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| JANUARY 2020 CHAPTER NEWSLETTER |
Become a Jepson Prairie Tour GuideIn conjunction with the Solano Land Trust, the Jepson Prairie Docents are offering a series of classes to train new docents for the Jepson Prairie Reserve starting on February 4th, 2020. Participants in the training will learn about vernal pools, and the aquatic invertebrate and flowering plants that depend on them. Graduates from training will become part of the docent team that offers walking tours of Jepson Prairie Preserve on Saturday and Sunday mornings between March and May. Jepson Prairie is one of the premier vernal pool and native bunch grass prairie habitats in California. The Jepson Prairie Docents will lead visitors on tours that interpret the mysteries of vernal pools and the ancient and now-threatened creatures that live in them. Visitors come from the Bay Area to the foothills to see the colorful wildflower displays in spring as these temporary pools near Dixon evaporate. [READ MORE]
Visitors to the Jepson Prairie Preserve wait at the Visitor Center for their docent-led tour. Photo by Charlie Russell. |
LAST CALL TO VOTE
Election 2020 for the Willis Linn Jepson Chapter Officers ends on January 15. Elections were called last month. If you haven't voted for your favorite nominees yet, use this Survey Monkey link. Chapter bylaws require a 25% quorum for the election of officers, so please vote if you haven't already. Ballots were mailed to members who don't take emails. The Board of Directors will meet on January 16 to tally the ballots and certify the election results. |
VOLUNTEERS NEEDED TO PLANT NATIVES AT LOCAL HABITAT PROJECTSWinter is an excellent time to plant natives in California, so it's not surprising that local habitat restoration projects are offering a number of opportunities for volunteer help that is critical to their success. The Solano Land Trust is seeking volunteer help for their tidal marsh restoration project at Rush Ranch near Suisun City. The Solano Resource Conservation District (RCD) is seeking volunteer help for their habitat restoration projects at 'Pond C', which is a 30-acre stormwater detention basin in Dixon, and at Lake Dalwigk, which is a former tidal marsh that is now managed as a stormwater detention basin in Vallejo. At Rush Ranch, the Solano Land Trust is seeking volunteers on January 10th and 11th, from 8:30 AM to 12:30 PM, to help install native plants along a new trail crossing and around the perimeter of the tidal marsh. Background information on this project can be found in the July 2018 newsletter. Bring rubber boots if you have them because soils may be muddy. The activity will include bending, digging and kneeling. Straw will be spread around the native grasses, so if you are allergic to straw or molds, this may not be for you. RSVP to jasmine@solanolandtrust.org [READ MORE]
Rush Ranch and the Suisun Marsh |
TIME CHANGE FOR THE GENERAL MEMBERSHIP MEETING PROGRAM
The December newsletter announced a native plant talk by Michael Uhler as the program for a joint meeting of the Willis Linn Jepson Chapter and the Solano Community College Horticulture Club. Please note that the time of the talk has been changed to 6:30 PM. The location for this January 13 meeting remains at Building 1000, Solano Community College, 4000 Suisun Valley Road in Fairfield. [READ MORE]
Michael Uhler |
PLANT OF THE MONTHSisyrinchium bellum (Blue-eyed grass)Sisyrinchium bellum is the official native plant of the Willis Linn Jepson Chapter. Cheery flowers and crisp clean foliage make this herbaceous perennial a welcome addition to any spring garden. It is actually a member of the iris family. But it does look grass-like when not in bloom, with a basal clump of 6” – 12” long green blades. Flowers can show themselves in early March and appear as delicate starry blooms of purple, blue, and white with yellow centers. They float above the leaves on branched stems. Flowering generally continues into May, even June. The fruits that follow are dark brown orbs packed with seed. [READ MORE]
Sisyrinchium bellum (Blue-eyed grass) |
Upcoming Events
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