Amphibians and Reptiles of the San Francisco Bay Area
February 10 – 11, 2018
Michelle Koo
UC Berkeley and San Francisco Bay Area Field Site
Do you know your Diadophis from your Dicamptodon? Have you wondered about the biodiversity in your backyard? San Francisco Bay Area backyards and local parks are home to a diverse array of reptiles and amphibians. This workshop will introduce participants to the life history, identification, and conservation of our local snakes, lizards, salamanders, toads, frogs, and newts. Saturday will be spent in the Museum of Vertebrate Zoology at UC Berkeley, alternating lectures on natural history and global biodiversity of amphibians with lab activities using the resources of the research museum. Participants will learn how to use online resources such as AmphibiaWeb and mobile apps to identify species and track and share their sightings. On Sunday, we will put into practice our newfound knowledge and head to the field (location to be announced). This field excursion will provide an excellent opportunity to see a variety of habitats, while we observe and record our native species of frogs, salamanders, lizards, and snakes. Be prepared for possible wet conditions (the preferred environment for our subjects of interest!).
Transportation: Personal vehicle required for field trip (carpooling possible)
Hiking: Easy
Start/End: Saturday, 9:00 am – Sunday, 5:00 pm
Course Fee: $275/$305
Register for this workshop here
Introduction to California Lichens
February 24 – 25, 2018
Jesse Miller and Allie Weill
UC Berkeley and San Francisco Bay Area Field Sites
Lichens are all around us and they have fascinating stories to tell to those who listen. This two day workshop will focus on developing skills for identifying common Bay Area macrolichens (foliose and fruticose lichens) to genus. We will begin with an introductory classroom session, where we will cover basic lichen anatomy and terminology, and discuss the roles lichens play in ecosystems, such as supporting wildlife. We’ll then divide the rest of the class time between field trips to nearby natural areas and lab time; students will be able to observe lichens in their natural habitats and bring collections back to the lab for study and identification. Students will be able to sight-ID many of our region's common lichens to genus or species level after this workshop. Students will also learn to recognize and distinguish between pollution-tolerant lichen communities that we often see in cities and the more pristine communities that occur in places with high air quality. After taking this course you will be sure to observe lichens almost everywhere you go, and you will find yourself pausing amid your daily travels and smiling upon noticing a particularly fine specimen.
Transportation: Personal vehicle required for field trip (carpooling possible)
Hiking: Easy
Start/End: Saturday 9:00 am – Sunday, 5:00 pm
Course Fee: $275/$305
Register for this workshop here
50 Plant Families in the Field: San Francisco Bay Area
— Workshop is full! Wait list only.
March 22 – 25, 2018
Linda Beidleman
UC Berkeley and Bay Area field sites
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). We will have one van available for transportation to field sites. 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. Registration preference will be given to individuals who have not previously attended 50 Families in the Field.
Transportation: Personal vehicle required for field trip (carpooling possible)
Hiking: Easy
Start/End: Thursday, 9:00 am – Sunday, 2:00 pm
Course Fee: $375/$405
Register for the wait list here.
Introductory Plant Morphology for the Botanically Curious
March 24 – 25, 2018
Allyson Ayalon and Javier Jauregui Lazo
UC Berkeley
Prepare to put on your “plant goggles” for this beginner's guide to understanding what to look for in order to name your favorite plants. Learn about the diverse ways that plants adapt and present themselves to the world and how we can use this knowledge to inform plant identification. Discover endless possibilities for leaf shape and just exactly how many ways there are to describe plant hairs (yes, hairs)— many more than there are for humans! This course welcomes all novices who are ready and willing to expand their botanical knowledge, as well as enthusiasts that need a refresher. Students will learn basic botanical vocabulary and observation skills needed to identify plants by sight and under the microscope, providing the background necessary to use botanical keys like those in the second edition of The Jepson Manual. This course will reveal the truth behind why oranges are in fact a berry but why a strawberry is actually not one, and explain what exactly is an artichoke! If time allows, the course will wrap up with a review walk through the UC Botanical Garden.
Transportation: Personal vehicle required for field trip to UC Botanic Garden (carpooling possible).
