Workshops by Type

Workshop Descriptions

Lycophytes: Past and Present
Jeff Benca and Cindy Looy
Location: UC Berkeley

Lycophytes (clubmosses, spikemosses, quillworts, and allies) have an iconic presence in the fossil record. Yet, living members are seldom a focus of botanical study, horticulture, and conservation projects. This workshop will emphasize the fossil history of this group, how to recognize living members in the field, and their current biological and ecological diversity. Additionally, participants will learn techniques for cultivating lycophytes in terraria and outdoors. There is no field trip; we will observe fossil and living specimens in the classroom.

January 31 • Workshop fee: $120/$160

Intermediate Bryology
Brent Mishler and Ken Kellman
Location: UC Berkeley

The general goal of this two-day class will be to build upon the skills taught in the Jepson introductory bryology class (or equivalent preparation elsewhere, such as SO BE FREE). We will emphasize mosses in this class and specifically work towards genus recognition of all California mosses and use more advanced keys than those used in the beginner’s class. We will provide mosses from the central coast to work on, and participants also are encouraged to bring their own collections. Lecture time will be kept to a minimum, so that students will be able to maximize time in the lab working with microscopes collaboratively on plants. There will be no field trip; instead, BYOB (bring your own bryophytes!).

Participants are expected to already know beginning dissection techniques and to understand basic bryophyte biology and morphology; previous completion of a beginner’s class is strongly recommended.

February 28-March 1 • Workshop fee: $250/$290

Botanizing Baja California
Jon Rebman
Baja California (Meet in San Diego)

Come on a botanical journey south of the border to explore the Central Desert ecoregion of Baja California and the spectacular Cataviña boulder fields while focusing on the area's flora. After the spring rains arrive, the Baja California desert will come alive with color and diversity as desert annuals spring forth in all of their splendor. This floristic adventure will stop and explore Coastal Sage Scrub, Coastal Chaparral, and Baja California endemic Maritime Succulent Scrub and Central Desert vegetation. Many of the plants that we will see do not make it north of the USA/Mexico border, and others are restricted to small populations along our route, so be prepared to encounter many new plant species (some of which can stretch one’s imagination in respect to plant form and structure). Some of the special plants in the Cataviña area include: the bizarre Boojum Tree (Fouquieria columnaris); the giant Cardón cactus (Pachycereus pringlei), and strange elephant trees (Pachycormus discolor and Bursera spp.). We will see these plants and many more, including some newly described cacti.

Participants should be prepared for moderate hiking up to three miles off trail over uneven terrain in potentially hot conditions at varying elevations. This workshop begins at 8:00 am Thursday and ends late Monday afternoon. We will depart from and return to the UCSD campus in La Jolla, California.

We are lucky to be working once again with the wonderful staff of Outback Adventures at UCSD, who will provide logistical support and camp infrastructure.

March 5-9 (Thursday-Monday) • Workshop fee ($750/$790) includes instruction, van transportation from La Jolla (UCSD) to and around Baja California, meals from lunch on Thursday through lunch on Monday, and campsite fees. Accommodations will be tent camping at two beautiful, but primitive, locations with no running water or electricity. Drinking water and hand wash stations will be provided. Campsite toilet facilities will be outhouses or portable latrines. All workshop participants must possess (and bring) a valid passport. Participants must provide their own transportation to UCSD. All participants MUST travel to and from Baja California in the workshop vans.

Registration preference will be given to individuals who have not previously attended a Jepson-sponsored Baja California Workshop.

Introduction to Plant Morphology
Seth Kauppinen
Location: UC Berkeley

Would you like to learn more about plant morphology and expand your botanical vocabulary? If so, join us for this workshop to explore the morphology of flowers, fruits, and non-reproductive plant structures. Workshop participants will become familiar with the floral characters and terminology frequently used in the second edition of The Jepson Manual and other plant identification guides. This workshop is designed to start at an introductory level and is appropriate for the beginning botanist, nature lover, or avid gardener. The workshop includes four three-hour sessions over two days. Each session will consist of a short lecture followed by examination of fresh (mostly non-native) plant material using hand lenses and dissecting microscopes. Microscope experience is helpful but not necessary.

