The mission of the California Native Plant Society is to increase understanding and appreciation of California’s native plants and to conserve them and their natural habitats through education, science, advocacy, horticulture and land stewardship.

Dedicated to the preservation of California's native plants

Hot Topics

Rare Plant Communities Workshop

We are now taking registrations or the Rare Plant Communities in Coastal San Luis Obispo County workshop, Saturday April 18, 2020, 8:30am –
12:30pm, San Luis Obispo.

Invasive Species Report: Poison-hemlock (Conium maculatum)

A member of the Apiaceae (Carrot) family Poison-hemlock is a biennial native to the Europe and North Africa and is a common weed, widespread in California. Poison-hemlock may germinate throughout the year. First year plants are low-growing and may overwinter in mild climates and plants resemble carrot plants.

Chapter Meeting: Rare Plant Meets New Technology: Snakeroot Science

Kyle Nessen and LynneDee Althouse will describe ongoing research funded by a San Luis Obispo project with fascinating results regarding propagation and protection of the rare adobe sanicle (Sanicula maritima).

What Does Low Rainfall mean for Your Garden?

Well, with our rainy season half ways over, the outlook is dire. Looking at the “up-to-date” records, we have received about half of normal rainfall, season to date. So what does this mean for those of you who have just put in those natives after the plant sale?

Protecting the Dunes

As we focus this month on the Oceano Dunes and its rare plants, habitats, and proposals that could change this area forever, it is worthwhile to look at the area in the larger context.

“Project A” of the Oceano Dunes State Vehicle Recreational Area

Besides the obvious disruption to the natural environment of Oso Flaco Lake through vastly increased vehicle traffic which will disrupt an extremely important birding area, CNPS plant specific concerns are hereby listed and should receive thorough analysis of projected loss and mitigation in the environmental review process.

RETAIL SALES POSITION OPEN WE BADLY NEED A VOLUNTEER TO MANAGE OUR BOOK/T-SHIRT SALES TABLE. CONTACT MELISSA MOONEY

Download and Print the new CNPS-SLO Planting Guide

A Few Rare Dune Natural Plant Communities

San Luis Obispo County dunes, and the Oceano dunes surrounding Oso Flaco Lake in particular, are awesome places that are full of rare plants and at least three rare natural communities, as defined by the Manual of California Vegetation …

What do you think about the Obispoensis newsletter going digital only?

Obispoensis is currently available in three formats: Printed and mailed to our members who have not declined, Email, and PDF via the website. Newsletter editor David Chipping: A lot of chapters are moving to electronic only. and I would like to do the same. Here are reasons for your consideration: 1) Content is not limited to, or controlled by, page numbering in multiples of 4……any size can be sent; 2) Color, not B&W; 3) Obispoensis will be searchable; 4) It saves trees and energy, and also our costs; 5) Room for special editions on focused issues with no additional costs or overhead; 6) People can print their own hard copy if needed. You would receive an e-mail giving you a link for downloading the latest edition. In the event that a person had absolutely no way to shift away from a paper version, a special printing could be made and mailed to that person.PLEASE EMAIL dchippin@calpoly.edu IF YOU ARE OPPOSED TO ‘GOING ELECTRONIC’, AND PLEASE GIVE REASONS. THE EDITOR WILL SHARE ANY OBJECTIONS WITH OUR BOARD, SO THAT AN INFORMED DECISION CAN BE MADE.

