CNPS Chapter Council Activities – September 6-8, 2024
Rancho El Chorro – hosted by San Luis Obispo Chapter
Rancho El Chorro – hosted by San Luis Obispo Chapter
image: visitcalifornia.com
updated 9/11
(Can’t be there? Attend the Council meeting via Zoom.)
FRIDAY 9/6
Morning
(Can’t be there? Attend the Council meeting via Zoom.)
- 9:00a - Laguna Lake field trip - with Kristen Nelson, SLO Rare Plant Chair and CNPS Rare Plant Program Manager. "On this 2-mile loop, we will get a chance to explore of some of San Luis Obispo’s serpentine flora and outcrops. Though mostly dormant this time of year, Laguna Lake is gem right in the middle of town. It is home to more than a dozen rare species, including at least two with extremely disjunct ranges, with Laguna Lake representing the southernmost range limit. The first half of the hike will be easy and flat, with a short jaunt off trail to see some vernal pools. Congdon’s tarplant (Centromadia parryi ssp. congdonii) - one of the two disjunct rarities - should be in bloom in the vernal pools right now! The second half of the hike will include a moderate ascent and descent, along with some rocky trail sections through serpentine outcrop." Download trip details, including web links and more (MS-Word docx).
- 1:00p - Monterey Pine Forest field trip - Strawberry Canyon, Cambria - with Greenspace ED Karin Argano & Cindy Roessler, CNPS SLO. For those not attending the Board meeting! (Limit is 15 with a wait list.) "Strawberry Canyon is a 21-acre wooded area with a walking trail and benches for enjoying the sights and sounds of the forest. We will discuss natural history and Greenspace projects managing this most southerly natural population of Monterey pines in California." Download trip details, including web links and more (MS-Word docx)
- 2:00p - BOARD of DIRECTORS MEETING
Contact Board president Vivian Neou if you wish to attend.
Location: Dignity Health French Hospital Copeland Education Pavilion, Urology Associates Classroom, Room 101, ground floor; 1911 Johnson Avenue; San Luis Obispo, CA 93401. Educational facility is at the rear of the hospital.
- Cabin Assignments at Rancho El Chorro Outdoor School, SLO County Office of Education, 2450 Pennington Creek Road, San Luis Obispo, CA 93405. 805-782-7334. Details will be posted!
- Meet and Greet at SLO Public Market at Bonetti Ranch, a hip gathering place with food and shops. 3845 S Higuera St., San Luis Obispo, CA 93401. Meet at the outdoor tables in the center of the marketplace!
- 4:30p - Happy Hour
- 5:30-8:00p - Dinner
SATURDAY 9/7 - Rancho El Chorro -
Outdoor School Auditorium, 2450 Pennington Creek Road, San Luis Obispo, CA 93405. 805-782-7334
Morning & Afternoon
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8:00a - CHAPTER COUNCIL - Agenda pending.
- 8:00a - Light breakfast
- 9:00a-5:00p - Council Meeting (Select lunch preferences when you register.)
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- 5:30p - Happy Hour with snacks
- 6:30p - Dinner (Select preferences when you register.)
- 7:45p - Speaker and book signing! David Keil: Vascular Plants of San Luis Obispo County, California, 2nd ed. - an Introduction to the Flora
SUNDAY 9/8
- 7:30a - Light breakfast at Rancho El Chorro
- Choice of Field trips
- 9:00am - SHORTER: Irish Hills serpentine - with Kristen Nelson, SLO Rare Plant Chair and CNPS Rare Plant Program Manager. "On this 3-mile loop, we will hike through oak woodland and chaparral, along with some seasonal serpentine seeps. The Irish Hills Natural Reserve is an expansive open space and home to an incredible diversity of serpentine species. This trail will include a couple moderate inclines and declines and some sections of rocky trail conditions. We will get views of most of the nine sisters (a chain of volcanic peaks that extend from Morro Bay to the southern edge of San Luis Obispo). We will also take a slight detour to see the remnants of a chromite mine and the hardy plants that persist on the mine tailings and edges. Bishop manzanita (Arctostaphylos obispoensis) and San Luis Obispo fountain thistle (Cirsium fontinale ssp. obispoense) are a couple rare species we will see."
Download trip details, including web links and more (MS-Word docx) - 1:00pm - LONGER: Coastal Dunes, Oso Flaco Lake - with Cindy Roessler. "This 2-mile round trip hike will lead us through a willow riparian forest, then on a boardwalk that crosses Oso Flaco Lake (backdune freshwater lake and wetlands with good birding) and crosses a series of dunes. The boardwalk ends at an elevated overlook with excellent views of the surrounding coastline and Pacific Ocean. Participants can choose to continue hiking through loose sand to the beach."
Download trip details, including web links and more (MS-Word docx)
- 9:00am - SHORTER: Irish Hills serpentine - with Kristen Nelson, SLO Rare Plant Chair and CNPS Rare Plant Program Manager. "On this 3-mile loop, we will hike through oak woodland and chaparral, along with some seasonal serpentine seeps. The Irish Hills Natural Reserve is an expansive open space and home to an incredible diversity of serpentine species. This trail will include a couple moderate inclines and declines and some sections of rocky trail conditions. We will get views of most of the nine sisters (a chain of volcanic peaks that extend from Morro Bay to the southern edge of San Luis Obispo). We will also take a slight detour to see the remnants of a chromite mine and the hardy plants that persist on the mine tailings and edges. Bishop manzanita (Arctostaphylos obispoensis) and San Luis Obispo fountain thistle (Cirsium fontinale ssp. obispoense) are a couple rare species we will see."
| Council Chair - Judy Fenerty | Hosting chapter - Melissa Mooney | website issues - Larry Levine |