March 7-8 • Workshop fee $160/$200

Definitions and Methods for Identifying and Delineating California Wetlands
Terry Huffman
Location: Rush Ranch and Bay Area Field Sites

Wetlands are typically recognized as soggy portions of the landscape that are covered—often intermittently—with shallow water, have soils saturated with water, or have plants that look different from those in the surrounding areas. Scientific studies have shown that wetlands are essential to maintaining the biological, chemical, and physical integrity of the aquatic ecosystem. State and federal programs have been established that regulate impacts to wetlands as part of their overall water quality protection strategy. These agencies differ in how wetlands are defined and geographically delineated.

This workshop will emphasize the wetland definition and delineation method used by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (Corps) and U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (USEPA) to define their jurisdiction under Section 404 of the Clean Water Act. Wetland definitions and delineation methods used by state and other federal agencies in California, including the California Coastal Commission (CCC), State Water Quality Control Board and its Regional Water Quality Control Boards (RWQCB), California Department of Fish & Wildlife (CDFW), U.S. Department of Agriculture, and U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service will also be discussed. The course offers a clear and concise explanation and comparison of wetland definitions and methods used by these agencies including the latest changes in methodology and approaches for determining jurisdictional boundaries; explanation of key terminology, and practical hands-on field experience for private consultants, agency personnel, attorneys, academics, and the general public who are involved with resource protection, impact assessment, environmental restoration, and/or seeking project authorization from the CCC, RWQCB, CDFW, or Corps. The course instructor’s primary method of instruction is “learning by doing” so prepare yourself to get dirty!

We will meet at Rush Ranch Thursday morning and early afternoon for classroom lectures that will acquaint you with the various definitions, terminology, and delineation approach methodologies, then spend the rest of Thursday afternoon in the field, exploring how and why the various definitions and associated methodologies produce different results in terms of wetland area delineated. We will spend the rest of the weekend in the field gaining real-world experience with the meanings of definitions and associated terminology through hands-on experience using the various wetland delineation methodologies, with analysis of results and field delineation of wetland-upland boundaries. Participants in the class may drive up to 75 miles per day to the field sites and do moderate hiking up to three miles each day over wet, uneven terrain. Class will be held rain or shine!

Presented in cooperation with the Solano Land Trust.

March 12-15 • Workshop fee ($500/$540) includes instruction, handouts, and materials. Camping is available at Rush Ranch on Wednesday and Thursday night for participants who need accommodations.

Characterization and Identification of Desert Plants
Michael G. Simpson
Location: Steele-Burnand Anza-Borrego Desert Research Center

The purpose of this workshop is to learn basic morphological terminology and dissection skills, learn to recognize the most common plant families, and gain skills in identification of species of the Colorado Desert in San Diego.

We will focus on 15-20 of California’s most common plant families, emphasizing the diagnostic features of each family. Lectures will alternate with lab activities using fresh plant material. Field trips will alternate with labs to collect material and review diagnostic features in the wild.

The workshop will include an introduction to The Jepson Manual: Vascular Plants of California, Second Edition, and the use of the family key to identify unknown plants. We will review recent changes in the classification of California’s plants and explain why such changes have taken place. Also recommended, but not required, is Checklist of the Vascular Plants of San Diego County (Rebman and Simpson 2014).

This workshop begins early Friday afternoon in Borrego Springs. We will be indoors on Friday and will plan some easy hikes Saturday and Sunday morning. Workshop participants will use a dissecting microscope during the lab sessions: microscope experience is helpful but not necessary. It is recommended that participants be familiar with basic plant morphology, but this will be taught from the beginning. We may collect plants during field trips, but only to bring back to dissect and identify.

