The Hoover Award

Kristen Nelson began her position as Vice President (2020-2023) during the early days of the Covid-19 Pandemic, and was instrumental in allowing the Chapter to continue connecting with our members, creating a sense of normalcy through our monthly speaker programs. She arranged diverse, engaging speakers, and facilitated our Zoom virtual program meetings with her technical know-how and welcoming, warm demeanor. Other contributions include assisting at Chapter Plant Sales, participating on committees to update the Chapter website and McLeod Scholarship program, as well as designing Instagram posts advertising CNPS-SLO activities in an appealing way to inspire other young people. Kristen now serves as our Rare Plant Coordinator while managing the State CNPS Rare Plant Program, and successfully co-led the Chapter’s first plant keying workshop in the field (2023) with Dr. Dena Grossenbacher. Kristen’s interests outside of CNPS (e.g., CCSPA Monarch Butterfly Ball, Western Monarch Trail) have also been useful for improving the synergy of CNPS-SLO and other environmental groups in the area.

Cindy Roessler served as Chapter Recording Secretary for several years, accomplishing tasks promptly and accurately, and making our transition to online meetings (for both Board and General Program Meetings) smooth during the early days of the Covid-19 Pandemic. She’s been involved in a variety of committees, including Field Trips, Vegetation and Plant Communities, Website, Horticulture, Conservation, and Education. Her keen sense of observation in the field and garden translate into enthusiastically sharing her knowledge of native bees and other pollinators with the Chapter and public. For the last couple years, Cindy has coordinated the Chapter’s annual participation in the Sudden Oak Death Blitz County for San Luis Obispo County along with the University of California and SLO County Dept. of Agriculture.

John Doyle has been making significant contributions to the Chapter’s horticultural program since 2011, serving as the Chair of this committee since 2016. At Chapter Plant Sales, he regularly assists customers with his practical knowledge of using natives in landscapes and contributes by bringing his own plants and seed to the sale. He also contributed to the Chapter’s renewed seed collection and packaging effort with Marti Rutherford in 2013. John serves as an important voice in our Chapter for promoting the use of natives, from UC Master Gardeners of SLO County presentations to organizing the “CNPS-SLO Landscape with Natives” workshop in October 2019 with Mindy Trask. He advised on the production of our “Landscaping with Natives” brochure and has participated in various Chapter restoration projects (e.g., Chimineas Ecological Reserve, San Luis Obispo Creek restoration in the City of SLO, and the Rodriguez Adobe). He’s been a participant in many Chapter activities, including co-leading field trips.

(J.Doyle on left)

Melissa Mooney’s involvement with CNPS-SLO dates back to 1993 when she served for several years as our Rare Plant Coordinator, a position shared with LynneDee Althouse. At that time, she prepared an organized list/schedule of rare plants to search for in the field to update occurrences and publication information, in addition to leading hikes and presenting programs to the Chapter (including for Wildflower Weekends). Since retiring from her job as Santa Barbara County Biologist, she’s assumed a more active role in our Chapter again as our Chapter Council Representative, and as Recording Secretary where she’s taken the lead in updating our Chapter operating guidelines and creating a working Chapter Handbook. Melissa’s most important recent contribution has been her valuable work as the CNPS-SLO Plant Communities Chair, instigating the effort to sample the 30 rare natural plant communities known to occur in San Luis Obispo County, as defined by the Manual of California Vegetation. Melissa was just about to assume the role of Vice President when she received this award, and subsequently also served as President (2020-22).

