2020 Symposium

Congratulations to our Student Poster Winners!

• First Place - Lina Luu and Tuesday Weaver, California State University, Fullerton
• Second Place - Anjum Kaur, San Jose State University
• Third Place - Justin Luong, University of California, Santa Cruz

Symposium Presentations

Thank you to Steve Rosenthal of the CNPS Santa Clara Chapter, for recording the Symposium presentations. You can view many of the presentations by clicking on the title of talk below or visiting the CNPS - SCV YouTube Channel.

Session 1: Species Boundaries. Session Chair: Teresa Sholars, Professor Emeritus, College of the Redwoods.

• Lupinus circumscription challenges, indiscriminate outcrossing, and sheer number of taxa create the nightmare known as Lupinus. Teresa Sholars, Professor Emeritus,College of the Redwoods.
• Variation in the nuclear genomic size in Ivesia from western North American and its taxonomic implications. Israel Borokini, University of Nevada, Reno.
• Investigating the identities of populations of Sidalcea (Malvaceae) in the North Coast Ranges in California. Chenjiao Deng, University of California, Davis
• Species boundaries and the conservation of rare asters (Eucephalus, Asteracreae). Tom Kaye, Institute of Applied Ecology and Geraldine Allen, University of Victoria.

Session 2: Fire in Managed Landscapes. Session Chair: Jennifer Gibson, National Park Service, Whiskeytown National Recration Area.

• Fuels treatment effectiveness? Gaining perspective from the Carr Fire in an era of megafires. Eamon Engber, National Park Service.
• Long-term effectiveness of fuel treatments to wildfire in a chaparral ecosystem. Abigail Jones, Humboldt State University Wildland Fire Lab and Jeffrey Kane, Humboldt State University, Department of Forestry and Wildland Resources.
• Effects of a short interval reburn on knobcone pine regenration in the Carr Fire. Michelle Agne, University of Washington, School of Environmental and Forest Sciences.
• Fire behavior on industrial timberlands during 2018 Northern California fires. Zeke Lunder, Deer Creek Resources.

Session 3: Restoration. Session Chair: Daria Snider, Madrone Ecological Consulting.

• Does source population impact performance in created vernal pools for Contra Costa goldfields or Burke's goldfields? Brook Wainwright, University of New Mexico.
• Experimental reintroduction of the Ben Lomand wallflower (Erysimum teretifolium) at the Bonny Doon Ecological Reserve. Justen Whittall, Santa Clara University.
• Restoring dunes in the Monterey Bay: Ecosystem processes and experimental treatments. Cara Clark, Moss Landing Marine Laboratories.
• Short- and long-term vegetation changes following wet meadow restoration in Drakesbad Meadow, Lassen Volcanic National Park. Kristen Kaczynski, California State University, Chico.

Session 4: New Discoveries. Session Chair: Julie Kierstead, Shasta-Trinity National Forest, Retired.

• How many monkeyflowers are native to California? Recently discovered monkeyflower diversity in northern California, named and unnamed species, a story of what lies ahead. Naomi Fraga, Rancho Santa Ana Botanic Garden.
• Something old and something new in the Trinity Alps: An expedition, a resurrection, and Potentilla millefolia var. algida. Alexa DiNicola, University of Wisconsi, Madison.
• A roadside botany adventure: the intriguing tale of the discovery of a new Nasturtium in northern California. Amanda Snodgrass, Klamath National Forest.
• A startling new Phacelia from the Carr-Delta Fire footprint in the Eastern Klamath Ranges of western Shasta County. Julie Kierstead, Shasta-Trinity National Forest, Retired.

Session 5: Lightning Talks. Session Chair: Kristen Kaczynski, California State University, Chico.

• Get your GED in GDEs. Rob Thoms, Stillwater Sciences
• California Species Mapper. Rob Irwin, Sacramento River Forum
• Using phylogenomics to shed light on the classification controversy in Arceuthobium (dwarf mistletoes). Adam Schneider, Hendrix College
• Using Notes from Nature to digitize California herbaria. Katelin Pearson, Cal Poly State University.
• Creating long-term monitoring projects ina field course setting. Tim Miller, University of California, Santa Cruz.
• The Vegetation Classification and Mapping Program: Our standards, goals, and data. Rachelle Boul, California Department of Fish and Wildlife.
• Geranium lucidum, an early detection-rapid Response invasive from Southern Oregon. Cecile Shohet, U.S. Bureau of Land Management, Medford District.

Keynote Address: Fire trends, causes, and consequences for the native plants we love. Eric Knapp, U.S. Forest Service, Pacific southwest Research Station.

Session 7: Pollinators. Session Chair: Kirsten Bovee, Lassen National Forest.

• Plant selection by bumble bees in montane riparian habitats of California. Jerry Cole, Institute for Bird Populations.
• Center for Plant Conservation pollinators of Rare Plants Database and its applications for research, management, and outreach. Katie Heineman, Center for Plant Conservation and San Diego Zoo Institue ofr Conservation Research.
• California hummingbird foraging ecology: The effects of migration and non-native plants. Erin Wilson Rankin, University of California, Riverside.
• Penstemon personatus has its day in the sun: Forest thinning results in increased flowering, pollinator visitation, and predicted seed set. Kirsten Bovee, Lassen National Forest.