March 20-22 • Workshop fee $370/$410 includes instruction, lodging at the Research Center, and meals from dinner on Friday through lunch on Sunday. Accommodations at the (newly-constructed!) Research Center are dormitory-style, with bunkbeds in shared rooms with shared bathrooms. Potable water, showers, and flush toilets are available.

50 Families in the Field: Introduction to Keying
Linda Beidleman

Are you ready to jump into botanical detective work? With a working knowledge of common plant families, and comfort in using taxonomic keys, identification can be an enjoyable challenge. This workshop introduces students to the flora of the San Francisco Bay area and the techniques used to identify plants of California. Emphasis will be on learning to recognize characteristics of the Bay Area’s plant families. We will practice keying plants in the field using the third edition of the book Plants of the San Francisco Bay Region: Mendocino to Monterey (Linda H. Beidleman and Eugene N. Kozloff, 2014). A general familiarity with morphological terms is helpful but not necessary; these will be reviewed during the introductory session. The workshop will be held outdoors (rain or shine). Participants may drive up to 75 miles per day to the field sites and walk up to three miles each day (easy hiking). This workshop will not involve collection of plants. Students must attend all four days of the workshop, because the introductory information will lay the foundation for the rest of the workshop. Please note that this is an introductory workshop, geared towards beginning botanists. Participants must purchase their own copy of the book.

Two Sessions:
March 26-29 at UC Berkeley • $250/$290

April 23-26 at UC Hastings Natural History Reservation • Workshop fee ($490/$530) also includes lodging, meals from dinner on Thursday through lunch on Sunday, and some transportation. Most participants will be accommodated in dormitory-style rooms with twin or bunk-style beds. Space outside the bunkhouse is also available for camping. Showers and flush toilets are available. Space is limited to 16 students.

Registration preference will be given to individuals who have not previously attended 50 Families in the Field.

Inventorying the Floristic Frontier: A Botanical Expedition into the Eastern Mojave Desert of California Workshop Full: Wait List Only
Jim Andre and Tasha La Doux
Location: Granite Mountain Desert Research Center

The eastern Mojave Desert represents one of the least documented floristic areas of California. Most herbarium records from this region were collected before 1950 or are limited to major road corridors and a handful of mountain ranges where floristic studies have been conducted. To date, numerous valleys and ranges (e.g, Woods, Hackberry, Piute, and Mesquite mountains) have fewer than 200 records and represent a significant void in California’s floristic knowledge.

This workshop will have two primary goals: 1) to learn the flora of the mid- to high- elevations of the eastern California Mojave Desert region and 2) to document the “void” via specimen collections. Alas, this will be a collecting trip! We hope to add substantially to the number of records known to a particular mountain range or watershed basin, as part of a new joint effort between the Jepson Herbarium and UC Natural Reserve System to document biodiversity across the Reserves and their surrounding lands. The exploration will focus on rare plants and spring flowering plant groups such as those within Boraginaceae, Polemoniaceae, and Onagraceae. As winter precipitation can vary locally in the desert, field destinations will be determined by optimal flowering conditions at the time of the class. Though documentation through collections is the emphasis of the workshop, at least one of the field days will prioritize seeing a high diversity of rare plants.

We will be based out of the UC Granite Mountains Desert Research Center, and most day trips will be within a 70-mile radius of the Center. Hiking will be moderately strenuous. This will be a 4WD only expedition! Participants who can bring and drive a reliable high-clearance (9 inches or more) AWD or 4WD vehicle with at least six seats will help increase the diversity of sites and species available to us.

April 16-19 • Workshop fee ($490/$530) includes instruction, meals from Thursday dinner through Sunday lunch, and accommodations at GMDRC. Most participants will camp. Potable water, flush toilets, and showers are available. Some dormitory-style accommodations may be available for those who prefer to sleep indoors; please indicate this preference on your registration form under “notes.”

Registration preference will be given to individuals who have not previously attended a Jepson-sponsored Granite Mountains workshop.