Start/End: Saturday, 9:00 am – Sunday, 5:00 pm
Course Fee: $145/$175
Register for this workshop here
Introductory Plant Families for Botanical Rookies
March 30 – April 1, 2018
Allyson Ayalon and Anna Larsen
UC Berkeley
Now that you have your “plant goggles” on, take the next step in your botanical exploration: learn to identify plant families! This workshop builds on concepts in plant morphology for new botanists and plant enthusiasts, taking it a step further to introduce the prominent plant families found in California in both native and cultivated environments. Working with fresh plant collections in the lab, we will discuss prominent characters consistent to family-level identification, looking both with the eye and through the microscope. This workshop will start with a review of plant morphology terms and then move on to cover some of the major plant families found in California. If time allows, we will finish the course with a review walk through the California native plant section of the UC Botanical Garden.
Transportation: Personal vehicle required for field trip to UC Botanic Garden (carpooling possible)
Start/End: Friday, 9:00 am – Sunday, 5:00 pm
Course Fee: $325/$355
Register for this workshop here
Exploring Tejon – Native Landscapes, Diverse Flora, and Spring Wildflowers!
April 5 – 8, 2018
Neal Kramer, Nick Jensen and Maynard Moe
Tejon Conservancy &namp; Tejon Ranch
The 270,000 – acre Tejon Ranch, in Kern and Los Angeles Counties, is the largest contiguous private property in California. It is a region of great biological diversity that lies at the confluence of five geomorphic provinces (Sierra Nevada, Great Central Valley, Coast Ranges, Transverse Ranges, and Mojave Desert) and four floristic regions. As such, the area is a haven for pristine vegetation, rare and endemic species, ancient oak trees, and intact watersheds.
In 2008, an agreement was made between the Tejon Ranch Company, who owns the property, and five major environmental groups. In this Agreement, up to 90% of the property (~240,000 acres) will be protected through conservation easements managed by the Tejon Ranch Conservancy.
This workshop will introduce participants to the biogeography and flora of Tejon Ranch. Depending on weather and road conditions, participants will have the opportunity to explore a variety of plant communities. The Ranch is home to over 50 different special-status plant species, and with mother nature’s cooperation we hope to see Lost Hills crownscale (Atriplex coronata var. valicola), alkali mariposa lily (Calochortus striatus), Tejon poppy (Eschscholzia lemmonii subsp. kernensis), Kern mallow (Eremalche parryi subsp. kernensis), spiny sepaled button celery (Eryngium spinosepalum), calico monkeyflower (Mimulus pictus), Piute Mountains navarretia (Navarretia setiloba), Bakersfield cactus (Opuntia basilaris var. treleasei), Tehachapi buckwheat (Eriogonum callistum) and others. It is possible participants may see as many as 12 different species of native oaks. If we are lucky, we might see California condors flying overhead.
Accommodations: Camping at a primitive campground with NON-potable water*
Meals: Participants provide their own food for the weekend
Transportation: Some personal vehicles with 4WD needed; carpooling will be available
Hiking: Moderate hikes of up to several miles on uneven terrain possible
Start/End: Thursday, 4:00 pm – Sunday, 12:00 pm
*Lodging on-site for an additional fee in a shared dormitory-house MIGHT become available for participants shortly before the course takes place. We will follow up prior to the course with details.
Course Fee: $400/$430
Register for this workshop here
Botanizing Beyond Borders: Baja California
April 11 – 15, 2018
Jon Rebman and Margie Mulligan
Baja California
Come along and explore the Central Desert ecoregion of Baja California and the spectacular Cataviña boulder fields while focusing on the flora of the area. 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. Many of the plants from the peninsula are unique and can stretch one's imagination in respect to plant form and structure. Some of these in the Cataviña region include: the bizarre boojum tree/cirio (Fouquieria columnaris); the giant cardón cactus (Pachycereus pringlei); and strange elephant tree (Pachycormus discolor and Bursera spp.).
