KERN COUNTY CNPS FIELD TRIPS FOR 2005

 

It should be a great year for wildflowers, and for those of us who love to get out to see the annual blooms. We have planned a large number of trips this year, most with knowledgeable professionals as our leaders, and some trips where we’ll all take our field guides and work together to identify the plants we find. Please join us in learning about, and enjoying our California native plants!

 

Bring water, snacks, a hat, sunscreen, and layers of clothing for weather changes.

 

March 26, SAT.     Sand Ridge Preserve with Ellen Cypher     8:30am

 

The plant we hope to see is the Bakersfield Cactus, Opuntia basilaris var treleasei, among the blooming annuals.

 

Meet at the Taco Bell at the SE corner of Hwys 58 and 184 (Weedpatch Hwy) at 8:30am. If you know the Preserve, you may meet us at the entrance at 9:00am. If you get lost, call Ellen that day.  Ellen plans a 3 hour, plus or minus visit, although if you want to stay longer, bring a lunch. There are no restrooms. The trail is gradual, and appropriate for children or seniors, and short enough that you could leave early if you get tired.

 

April 3, SUN.     Carrizo Plains National Monument with Denis Kearns     9:00am

 

Denis Kearns, a BLM botanist, has a long list of possible sites to share with us, depending on road conditions, plants in bloom, weather, etc. Some possible plants are the desert candle and thistle sage.  Meet at 9:00am at the Bakersfield BLM Office,  3801 Pegasus. (Pegasus is one block east of the intersection of Hwy 65 and 7th Standard Road.) We will park, carpool, and caravan to the Monument for a long day of seeing what grows in what habitat. Bring a lunch and lots of water.
TO ATTEND, PLEASE CONTACT  Denis as the BLM needs to know how many will be attending, and Denis wants to make an  appropriate number of copies of the species list.

 

April 6, WED.     Wind Wolves Preserve     9:00am

 

Meet in the Valley Plaza parking lot next to Wible, west of the movie theater at 9:00am. Plan to carpool to the beautiful Wind Wolves Preserve, and join David Clendenen for our visit to various locations where a bloom is occurring. If you are coming from the East side, join us at the entrance to the Preserve at 9:40ish. It is located 9.5 miles west of I5 on Hwy 166.
TO ATTEND, PLEASE CONTACT Steve Hampson

 

April 9, SAT.     Ridgecrest’s  Maturango Museum Wildflower Show and desert walk with Steve Hampson.

 

Meet at the Taco Bell at the SE corner of Hwys 58 and 184 (Weedpatch Hwy) at  9:00am, if you want to carpool and save the air!  Bring a lunch, or eat in town. We will spend some time at the wildflower show then head out to see some in the wild, probably to Short Canyon.

 

April 17, SUN.     Hungry Valley State Vehicle Rec. Area with Kathy Sanders      10:00am
         
Meet in the Valley Plaza  parking lot next to Wible Rd. to the west of the movie theater, at 10:00am  to carpool to the Gorman area. For those coming from other areas, go to the Visitors Center at the Gorman Entrance. We will join the regular trip at 11:00am, for a $4.00 fee per CAR (another reason to car pool). The trip lasts about 3 hours, so bring a lunch. We will visit the grasslands area at about 4,000’ by car. If there are no flowers, a Resource Specialist will take us to the Oak Woodland Natural Preserve at a lower elevation. This visit would require a short hike of 20 minutes.
TO ATTEND, PLEASE CONTACT Steve Hampson
                

 

April 24, SUN.     Mill Creek Mosey with Lucy Clark

 

Meet at the Tuesday Morning parking lot at the corner of Auburn and Fairfax at 11:00am to carpool to the trailhead on Old Kern Canyon Road. Or meet us at the trailhead at 11:30am. We will leisurely walk through the flowers down to Mill Creek to eat a late lunch (bring one), and to search for the reddish California Newt in its most southern habitat. Bring your wildflower field guide and water.

 

April 30 to May 1, SAT.-SUN.     11th Annual Kern River Valley Bioregions Festival

 

Find the events list as of today at http://kern.audubon.org/bioregionactivities.htm

 

Recommended on Saturday are :

 

Habitat enhancements and stewardship at the Kern River Preserve, donation
AN introduction to Global Positional Systems(GPS), donation
The evening presentation by Fletcher Linton, USFS Botanist

 

Recommended on Sunday are:

 

Nature Tour of the Bioregions, $25.00(all day)
Hillsides in Bloom, $15
Traditional Uses of Native Plants, donation

 

Check out these and all other trips and activities provided by our Audubon Preserve, and register, NOW as these trips have limits on the number of participants.

 

May 14, SAT.     Walker Pass      10:00am

 

Join us, with your wildflower field guide, at the Walker Pass Historical Monument at 10:00am. We’ll wander, looking for flowers to identify and photograph. Bring a lunch.
TO ATTEND, PLEASE CONTACT Lucy Clark

 

June 11, SAT.     Somewhere in the Sierra!      with Eve Laeger     10:30am

 

Meeting places for both carpooling and the trip location will be posted on our new link to the CNPS web site as the date nears to ensure seeing plants in bloom. Or contact Steve or Lucy.

 

July 30-31, SAT.-SUN.     7th Annual Kern Valley Hummingbird Celebration

 

Highly recommended for the opportunity to hold a tiny bird in your hand for its release, and the trip to a Penstemon  Meadow high above the Kern River Preserve.
For info go to http://kern.audubon.org/ or call 760-378-3044.

 

If anyone has ideas for other trips, please let Steve or Lucy know, and we’ll try to get everyone informed. This looks like the year to see  wonderful blooms. Death Valley is already spectacular!