2007 FIELD TRIPS : Kern CNPS

General Information: Mark your calendars for learning about and enjoying our California native plants! We have another full calendar of wildflower walks, led by knowledgeable enthusiasts. We will take our field guides and work to identify the unknown plants we find. Join the fun in experiencing, learning, and enjoying the plant life we find with each outing. The walks are marked (E) for easy, (M) for moderate, (A) for active, (S) for strenuous, and (NR) for no restrooms, and approximate time for the walk Always bring water, lunch or snacks, your hand lens and field guides, hat, sunscreen, and layers of clothing for weather changes. Please leave pets at home. CNPS insurance rules prevent us from assigning car pools, but we do encourage ride sharing from meeting locations. Parking space is usually limited, and we want to save the air.

March 17 (Saturday) – Botanist Walk in the Panorama Bluffs Park

Led by Lorraine Unger with John Wilbanks, Landscape Architect for the Kern County Parks.

Meet at 9 a.m. at River and Panorama Drive to learn what and why certain species were planted in this park. For more information call Lorraine Unger at 323-5569 (E) (NR) (under 2 hours)

March 24 (Saturday) – Sand Ridge Preserve Weed Pulling and Tour

Led by Ellen Cypher

The first part of our day will be to enjoy the Coulter’s jewelflower, fiddleneck, white layia, thistle sage, lupines, golden girls, desert dandelion, tansy-leaved phacelia, and sun cups. If we are lucky we might see wishbone bush, brittlebush, sand verbena, white evening primrose, and Indian tobacco in flower, but it will be a bit early. The last part of our day will be to help pull those pesky Sahara Mustards crowding out the natives. Bring gloves and a plastic bag or two.

Meet at 8:30 a.m. at the Taco Bell on the SE corner of Hwys 58 and 184 (Weedpatch Hwy). If you know the Preserve, you may meet us at the entrance at 9:00 a.m. (M) (NR) (3 hours)

March 31 (Saturday) – California Living Museum

Led by Debby Kroeger

Experience the plants in your neighborhood living museum. There are over 48 plant families with approximately 82 genera to view. (E) (1-2 hours) Meet at CALM on Alfred Harrell Hwy. by 10 a.m. Cost will be $3.25 at the group rate. Contact Don Turkal 393-4778 with any questions.

April 7 (Saturday) – Ridgecrest’s Maturango Museum Wildflower Show

Led by Steve Hampson

We will spend time viewing collected flowers at the show and then head to a location with the best blooming plants (for more flower fun and to eat lunch)

Meet at the Taco Bell on the SE corner of Hwys 58 and 184 (Weedpatch Hwy) by 8 a.m. to drive to Ridgecrest. Otherwise meet us at 10 a.m. at the Maturango Museum, 100 E. Flores, just off China Lake Blvd. (Across the street is a looming Home Depot) Contact Steve shampson@gmail.com or at 661-366-6357 with any questions. (M) for canyon walking (All Day) To see more check out www.maturango.org

April 21 (Saturday) – Bittercreek National Wildlife Refuge

A joint trip with the Audubon Society led by Mike Stockton, Manager of this 14,000-acre refuge.

Formerly called the Hudson Ranch, this range houses most of the California Condors in the world. Offspring from the captive breeding program now scavenge the area. There should also be a great display of wildflowers, so along with bringing your lunch, include your binoculars and field guides.

Meet at the Stockdale Hwy Kern River Parkway parking lot across the street from CSUB by 7:15. The first potty stop will be at the McDonalds in Maricopa, with the trip being fairly easy, as we will ride through the refuge. The estimated return time is 3 p.m. For more information check out the Bittercreek National Wildlife Refuge web site at www.fws.gov/hoppermountain/Bitterck/index.html

OR ANOTHER CHOICE WOULD BE - - -

April 21 (Saturday) - Walker Pass

A joint trip with the Ridgecrest group of the Bristlecone Chapter. Led by Naomi Fraga.

Walker Pass is a mountain pass east of Lake Isabella in the southern Sierra Nevada Mountains. We will park along Hwy 178 at a floriferous spot in the eastern portion of the pass, here we will see a variety of desert annuals including an abundance of Linanthus, and Eriophyllum species. Other noteworthy plants along the way may include desert pincushions ( Chaenactis), sun cups (Camissonia), and the ever elusive pygmy poppy (Canbya candida). Bring lunch, ample water, sunscreen and a camera (hiking will be minimal). (E) (NR) (7 hours)

Meet at Tuesday Morning parking lot (Auburn and Fairfax) at 8 am to join the east-side group on the eastern portion of the pass at 10am. Contact Naomi Fraga for details at naomi.fraga@cgu.edu or (909) 625-8767x231

April 28 (Saturday) – Mill Creek Mosey

Led by Lucy Clark

A leisurely walk through foothill flowers down to Mill Creek to eat lunch (the one you brought), and to search for the red California Newt in its most southern habitat. Bring your wildflower field guide. (E) (NR) (6 hours minimum lot to lot)

Meet at 10 a.m. in the Tuesday Morning parking lot at Auburn and Fairfax or Kernville area residents can meet us at the trailhead on Old Kern Canyon Road at 10:30 a.m. Contact Lucy at lucyg391@gmail.com to reserve your place.

