2017 Meetings

SPRING PROGRAMS
January, 2017: Henderson - no meeting scheduled. Have a Happy New Year!

February 2nd, 2017: Reno - Janel Johnson, Botanist and Wetland Ecologist with the Nevada Natural Heritage Program, will give apresentation on 2016's phenomenal Carson Valley monkeyflower super-bloom.

February 6th, 2017: Henderson - Melissa Sanders with Great Basin Institute and Southern Nevada Office of BLM will present her talk entitled "Seeds of Success and the Federal Native Plant Materials Development Program in Southern Nevada".
 
March 2nd, 2017: Reno - Annie Overlin, UNR Research Scientist, will give a talk entitled "Revegetation of an agricultural wetland: utilizing seed bank and response to biomass management to inform restoration and management". 

March 6th, 2017: Henderson - Dr. Jim Boone, Ecologist and founder of BirdandHike.com will present his talk entitled "Gold Butte and the Biology of Elevation Gradients".
 
April 3rd, 2017: Henderson - Mary Poelman, recent graduate from University of Wyoming will present on her thesis "Investigation into the Long-term Persistence of Cultivars along a 30-year Restoration Chronosequence"
 
April 6th, 2017: Reno - Arnold "Jerry" Tiehm, Herbarium Curator at UNR's Museum of Natural History, will provide the program on 2016's botanical surprises from northwestern Nevada. Title to be announced.
 
May 1st, 2017: Henderson, Lesley DeFalco, Research Plant Ecologist from US Geological Survey, Henderson Field Office will present "Our endangered Amargosa niterwort (Nitrophila mohavensis): how does it survive under stressful conditions at Ash Meadows National Wildlife Refuge, Nevada"
 
May 11th, 2017: Reno - Annual Garden Party. Join John Weiser at his dry land rock garden in Sparks, Nevada. The garden features many native species of desert, mountain, and steppe plants from across the west with extensive collections of Eriogonum, Penstemon, and cactus species. The party begins at 5:00 pm and goes until dark (in other words, until you can't see your hand in front of your face). Bring light snacks to share (utensils and beverages will be provided). Photos of the garden can be found here: https://flic.kr/s/aHskUYdCwW. John's address is 485 O'Brien Way Sparks, NV https://goo.gl/maps/r2sD8uUE7Rm. Contact John Weiser - johnpweiser@yahoo.com, 775-331-4485 - for any questions.
 
June 5th, 2017: Henderson, Southern Nevada Spring Photo- and Plant-share meeting. Bring in the best photos of native/unusual plants that you saw so far this spring (20-30 pics/person) to share with others. Please compile them on a USB drive and we will project them on the screen for all to view. Also, if you have live/dried plants that you can't seem to identify, or you have an unusual species to share, bring them along, too! We will have a dissection microscope and plant guides to highlight key characteristics so we can all learn how to identify them in the field.
 

July and August, 2017: Henderson and Reno - Summer Break! No meetings scheduled. Enjoy the rest of the summer.

 

FALL PROGRAMS

September 7th, 2017: Reno - Jim Bishop, California Native Plant Society Fellow, will give a presentation entitled Plant Colors…Beauty and Science all Around Us. Here are some details:  

    Plants offer endless, engaging beauty in their many colors.  There are the blooms of spring in our foothills, lovely desert and mountain wildflowers, the glorious leaves of autumn, and even the beauty of the universal greens of leaves before they turn.  There are interesting stories in all of that.  Part of the story will be about the science—how do plant colors arise, how do conditions such as acidity change pigment colors, what purpose do they serve?  The interesting questions are endless (and not all of the answers are known).  You’ll gain some background that will enrich your understanding and appreciation of plant colors…for example, the fact that plants provide us a key part of the visual means we use to see their beautiful colors…and you’ll have new questions of your own.  And much of the program will be just to enjoy the beauty of the rich and varied colors displayed by plants…flowers, fruits, leaves, and stems…from deserts to mountaintops, from shrublands to fall-color forests and woodlands. 

September 11, 2017: Henderson, Gayle Tyree with the Chicago Botanic Garden will discuss her collaboration with BLM and USGS on the Mojave Ecoregion Priority Species List for Restoration of Upland Habitats. Her talk will focus on how native plant species are selected for large-scale restoration projects and the importance of selecting species that support native pollinators for long-term restoration success. Please note the change in meeting from the first to the second Monday for this month due to the Labor Day holiday on the 4th.

October 2, 2017: Henderson, Tarl Norman, Biologist with National Park Service, will present his talk "Vegetation Management in Clark County: Eldorado Valley, the Muddy River, and beyond".

October 5th, 2017: Reno - Kris Kuyper, Biology Program Manager with EM Strategies, will present Rare Plants in Real Life. Case Studies from a Mine, a Water Pipeline, and a Highway.

November 2nd, 2017: Reno - Janel Johnson, NNPS President, will provide us with an overview of iNaturalist.org, a website to share your natural history observations and help others identify their contributions.

November 6, 2017: Henderson, Nicole Hupp, Ecologist with National Park Service Inventory & Monitoring Program will present her talk "Friends in Low Places: plant facilitation in Nevada's harsh ecosystems." Please note the rescheduling of this presentation from the original September meeting date.

December 4th, 2017: Henderson - Annual Holiday Potluck / Photo & Native Plant Share meeting. Please bring a dish/dessert/etc. to share with others. This is also a time to show your best photos of native/unusual plants from 2017 (20-30 best pics/person). Please compile them on a USB drive, and we will project them on the screen for all to view. Also, if you have live/dried plant specimens that you need help in identifying, or you have an unusual species that will stump us all, bring them along. And for the first time, we will have a native plant seed exchange: please bring native seeds that you have (responsibly) gathered over the past year. Coin envelopes / ziploc bags will be provided for folks to take home seeds.