Bill Waycott has served as the Field Trip Chair since 2011, organizing many fieldtrips as well as leading them. He has an interest in furthering CNPS outreach, demonstrated by co-sponsoring fieldtrips with Audubon and Sierra Club, as well as hosting educational tables with non-traditional partners like Central Coast Concerned Mountain Bikers. Along with John Chesnut, Bill brought the State Rare Plant Treasure Hunt, a citizen-science program, to San Luis Obispo County. He has participated in many rare plant hunts statewide and was recognized for attending the most outings in 2014. In 2015, Bill was elected our  President and continues to create outreach opportunities for the Chapter, including a partnership with the City of San Luis Obispo to restore the native flora along San Luis Obispo Creek in Mission Plaza. Bill has grown plants for the Plant Sale and has served as Chapter Council Representative to the State Board. Bill subsequently served as Vice President for the State Board after receiving the Hoover Award.

Neil Havlik was an early contributor to our Chapter; by 1969 he was already part of a Native Plant Sale Committee and planning and leading field trips as part of the Outings Committee. Initially serving our Chapter as President in 1970, Neil has been an essential proponent for preservation of the San Luis Obispo open space. As San Luis Obispo City Natural Resources Manager until his retirement in 2012, he oversaw the creation of the city greenbelt through acquisition of key parcels, protection of other private parcels, and the expansion of trail systems. He was the guiding force behind the City’s and CNPS-SLO’s 2010 joint publication of the immensely popular Wildflowers of San Luis Obispo guidebook. Since retirement, Neil has contributed greatly to developing a local Carrizo Plains Conservancy initiative, a special purpose land trust targeted on bringing more property under protection in our Carrizo region. Neil Havlik also serves on the board of the Coastal San Luis Resources Conservation District, projects of which play an essential role in furthering preservation of our rural landscape.

(N.Havlik on right)

Since 2010, Judi Young has been instrumental in updating our ‘bare-bones’ Chapter website into something that is beautiful and informative. (She continued to update the website until 2022.) In 2012, Judi also took on Publicity duties for our Chapter, keeping the public updated on events and news through Community Calendar posts. She created and helps oversee our Chapter’s Facebook page, and maintains our email subscriber list which sends an electronic version of the Chapter’s newsletter directly to us. Judi is very important to our Chapter’s appeal to younger people who use social media to connect with causes and attend events. In addition, she is also a big help in many other aspects of the local Chapter, including as a regular Plant Sale cashier.

(J.Young on right)

Matt Ritter joined the Chapter shortly after arriving at Cal Poly to teach botany, and has successfully encouraged his students to attend our Chapter meetings (and become members) ever since. Early on, he assumed the Vice President/Program Chair role; due to his high regard in the academic community, Matt brought high quality speakers to our meetings, many of whom came from outside of our County. With Dave Keil, he has conducted very organized and popular pre-meeting keying workshops. Matt has led several field trips into our native habitats and urban treescapes, and his enthusiasm for teaching others has resulted in his authorship of two popular books: Plants of San Luis Obispo, their Lives and Stories and A Californian’s Guide to the Trees Among Us. As part of his efforts to better connect students with our Chapter, Matt has volunteered to oversee the Malcolm McLeod Scholarship Program.

(M.Ritter on left)

Bill Shearer is an enthusiastic native plant gardener, having transformed his home garden into a beautiful oak woodland in an urban portion of Arroyo Grande. He has generously shared his garden and his expertise on many CNPS Garden Tours, and coordinated the tour of gardens on Nipomo Mesa in 2008. Bill has also contributed by propagating and delivering native plants to our Plant Sales and helping out at our monthly meetings, our annual potluck banquet, and at work parties throughout the County. In addition, Bill has contributed countless hours to the development of the Oceano Campground’s Native Plant Garden, as well as working on restoration and weed removal projects in the Oceano Campground, Oceano Lagoon peninsula, and North Beach Monarch Butterfly Grove.

(B.Shearer on left)

Marlin Harms’ wondrous photographs are vital to both conservation and appreciation of our County’s wildflowers. His photos have been featured prominently throughout the Wildflowers of San Luis Obispo CA flower guide book, produced by our Chapter and the City of San Luis Obispo in 2010. He’s helping with photo selection and editing of the Chapter’s next publication, Plants of the Carrizo Plain. Marlin’s photos have been vital in the successful conservation campaigns preserving so much of our county: Hollister Peak, the El Sur Ranch, the East West Ranch, and the Palisades property in Los Osos. Additionally, Marlin has contributed plants he’s grown from seed to our annual Plant Sale for more than 15 years and served as an enthusiastic helper for Wildflower Weekend when that was part of our Chapter’s annual offerings.