Native Plants of the UC Merced Vernal Pool Grasslands Reserve Workshop Full: Wait List Only
Jennifer Buck-Diaz and Nancy Emery
Location: UC Merced Vernal Pools Grassland Reserve

Vernal pools are ephemeral wetlands that are scattered throughout the Central Valley of California. These pools function as islands in a sea of grasslands for the more than 200 species of plants that are associated with this unique habitat. The undulating microtopography of the landscape, Mediterranean climate, and impermeable subsurface soils cause pools to temporarily form in natural depressions during the winter; the pools rapidly disappear at the onset of summer. During the transition from aquatic to terrestrial conditions, these habitats erupt into spectacular floral displays of native plants, many of which are endemic to this environment in California.

This two-day workshop will provide an introduction to vernal pool ecosystems and the plants they support. Participants will be guided through the UC Merced Vernal Pool Grasslands Reserve, a new 6,500 acre conservation preserve that includes some of the largest remaining contiguous vernal pool habitat in California. During the workshop, instructors will provide background information on vernal pool ecosystems, vernal pool plant natural history, plant identification, and the efforts to conserve this diminishing ecosystem in California. Participants should be prepared for easy to moderate hiking, with very little elevation gain, over uneven, wet terrain. We will be in the field rain or shine!

April 25-26 • Workshop fee ($250/$290) includes instruction and transportation around the Reserve. Participants are responsible for their own meals and lodging in Merced.

Plant Families of the World in Bay Area Public Gardens
Dean Kelch
Location: UC Berkeley and Bay Area Public Gardens

We learn our first plants one at a time. But sooner or later it becomes important to have a framework to organize and remember this knowledge. Learning the plant families provides this framework. It also helps us to understand the evolutionary relationships of the plants around us, and to identify unknown plants wherever we go, whether it is a desert or a rainforest. We will begin with a short introduction. We will proceed to visit three highly acclaimed public gardens, a tropical plant conservatory, and one botanically rich natural area. Mini lectures will focus on plant diversity and how to recognize the most common families of flowering plants.

Because the San Francisco Bay Area has some of the most diverse and beautiful gardens in the world, where an amazing array of plants thrive, we will see great botanical variety. We also will gain insights into plant evolution and form from a global perspective. This workshop will be an excellent introduction to world plant families—or an equally useful refresher course—for gardeners and other plant enthusiasts of all levels. A general familiarity with plant morphology is helpful, but is not required.

We will do a fair amount of easy walking, and one day will include a moderately strenuous two-mile hike along an occasionally steep but well-maintained trail. This workshop begins at 9:00 AM Friday, and will conclude at 5:00 PM each day. What better way to spend a weekend?

May 1-3 • Workshop fee ($250/$290) includes admission to all public gardens, and energy-boosting snacks. Some transportation will be available for participants who cannot (or would prefer not to) drive.

Flora of Santa Rosa Island
Steve Junak
Location: Santa Rosa Island (Meet in Ventura)

With an area of 84 square miles, Santa Rosa is the second-largest of the eight California Channel Islands. The island’s flora is comprised of just under 400 native taxa and about 100 non-native taxa. At least 37 of the native taxa are restricted to two or more of the California Islands. Six taxa are now found only on Santa Rosa Island, including Arctostaphylos confertiflora, Dudleya blochmaniae subsp. insularis, Dudleya gnoma, Gilia tenuiflora subsp. hoffmanii, Castilleja mollis, and Pinus torreyana subsp. insularis. Although the island has a long history of agricultural uses, cattle have been removed, and the vegetation is slowly recovering.

This intensive four-day workshop will familiarize participants with Santa Rosa Island’s diverse flora, especially the endemic taxa. Field lectures will cover the history of land use and botanical exploration, the island’s major plant associations, correlations between environmental factors and plant distributions, and the recognition of common taxa. The workshop also will provide opportunities to explore pristine beaches and rugged coastlines. Depending on road conditions and vehicle availability, participants may be able to visit some of the most remote corners of the island. Hiking will be moderate to moderately strenuous. Please note that this workshop begins early Thursday morning in Ventura and concludes on Mother’s Day!

