Upcoming CNPS SCV Events and Activities - March 11, 2025

[CNPS-SCV News]

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

[1] Looking for a Treasurer
The Santa Clara Valley Chapter of CNPS is currently looking at a vacancy for our treasurer position if we don't come up with a candidate in the next couple of months. Do you or anyone you know keep a personal budget, do your own taxes or have similar experience? Formal bookkeeping or accounting experience is not necessary.  Anyone interested in learning more about what is involved in being treasurer, please contact Radhika Thekkath at cnpsradhika @ gmail.com.

[2] Get Inspired! Design and Maintain Native Plants, a talk by Stephanie Morris
Thursday March 13, 7:00 pm - 8:30 pm
Location: Cupertino Library Program Room (2nd floor) - 10800 Torre Ave, Cupertino
https://www.meetup.com/california-native-plant-society-santa-clara-valley-chapter/events/306547300/

Note: This talk is in-person only and will not be available online.

If you've wanted to get started with including California native plants to your garden, this talk is for you! Come get inspired with an overview of native plant design basics. Learn how to set functional, aesthetic, and ecological goals for your yard and draw a simple plan. We will discuss the selection of native plants for year round blooms and how to group them for pleasing design aesthetics, especially during our dry summers.

Stephanie Morris has been designing California native plant gardens since 1999 in the Bay Area. Her goal is to design creative, beautiful landscapes that are ecologically oriented and practical.

[3] Stile Ranch Trail
Saturday March 15, 10:00 am - 2:00 pm
Location: Santa Teresa County Park, Stile Ranch Entrance
https://www.meetup.com/california-native-plant-society-santa-clara-valley-chapter/events/306122729/

Join Tom Lee and Nabeel Al-Shamma on the Stile Ranch Trail, located at the Southwest corner of Santa Teresa Park. This trail is known for its native plants. With the late winter rains this hike will feature wildflowers such as poppies, fiddlenecks, salvias, and many others. The trail starts with a climb with some rocky switchbacks, crosses some grassland and a creek before returning in a loop. The distance is 2.6 miles, and the elevation gain is 450 feet.

There are no restroom services at the parking area or on the trail, however there is a restroom on McKean Road just across from Fortini Road at Rancho San Vicente Open Space parking area.

Please bring sturdy shoes, appropriate layering, hat and lunch. Heavy rain cancels.
Directions: We will meet at the Santa Teresa Park Stile Ranch parking area on San Vicente Ave. To get there, turn north from McKean Road in south San Jose onto Fortini Road. Drive 0.7 miles until the road ends, and turn left on San Vicente.

RSVP is required. Limited to 15 people due to narrow trails. No drop-ins, please.

[4] Tulare Hill Wildflower Walk
Wednesday March 12, 9:40 am - 1:00 pm
Location: Flames Coffee Shop - 7170 Santa Teresa Blvd, San Jose
https://www.meetup.com/california-native-plant-society-santa-clara-valley-chapter/events/306178239/

Note: RSVPs will open one week before the event. CNPS membership is required.

Join Craige Edgerton and Alyssa LoGalbo on a wildflower walk at Tulare Hill. The hill and surrounding 330 acres (130 ha) of serpentine grasslands are home to the endangered Bay checkerspot butterfly and Dudleya setchellii wildflower. A portion of the hill makes up the Tulare Hill Ecological Preserve. The walk will be 2-3 miles and includes a short walk up the hill, about 300 ft elevation gain.

Please bring snacks and plenty of water. Heavy rain cancels.

RSVP is required to join the hike. Please ensure your CNPS membership is current. No drop-ins please and space is limited. Liability waivers for Tulare Hill are required. They will be available at the hike.

[5] Chapter Restoration Activities
RSVP is required for all Chapter restoration activities, in addition to signed waiver forms. Please see the individual Meetup listings for details.

[a] Habitat Restoration at Lake Cunningham Park
Saturday March 15, 8:00 am - 10:00 am
Location: Native Garden Parking Lot, Lake Cunningham - 2305 S. White Road, San Jose
https://www.meetup.com/california-native-plant-society-santa-clara-valley-chapter/events/306361364/

Join us to restore habitat (weeding and mulching) in the Native Garden at Lake Cunningham Park. During the winter months, we weed, mulch and plant.

[b] Community Work Day at Kirk Park
Saturday March 15, 9:00 am - 11:00 am
Location: Kirk Park Native Garden - Briarwood Drive & Wawona Drive, San Jose
https://www.meetup.com/california-native-plant-society-santa-clara-valley-chapter/events/306362720/

Volunteers meet at the garden on Saturdays, weather permitting, for weeding, watering and other maintenance activities. Occasionally there will be other tasks such as mulching and planting.

[c] Friday Edgewood Restoration
Friday March 14, 9:00 am - 12:00 pm
Location: Varies - join the email group to receive weekly notices
https://www.cnps-scv.org/events/calendar/eventdetail/11402/-/edgewood-restoration

Help restore habitat at Edgewood Park and Natural Preserve, known for fabulous wildflowers and amazing diversity. To participate, join the email list and sign the electronic volunteer agreement, by sending an email to weed-warriors-coord @ friendsofedgewood.org.

Here are some events from other chapters and organizations:

[6] Volunteer at Sunnyvale Baylands Park - by Grassroots Ecology
Monday March 17, 9:30 am - 12:30 pm
Location: Baylands Park - 999 East Caribbean Drive, Sunnyvale
https://www.grassrootsecology.org/event-calendar/2025/3/17/volunteer-outdoors-at-sunnyvale-baylands-park

Join Grassroots Ecology in planting a pollinator garden at Sunnyvale Baylands Park! We will spend our time together installing and caring for native plants. Volunteers should expect to sit or kneel on kneeling pads, use hand tools to dig, and carry small buckets of water.

[7] Spring Wildflowers Hikes at Edgewood Natural Preserve
March, April and May, 9:00 am - 12:00 pm
Location: Edgewood Park and Natural Preserve, Redwood City
https://friendsofedgewood.org/calendar

The Friends of Edgewood (FoE) will kick off the 2025 spring wildflower season with a series of docent-led hikes. The hikes will be offered weekly on Fridays, Saturdays, and Sundays through the end of May. FoE's expert wildlflower docents share insights about Edgewood's extraordinary biodiversity and help visitors spot some of the dozens of different species that bloom throughout the season. Register in advance on Eventbrite at friendsofedgewood.eventbrite.com. If you have questions about the hikes, email info @ friendsofedgewood.org.