George Butterworth contributed distinguished and unstinting contributions to our County’s flora. Examples include his work describing the flora of the Carrizo and the Chimeneas Ranch Reserve; the herbarium he created for Chimeneas and the Carrizo; and his expertise and work in the substantial State and CNPS plant association mapping effort for valley grassland. In addition, George has provided well-planned and delightful field trips into the Chimeneas, Carrizo and Elkhorn Plains for the Chapter, complete with his annotated checklists. He has also created a local butterfly and plant associate checklist in support of our Chapter’s community outreach goals. He was already assisting our Chapter by 1994 at the Wildflower Weekend hikes.

Heather and Jim Johnson quickly became involved in our Chapter after moving to San Luis Obispo County. Heather became Sales Table Manager in 2005, immediately ramping up both the inventory and presentation of the sales table with an excellent selection of books. In addition to helping Heather behind the scenes with logistics and inventory storage, in 2007 Jim headed both the Publications and (previously dormant) Photographic Committees. He also revitalized the first iteration of our Chapter’s website in 2008, keeping it up to date.

Joining our Chapter in 2000, Lauren Brown first served as the Chairperson for our newly-formed Invasive Plants Control Committee (focused on aggressive exotic weeds), acting as our liaison with several local governmental agencies responsible for weed control. She assisted John Chesnut and others in 2003 in an effort to document all CNPS List 1B rare plants in our County with information and photos on a Rare Plants of SLO County CD, and she volunteered frequently at outreach events and the Chapter’s Plant Sale. Lauren later served as the Chapter President for two years (2006-07), helping in many ways including masterminding the Chapter’s hosting of the State Board Meeting. As President of the Chapter, Lauren also served as our Chapter representative to the State CNPS Board. The State Board is large, and most of the Chapter participants attend and then go back to their chapters without much State involvement. However, State Officials thought enough of Lauren’s work on the Board that she was asked to run for State office.

Mardi Niles became our Chapter’s Field Trip Committee chairperson in 2003, planning and leading excellent, well-attended trips and making all participants feel welcome. Mardi takes great care to plan her walks and line up other leaders well in advance. In addition to the reliable favorite locations, her fieldtrips have included unusual excursions to Wind Wolves Preserve in the San Joaquin Valley, the Indians/Arroyo Seco River in Monterey County, and private landowner holdings. She also helped to orchestrate our Chapter’s first horticultural tour of native home gardens in Arroyo Grande in 2005, which was so successful that the tour expanded in subsequent years to gardens in Los Osos and Atascadero. At our Chapter General Meetings, Mardi sets up a beautiful refreshment table complete with native plant bouquets, and warmly welcomes newcomers. Mardi developed a children’s plant identification memory matching game to use at outreach events, in which she often participates. She is also skilled at creating beautiful portraits of native plants, some of which have been used for our newsletter covers (e.g., Pismo Clarkia in 2003) and as greeting cards available at our Chapter’s sales tables.

Serving as Education Chair, Susi Bernstein’s major focus since 2000 has been assisting a seventh grade science teacher at Los Osos Middle School with the development of a native dune scrub community curriculum. She taught the students about the local plant community, and led the effort in growing native plants and installing them at and adjacent to the school with the students. For several years, Susi has also helped in public outreach events for CNPS, providing an informational table at Creek Day, Bob Jones Trail Day, and occasionally at the San Luis Obispo Farmers’ Market.

