSU
Extension’s Native Plant Salvage Project will introduce you to the secrets
to easy twig identification, and then we’ll work in small groups to find the
clues to identifying 25 common lowland deciduous woody plants. This is
guaranteed to be a fun, hands-on workshop! Erica Guttman has been a hands-on
environmental educator for 25 years, and has led the WSU Native Plant
Salvage Project since 1997. She teaches about and has authored publications
and videos on topics as diverse as sustainable landscaping, marine shoreline
stewardship, low-impact development and rain gardens. But one of her
favorite publications is her Winter in the Woods guidebook, and one
of her favorite things to do is share her passion for winter twigs on chilly
walks in the woods.
Wednesday, February 10, 2010
(Tacoma) 7PM
“Ecology of Black Lily (Fritillaria camschatcensis): a Washington
State Sensitive Species” - Holly Zox
Black lily (Fritillaria camschatcensis), a k a
“lady-on-the-pot,” is a bulbous perennial herb (Liliaceae) distributed along
the northern Pacific Rim. Black lily is state-listed as a sensitive species
in Washington and Oregon, which represent the southern extent of its range
in North America. In Washington State, black lily is found in the northwest
portion of the state across two disparate ecological habitat types: coastal
high saltmarsh and montane to subalpine wetlands. The rice-like bulblets
were eaten by many Northwest Coast Peoples.
With the support of WNPS, Holly Zox, Warren Gold, and
Julia Gold began a study in 2004 on the basic biology, ecology, and
population dynamics of black lily in two Snohomish County, Washington sites:
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a high saltmarsh population in the Quilceda
estuary, part of the Snohomish River estuary of Puget Sound, and
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a subalpine population in a sphagnum fen in the
North Cascades.
Holly will highlight some of the things learned during
six field seasons of this study, and will discuss future directions of the
study.
Holly Zox is a Snohomish County Native Plant Steward
and member of the Central Puget Sound Chapter of WNPS. She has been a
botanist consultant for the Tulalip Tribes since 2006. She also operates a
business specializing in sustainable landscaping practices. Holly has
taught community college students and citizen scientists alike. An avid
volunteer herself, Holly has more than 10 years experience working with both
rare and invasive plant species.
Monday, March 8, 2010 (Olympia)
7PM
“From the Secrets of Cottonwood to a Better Understanding of Trees and
Forests” - Reini Stettler
Dr. Reini Stettler will give an illustrated talk on his
recently published book,
Cottonwood and the River of Time: On Trees, Evolution and Society.
The story of the cottonwood, like all trees, whose life cycle is remarkably
attuned to a river’s natural dynamics, is one of perpetual change. Through
the long cycles, as rivers meander and glaciers advance and retreat, trees
have adapted and persisted. How they do this, and how we can gain insights
into the underlying processes through the lens of cottonwood, will be the
focus of Reini’s presentation. He also will explain how a native cottonwood
tree from the Nisqually River delta gained international fame and is now
being studied by researchers worldwide.
Dr. Stettler is professor emeritus of forestry at the
University of Washington. He has spent a lifetime studying plant growth and
development and the diversity of forest trees. For more than thirty years he
taught and conducted research at the Seattle campus, and traveled the world
in pursuit of the genus Populus. His and his co-workers’ research has
been published widely published. He has been a visiting lecturer at
institutions in Europe and Asia and the recipient of several national and
international awards. Dr. Stettler will have copies of his book for sale at
the meeting.