May 5 (Saturday) – Windmill-Wildflower Hike

Led by Paul Gipe and Nancy Nies, Kern Kaweah chapter of the Sierra Club (and Kern CNPS members)

We will walk the Pacific Crest Trail beginning promptly at 9 a.m. from the junction of Cameron and Tehachapi-Willow Springs Roads. The Sierra Club's local chapter sponsors the hike to spotlight a little-known section of the trail as well as the 3,500 wind turbines in the Tehachapi Pass. The route over Cameron Ridge offers sweeping vistas of the Mojave Desert, the Garlock Fault, and thousands of wind turbines. There will be little time for botanizing except at lunch. The hike is about 6 miles with a car ferry back to the beginning. We will be off the mountain by 1:30 or 2 p.m. and back to Bakersfield around 3 p.m. (Medium walk with slight elevation gain) (NR) (7-8 hours)

Call Paul at 661-325-9590 or Tony Swan 661-363-5106 if you need a ride. We will meet at the Taco Bell on the SE corner of Hwys 58 and 184 (Weedpatch Hwy) by 7:30 a.m.

May 6 (Sunday) – Cedar Creek

Led by Lucy Clark and Clyde Golden

Join us at one of our favorite wild flowering spots! This is off of Hwy 155, at about 4600 feet, and is an (E) to (M) walk, with a shallow creek crossing or two. We hope to see the Greenhorn Fritillary (Fritillaria), pink Globe Lilies (Calochortus), the shrub Oregon Grape or Barberry (Berberis), a Ranucnculus genus (Isopyrum) with only two species, only one of which grows in Kern County, and other favorites like Baby Blue Eyes and Ithuriel’s Spears. We once saw a mother Great Grey Owl, and her baby, which are not supposed to be this far south, so bring your binoculars as well as your flower books, AND your lunch. This trip can last as long as you like, with those needing to leave early retracing their steps.

Those coming from the Kernville area can join the valley group at the Cedar Creek Campground at 10am. The valley group will meet at 8:15am at the Denny's at the corner of 7th Standard Rd. and HWY 65 to carpool, as parking is limited at our destination. Please contact Lucy at lucyg391@gmail to reserve your place.

May 19 – Cal Poly San Luis Obispo Leaning Pine Arboretum

Led by Harriet Morris

We will visit the gardens on the campus of Cal Poly SLO. Time and weather permitting we will also visit the SLO Botanical Garden at El Chorro Regional Park. The garden features plants from the world’s five Mediterranean climate zones. Meet by the recycle bins behind Joseph's restaurant at 30th and F street at 8 a.m.

For more information visit their web site at www.leaningpinearboretum.calpoly.edu

Bring lunch or buy on campus (Moderate with uphill climb) (1/2 day or longer)

June 22/23 (Friday/Saturday) – Horse Meadow (first of three flower experiences)

Led by Steve Hampson, Linda Cooley, and Lucy Clark

We are trying something new here! We want to share the wonderful succession of flowering plants along Sherman Pass Road. The elevation gain of about 6,000 feet to the Pass provides a long blooming period and a great diversity of plants. (Last year Steve and Linda counted 147 species that they thought they identified!) Beginning with fields of shooting stars (Dedecatheon alpinum and jefferyi) and ending with explorer’s gentian (Gentiana calycosa), there is always something new in the meadows to knock your socks off. Small Salmon Creek runs through Horse Meadow Campground, elevation 7,300 feet. We will camp over night on Friday p.m., and look for and key the flowers once a month during the summer. This could be a family event (no pets, please), and there is enough to keep all ages busy way past noon. You will need to bring all of your own camping gear, as well as Friday night dinner, Saturday breakfast, and lunch. Diehards can plan to eat Saturday dinner at Kernville. Or the real diehards can stay until Sunday! There are vault toilets and water faucets in the campground. Cost is $10 per site per night. We will try to camp in adjoining sites, and visit and eat together. Bring field guides, camera, binoculars, and bird books. Come for one, two, or all three trips.

In Kernville, at the “T” intersection of Sierra Way and Kernville Rd., turn left onto Sierra Way and go 19.8 miles to Sherman Pass Road. Turn right on Sherman Pass Road, and go 6.2 miles to a sign for Horse Meadow Campground or Forest Road 22S05/22S12 signs. Turn right onto Forest Road. 22S12 and go 9.3 miles to the campground sign. Turn right at this sign and go 1.3 miles to entrance. At the entrance, go left at the “Y” and go over a low water bridge. Look for us here. This is all passable in passenger cars.

You must let us know by the preceding Thursday p.m. if you plan to attend! Contact Steve Hampson at shamson@gmail.com or Lucy Clark at lucyg391@gmail.com

July 20/21 (Friday/Saturday) – Horse Meadow (second of three flower experiences)