On this botanical adventure we will start in San Diego and drive through northwestern Baja California from Tijuana to El Rosario and see many plant communities containing species in the southernmost California Floristic Province and then we will explore the amazing Sonoran desert vegetation found on the peninsula. Many of the plants in this region do not make it north of the US/Mexico border and others are restricted to this area, so be prepared to encounter new species and genera.
Logistics provided by Outback Adventures (UC San Diego). Registration preference will be given to individuals who have not previously attended a Jepson-sponsored Baja California Workshop.
All workshop participants must possess (and bring) a valid passport.
Accommodations: Camping at two different locations with campsite toilets and hand wash stations are included. Participants need to provide their own tents and bedding.
Meals: Meals from lunch on Wednesday through lunch on Sunday are included. Drinking water will be provided.
Transportation: Participants must provide their own transportation to UCSD. Van transportation from UC San Diego (La Jolla, CA) to and around Baja California is included. All participants MUST travel to and from Baja California in the workshop vans. We will depart from and return to the UCSD campus.
Hiking: Participants should be prepared for moderate hiking up to three miles off trail over uneven terrain in potentially hot conditions at variable elevations.
Start/End: This workshop begins at 8:00 am Wednesday morning and ends late Sunday afternoon.
Course Fee: $825/$855
Register for this workshop here
50 Plant Families in the Field: Monterey Bay
April 19 – 22, 2018
Linda Beidleman
Hastings Natural History Reservation and Monterey Bay field sites
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 Monterey 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 25 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.
Accommodations: Shared dormitories
Meals: Catered meals from dinner on Thursday through lunch on Sunday are included
Transportation: Personal vehicle required for field trip (carpooling possible)
Hiking: Easy
Start/End: Thursday, 5:00 pm – Sunday, 2:00 pm
Course Fee: $550/$580
Register for this workshop here
Poaceae I
— Workshop is full! Wait list only.
May 5 – 6, 2018
Travis Columbus
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.
Experience required: Some previous plant identification required
Transportation: Personal vehicle required for possible field trip (carpooling possible)
Hiking: Easy
Start/End: Saturday, 8:30 am – Sunday, 5:00 pm
Course Fee: $325/$355
Register for the wait list here.
Poaceae II
— Workshop is full! Wait list only.
May 7 – 8, 2018
Travis Columbus
UC Berkeley
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. Completion of the introductory Poaceae workshop (Poaceae I), or equivalent prior experience, is highly recommended. Participants are encouraged to bring samples of grasses to share with the group.
Experience required: Working knowledge of grass morphology and previous plant identification experience, including keying grasses
Start/End: Monday, 8:30 am – Tuesday, 5:00 pm
Course Fee: $325/$355
Register for the wait list here.
Wetland Delineation
May 9 – 11, 2018
Terry Huffman
Rush Ranch, Suisun City, California
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 how they are geographically delineated.
This workshop will emphasize the definition and delineation method for wetlands 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 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 and Wildlife (CDFW), U.S. Department of Agriculture, and U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service will also be discussed in comparison to wetland definitions and delineation methods used by the Corps and USEPA. Other types of aquatic habitats in addition to wetlands and how they are identified and delineated by the Corps, USEPA, and other state and federal agencies 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 Wednesday morning and afternoon for classroom lectures and training exercises that will acquaint participants with the various definitions, terminology, and delineation approach methodologies. We will spend Thursday and Friday 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. This will include exploring how and why the various definitions and associated methodologies produce different results in terms of wetland area delineated. Class will be held rain or shine!
Presented in cooperation with the Solano Land Trust.
Meals: Not provided – participants must bring sack lunch each day.
Hiking: Easy to moderate hiking up to 3 miles per day on wet, uneven terrain.
Start/End: Wednesday, 8:00 am – Friday, 4:00 pm
Course Fee: $475/$505
Register for this workshop here
California’s Native Bees: Biology, Ecology, and Identification
— Workshop cancelled.
May 16 – 20, 2018
Gordon Frankie, Robbin Thorp and Rollin Colville
UC Hopland Research and Extension Center
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 Hopland Research and Extension Center and at a nearby diverse garden in the Sonoma County area. 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.
Participants will learn about bees’ flower preferences, how to collect bees using several different methods, information on how to create 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.