Charlie Blair was instrumental in creating and leading a CNPS subchapter in Lompoc in 1996 to serve people in the Northern Santa Barbara County area, and contributed to our Chapter Board as the Northern Santa Barbara County Liaison. Charlie is the one who organizes field trips and finds monthly speakers for the Lompoc subchapter, in addition to attending Chapter and State board meetings. He contributes frequently to the Chapter newsletter, and leads regular fieldtrips to the Burton Mesa Chaparral at the La Purisima Mission and driving tours of spring wildflowers at Figueroa Mt (with Los Padres Nat’l Forest staff). He was subsequently our Chapter President in 2005 and chaired the State CNPS Volunteer Recognition Committee.

Eleanor Williams has served as our Chapter’s Field Trip Chair (as early as 1989), planning trips to a wide variety of distant locations (e.g., Pinnacles Nat’l Park, Joshua Tree Nat’l Park), and continuing this role until 1996. Other field activities included leading Wildflower Weekend hikes (in addition to other essential tasks at this large event), working with the C.C.C. on creek-side vegetation restoration, and co-leading a German Ivy Bash at the Los Osos Oak Preserve with Dagmar Collins. Aside from serving as the Membership Committee Chair for many years, she chaired Full Display Sales and volunteered every year at our Plant Sale, staffing the information and sales booth. At the time of the award, Eleanor was currently working with the docents to maintain the demonstration garden at Montano de Oro.

Bob Hotaling was an important volunteer to the Wildflower Weekend, helping out from the very early days of the event until its last occurrence in 1997. He helped with the organization and coordination of field trips for the event, as well as grocery shopping, cooking and cleanup. His efforts were essential and really helped to enhance the event. Bob took on the Editorship of our Chapter newsletter in 1995; his tenure as editor ultimately lasted twenty years until 2015. He has been a consistent and active participant at almost every Chapter meeting, at our Plant Sales and on our field trips.

Eric Greening is very active in the local environmental movement, devoting much time and energy to being an informed citizen who regularly attends and comments at public meetings. He likely serves as the most ardent champion of environmental issues in the Chapter area. Eric has also been a regular attendee of our Chapter’s General Meetings, providing important updates to the membership audience about local government issues concerning protection and impacts to our natural environment.

John Nowak was a horticulture student in the 1970s and visited Alice Meyer’s native plant garden on a fieldtrip. Enough interest was shown that Alice recruited John to help her with the Chapter Plant Sales and to provide plant donations. When Alice retired as Plant Sale Boss in the late 1980s, John took over. With the assistance of different Co-Chairs through the years, John served in this position, which has become a very big and complicated job, until 2021 (30 years). In addition to his Plant Sale duties, he offered plant propagation workshops to members. John has also regularly contributed native plant horticultural articles to the Chapter newsletter and presented native plant horticulture programs at Chapter meetings. He was active on the Conservation Committee, serving as Co-Chair for several years. John also spent many hours with the Pampas Grass Bashers/Pampas Police, removing this weed from coastal habitat in San Luis Obispo County, as well as participating in monthly restoration work parties at the Los Osos Sweet Springs Audubon Preserve. Following receipt of the Hoover Award, John served three years as Chapter President (1999-2001) and as a representative to the State Chapter Council; he was named for a Volunteer Service Award from the State CNPS in 2005.

David Krause has served the Chapter since 1980 in many roles including Recording Secretary, Chapter Council delegate, Plant Sale helper (notably cashier), and a long, consistent role as the Chapter Treasurer since 1999 to date. He has led many a Chapter outing, starting with plant-keying fieldtrips beginning in 1983. He is especially known for his early rainy-season Fungal Foray trips dedicated to mushrooms and toadstools in Cambria. In addition, David started helping with the Chapter’s Wildflower Weekend at Rancho El Chorro from the beginning, taking over leadership duties in 1987 until the final year in 1997. The annual event was very popular with state-wide significance and interest, bringing in new CNPS members, and advertised primarily by word-of-mouth. David has also served three years as Chapter President (1995-97) subsequent to receiving the Hoover Award, and was presented with a Volunteer Service Award from State CNPS in 2009 for his long service to the Chapter.

