Thursday, November 7, 7:00 pm [NOTE: different day and location]
Guest Speaker: Mike Palladini, Stewardship Program Manager, Land Trust of Napa County
The fires that roared through Napa and Sonoma in October 2017 left behind major devastation in both counties. They had a major impact on the Land Trust of Napa County’s (LTNC) preserve network and land stewardship program. The Atlas Peak fire in particular burned over 3,300 acres in four of their conservation properties, including the Foote Botanical Preserve and Sutro Ranch Preserve. In the immediate aftermath of the fires, the Land Trust was focused on addressing concerns such as erosion risk, visitor safety, and damaged infrastructure and equipment. Subsequently, they shifted their focus toward monitoring the ecological effects of the fires, with a particular emphasis on recovery of fire-adapted native plant communities.
Stewardship Program Manager Mike Palladini was at the forefront of efforts to address both immediate and long-term effects. He will present a slideshow of the affected lands and discuss the monitoring program and the progress of natural recovery on the Land Trust preserves impacted by the fires. Mike will also highlight the Land Trust’s use of prescribed fire to restore regionally-significant serpentine prairie plant communities.
Mike manages LTNC’s preserve system, which includes 15 protected natural areas totaling over 12,000 acres. He coordinates all aspects of the preserve stewardship program, including habitat and watershed restoration, biological resources assessment and monitoring, conservation science research, and public access. He has extensive experience in both land stewardship and field biology, and previously spent eight years working on avian research and conservation projects for a number of organizations, including the U.C. Santa Barbara Marine Science Institute, Point Blue Conservation Science, and U.S. Forest Service Pacific Southwest Research Station.
NOTE Different Location: Bay Model Visitor Center, 2100 Bridgeway, Sausalito.
Books, posters, and cards will be for sale before and after the meeting.
Doors open at 7 pm. Lecture or slideshow starts at 7:30 pm.
This meeting will include board elections: CNPS members please attend!