Please note that this workshop involves collecting and killing insects for scientific study. Read more about the value of scientific insect collections.
Accommodations: Option for shared dorms with bunk beds and shared bathrooms or camping on property. RV hookups possible.
Meals: Catered meals provided from lunch on Wednesday through lunch on Sunday.
Transportation: Personal vehicle required for possible field trip (carpooling possible).
Hiking: Easy
Start/End: Wednesday, 1:00 pm (optional Wednesday morning scouting field sites with Gordon) – Sunday, 2:00 pm
Course Fee: $695/$725
The Flowers Formerly Known as Mimulus
May 17 – 20, 2018
Naomi Fraga and Steve Schoenig
Kowana Valley Folk School and Lodge, Coulterville, California
Monkeyflowers are one of the showiest, diverse, and widespread groups within California and BIG taxonomic changes have happened to them recently. California representatives of the genus Mimulus have been split into three genera: Erythranthe, Diplacus, and Mimetanthe. In the past five years, 13 species have been described as new to science. And, in papers leading up to the Flora of North America North of Mexico treatment for Phrymaceae, up to an additional 20 species of monkeyflowers have been recognized as occurring in California.
Team-taught for the second time, this class will explore all of these exciting developments in the context of learning the cohesive species groups (sections), which, once recognized, allow non-experts to master the otherwise difficult monkeyflower key. Classroom activities will include gorgeous slideshows to show both rare and common monkeyflowers from all over the state and keying fresh plant material as a group. Field trips (with moderate hiking) to beautiful natural flower gardens in Yosemite National Park and nearby forests will allow appreciation of up to 20 species of monkeyflowers and many other Sierran endemic plants in their natural habitats. Instructors will be bringing many additional monkeyflower species from other parts of California for study in the classroom. Participants will receive a handout including modified keys, relevant literature, and a working draft of the instructors’ book project on the monkeyflowers of California.
Accommodations: Shared dorm for 14 is available, plus camping space for additional students. Showers and flush toilets are available.
Meals: Catered meals provided from dinner on Thursday through lunch on Sunday.
Transportation: Personal vehicle required for accessing field sites (carpooling possible).
Hiking: Moderate
Start/End: Thursday, 4:00 pm – Sunday 2:00 pm
Course Fee: $625/$655*
*does not include National Park entrance fee
Register for this workshop here
Rare Flora of Kings Canyon National Park: Botanical Crown Jewel of the Sierra Nevada
— Workshop is full! Wait list only.
June 11 – 15, 2018
Dana York
Kings Canyon National Park
John Muir first visited Kings Canyon in 1873 and compared the beauty to that of Yosemite Valley. Kings Canyon represents one of the deepest river canyons in North America with a maximum depth of 8,200 feet. The confluence of the Middle and South Fork Kings River occurs at the terminus of Monarch Divide, an area known for rare plants and endemics. Participants will spend two days exploring the Boyden Cave region, a large calcareous rock formation at the terminus of Monarch Divide, just west of the national park. The area has nearly 20 documented rare plants and a unique Sierran plant community, the singleleaf pinyon woodland.
Participants will camp in Kings Canyon National Park and explore meadows, experience waterfalls, scamper up rock outcrops (optional), hike trails, and see an abundance of plants including some local and southern Sierra Nevada endemics. Plant surveys will also be coordinated with the local botanists to help the park and national forests with rare or invasive plant management. Participants will have an opportunity to “test drive” a pre-publication version of the Sequoia/Kings Canyon National Park Illustrated Flora.
No trip to this part of the Sierra Nevada is complete until the participants have had a chance to experience the greatness of the giant sequoias. We will spend time exploring this truly unique and awe-inspiring plant community. Participants will come away from the workshop with a truly remarkable experience that only Kings Canyon can provide.
Accommodations: Workshop will be hosted at the Canyon View group camp facility at Kings Canyon National Park. Facilities include toilets, potable water, nearby showers, and a nearby store with limited food selection.
Meals: Participants provide their own food for the entire workshop.
Transportation: Personal vehicle required for accessing field sites (carpooling possible).
