Upcoming CNPS SCV Events and Activities - May 9, 2023

[CNPS-SCV News]

Dear friends,
Check out our chapter's upcoming events:

[1] CNPS SCV 2022-2023 Research Scholarship Projects
Thursday, May 11, 7:00 PM - 8:30 PM
https://www.meetup.com/california-native-plant-society-santa-clara-valley-chapter/events/293261484/

Since 1999, the chapter has sponsored a scholarship program for students doing research on native plant topics. Krti Tallam, John McLaughlin, Sierra Phillips and Andy Frank are recipients of scholarships for the 2022-2023 academic year and will present their projects during this talk.

Krti Tallam, Stanford University (Sally Casey Shooting Stars Graduate Research Scholarship Winner). Coastal California seagrasses are global blue carbon habitats for climate change mitigation. Krti's project is a unique broadscale examination of meadows across distinct estuaries of a single species. Krti is a Stanford PhD candidate and trans-disciplinary expert for planetary health topics, via machine learning and computer vision, data science, and science communication.

Andy Frank, San Jose State University, Biology-Ecology and Evolution (Donald Mayall Conservation Research Scholarship Winner) Erysimum franciscanum is a biennial rare plant found exclusively within the San Francisco Bay Area. With its range stretching from the Presidio down to San Jose, Andy will be conducting a greenhouse experiment to determine to what factor water availability determines local adaptation in populations. When complete, he hopes the experiment will provide insight into better understanding population dynamics in the face of future climate scenarios.

Sierra Phillips, UC Davis, Hydrologic Sciences Graduate Group (Graduate Research Scholarship Winner) Sierra is earning her Ph.D. in Hydrologic Sciences at UC Davis and her work is focused on river restoration science. Her study investigates the role of hydrology in promoting or limiting Populus fremontii seedling recruitment through the development of a process-based recruitment model.

John McLaughlin, San Jose State University, Biological Sciences (Graduate Research Scholarship Winner) John McLaughlin is a master's student at San Jose State University in the Department of biological sciences who has spent the last three years producing a bryophyte flora of Henry W. Coe State Park. His talk will cover some of California's smallest plants - the mosses, liverworts, and hornworts of Santa Clara County's largest natural preserve, Henry W. Coe State Park.

This talk will be live streamed on Zoom (requires advance registration) and YouTube (registration NOT required).
Zoom registration link: https://us02web.zoom.us/meeting/register/tZAscuihpjoiGNyeO2wQGTv85EQAEjuoahOR#/registration

Here are some events from other chapters and organizations:

[2] Trashy Tuesdays Cleanup! - by Keep Coyote Creek Beautiful
Tuesday, May 9, 5:00 PM - 7:00 PM
https://www.eventbrite.com/e/trashy-tuesdays-cleanup-registration-601883960127
Location: Tully Ballfields 800 Tully Rd San Jose, CA 95111

Spend a couple of hours to work together for a healthy creek while we beautify the Coyote Creek trail and the creek through a community cleanup at the Tully Ballfields. Celebrate the Earth by improving the environment and enjoying nature!

[3] Digitizing California Herbarium Specimens at Cal Academy – Implications and Opportunities
Thursday, May 11, 7:30 PM - 8:30 PM
https://www.cnps.org/event/digitizing-california-herbarium-specimens-at-cal-academy-implications-and-opportunities

The California Academy of Sciences was recently funded to digitize 1 million California botany specimens from their herbarium. Each specimen in the collection contains valuable data that not only helps us understand California biodiversity as a whole, but also paints a picture of the history of species across the state.

[4] Spring BioBlitz at Hellyer Park - by Keep Coyote Creek Beautiful and Bioblitz.club
Saturday, May 13, 9:00 AM - 11:00 AM
https://www.eventbrite.com/e/spring-bioblitz-at-hellyer-park-registration-559081386477
Location: Hellyer Park - Cottonwood Lake Entrance 996 Hellyer Ave Southwest trail entrance San Jose, CA 95111

Located in the southern part of San Jose, Hellyer County Park is a safe haven for many species of plants and animals right along Coyote Creek. Join Keep Coyote Creek Beautiful and BioBlitz.club in cataloging and documenting all of the living things that reside there. We will have experts in various fields to help guide participants through all the cool plants and wildlife.

Since we visit this park quarterly, come out again if you've already visited and see the difference a few months can make in what you see. The best part? All you need to participate is a smart phone with the iNaturalist app! So bring your family and prepare for an in-depth tour of this great park.

[5] Wildflower Walk at Rancho Cañada del Oro! - by Open Space Authority
Saturday, May 13, 10:00 AM - 4:00 PM
https://www.eventbrite.com/e/wildflower-walk-at-rancho-canada-del-oro-tickets-616608692197

This is a monthly series! Witness the wide variety and ever-changing displays of wildflowers at Rancho Cañada del Oro. Each month new wildflowers are expected to bloom. This moderately paced 4.5-mile loop hike along the Mayfair Ranch and Longwall Canyon Trails includes a 700-foot elevation gain to the

lunch spot at the midpoint. Please bring a lunch, water, warm layers, sun protection and comfortable hiking shoes.

Questions about any of the events? Do not reply to this email - instead, please direct your questions to: info @ cnps-scv.org.

For more information about chapter activities, be sure to check the latest Blazing Star and our chapter website - cnps-scv.org. We also recommend joining our Meetup group to receive a notification when we schedule new activities, including field trips.  Not a member of CNPS yet? Join here.

California Native Plant Society, Santa Clara Valley Chapter
Find us on the web at cnps-scv.org, and follow us on Facebook, Meetup, Instagram, and Twitter.