May 7-10 • Workshop fee ($680/$720) includes instruction, lodging Thursday-Saturday nights at the CISRIRS, water transportation from Ventura to Santa Rosa Island, and all meals on Santa Rosa Island (Thursday lunch through Sunday lunch). Accommodations at the Research Station are dormitory-style, with bunkbeds in shared rooms with shared bathrooms. Potable water, showers, and flush toilets are available. We will be back in Ventura at 6:00 PM Sunday (conditions permitting: weather delays are always possible).

Registration preference will be given to individuals who have not previously attended a Jepson-sponsored Channel Islands workshop.

Poaceae Workshop Full: Wait List Only
Travis Columbus
Location: UC Berkeley

“I am the grass; I cover all.” —Carl Sandburg, “Grass”

Prominent in plant communities throughout California, the grass family, Poaceae, is the state’s second most diverse plant family (after Asteraceae). Its members include cool-season and warm-season species, annuals and perennials, natives and exotics, and widespread dominants and rare endemics. This workshop will provide a better understanding of this ubiquitous, species-rich family. Participants will be instructed in detail on the vegetative and reproductive features of grasses. Aspects of anatomy, physiology, and ecology will also be addressed. Most time will be spent learning to use the identification keys in the second edition of The Jepson Manual. Special attention will be given to difficult couplets and taxa. In addition, participants will learn how to identify common genera by using diagnostic characteristics. If conditions are favorable, we will go to the field on Sunday afternoon; most of this class will take place in a lab classroom.

May 30-31 • Workshop fee: $250/$290

Registration preference will be given to individuals who have not previously attended a Jepson-sponsored Poaceae workshop.

California’s Native Bees: Biology, Ecology, and Identification
Gordon Frankie, Sara Leon Guerrero, Jaime Pawelek, and Robbin Thorp
Location: UC Hastings Natural History Reservation, Carmel Valley

Are you interested in learning more about the most important pollinators in your gardens? California’s native bees are extremely diverse (about 1,600 species) and are critical for providing ecosystem services not only in wild habitats but also in agricultural and urban settings.

This course will provide basic information about native bee biology and ecology with a specific focus on identification to the generic level. Course participants will spend time collecting in the field at the UC Hastings Reserve and at a nearby diverse garden in Carmel Valley. They will also spend time in the lab viewing and keying collected specimens. Evening lectures on a variety of related topics will add to the field experiences. This workshop is an extension of the previously offered weekend bee workshop, with more focus on bee identification.

Bee collections from the Hastings Reserve date back several decades, so knowledge of important bee-flower relationships are well known for this site. Participants will learn about bees’ flower preferences, how to collect bees using several different methods, information on how to build a bee-friendly garden, bee photography techniques, and bee identification using generic keys and microscopes. Participants will have the opportunity to purchase California Bees and Blooms, Gordon Frankie, Robbin Thorp, Rollin Coville, and Barbara Ertter’s 2014 book on urban California bees and their preferred flowers. Hikes will be easy.

June 3-7 • Workshop fee ($600/$640) includes lodging and meals from Wednesday dinner through Sunday lunch. Most participants will be accommodated in dormitory-style rooms with twin or bunk-style beds. Space outside the bunkhouse is also available for camping. Showers and flush toilets are available. This workshop will conclude Sunday afternoon.

Seaweeds of Central California
Kathy Ann Miller
Location: Big Sur

This workshop will focus on the seaweeds in the vicinity of the Landels-Hill Big Creek Ecological Reserve in Monterey County. We will review the basics of intertidal seaweed zonation and ecology as we collect specimens for closer study in our campground lab. Seaweeds can be difficult to identify: we will focus on vegetative morphology. Let’s update a preliminary list of conspicuous seaweeds generated from our new specimen database!