Prior to serving as Chapter President in 1982, Eileen had helped in various Board positions since 1978 (Treasurer, Corresponding and Recording Secretary, Programs) and led hikes starting in the 1980s, most frequently to Lopez Lake. She served as Co-Chair of the newly-formed Education Committee in early 1983 (with Linda Seek), assembling what came to be known as the Plant Sale Reference Books (composed of C. Cunningham’s plant photos and horticultural information); these appealing books were available for the public to browse at the Chapter’s Plant Sales.

David Keil joined the Chapter shortly after becoming part of the Cal Poly faculty in 1976, where he was later appointed as Director of the Robert F. Hoover Herbarium. He taught Plant Taxonomy and Field Botany for many years, and has made significant plant collection additions to the Herbarium. In addition to first serving as Chapter President in 1978, David has made himself available for answering question about our local native flora. He’s led numerous Chapter fieldtrips, and has presented Chapter meeting programs many times over the years. Subsequent to 1989, David served as Chapter Vice President, responsible for arranging program speakers, and was named a Fellow of the CNPS State organization in 2018. He devoted many years and significant effort in updating Dr. Hoover’s San Luis Obispo County Flora, with the 2^nd revised edition finally published in 2023.

Tim Gaskin was a professor specializing in native plants within Cal Poly’s Horticulture Department. He was an important supporter of the Chapter’s Plant Sales, often providing plant material. Tim was very active in the Chapter, leading fieldtrips, serving as Chair for committees such as Programs, Publicity, and Conservation during his time, as well as serving two terms as Chapter President (1983-84). He served with Dirk Walters as Co-Chair of the Symposium Committee in 1977, headed the Chapter’s cultivated native plant and wildflower slide show and display for the public in San Luis Obispo in 1980-81, and prepared and printed a CNPS booklet called “Saving Our Oaks” to distribute to realtors, developers, etc. to make them aware of the value of native oak trees (1980). Tim was also an active participant in the Wildflower Weekend, taking over the initial leadership role from Mary Coffeen and Bert Wilson until David Krause’s tenure began in 1987.

Lela and Bernard Burdett led many a field trip for the Chapter, with Lela providing plant lists made during those trips for the newsletter as early as 1976. Lela was Historian and Vice President prior to serving two terms as Chapter President (1980-81). Bernard participated on the Photographic Committee. They both were active in the Conservation Committee, including in the protection of the Nipomo Dunes. They participated in the Rare Plants Committee of 1983, marking the locations of rare plants in San Luis Obispo County.

CHARTER MEMBERS
Margaret and Herman Bender were charter members of the local Chapter, with Herman serving on the Photography Committee and Margaret as Chair of the Telephone Committee (to notify members of meetings/field trips) in 1966. They were early helpers with the Chapter Plant Sale and clearly enjoyed gardening with natives; the 1969 Chapter Bulletin indicates they’d invite members to view their home’s native plant garden. Herman was part of a committee responsible for producing the supplement to Dr. Hoover’s Flora of SLO County, which was published by the Chapter in 1974. Herman was also active on the Conservation Committee. Together, Margaret and Herman represented the Chapter in seeking support of the South Bay Advisory Committee to preserve the Bishop Pine area of Los Osos.

(M.Bender on left, H.Bender on right)

CHARTER MEMBERS
Together, Christine and Louis Wilson were serving on the Board and heading committees from the very beginning as charter members of the Chapter; in 1966-67, Christine was Historian for the Chapter, and Louis was Vice President (and serving on the Photography Committee and Advisory Board). Christine propagated and grew plants for the early Plant Sales, assisted by Louis. Records from 1972 show that the two were vital volunteers in preparing plants for the sale, including arranging the agricultural inspection and serving as cashier. Louis Wilson served as an active member of the Conservation Committee. He was part of a committee responsible for producing the supplement to Dr. Hoover’s Flora of SLO County, published by the Chapter in 1974.

