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 ]
The NPSO membership year is January to December. NPSO brings you field trips, programs, classes. the monthly Bulletin and the annual Kalmiopsis. Your membership and donations make it possible to carry out more of the many projects that are needed to pursue the goals of NPSO.
The 1997 edition of the NPSO Membership Directory will be published in April. If you wish to receive a copy, add two dollars to your renewal payment. If you wish to have your address or telephone number, or both, withheld from publication, please make a prominent note on your renewal form. If you would like to have your e-mail address published in the Directory, please send e-mail to jddobak@teleport.com.
Nomination of Officers: Nominations for state president, vice president, secretary, treasurer and three directors are due by February 10. Submit them to Mike McKeag, mmckeag@teleport.com, Bob Ottersberg, rjotters@oregontrail.net, or Veva Stansell.
State Board Meeting: 10 A.M. - 4 P.M. on a Saturday in April. Place and date to be determined.
Feb. 3, Mon. Meeting: 7 P.M. Small Business Development Center, SE 1st & Dorian, Pendleton. Jerry Baker will give a program on the flowers of his dude ranch, and how flowers and a dude ranch mix.
Mar. 3, Mon. Meeting: 7 P.M. Small Business Development Center, SE 1st & Dorian, Pendleton. Vicky Erickson and Nancy Berlier, USFS, will talk about the Forest Service Native Species Program.
Feb. 10, Mon. Meeting: 7:30 P.M. Room 2087 Cordley Hall, OSU campus. Barbara Wilson of the Carex Working Group will talk about "The Joy of Sedges."
Feb. 24, Mon. Meeting: 7:30 P.M. Main campus, Lane Community College. Directions: From 30th St., turn south on Eldon-Schafer Dr., go past Oak Hill School, park in the south parking lot at LCC, walk down stairs of Science Building to room 109, which faces south parking lot. Gale Baker, teacher of botany at LCC, will talk about the plants of the Lane Community College Reserve. For more information, call Kathy Pendergrass. PLEASE NOTE NEW MEETING TIME AND PLACE.
Feb. 25, Tue. Meeting: 7:30 P.M. Central Oregon Environmental Center, 16 NW Kansas, Bend. Stan Kuntzman will share his trip to eastern Russia and Siberia. He will speak to the issues of timber harvest and ecology and the local people.
Feb. 5, Wed. Meeting: 7:30 P.M. Mosier School. Jerry Baker will give a program on the flowers of his dude ranch, and how flowers and a dude ranch mix. A Bar M Ranch sweatshirt and a ranch-baked loaf of bread will be given to some lucky person.
Mar. 5, Wed. Meeting: 7:30 P.M. Mosier School. Mike Fahey will talk to us about gardening with natives.
Apr. 13, Sun. Spring Wildflower Show: 10 A.M. - 4 P.M. Mosier School.
For information on North Coast Chapter, call Christine Stanley.
Feb. 11, Tue. Meeting: 7 P.M. First Methodist Church, 1838 SW Jefferson, Portland. Kate McCarthy will talk about "The Impacts of Ski Development on Alpine Plants and Wetlands."
Mar. 11, Tue. Meeting: 7 P.M. First Methodist Church, 1838 SW Jefferson, Portland. Roy Beatty will tell us about "Native Plant Salvage."
Feb. 20, Thu. Meeting: 7:30 P.M. Room 171, Science Building, Southern Oregon State College. Joan Seevers, botanist for the Medford District of the BLM, will present a slide show on "The Botanical Wonders of the Siskiyous."
Mar. 20, Thu. Meeting: 7:30 P.M. Room 171, Science Building, Southern Oregon State College. Elaine Plaisance and Jim Duncan will present a slide show on their "Botanical Explorations in Polynesia, New Zealand and Hawaii."
For information on South Coast Chapter, contact Bruce Rittenhouse.
Feb. 13, Thu. Meeting: 7 P.M. Room 310, Douglas County Courthouse, Roseburg. Russ Holmes will update us on BLM activities.
Feb. 22, Sat. Field Trip: To the Cow Creek area to see twigs and early blooms. Meet at 8 A.M., BLM parking lot, 777 Garden Valley Blvd., Roseburg.