The low tides are in the morning, leaving time for lab work and opportunities to explore this beautiful site at high tide. We will be staying in tents, with access to potable water, picnic tables, and pit toilets. Weather permitting, we can share Seaweed tales around the campfire after dinner each night. Hikes will be moderate, over wet, slippery surfaces. You will get wet!

Beginners and experienced seaweed enthusiasts are welcome. We especially invite people interested in photography who are keen to contribute photos to our new project, California Seaweeds, an online seaweed flora that we will introduce during the workshop.

June 5-7 • Workshop fee ($370/$410) includes instruction, meals from Friday dinner through Sunday lunch, and Reserve fees.

Trees of California, Part 1
Paul Fine
Location: Bay Area Woodland Field Sites

How many native species of trees are there in California? When Jepson published The Trees of California in 1923, he included 121 species of woody plants in his book, of which he counted “90 trees.” According to Jepson, “accurate and detailed knowledge of [trees] lifts the possessor out of the commonplace and enables him directly or indirectly to contribute to the well-being and happiness of his community.” In this workshop, we will do our best to follow Jepson’s excellent advice: we we will learn how to identify native California trees in the field using reliable sterile characters (bark, architecture, leaves) that are always present on the plant. We will revisit Jepson’s list of trees and update it to match current taxonomic concepts and also add species that were inexplicably left out of his book. In the first installment of this workshop (we envision this workshop as the first in an annual series that will eventually visit nearly all of the native trees throughout the state), we will visit three Bay Area parks and learn around 70 species of native woody plants in their natural habitats, including (almost) all of the San Francisco Bay Area trees, about 45 different species.

Dr. Fine will teach workshop participants tried and true, jargon-free ID techniques learned from Burt Barnes (who taught Michigan Woody Plants for 34 years) that he now teaches his students in his Ecosystems of California course (Integrative Biology 157), and we will compare these reliable field characters to Jepson’s original descriptions in his book. We will drive up to 75 miles per day and hike (leisurely) up to five miles per day, sometimes on rough terrain. Each moderate hike will end with a fun plant quiz on the hike so participants can test their knowledge. Some transportation may be available from UC Berkeley.

June 13-14 • Workshop fee $250/$290

Strange Soils and Unknown Plants: Botanical Documentation in the Trinity Alps
Dylan Burge and Julie Kierstead Nelson
Location: Coffee Creek area, Shasta-Trinity National Forest

Northwestern California, particularly the Klamath-Siskiyou region, is a hotspot of botanical diversity in North America, supporting more than 2,000 plant species, many of them found nowhere else on earth. The region’s extreme botanical diversity is probably due to its complex geology and topography, and long-term stability of climate, allowing many soil-specialist plants to evolve and to persist in the region. The area is poorly explored from a botanical perspective, due to its rugged terrain and distance from large cities and universities. A lack of extensive data on plant distribution means that it is difficult to understand and protect the remarkable flora of this strange and wonderful part of California.

Participants will learn about the diversity of plant life in the Shasta-Trinity National Forest, while also contributing to knowledge of the area by collecting plant specimens and other data in areas where collections have never before been obtained. Over the course of three days, we will visit sites that have rarely, if ever, been visited for the purpose of botanical documentation, including sub-alpine meadows on and off serpentine, serpentine fens, and serpentine riparian areas. Participants will be instructed in the technical aspects and vocabulary of botanical documentation, and allowed to make collections that will eventually be deposited in the Jepson Herbarium. Participants will also learn to use minimum impact techniques and ethical collecting practices, which are especially important when doing necessary scientific documentation in wilderness areas.

Participants should be prepared for moderate hiking up to four miles each day, off trail in varied terrain, with moderate elevation gains, carrying equipment for botanical documentation (presses, pruners, etc.). Participants should also be prepared for cold as well as hot weather, as the field trips will take place at varying elevations up to 7,000 feet.

