Activities & Events

Upcoming Events

Spring 2012 Wildflower Walks

Unless otherwise stated, all field trips begin with a carpool/caravan leaving from the parking lot between Target and Pharmaca in BelAire Plaza off Trancas Street in Napa near Highway 29, at 9:00 AM. Bring snacks, lunch, ample drinking water and sturdy hiking shoes. Steady rain cancels.

Wildflower Hikes and Walks

The following is a list of the locations, dates and leaders. Call leaders for current information. Unless otherwise stated, all field trips begin with a carpool/caravan leaving from the parking lot between Target and Pharmaca in BelAire Plaza off Trancas Street in Napa near Highway 29, at 9:00 AM. Bring snacks, lunch, ample drinking water and sturdy hiking shoes.

Steady rain cancels.

Weekly Wildflower Hikes

The first Weekly Wildflower Hike will be Tuesday, March 6. Location to be decided each week as the season dictates. Leaders: Mike Parmeter, Juanita Doran and Margaret Barson (707)257-8389

Saturday Wildflower Walks

The Next CNPS Lead Wildflower Walks

* Saturday, May 12 Mead Ranch Land Trust of Napa County Leader Jake Ruygt (707) 253-1839

* Saturday, May 19 Plantathon The number of plant species seen will be counted for the Martha Walker Garden plantathon fund raiser.Leader: Mike Parmeter (707) 255-6757 Please call if you would like to participate.

* Saturday, May 26 Point Reyes National Seashore exact location to be decided.

These walks will meet at the meeting place (Target parking lot) at 9:00 am.

BE PART OF THE 2012 SOD BLITZ

Come to the training session with Bill Pramuk, certified arborist

The Napa SOD Blitz is scheduled for Saturday, May 12,
starting with a 1 hour training session at 9:00 AM at the UCCE classroom,
1710 Soscol Avenue.

With the lingering rainfall in spring 2011, this will be a critical year
for mapping Sudden Oak Death infections that occurred last spring in
Napa County.

Your help is seriously needed.

Please participate and invite friends if you can!

Details of SOD Blitz:

Sudden Oak Death Lecture, by Bill Pramuk
Napa - Saturday May 12, 9:00am

Napa UCCE Classroom, 1710 Soscol Ave

2011 was a bad year for our native oaks. Prolonged Spring rains resulted in a significant spread of Sudden Oak Death (SOD) throughout the State, including areas like Marin and Sonoma that have already witnessed serious outbreaks in the past, and new areas like the East Bay and the Carmel Valley.Get involved and help map the distribution of SOD in the State by joining the group of hundreds of citizen scientists who have been helping for the past four years by participating in their local SOD Blitz.

Plant material will be processed at Berkeley and the results will be posted on an interactive web-available map. (Do not bring material before you attend the training session, as plants need to be sampled following a precise, although simple, protocol!) Training sessions will cover how to manage SOD and you will learn to identify SOD infected leaves, pick up a SOD Blitz collection package, and collect symptomatic plant leaves in your community.

Main reasons to participate in the 2012 SOD Blitz:

* SOD distribution changes every year.
* 2011 was a major year (a “wave” year) for SOD spread and most of the spread occurred AFTER the 2011 Blitzes were conducted.
* Years following a “wave” year are also conducive to the spread of SOD. Hence, we predict the pathogen will spread even further in 2012.
* 2012 Blitzes follow a NEW protocol that will allow us to estimate the actual local SOD infection rate, in addition to informing the public on local SOD distribution.

We are counting on Citizen Scientists like yourself to help us monitor the spread of this destructive disease! Please pass this information on to anyone who may be interested in helping.

SOD Blitz 2012 Page: http://nature.berkeley.edu/garbelotto/english/sodblitz.php

Napa - Saturday May 12, 9:00am
Napa UCCE Classroom, 1710 Soscol Ave.

Contact: Bill Pramuk - This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. or Matteo Garbelotto, Director: U.C. Berkeley Forest Pathology Laboratory Website: www.matteolab.org

2012 PLANTATHON - MAY 19, 2012

A letter from the CNPS Plantathon chair:

May 9, 2012

Dear Friends,

On May 19, 2012, I will participate in a plantathon fundraiser for the Martha Walker Garden in Skyline Park. This is sponsored by the Napa Chapter of the California Native Plant Society.

If you haven’t visited the garden recently, you should. I was there in early spring when the currants, redbud and Trillium were in full bloom. It was gorgeous, with budding promise of Phacelias, Humboldt Lily and many more to come. The curator, Loretta Radey, and her dedicated volunteers deserve much praise. They are working hard to make the Garden an educational as well as sensory experience. New signage and plantings enhance your visit and invite you to stroll through the various plant communities and stay for a picnic among the native plants.

I look forward to counting as many California native plant species in bud or bloom as I can see on May 19. Last year the list was 200. I hope for your sponsorship so that the many loyal volunteers can continue their important work in Martha Walker Garden.

You can make a flat amount or per species donation. Checks will be made out to the California Native Plant Society and mailed to me. All donations are fully tax deductible. Please reply with the amount of your pledge and your contact information. I will send you a list of plants and number of species seen at the conclusion of the count.

Thank you for your continuing support,

Margaret Barson

CNPS

2201 Imola Ave.

Napa, CA 94559-3600

Email: This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.

Point Reyes Books Presents
The Practice of the Wild: A Way In
with Judith Lowry and Arvind Kumar

Bringing gardeners the whole humming world of California natural history

DATE:            Saturday, May 19, 2012
COST:            $40 / Pre-registration required
              Ticket contact: This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.
LOCATION:     Larner Seeds Demonstration Garden, Bolinas

Go native! Learn how to bring wild nature home with Judith Larner Lowry of Larner Seeds and Arvind Kumar of the CA Native Plant Society. From the poetic to the technical and back again PLUS native plant-based desserts and snacks. Wow!

Larner Seeds founder Judith Lowry will describe her 35-year-long journey in this field, with concrete examples from the one-acre Larner Seeds Demonstration Garden, a case study for the joys of bringing nature home through habitat restoration.

California Native Plant Society Board Member Arvind Kuman will describe his own journey from Varanasi, India, to becoming a staunch advocate for protecting California native plants in open spaces and using them in urban and suburban landscapes.

About the Geography of Hope: Since 2008, the coastal village of Point Reyes Station, California, has been home to one of northern California’s most exceptional literary festivals. The Geography of Hope takes its name from Wallace Stegner’s famous “Wilderness Letter” in which he described wild landscapes as part of our “geography of hope.” The Practice of the Wild: A Way In is one of the many 2012-2013 Geography of Hope events exploring the overall theme of Practicing the Wild—not only with respect to the natural world, but also as an inextricable part of human character and culture. Sponsored by Point Reyes Books, ptreyesbooks.com

SAVE THE DATES

Fall 2012 Plant Sale

Saturday & Sunday

October 13 & 14

10 am - 4 pm

Preview Party for

CNPS Members and Guests

Friday October 12 7 - 9 pm

Napa CNPS Earth Day plant giveaway