Hiking: Moderate to occasionally strenuous
Start/End: Monday, 9:00 am – Friday, 12:00 pm
Course Fee: $425/$455*
*does not include National Park entrance fee
Register for the wait list here.
Northern California Nudibranchs
July 13 – 15, 2018
Rebecca Johnson, Alison Young and Carina Anttila–Suarez
Hostelling International Point Montara Lighthouse Hostel and Skyline College
This workshop will focus on discovering and identifying nudibranchs, their relatives, and their prey found in the tidepools of the beautiful San Mateo Coast. There are over a hundred nudibranch species known from California and on a good day, over 30 species can be found at one site! Nudibranchs are predators and eat an amazing array of other animals. They are basically ‘grazers on sessile invertebrates’ or ‘tiny carnivorous cows of the sea’. Our home base at the Montara Lighthouse Hostel is just minutes from our field sites at Pillar Point and our lab space at Skyline College.
We will meet Friday evening at the hostel. There we will explore nudibranch diversity and intertidal ecology. The low tides on Saturday and Sunday are in the early morning so we will get out to the tidepools around 6:00 AM both days. Our mornings will include instruction on how to find nudibranchs (and their prey), species identification, and ecology. We will also discuss underwater digital macro photography and how to use the iNaturalist app and website to record finds and identify nudibranchs and other intertidal creatures. On Saturday afternoon, we will head to the lab at Skyline College to look more closely at our finds.
The course is open to both experienced tide poolers and those new to the intertidal. We welcome nudibranch novices and experts, all you need to bring is your curiosity, rubber boots and a change of clothes. Underwater cameras (for the beach) and laptops (for the lab) are encouraged.
Accommodations: Shared dormitories at the Montara Lighthouse Hostel.
Meals: Kitchen available for preparing individual meals. Participants should prepare their own breakfast and lunch each morning. Option to cook dinner at the hostel or go to nearby restaurant.
Transportation: Personal vehicle required for accessing nearby field sites and classroom (carpooling possible).
Hiking: Participants should be prepared to hike up to two miles and walk on uneven wet, slippery rocks.
Start/End: Friday 6:00 pm - Sunday, 5:00 pm.
Course Fee: $350/$380
Register for this workshop here
Tiny Plants in Tall Places: Alpine Flora of the Colorado Rocky Mountains
July 19 – 22, 2018
Mike Kintgen and Bryan Fischer
University of Colorado, Boulder Mountain Research Station, Nederland, Colorado
Welcome to the alpine habitats of the Rocky Mountains of Colorado, home to more mountains rising above 14,000 feet than anywhere else in the United States. The Jepson Workshop program is excited to go beyond California to check out the national hotspot for “bun and cushion” plants. This workshop will provide a brief introduction to the alpine, subalpine, and montane flora found near our host institution, the Mountain Research Station at Nywot Ridge, one of the oldest continually studied regions of the Front Range of the Colorado Rockies. A deeper look into alpine habitats will reveal diverse environments, such as wet and dry meadows, fell fields, seeps, snowbeds, and screes. Identification of common alpine forbs and woodies of the region will be taught, with some time taken to find and observe rare and notable species. Let’s explore in detail the varied microclimates and environmental factors that impact floral composition in this breathtaking (both literally and figuratively) and brutally harsh environment.
Accommodations: All workshop participants will share the use of the lodge at the Research Station, a large house with shared rooms, bathrooms, communal space and kitchen to use.
Meals: Provided and included in the course fee.
Transportation: Participants are responsible for getting to and from the Mountain Research Station and are encouraged to form carpools from the airport. Shared 4WD vehicle rentals are encouraged (participants will be able to coordinate this prior to the workshop).
Hiking: Moderate – Participants must be comfortable doing physical activity in high elevation, alpine environments.
Start/End: Thursday, 1:00 pm – Sunday, 2:00 pm
Course Fee: $475/$505
*Tip: Southwest Airlines has non-stop flights from several California airports to Denver at a reasonable prices when booked in advance.