June 25-28 • Workshop fee $490/$530 includes instruction, campground fees, and meals from Thursday dinner through Sunday lunch. We will be staying in a developed campground with drinking water, picnic tables, flush toilets, and access to swimming in a nearby creek.

Advanced Grasses
Travis Columbus
Location: SFSU Field Campus, Yuba Pass

For those who have taken the introductory workshop or have experience with grass identification, the advanced grasses workshop offers a greater variety of California genera and species for study, more practice with keying, and more genera to learn on sight. Time will be split between the lab and field. Completion of the Poaceae workshop, or equivalent prior experience, is highly recommended. Participants are encouraged to bring samples of grasses to share with the group. Hiking will be easy to moderate.

July 16-19 • Workshop fee ($490/$530) includes instruction, tent or tent cabin camping at the Field Station, and meals from Thursday dinner through Sunday lunch. Accommodations include showers, toilets, and potable water.

The High and Wet Flora of the White Mountains Jim Morefield
Location: Bishop and White Mountain Research Center

The White Mountains are located at the southwest corner of the Great Basin floristic region, and their geologic and habitat diversity, high relief (over 10,000 feet from bottom to top), and proximity to the Sierra Nevada and Mojave Desert all contribute to an unusually rich and well-documented flora. By mid-August most flowering activity is limited to high elevations and wetland areas, where many species are at their peak just before their growing season comes to a close.

Through driving tours (no more than 50 miles each day) and easy to moderate walks (up to about 3 miles), participants will have the opportunity to explore the southern half of the White Mountains, observing and identifying diverse flora and learning to recognize various geologic and ecologic settings that influence species distributions and adaptations. Thursday will be spent visiting lower-elevation wetland sites on our way up to our weekend base station at Crooked Creek (10,000 feet). Friday and Saturday will be spent visiting wetland and upland sites in various geologic settings at subalpine and alpine elevations (possibly up to 13,000 feet), depending on seasonal conditions. Sunday will include additional stops at lower elevation wetland sites as we leave the mountains. Hiking will be moderately strenuous.

August 13-16 • Workshop fee Workshop fee ($510/$550) includes meals from Thursday dinner through Sunday lunch, dormitory-style accommodations with indoor bathrooms and showers (or camping) at Crooked Creek Station, and some transportation. This workshop begins Thursday morning in Bishop.

Registration preference will be given to individuals who have not previously attended a Jepson-sponsored White Mountains Workshop.

Late-Season Compositae
Bruce G. Baldwin and John L. Strother
Location: UC Berkeley

Beginning with an overview of morphological characteristics of composites (family-wide), including a review of terms used in descriptions and keys, we will provide a synopsis of diversity within Compositae and a brief introduction to recognition of tribes. Then, we will concentrate on identifying the diversity of summer/fall-flowering composites that go unnoticed by spring-oriented botanists and will consider their evolutionary relationships and natural history. We hope this workshop will provide participants with botanical enthusiasm for California’s second spring, well after the last of the early-season bloom fades. This workshop does not include a field trip. Familiarity with a dissecting microscope and experience using dichotomous keys is useful but not essential.

August 22-23 • Workshop fee $250/$290

Fire Ecology in the Central Sierra Nevada
Anu Kramer, Kristen Shive, and Kate Wilkin
Location: UC Wawona Field Station

Fire shapes California. It is part of California’s past and future, so we need to coexist. Fire has wide ranging effects throughout the Sierra Nevada due to variations in land management and plant communities; there is both good and bad fire, and we will learn about the nuance of its effects on the landscape. In this workshop, we will explore how fire functioned historically in the Sierra Nevada and how it works today, given land management and climate change. We will compare how the effects of fire on natural communities in areas where fire has been restored as a natural process (e.g., the Illilouette Creek Basin) differ from the effects of the 2013 Rim Fire in areas where fire had been suppressed for over a century. The workshop will be grounded in fire physics, fire history studies, and modern fire effects studies.