Feb. 24, Mon. Meeting: 7 P.M. United Methodist Church, 600 State St. NE, Salem. Scott Sundberg will speak on the Oregon Flora Project. PLEASE NOTE: MEETING ONE WEEK LATER THAN USUAL.
Feb. 19, Wed. Meeting: 7-9 P.M. Forest and Range Sciences Laboratory, Gekeler Lane and C Ave., La Grande. Jerry Igo will present the new NPSO promotional video and discuss ways to use it for outreach.
Elections: They will be held at this meeting. Nominations are open for president, vice president, secretary and treasurer. Mail nominations to: NPSO Nominating Committee, P.O. Box 885, La Grande, OR 97850, or make them at the meeting. Individuals my nominate themselves. Secretary and treasurer could be combined. Officers will serve from February, 1997 through January, 1998. President and vice president are responsible planning and leading monthly meetings, representing NPSO in an official capacity, attending and reporting on quarterly Board meetings (at least one person should go) and maintaining the vigor and growth of the William Cusick Chapter. Secretary is responsible for taking minutes at monthly meetings and mailing them, and for local biannual newsletters. Treasurers handle the chapter's finances.
The appearance and increase of a population of Sidalcea hirtipes (hairy-stemmed checker-mallow) in an abandoned pasture on the Oregon coast prompted research into how and why a rare plant suddenly appeared and increased its population in a once inhospitable environment. (See the NPSO Bulletin, September, 1995, for the first article on this research).
The successful biological control of Senecio jacobaea (tansy ragwort) in 1983 at a coastal pasture site in Oregon used three biological control agents: ragwort flea beetle (Longitarsus jacobaeae), cinnabar moth (Tyria jacobaeae) and ragwort seedfly (Botanophila seneciella). Following a drastic decline in tansy ragwort at this pasture site, Sidalcea hirtipes appeared in one area of the pasture. Since the appearance of S. hirtipes in the pasture in 1985, the plant population has expanded from three distinct patches to seven distinct patches. The objectives of the 1996 research included mapping new and old patches of S. hirtipes at the site; protection of the patches from elk grazmg and trampling; observations of flowering stalks; seed set, and collection of seed; determination if the plant is self-pollinated; and general observations about the ecology of S. hirtipes.
We used the same method to locate and map patches as we used in the past two years. Patches were located by a systematic sweep of the site in three to four meter intervals. Upon discovering a patch, a stake was placed in the approximate center and the distance to the edge was measured in eight directions (N, NE, E, SE, S, SW, W, NW). A patch was defined as an area the plant covered that was separated by two meters from another patch. We placed colored yarn around the edge of each patch to help us delineate them throughout the field season.
In 1994, two patches, A & B, were visible, with patch B consisting of only a few leaves. In 1995, patch B was not evident but a new patch, C, was found. In 1996, six patches were found in the pasture. The total area of the patches in 1994 was 253.2 square meters, in 1995 it was 397.38 square meters, and in 1996 they covered 336.34 square meters. Even though the total area is less in 1996 than 1995, the patches are very dynamic and are possibly spreading. After careful observations, we found that all the flowers were pistillate and no viable seed was set on any flowering stalks bagged or unbagged this field season. There was again evidence of grazing and trampling of the plants during the field season.
Since the Sidalcea plants are heavily grazed by elk or deer, we constructed circular cages of chicken wire which were stabilized by driving into the ground three wooden dowels woven through the outer edge. The tops of the cages were bent over so we could get into them if we needed to check on the plants. Once flowering began we bagged flowering stalks both inside and outside the cages. We did this to see if plants would set seed if self-pollinated and if they did not set seed to try and propagate the seeds and test for seed viability. All cages and plants were metal tagged and numbered for identification and location.
Two times during field work this year elk were seen in the pasture, verifying that they do frequent the pasture to either forage, bed down or walk through to the estuary. A number of cages in the trodden path were bent over but the tags were still intact. A caterpillar was found grazing on a Sidalcea flowering stalk and when reared turned out to be Vanessa arabella, West Coast Lady. Host plants are primarily mallows (Malvaceae). The range of West Coast Lady is the Pacific Slope from British Columbia to Baja California, and east as a transient to the western edge of the Great Plains. These butterflies do not undergo the massive emigrations of the Painted Lady and can tolerate moderate winters. In addition to the above observations, a few more native plant species were noticed in the pasture for the first time since 1983. These included Marah oreganus, Lupinus sp. and Scrophularia californica.
