SO BE FREE - 2012

SO BE FREE #17

March 27 - 30, 2012

Inner North Coast Range near Cobb, CA

Organized by Mary Ann Dearing, Ed Dearing, and David Toren

The 2012 SO BE FREE was held in the Cobb Mt. area near Clear Lake (possibly North America’s oldest lake) in Lake County, California. The area offered great field sites for montane coniferous forest, oak woodland, and chaparral with rocky outcrops of varied geology and wetland habitats as well. Bryophyte diversity seen spanned a range from California's spring ephemerals to epiphytes to aquatic species of lakes and streams. The early-spring wildflowers were great too! We were based at Mariah Meadows Resort / Edie’s Resort, near Cobb, CA. Mariah Meadows is at about 2500 ft. in elevation. An active group of beginners participated in special walks, talks, and microscope sessions, experts compared notes on taxonomy and ecology of the many interesting taxa observed, and all heard a great evening talk by Cindy Looy on her recently funded project to core Clear Lake and study California vegetational history (including bryophytes). Both the science and the socializing were first-rate!

Photos from John Game Here!