Saturday, May 12, 9:30 a.m.–4:30 p.m.
Participation is limited to 20 people.
The extraordinary property in Sonoma County known as “The Cedars” includes 11 square miles of private and public lands around the headwaters of Austin Creek. The Cedars’ steep and rocky terrain has unique geological features, forested slopes, and seeps and springs; some portions have been compared to a moonscapeThe Cedars is a special place for native plants. It is home to numerous, rare, serpentine-affiliated spe¬cies, including Arctostaphylos bakeri ssp. sublaevis, (Cedars’ manzanita), Epipactis gigantea forma rubrifolia (burgundy-leaf stream orchid), Eriogonum cedrorum (Cedars’ buckwheat), Holodiscus dumosus var. cedrorus (Cedars’ oceanspray), Calochortus raichei (Cedars’ fairy-lantern), Erigeron serpentinus (serpentine fleabane), Streptanthus glandulosus ssp. hoffmanii (Hoffman’s bristly jewelflower), Streptanthus morrisonii ssp. hirti¬florus (Dorr’s cabin jewelflower). We hope to see many of these as well as Rhododendron occidentale (Western azalea), Cypripedium californicum (California lady’s slip¬per orchid), and other important and uncommon plants.
We are fortunate to have Roger Raiche leading us on the tour. Roger, who was director of the UC Botanical Garden for over 20 years, first explored the site in 1981 and acquired a portion of it in 1999. Roger is known for his encyclopedic knowledge of plants and has four plant species named for him.
The logistics for this adventure are challenging. It is an hour drive from the meeting place in Duncans Mills to the trailhead, and the last four miles of the road are dirt and have seven stream crossings. We will need several 4-wheel drive and high-clearancevehicles and therefore, ask participants to sign up ahead of time and indicate whether they have a suit¬able vehicle and are willing to drive others. Priority will be given to participants with suitable vehicles. The exact meeting place details will be made available when participants are confirmed for this field trip.
The field trip will cover about two miles with 500 feet of elevation gain and plenty of uneven ground.
Participants should bring lunch, water, a hat, and hiking poles.
We plan to leave the canyon around 3:30 p.m. to return everyone to their cars by 4:30 p.m.
To sign up, email Susan Schlosser at scschlosser52@gmail.com and indicate whether you can be a driver.
This trip will be cancelled if heavy rain occurs preceding the trip. In addition, if not enough drivers with suitable cars sign up, an alternative outing will be offered on the same date; check the chapter website for more information.
Leader: Roger Raiche
$25.00 contribution requested.