CHARTER MEMBER (K.JONES)
Together, Kathy and Gaylord Jones were instrumental for the ongoing preservation of the South County’s Guadalupe-Nipomo Dunes, which included saving the dunes from being the site of a proposed nuclear power plant. The two were active participants in a very active CNPS Conservation Committee at the time. They led many field trips, especially into the dunes, and were presented with a State CNPS Rare Plant Conservation Award in 1990. As a talented photographer, Gaylord was part of the Chapter’s Photographic Committee and a committee responsible for producing the photographic supplement to Dr. Hoover’s Flora of SLO Count, published by the Chapter in 1974. In later years of their participation with CNPS, they assembled a group of people who organized a wildflower book on the South County Dunes, Dune Mother’s Wildflower Guide, published by the Chapter in 2001.

As one of the original charter members of CNPS-SLO, Kathy was one of five citizens in the United States selected to receive the national Sol Feinstone Environmental Award in 1993 to acknowledge 30 years of preserving the Nipomo Dunes. Kathy was also instrumental in founding early versions of the Santa Barbara and the San Luis Obispo chapters of the Sierra Club as a charter member, and helped form an organization called People for the Nipomo Dunes with the mission of formal protection for the dunes.

As one of the Chapter’s first members, Ralph Baker served as President of the Chapter from 1970 to 1971, completing Neil Havlik’s 1969-70 term as President when Neil left for graduate school. In subsequent years, Ralph helped to lead field trips and prepare plant lists from the trips, and assisted the Photographic Committee in organizing requests of plant photos. He chaired the newly established Conservation Committee in 1974 in time to voice CNPS concerns over ecologically sensitive issues like the Nipomo Dunes, Pismo State Beach, Santa Lucia [Lopez] Wilderness Area, and the proposed Standard Oil monobuoy in Estero Bay. Ralph organized the first Chapter Banquets during his presidency, and grew lots of Clarkia which he brought to the Plant Sale where he was a vital volunteer.

Alice and Bud Meyer were the first recipients of the Hoover Award, a recognition created by Dr. VL Holland who was Chapter President at the time.

Alice Meyer was an early mainstay in the Chapter once she and Bud joined in 1968. After attending one of the Chapter’s first plant sales, she set out to improve it. She organized early Chapter Plant Sales and many of the plants sold were grown in the Meyers’ backyard. Alice and Bud made a series of trips to collect seed and cuttings, and solicited seed collection by members to be packaged and sold at the sales. She continued to be involved in propagation and the Plant Sales until the late 1980s. She devoted the majority of her garden to natives, and for several years shared her expertise with Cal Poly students who were invited to tour it. Not only was Alice the first editor of the Chapter newsletter, continuing this work until 1990, her line drawings often illustrated the early versions and she gave the newsletter its name in 1977: Obispoensis. Alice later organized the first CNPS native plant symposium in 1977, and helped to edit and organize the proceedings of that event. She also managed the State CNPS educational trust fund for several years. She fulfilled many roles on the Board, including a long-lasting role as Membership Chair. Bud Meyer was very active on the Conservation Committee and Rare Plant Committee, and worked on a flora of the Morro Bay area. Along with Alice, Bud had a particular interest in Los Osos area rare plants; his interest in local native plants developed when he found and mapped hybrid Abronia stands in the Los Osos Dunes. Bud was part of a committee responsible for producing the supplement to Dr. Hoover’s Flora of SLO County, which was published by the Chapter in 1974. He was an early proponent of preserving the Carrizo Plains and Soda Lake, which ultimately led to the establishment of the Carrizo Plains National Monument, and, together with Alice, fought with success against the construction of a large marine terminal in Estero Bay. Both Alice and Bud led field trips for the Chapter throughout their tenure, with Bud serving as the Outings Chair at the time when they received the Hoover Award. Both Bud and Alice were later made Fellows of the State CNPS organization in 1988.