Wednesday, March 10, 2010 (Tacoma) 7PM
“Restoration of Pacific Northwest National Forests” - Dr. Jerry
Franklin
The primary focus of the talk will be on development of a
restoration strategy for the national forests of the Pacific Northwest that
would not only restore more functional forest land and streamscapes but also
improve their resiliency in the face of climate change. The strategy
includes taking the endlessly controversial old-growth forests and trees and
the roadless areas “off of the table” to allow us to focus on restoration
activities for which we have a societal consensus. Old-growth issues have to
be approached differently on “moist” habitats than on “dry” forest habitats,
where 150 years of human activity, including fire suppression, have greatly
modified forest conditions. Early successional ecosystems on forest sites
are also a significant concern. Dr. Franklin received his bachelors and
masters degrees in forest management from Oregon State University and a PhD
in botany from Washington State University. Dr. Franklin has been widely
recognized for his contributions to science and conservation. He has been a
researcher for the U.S. Forest Service and at academic institutions
including Oregon State University and UW, and has authored over 300
scientific articles and books.
Monday, April 12, 2010 (Olympia) 7PM
“A Journey in the Alps” - Kevin Head
Some of the richest flora of France and Switzerland are to
be found in the Pennine Alps. This limestone, gneiss and schist mountain
range caters to calcium loving plants. The Pennine Alps’ climate is similar
to Colorado’s with afternoon thundershowers in summer bringing abundant
rainfall and sometimes even snow in mid July. This moisture nourishes an
abundance of diverse plants from gentians to edelweiss, alpenrose to
crimson-red primroses. For five weeks Kevin, along with Julia Brayshaw,
hiked in France and Switzerland through three national parks and along the
demanding Haute Route from Chamonix to Zermatt as they explored many
wildflower meadows. Join Kevin and sit back and enjoy an evening of
beautiful mountain scenery and familiar plants from Europe, as he shows
photographs and recounts his last summer’s journey to the high Alps. He will
show the diversity of wildflowers and compare them to our native plants in
Washington.
Kevin is a South Sound Native Plant enthusiast who has led
trips for the chapter for nine years. He has hiked extensively through the
mountain west and desert southwest and has explored wildflower meadows in
Norway, the United Kingdom and Greece. He is a teacher for the North
Thurston Public Schools. Kevin says he owes his love of plants to his
beautiful wife who is the soul and queen of hiking through native wild
lands.
Wednesday, April 14, 2010 (Tacoma) 7PM
“Wild Plants of the Olympic Peninsula: A Perspective from the Rain
Shadow” - Fred Weinmann
The Olympic Peninsula, for its size, harbors more that its
share of rare and/or endemic plants. While this remarkable flora is
typically associated with Olympic National Park, there is another equally
fascinating aspect of the Olympic Peninsula flora. This is provided by the
rare western Washington climate that is endemic to the rain shadow of the
Olympic Peninsula. Unusual opportunities for western Washington botanizing
are found in the rain shadow, particularly in spring months when the
sub-alpine and alpine areas of the Olympic Mountains are more white than
green. This presentation will provide an overview of the phyto-geography of
the Olympic Peninsula and then transition to a close up of the northeast
corner of the peninsula where prairies, bogs, balds, beaches, and forests
coexist.
Fred received a Master of Science degree in botany and Ph.D.
in ecology from the University of Washington. He is the co-author of two
books on wetland plants of the Pacific Northwest, and the author of many
comprehensive plant checklists including for the King County, Washington and
the Quimper Peninsula. He has been active in the Washington Native Plant
Society since its formation in 1976, president of WNPS for two terms and
chair of the Central Puget Sound Chapter. Fred has led over a hundred botany
field trips in the Port Townsend area and in other regions of the state. In
2006, WNPS named Fred and
his wife, Ann as Fellows of the Society (i.e.
lifetime achievement award). Since retiring he has become an itinerant
botanist conducting plant inventories, workshops and classes for a variety
of state agencies and conservation organizations.
Monday, May 10, 2010 (Olympia) 7PM
“Traditional Gifts of Spring” - Warren Kinggeorge & Valerie Segrest
Warren Kinggeorge, born in Auburn, is a member of the
Muckleshoot Indian Tribe, which is a combination of many villages once
located on and near Elliot Bay and its many tributaries. In his role as
tribal oral historian, Warren collects and records oral history from tribal
elders and other community members. This oral history ranges from hunting,
fishing and clamming stories on the Puget Sound to berry picking trips in
the Cascade Mountains. Warren works with various government agencies to
ensure Treaty Right access and to create management plans to maintain and
enhance valuable cultural resources. He also works with museums, colleges
and private collectors on repatriation of ancestral remains and artifacts.
