Do you by any chance feel that there are some vital and important happenings going on within the area of the Riverside/San Bernardino Chapter of CNPS? Do you feel that the Chapter should function as well as possible in order to attend to these important concerns? There are some very important opportunities to put your opinions to good use:

 

Vice President: Nominations requested -this office can be shared! Help our Chapter work well!

 

Secretary: Volunteer(s) requested! This officer keeps our chapter on record!

 

Field Trips: Volunteer(s) for this office keep your chapter out in the wildlands and into other fascinating activities.

 

Conservation Chair: Another office that can be a team effort! Attend important conservation events and keep our members informed.

INVASIVE SPECIES VOLUNTEERS NEEDED.

If you would like to help with invasive species control in the desert, your help is needed. One project will involve removing non-native mustard (Brassica tournefortii) on experimental plots on the Coachella Valley Preserve to reduce the impact on the endangered Coachella Valley milkvetch (Astragalus lentiginosus var. coachellae) and other desert natives; several dates in January and early February are planned. Other projects that are still being scheduled involve removing non-native tamarisk from desert canyons. Please contact Katie Barrows for dates and details at (760) 564-2413 or kate.cnb@verizon.net.

 

HABITAT/NATIVE PLANT RESTORATION VOLUNTEERS NEEDED.

If you would like to get involved with restoration efforts for a rare desert native plant, your help is needed. Mecca aster (Xylorhiza cognata) is a rare sunflower which is endemic to the Indio Hills (on and near the Coachella Valley Preserve) and the Mecca Hills (near the Salton Sea). BLM is involved in propagating seed from Mecca aster and plans to experiment with outplanting this species to native habitats. Volunteer help in early 2006 will be needed, possibly with caretaking the plants being propagated, also with habitat restoration, outplanting efforts, and monitoring the plants. Please contact Katie Barrows for dates and details at (760) 564-2413 or kate.cnb@verizon.net.

 

Find the Status of a Rare Plant

Do you want to know which local plants are on CNPS List 1B? You can use the online CNPS Inventory of Rare and Endangered Plants to look up the listing status and other information about a plant you know by the name. Start by visiting cnps.web.aplus.net/cgi-bin/inv/inventory.cgi.

 

INVADED NATION

Life in a new country can be a lot easier. Two studies, which examined 473 European plant species and 26 animal species that have invaded the U.S., confirm long-standing thinking that such species tend to have fewer enemies and infections in their new digs. They are therefore better able to survive and to crowd out indigenous flora and fauna. Invasive species are considered the second biggest threat to biodiversity, after habitat destruction

 

Percent drop in fungal infections among European plants after invading the U.S.:  84

 

Percent drop in viral infections:  24

 

Percent drop in all diseases:  77

 

Average number of parasites on a species in its indigenous range:  16

 

Number of parasites that accompany an invader to its new range:  3

 

Number the invader subsequently picks up:  4

 

Number of nonindigenous species in the U.S.:  at least 30,000

 

Annual cost of damage done by these species:  $123 billion

 

Sources:  Nature, February 6, 2003; economic costs from a January 1999 report by David Pimentel of Cornell University and his colleagues.

 

SCIENTIFIC AMERICAN, April 2003, p. 32