Event Calendar

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Sun	Mon	Tue	Wed	Thu	Fri	Sat
January	January	January	January	January	January	1 Rinconada, Big Falls, Little Falls loop Rinconada, Big Falls, Little Falls loop All day 02-01-2020 https://cnpsslo.org/event/rinconada-big-falls-little-falls-loop/ Saturday, Feb. 1st, 8:30 am This is a strenuous hike of 16 miles and 2,500 ft. elevation gain and will likely take most of the day. Carpool in front of the Pacific Beverage Co. in Santa Margarita at 8:00 am or meet at the Rinconada trailhead at 8:30 am. The Rinconada trailhead is located on Pozo Road, 2.5 miles southeast of the Santa Margarita Lake Road intersection and is well marked with signage just ahead of a righthand turn. Be sure to bring adequate water and food, a hat, sturdy shoes, and dress in layers for the weather. There will be a couple of stream crossings, so please bring either waterproof shoes, or flipflops/sandals. Also, there will be poison oak. Dogs are welcome on a leash. Contact Bill, 805-459-2103. Rain or the threat of rain cancels.
2	3	4	5	6 Chapter Meeting: Discovering Mono County Plants Chapter Meeting: Discovering Mono County Plants 7:00 pm-9:00 pm 02-06-2020 CNPS-SLO SLO Vets Hall 801 Grand Ave, San Luis Obispo, CA 93401, USA 801 Grand Ave, San Luis Obispo, CA 93401, USA https://cnpsslo.org/event/chapter-meeting-discovering-mono-county-plants/ Program speaker: Ann Howald Mixer and Browse Sales Table 7:00 pm, Program 7:30 pm Ann is a retired botanist who attended UC Santa Barbara, and was a teacher, consultant, and agency botanist during her working life. Her retirement project is to complete an annotated checklist of the plants of Mono County, where she now lives in the summer in her Airstream trailer, a used model refurbished as her botany lab. Her winter work takes her to herbaria all over the state, where she studies plant collections from Mono County made by others. She also is a fieldtrip leader and weed puller for the Milo Baker and Bristlecone chapters of CNPS.	7	8
9	10	11	12	13	14	15
16	17	18	19	20	21	22 Audubon and CA Native Plant Walk, Santa Margarita Lake Audubon and CA Native Plant Walk, Santa Margarita Lake All day 02-22-2020 https://cnpsslo.org/event/audubon-and-ca-native-plant-walk-santa-margarita-lake/ Saturday, Feb. 22nd 9:00 am Join us on a bird and plant walk. For those wanting to focus mainly on birds (freshwater fowl), you will walk along the south lakeshore for a distance of roughly two miles. The bird hike will be limited to 20 people; please email Chuck to reserve a spot at woodard@live.com. For those wanting to focus on both birds and plants, you will hike the Grey Pine Trail, returning along the lakeshore. The Grey Pine Trial hugs the north-facing hills on the lake’s south edge. This walk is roughly 3.5 miles with 300 feet elevation gain. Santa Margarita County Park is located off of West Pozo Rd., 10 miles southeast of Santa Margarita, CA. At mile-9 along Pozo Rd., bear left onto Santa Margarita Lake Rd. When you arrive at the park entrance, tell the ranger you are part of the bird and plant group, then proceed to the adjacent parking lot on the right, just inside the park. Bring water and snacks and binoculars, and dress in layers for changing weather. A hat, sunscreen, and sturdy shoes are recommended. No dogs please. Contact Bill, 805-459-2103. Rain or the threat of rain cancels.
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Volunteer at the Hoover Herbarium

Where is the Hoover Herbarium located?

The Hoover Herbarium is located on Cal Poly SLO campus on the 3rd floor of the Fisher Science Building (33) in rooms 352 and 359. Questions: email Jenn Yost at jyost@calpoly.edu

What do volunteers do?

During the volunteer sessions at the Hoover Herbarium, people can take part in any number of activities. One of our primary responsibilities is mounting new specimens. This involves taking dried and pressed plants and glueing them to paper. When we mount plants, we do it in such a way that those specimens will last for hundreds of years. Each specimen is a physical record of what plants occurred where and when. Without this valuable information we wouldn’t know when a species goes extinct, expands or contracts its range, or where species occur. After mounting, the specimens are databased and geo-referenced. Then they are filed into the main collection. We have over 80,000 specimens at the Hoover Herbarium. We are also working on a SLO Voucher Collection, which will contain one representative specimen for each species in the county. Volunteers look through our specimens and pick the one that should be added to the Voucher Collection. Additionally, we are actively working on our moss and lichen collections. Volunteers can choose what aspects of the work they would like to participate in. Anyone and everyone is welcome. Questions: email Jenn Yost at jyost@calpoly.edu

What days/hours do you need volunteers?

Hoover Herbarium volunteers sessions are Monday 3-5 pm and Friday 9 – 1. Questions: email Jenn Yost at jyost@calpoly.edu

Where do I park?

Parking permits are required on campus Monday through Thursday, 7:00 am through 10:00 pm; and Friday, 7:00 am through 5:00 pm. You can either buy a $6 day pass, a $4 3-hr pass, park in a metered space, ride the bus, or park off campus and walk in. Questions: email Jenn Yost at jyost@calpoly.edu

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