Session 8: Plant Biotic Interactions. Session Chair: Jackie Shay, University of California, Merced.

• Endophyte communities in the cut-leaf monkeyflower (Erythranthe laciniata) responds differently to drought conditions above and belowground. Jackie Shay, University of California, Merced.
• Nectar-inhabiting microbes: Bridging ecology and evolution in the field and laboratory. Callie Chappell. Stanford University.
• The ecological apparency hypothesis and spatial distribution can explain colonization of Arctostaphylos host plant by Tamalia gall aphids. Don Miller, California State University, Chico.
• Evolution of specialization in a plant-microbial mutualism. Lorena Torres Martinez, University of California, Riverside.

Session 9: Now the Good News. Session Chair, Russell Huddleston, Applied Technology and Science.

• Good news at the Bushy Lake eco-cultural restoration: Restoring culturally significant native and fire resilient plants in a highly disturbed urban environment. Michelle Stevens, California State University, Sacramento.
• Post-fire response of Shasta snow-wreath. Len Lindstrand III, Sierra Pacific Industries.
• Postfire, rare plant, and restoration data collection forms on Calflora, and negative data!, Cynthia Powell, Calflora.
• Juggling jewelflowers - the role of flower color in determining taxonomic boundaries, conservation status and restoration priorities for Coyote Ridge Streptanthus. Justen Whittall, Santa Clara University.

Poster Session

Below are links to many of the posters presented at the symposium. Poster abstracts can be found in the Symposium Program starting on Page 21, listed alphabetically by presenting author name.

• Dessication Tolerance of Western Sword Fern (Polystichum munitum) Gametophytes across the Coast Redwood Forest Ecological Gradient. Benson, L., and Lambrecht, S.
• Water Table Height and Vegetation Composition of Wetland Obligate Species in Response to Restoration in a Montane Meadow, Northern California. Berry, M., Monahan, C., Bykerk-Kauffman, A., and Weixelman, D.
• Invasive Alligator Weed (Alternanthera philoxeroides) Expands Range in Northern California. Carter-Ervin, R. M., Grewell, B.J., Futrell, D.J., and Reicholf, R.A.
• The Morphological and Ecological Variation of Arctostaphylos (Ericaceae) Fruit: A Link between Plant Ecology and Animal Foraging Behavior. Crowe, R.E., and Parker, V.T.
• Species Boundaries in Two Northern California Monkeyflowers. Ewald, J., and Ivey, C.T.
• Ecology and Distribution of a Disjunct Population of Lewisia leeana (Montiaceae), Eastern Fresno County. Finch, B.
• Seed Rain, Seed Predation, and Seed Bank Dynamics of Adenostoma fasciculatum. Garaventa, J.M.
• Coast Redwood Seedling Survival in Extremes of the Species Range. Geary, M., Adams, J., Bergeron, N. Boyd, J., DeGroot, N., Edingfield, M., Martinyak, M., Mo, J., Nesquiz, U., and Saliccia, E.
• Population Genetics of the Widespread Perennial Wallflower Phlox speciosa Using Microsatellite Markers. Gill, P., Athwal, S., Cantu, M., and Waselkov, K.
• Ecology and Reproductive Biology of a Rare Redwood Forest Specialist, Pedicularis dudleyi. Gujral, A., and Carter, B.
• Nighttime Stomatal Conductance and Transpiration in Castilleja, a Genus of Root Hemiparasites. Haynes, A.F.
• Two Special-Status Plants of the Pine Hill Preserve: Seed Treatment and Outplanting Success. Jurjavcic, N.L., Hall, B., Hinshaw, G., Rodriguez, K.M., Spurlin, S., and Thoms, R.J.
• A Vascular Flora of Antone Meadow and Burton Creek Natural Preserves, Northern Sierra Nevada, Placer County. Poore, J., Kang, H., Dean, E., Mawdsley, K., and Berry, T.
• Protecting Groundwater Dependent Ecosystems. Keever, J.E., and Rodriguez, K.M.
• Do alpine communites experience greater plant-pollinator phenolgical mismatch than lowland habitats? Lampe, L., and Ivey, C.T.
• Small Beginnings: Implications of the Post-Fire Seedling Niche for Conservation and Management of Giant Sequoias (Sequoiadendron giganteum). Lauder, J., Reynoso, C., Stephens, M., Lommel, Y., Moraes, O., Sanchez, T., Santos, A., Reyes, T., Dickman, G., Ghezzehei, T., and Sexton, J.
• A Case of Unusual Seedling Presence and Growth 10 Years after Fire in the Southern Coast Redwood Range, Santa Clara County, California. Lazzeri-Aerts, R.
• What Happens to Restored Coastal Grasslands? Luong, J.C., Holl, K.D., and Loik, M.E.
• Digging up Dirt on Growth and Reproduction of Dicentra uniflora and Dicentra pauciflora (Papaveraceae), Both Ephemeral Geophytes, in Their Natural Environments in Northern California. Mackey, H.E., Jr.
• Post-fire Woody Seedling Regeneration: Impacts from Dozer Lines. Monahan, C., Weinberger, H., and Kaczynski, K.
• The Role of Common Mycorrhizal Networks in Ameliorating Drought Stress in Pseudotsuga menziesii. Mounts, I.R., and Baxter, J. W.
• Submitting Data to the California Natural Diversity Database. Powell, R., Ferguson, K., and Lazar, K.
• California Plant Rescue: A Collaborative Program to Safeguard the Diversity of the California Flora. Anderson, S., Birker, C., Burke, M., Forbes, H., Fraga, N., Gurnoe, T., Hall, B., Heineman, K., Horn, C., Handley, V., Magney, D., Meyer, E., Maschinski, J., O'Brien, B., Patten, A., Schneider, H.E., Sim, A.E., and Still, S.
• The Impact of Invasion and Removal of Lupinus arboreus on Seed Abundance in Coastal Sand Dune Environments. Stewart, S., and Byrne, K.
• Dozer Line Post-fire Plant Community Recovery. Weinberger, H.S., and Kaczynski, K.M.
• Impacts of Increased Tidal Inundation on Coastal Marsh Communities: A Case Study Along Buhne Slough. Craydon, E., and Teraoka, E.
• North State Climate Action. McCrary, MA.
• Capturing Phenology from Herbarium Specimens to Understand Flowing Period in Winecup Clarkia (Clarkia purpureum ssp. quadrivulnea, Onagraceae). Cazares, J. and Carter, B.