Register for this workshop here
Introduction to Fire Ecology of the Sierra Nevada
August 2 – 5, 2018
Hugh Safford
Sierra Nevada Aquatic Research Laboratory (SNARL)
California has been referred to as the “pyrostate.” In California’s Mediterranean-type climate, summers are warm and dry and natural or human ignitions in the presence of flammable biomass often lead to wildfires. In the Sierra Nevada, many ecosystems have close ecological and evolutionary associations with fire; the nature of these relationships varies substantially, depending on factors like the species involved, climate, history, and geography. Participants in this 4-day workshop will delve into the fire ecology of major vegetation types in the Sierra Nevada. Topics will include fire as a physical process; fire effects on ecosystems and vegetation; fire as an evolutionary force; fire history and fire regimes (including an introduction to fire scar dendrochronology); fire geography; fire management and policy; and climate change and fire. The curriculum will include 2-3 field trips to eastern Sierra Nevada sites exemplifying the fire ecology of yellow pine and mixed conifer forest, sagebrush, and subalpine forest. Fire management and ecological consequences of current and projected future trend in wildfire will also be major focus areas of the field trips. The workshop will be held at the excellent facilities of the Sierra Nevada Aquatic Research Laboratory (SNARL) just south of Mammoth Lakes, in the beautiful eastern Sierra Nevada.
Accommodations: Share dormitories with the option to tent camp
Meals: Kitchen available for preparing individual meals
Transportation: Personal vehicles with 4WD recommended but not required
Hiking: Moderate to occasionally strenuous with the possibility of hiking off-trail
Start/End: Thursday, 8:00 am – Sunday, 1:00 pm. Check-in is on Wednesday evening, August 1, in order to start promptly on Thursday morning.
Course Fee: $400/$430
Register for this workshop here
Ferns
August 18 – 19, 2018
Carl Rothfels
UC Berkeley
Become fern fluent! This course will be an introduction to the ferns of the world, with a focus on species that can be observed in the wild in California. We will learn the basics of fern morphology (What is an indusium? Is a frond just a leaf by another name?), fern ecology (including the spectacular desert ferns of the southwest), fern development (with luck, everyone will get their own gametophyte), and fern evolution (Are ferns “ancient” plants? What are their closest living relatives? Why did all the Cheilanthes in California just become Myriopteris?). We’ll end the course with a virtual tour of the major groups of ferns and their representatives here in California and with a literal tour to the UC Botanical Garden to see the impressive fern collection there. The goal is to turn all course participants into skilled fern-observers: when next you see a fern you’ll understand what it is, what it does, how it does it, and where it came from, evolutionarily-speaking. Some keying of fern specimens will also be involved.
Transportation: Personal vehicle required for possible field trip (carpooling possible)
Start/End: Saturday, 8:00 am – Sunday, 1:00 pm
Course Fee: $275/$305
Register for this workshop here
A Klamath Range Study in Contrasts: Castle Crags Granitics and Eddys Ultramafics
August 23 – 26, 2018
Julie Kierstead – Nelson and Heath Bartosh
UMC Shasta Camp, Shasta, California
The word is out! The eastern Klamath Mountains are a cornucopia of rock types that are richly endowed with California native plants and vegetation communities. This workshop will observe vegetation and species similarities and differences between two nearby locations with different geology of igneous and metamorphic origin. Each site has endemic plant species that do not occur at the other site. Species richness will be high! In addition, northerly latitudes and high elevations offer an atypical opportunity to see this richness deep into the growing season. With a late August date for the workshop, we will see a different suite of species blooming, including gentians, aster family members, Eriogonum, and Parnassia, and we will observe species in fruit that we usually encounter in flower. And, of course, the Klamath are known for a high density of different cone-bearing species in a small area. This diversity of conifers will also be seen, including the Klamath Range endemic, Port-Orford-cedar. This workshop has it all - towering rock outcrops and lush wetlands (including fens and montane lakes) will also be highlights of our days in the field enjoying this little pocket of the Klamath in the headwaters of the Shasta and Sacramento Rivers.