We will meet late Thursday afternoon at the UC Yosemite Field station in Wawona for dinner and an introductory talk. Friday’s activities include morning classroom fire activities and a driving tour to the Rim Fire on both Yosemite National Park and Stanislaus National Forest lands, with up to one cumulative mile of easy to moderate hiking from a few pull-outs. On Saturday, we will hike into the Illilouette Creek Basin, where fire was first restored as an ecological process in California in the early 1970s; it will be a strenuous, hot, dry, and exposed seven mile round-trip hike with 1,000 feet of elevation gain, from 6,500 to 7,500 feet, over uneven terrain. On Sunday we will pack up and there will be a wrap-up talk followed by an optional, self-led hike in the Mariposa Grove of Giant Sequoias. Participants in the class may drive up to 100 miles per day to the field sites. Class will be held rain or shine. Hiking will be moderate to moderately strenuous.

September 24-27 • Workshop fee ($490/$530) includes instruction, park entrance, fee, lodging, some transportation, and meals from Thursday dinner through Sunday lunch. Lodging is in cabins with dormitory-style beds, indoor bathrooms, and showers.

Aquatic Plants
Barbara Ertter
Location: UC Berkeley

By October, lowland botanizing is largely long gone… at least on dry land. However, in, on, and around the various lakes, streams, and other wetlands, delightfully diverse aquatic plants are still going strong. Some are native, some non-native, representing families both familiar and otherwise, from Alismataceae to Zosteraceae. For those willing to get their feet muddy, a new world of botanizing opens up, with a high probability of finding new occurrence records with relative ease. Because of the broad spectrum of plants that will be covered, the workshop will focus more on gaining familiarity with this diversity, relying on fresh material and illustrations of diagnostic characters of families and genera, than on keys to species. Learn how to tell Zannichellia from Potamogeton, Najas from Callitriche, Elatine from Cypselea. Depending on conditions and interest, there will be the option of a field trip to local wetlands on Sunday afternoon.

October 10-11 • Workshop fee $250/$290

Restoration Ecology
Dylan Chapple, Laurel Larsen, and Morgan Williams
Location: UC Berkeley and a Bay Area Field Site

Restoration ecology is the process of returning form and function to disturbed or destroyed ecosystems. Areas once supporting extensive habitat have often experienced drastic changes, making the return of historic ecosystems extremely challenging. Adapting to these challenges is a central pursuit of restoration ecologists and restoration practitioners.

This workshop will approach work in modified systems through the lens of water, soil and people. On Saturday, we will consider three different case studies that are relevant to restoration practice: Everglades restoration in the context of altered flow regimes with UC Berkeley Assistant Professor of Geography Laurel Larsen; soil restoration in context of the anthropocene with graduate student and Chief Science Officer for the Biochar Company Morgan Williams, and vegetation restoration in the context of urban development and sea level rise with graduate student Dylan Chapple. The day will conclude with small group discussions of challenges faced by participants in the field with a focus on information sharing and solution development. On Sunday, we will visit the South Bay Salt Pond Restoration project to examine a case study of large-scale restoration in an urban context. Hiking on the field trip will be easy.

October 17-18 • Workshop fee $250/$290

Evolution and Diversity of Mushrooms
Nhu Nguyen and Else Vellinga
Location: UC Berkeley and a Bay Area Field Site

The mild to cool, wet winters and the variety of habitats found in California make it one of the best places in North America to find both an abundance and a high diversity of fungi. This workshop will provide an introduction to the biology and identification of California’s mushrooms. Through a combination of lectures and discussions, workshop participants will learn about the evolutionary history of fungi and the ecological role of fungi in nature. Most of the time will be spent with fresh mushrooms in the lab, where participants will have hands-on opportunities for learning how to identify mushrooms. A field trip to Pt. Reyes National Seashore (with easy to moderate hiking) will be a highlight of the weekend. This workshop begins Friday afternoon in Berkeley.

Read about Else and Nhu’s most recent campus discovery here.

December 11-13 • Workshop fee $330/$370

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