Thank You to our 2020 Symposium Sponsors!

• Ascent Environmental, Inc.
• California Department of Conservation, Division of Mine Reclamation
• California Department of Fish and Wildlife
• California Invasive Plant Council
• California Native Grasslands Association (CNGA)
• California Native Plant Society (CNPS) – State Office
• California Native Plant Society (CNPS) – Dorothy King Young Chapter
• California Native Plant Society (CNPS) – Mt. Lassen Chapter
• California Native Plant Society (CNPS) – North Coast Chapter
• California Native Plant Society (CNPS) – Sacramento Valley Chapter
• California Native Plant Society (CNPS) – Shasta Chapter
• The Chico State Herbarium
• College of Natural Sciences, California State University, Chico
• Friends of the Chico State Herbarium
• Garcia and Associates (GANDA)
• Halkard E. Mackey, Jr.
• Hedgerow Farms, Inc.
• H.T. Harvey and Associates
• Lawrence Janeway
• Linnea Hanson
• Nomad Ecology
• Ray Collett Trust
• Robert A. Schlising
• Shasta Trinity National Forest
• Sierra Pacific Foundation
• Stillwater Sciences
• The University and Jepson Herbaria, UC Berkeley
• Westervelt Ecological Services
• WRA, Inc.

2020 Keynote Speaker: Eric Knapp

The 2020 Symposium Keynote Speaker was Eric Knapp. His talk is titled Fire trends, causes, and consequences for the native plants we love.

Eric is a research ecologist with the U.S. Forest Service, Pacific Southwest Research Station and studies long-term changes to forests in the absence of fire and how organisms, including plants, respond to disturbances such as fire. His path to being a botanist (in a very broad sense) has been anything but straight, but the common theme has been a focus on plants.

As an undergraduate at U.C. Santa Barbara, the experiences that probably had the biggest impact on shaping his thinking and eventual career choice were plant identification and ecology courses taught by the late Bob Haller. His legendary field trips exposed Eric to different ecosystems and why plants grow where they do and taught him the value of knowing the species or not shying away from keying them out if you don’t.

His graduate studies at U.C. Davis were in plant breeding, but as genetics became more and more a laboratory endeavor, this increasingly conflicted with a desire to spend as much time as possible outdoors. He switched to plant ecology and his current position provides a good balance office and field work. As someone who learns best through careful observation – poking, digging, measuring – whatever it takes to figure out how organisms persist, flourish, or perish in response to stressors, he makes a point of working in the field and seeing the outcome of management actions or fire with his own eyes for perhaps four to six weeks a year.

To really understand fire behavior and fire effects, there is no better way than watching it burn and prescribed fire provides great access. On a good day, fire managers conducting the burn will hand him a drip torch. In reality, four to six weeks of field time still means he spends the vast majority of his work hours in front of a computer, analyzing data, writing papers, and working on outreach through presentations.

Among the research outcomes he is most proud of are developing a better understanding of outcomes and associated mechanisms of fire in different seasons on plants and the effect of management actions on the understory plant community. Most recently, he has been marveling what can be learned about the functioning of healthy forests by attempting to restore degraded ones. It has been eye opening to see native perennial grasses establish and forbs again flower after forest thinning and prescribed fire. These and other observations provide insight about the disturbance pathways that once shaped these ecosystems and potential paths forward in an uncertain future.