Accommodations: Shared lodging at the UMC Shasta Camp includes bunk beds (bedding not provided), toilets, and showers
Meals: Kitchen available for preparing individual meals
Transportation: Personal vehicle required for accessing field sites (carpooling possible)
Hiking: Moderate to occasionally strenuous
Start/End: Thursday, 4:00 pm – Sunday, 12:00 pm
Course Fee: $400/$430
Register for this workshop here
GIS for Botanists
September 29 – 30, 2018
Heather Constable and Michelle Koo
Hastings Natural History Reservation, Carmel Valley, California
This course will get you started in GIS software and cover fundamentals in geography, mapping, GPS (global positioning systems) units and land cover, and other spatial data. Working in a modern internet-accessible lab as well as in the field, we will learn how to use GIS (or geographic information system desktop application), where to get freely available data, and how to make maps. This workshop will focus on the spatial technology necessary to answer questions about biodiversity, conservation, ecology, and related fields. The goal of this workshop is to provide context on how GIS programs can be used to maximize projects for plant scientists and consultants working with field or historic data. Participants will learn how to make field maps and, depending on group familiarity with GIS, analyze data within the program. This course will use Quantum GIS, a free, open-source GIS program that is Mac or PC compatible.
Accommodations: Shared dormitory style lodging
Meals: Kitchens available for individual meal preparation
Start/End: Saturday, 9:00 am – Sunday, 4:00 pm. Participants have the option of arriving on Friday evening after dinner on 9/28
Course Fee: $350/$380
Register for this workshop here
Introduction to Lichen Microscopy
October 13 – 14, 2018
Tom Carlberg
UC Berkeley and Bay Area Field Site
The study of lichens often begins with a “lichen hike.” If you become interested enough, you buy a hand lens to magnify the minute structures that are important in understanding lichens. Then you buy a book, or two. Soon you have a dissecting microscope. Now you are happy, perhaps for years, until you notice the cream- and salmon-colored disks of a crustose lichen on a tree, or perhaps a flaming red rosette on a trailside rock. Your books talk about a margin, spores, the epithecium, cells of the cortex; now what? How do you even collect the things?!
For the first time in many years the Jepson Herbarium is hosting an introductory workshop that offers beginners an opportunity to learn the basics of compound microscopy that are directly applicable to the study of lichens. It will not directly teach identification using microscopic characters; rather, it will ground you in the structures, characters and vocabulary of lichen microscopy. It will begin with a quick intro to scope adjusting; from there you’ll learn to do a squash mount, the simplest way to see spores, asci, and paraphyses. How do you cut a thin section of an apothecium? It’s pretty easy, actually, and there are several ways to do it. How do you stain that section, and what am I looking at now? Please be prepared to approach something new!
Transportation: Personal vehicle required for field trip (carpooling possible)
Hiking: Easy
Start/End: Saturday, 9:00 am – Sunday, 5:00 pm
Course Fee: $275/$305
Register for this workshop here
Forest Diseases
October 20 – 21, 2018
Matteo Garbelotto
UC Berkeley and Bay Area Field Site
Major transformations are occurring in California ecosystems due to changes in climate and human disturbances, leading to the mortality of native plants at a scale never seen before in human memory. Although climate change and humans may be the trigger of such mortality, the primary cause of these large scale die-offs can be attributed to emergent plant pathogens.This workshop—a must for anyone with an interest in the preservation of natural ecosystems—describes the most serious infectious diseases that have either been introduced or have emerged in California because of intensive forest management. After an introduction to the ecological role of native diseases, the theory behind biological invasions by destructive pathogens will be reviewed and discussed. The bulk of the workshop will deal with the description of the causal agents, the epidemiology, and the ecological impacts of the most important forest and tree diseases in California, including but not limited to: White pine blister rust, Sudden Oak Death, Dutch Elm Disease, Pine Pitch Canker, and Annosum root rot. Students will learn not only the biology of the pathogens but also how to identify symptoms and the impacts of all important diseases already broadly established in California. For each disease, valid disease control practices will be discussed. We will split our time between the classroom and local field sites, where we will see some of these forest diseases first-hand.
Transportation: Personal vehicle required for field trip (carpooling possible)
Start/End: Saturday, 9:00 am – Sunday, 5:00 pm
Course Fee: $275/$305
Register for this workshop here