Amy Segrest, a graduate of Bastyr University, is a
passionate nutrition educator with an emphasis on
local
and wild foods. As an enrolled member of the Muckleshoot Indian Tribe she
works as a community educator in basic nutrition and traditional foods. In
their talk, “Traditional Gifts of Spring”, Warren and Amy will share stories
about the traditional practices of local Native Americans in the collection
and utilization of native plants. As part of his presentation, they will
have on display various plant specimens.
Wednesday, May 12, 2010 (Tacoma) 7PM
“The Wild Olympics Campaign” - Ben Greuel
Ben Greuel is the Public Lands Organizer for the Northwest
Office of the Sierra Club. Before joining the Sierra Club, he worked for the
Alaska Wilderness League, organizing for the permanent protection of the
Arctic National Wildlife Refuge. He also spent considerable time guiding
fly-fishing trips for youth in Wyoming. His primary work focus is public
land management in Western Washington. These duties include being the lead
outreach coordinator for the Wild Olympics Campaign, a campaign consisting
of nine organizations advocating for additional upper watershed protection
on the Olympic Peninsula. His presentation will both detail the specifics of
the Wild Olympics Campaign as well as the rationale behind the conservation
vision embodied within the campaign. The presentation will also include a
brief history of past conservation work on the Olympic Peninsula and
information on how you can get involved with the current efforts to protect
this special place.
Natural Haute Plateau by Grark in France, photo by
Kevin Head
Meeting Locations:
OLYMPIA
Washington State Capitol Museum Coach House
211 West 21st Avenue
Olympia, WA 98501
360.753.2580
Directions to the Washington State Capital Museum: From Interstate 5 in Olympia, take Exit 105, following the "State
Capital/City Center" route. Go through a tunnel, (get in the left hand lane)
and turn left on Capital Way. Follow the brown and white "State Capital
Museum" signs to 21st Avenue. Turn right on 21st
Avenue and proceed two blocks. The museum is on the left in a stucco
mansion. We meet in the carriage house in back of the mansion.
TACOMA
Tacoma Nature
Center
1919 South Tyler
Tacoma, WA 98405
253.591.6439
Directions to the Tacoma Nature Center: From Interstate 5, take State
Highway 16 towards Gig Harbor. Look for the 19th Street EAST,
exit and take it, which puts you onto South 19th Street. Travel
to the first light, turn right on South Tyler, and then left into the first
driveway at the Tacoma Nature Center.
General Meeting Information
South Sound Chapter presentations are held on the
second Monday and Wednesday of the month (October through May, in Olympia and
Tacoma, respectively):
- In Olympia, we typically
gather at the Washington State Capitol Museum (211 21st Avenue SW; 360-753-2580).
- In Tacoma, we typically
gather at the Tacoma Nature Center (1919 South Tyler; 253-591-6439).
- On occasion, however, our presentations are held at
alternate facilities to accommodate larger audiences, so please be sure to
note where each meeting is held before you embark.
All meetings are open to the public and most are free of
charge. Refreshments are typically provided by WNPS
volunteers. We hope you'll join us for an evening of camaraderie and education
about the world of native plants as well as the habitats that they create and
sustain.
Outside of field trips and holiday gatherings,
most meetings start at 7:00 pm. These "meetings" consist of a quick
preview of activity announcements, but are mostly grounded in
presentations that last 45 minutes to over an hour. Our topics are
geared to attract and speak to neophytes and amateurs, as well as
"dyed-in-the-wool" or otherwise committed botanists. We may be biased,
but we think our presentations are top of the line!
Members and the public are invited to attend all presentations. For
more information about our programs, please contact the
Chapter Chair.
We hope to see all of you at the meetings!!!
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