In mapping the new and old patches of Sidalcea hirtipes we found a dynamic population that is possibly spreading in the pasture. In three years of recording the patches, the population has increased from one large patch to six distinct patches. In observation of flowering stalks, all the stalks were pistillate with no seed set. Since there was no seed set it is possible that this population is a clone spreading by rhizomes. The number of native plant species in the pasture has increased since the decline of tansy ragwort and the appearance of a butterfly species associated with Sidalcea, giving us hope that the diversity of fauna and flora is improving with time in a once inhospitable environment.
The research was made possible by a 1996 Leighton Ho Field Botany Award, a Native Plant Society of Oregon grant.
The Oregon Natural Resources Council and the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service invite conservation organizations and interested individuals to help plant willow trees in the Kiamath Marsh National Wildlife Refuge on Friday and/or Saturday, April 11 and 12, and go on a birding and refuge field trip on Sunday, April 13. Wendell Wood, ONRC's South Central Field Representative, will lead the birding trip to Wocus Bay or other parts of the refuge. Please come for a day or an extended weekend. Heated sleeping spaces, restrooms and kitchen facilities are provided at ONRC's Field Station adjacent to the marsh. You may arrive as early as Thursday night, and may also tent or car camp at specified locations.
Participants should rendezvous at refuge headquarters at 9:30 A.M. on Friday and Saturday mornings. Meet at Wendell's cabin for evening "marsh music marches" along the refuge, slide shows, the Sunday field trip, and early morning efforts to see a Great Gray Owl. Evening slide presentations will focus on refuge bird species and on conservation issues concerning the Klamath Basin National Wildlife Refuges.
The refuge is about 90 miles south of Bend and 48 miles north of Klamath Falls and is a 2.5 to 3 hour drive from Medford, Roseburg or Eugene. Turn off Highway 97 on to the Silver Lake Highway, near the 228 mile post (0.5 miles south of the Sand Creek store). The turnoff is signed for Klamath Forest Wildlife Refuge and Silver Lake. The refuge headquarters is well marked, approximately 17.5 miles down this paved road, east of Highway 97 on your left.
To attend, please send notification before April 3. Tell us the number of people in your party and which day(s) you can attend. Please come fully self-contained with food, sleeping bag, extra pair of shoes, flashlight, binoculars, mosquito repellent, gloves, small hand (and heavy-duty branch) clippers and a gunny sack. Please also let us know if you can volunteer a pickup truck for willow branch hauling. While ONRC will coordinate weekend reservations, the Klamath Marsh NWR can be contacted at: HC 63 Box 303, Chiloquin, OR 97624, (541) 783-3380.
For more information, contact Wendell Wood, ONRC South Central Field Representative, 943 Lakeshore Drive, Klamath Falls, OR 97601.
The Corvallis Chapter intends to award several $300 to $500 grants again this year, to support research and education on Oregon's native flora. Past Chapter grants have supported research on phytogeography of Oregon sedges, taxonomic studies of Calamagrostis breweri, and a photographic inventory of Ascomycete fungi of Iron Mountain and the Drift Creek Wilderness. Requests for funding should be limited to 1-2 pages and include: (1) the purpose of the research, (2) the methodology to be used, (3) a budget. Successful applicants will be required to describe their projects and results at a Chapter meeting, and/or in a Bulletin article. If the research requires collections of plant material, specimens shall be donated to the Oregon State University Herbarium. Send requests for funding to Danna Lytjen, 2357 NW Green Circle, Corvallis, OR 97330. The deadline is March 30, 1997.
The computer plant keys previously available for Idaho, Oregon and Washington, are now also available for southern British Columbia. A MS Windows version of the database program is now available. A Mac version should be ready very soon. For more information, price lists, etc., contact Bruce Barnes, Flora ID Northwest, 135 SE 1st, Pendleton, OR 97801, 541-278-2222, FAX 541-276-8405, or dbarnes@orednet.org. Detailed information is also available at www.pullman.com/Business/xid.
On March 1, from ten A.M. to noon, Daphne Stone will lead an investigation of the miniature plant world. Explore the rich world of mosses and lichens that inhabit the Arboretum, learn about their fascinating structures and life cycles, identifying the most common. Meet at the Mount Pisgah Arboretum Visitor's Center in Eugene. The donation is two dollars.
During the 1997 field season, the Oregon Department of Agriculture and the Native Plant Society of Oregon will once again sponsor internships in plant conservation biology. This program, in effect since 1990, is intended to provide an initial research experience for individuals considering conservation biology as a career choice. Open to anyone (except previous interns), priority will be given to life science (especially botany or biology) undergraduates, recent graduates, or individuals seriously thinking of a change in career orientation toward conservation. Applicants must be available in early May.
We are currently recruiting for two full-time summer interns to assist with our program's ongoing field projects. Interns contribute field and/or laboratory assistance to ODA/OSU scientists working on several projects during the summer. The internships will run for sixteen weeks from early May through August, and will be involved with a diversity of projects dealing with plant demography, population monitoring, habitat management, species reintroduction, and plant breeding system studies. Also, interns will be expected to contribute an article to the NPSO Bulletin summarizing some aspect of their summer work.
Interns receive a summer stipend of $2500 in addition to a trip stipend of $20-$45 per day for food and lodging. Extensive field work (often including overnight car camping) will be required, so applicants should be in good physical condition. All activities will be coordinated out of Oregon State University in Corvallis, requiring interns to live in the mid-Willamette Valley area.
The deadline for internship application is March 28, 1997. To apply, send a letter of interest, resume, college transcripts (unofficial copies okay), and a writing sample (such as a recent term paper or essay) to the address below. Be sure to state when you would be available to start work. Finalists may be interviewed in Corvallis or Salem. If you have any questions, please contact Tom Kaye or Steve Gisler, Department of Botany and Plant Pathology, 2082 Cordley Hall, Oregon State University Corvallis, OR 97331-2902, (541) 737-2346 or 737-4420. E-mail: kayet@ bcc.orst.edu.
The Internal Revenue Service requires non-profit organizations to acknowledge in writing all contributions of $75 or more. We believe that this has been done, but any member who has not received an acknowledgement should contact the Membership Committee immediately.
The Board of Directors has adopted a policy that the first $18 of any membership payment represents value received (subscription to Bulletin and Kalmiopsis), and only that part of the dues payment exceeding $18 is considered tax deductible for federal and state income tax purposes. Members requiring further information should consult their tax advisers.
A volunteer is needed for the Condon Museum of Fossils, at the University of Oregon in Eugene. The work varies, depending on the interests of the person. It can include cleaning casts from large bones of mammals or identifying and entering information on fossil plants. A large collection of plants from Oregon needs to be put into a database. Three people (retired science teachers) now work on Wednesday afternoons. If you are interested, call (541) 346-4577.
The Native Plant Society of Oregon continues sponsoring small research grants. Objectives of the program are: (1) to stimulate basic field research into the biology and distribution of Oregon's native and naturalized flora, particularly in the more remote areas of the state, and (2) to promote native plant conservation through better understanding of Oregon's flora and the factors affecting its survival. The Leighton Ho Field Botany Award, with priority on study west of the Cascades, has sometimes been given as a matching grant in cooperation with The Nature Conservancy. Their research details can be obtained from Cathy Macdonald, Director of Stewardship, 821 SE 14th Ave., Portland, OR 97214, (503) 230-1221. NPSO's program policy and guidelines can be obtained from Dan Luoma, Research Grants Committee Chair, 3740 NW Harrison Blvd., Corvallis, OR, or from NPSO's Web site at: http://www.teleport.com/nonprofit/npso. The deadline for proposals is April 1, 1997.
This year, for the first time, the plant list will be available electronically, on line. It can be downloaded after February 24, 1997 at www.abi.org/nhplus/or. It will also be available at the meeting. Conference details were printed in last month's Bulletin.
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© Copyright 1997 Native Plant Society of Oregon, All Rights Reserved
Last Modified January 31, 1997