May 2011 Field Trips
May 14th. A volunteer planting event will be held at the Galena Creek Visitor Center on the Mt. Rose Highway. This is a Forest Service sponsored event. We will be putting out native perennials and shrubs grown by Washoe Nursery to provide landscaping. Please call the Visitor Center at 775-849-4948 for further information and registration. This will be a first part of the native plant landscaping planned for this area.
May 15. Jack's Valley Wildlife Management Area. Trip Leader: Elizabeth Bergstrom, 884-8154.
From Carson area: meet at IHOP (3883 S. Carson St.) for breakfast at 8:15, otherwise at 9:30.
From Reno: for car-pool meet at pink Scolari's (S. Virginia St., Reno), for Carson IHOP breakfast, at 7:30, otherwise at 8:30.
Final Meeting place: parking lot of the Jacks Valley Elementary School at 10:00. From Highway 395 south of Carson City turn west onto Jacks Valley Road (Target and Home Depot Shopping Center intersection) and proceed several miles to the elementary school.
We will be looking for the Carson Valley monkeyflower, a minute yellow flowered annual which is currently being described. This plant was formerly described as Mimulus montiodes and is limited to the foothills of Carson and Eagle Valleys with a disjunct occurrence in the Red Rock area outside of Reno. Much of the habitat for this plant has been developed.
In addition to the monkeyflower we will have a chance to see many more spring annuals. The fieldtrip will run until around noon so you will have some gardening time at home in the afternoon!
May 21. Sand Mountain. Bring food, water, insect repellent, suntan lotion. Be prepared for any type of weather. High clearance vehicles recommended.
First meeting place: 8:00 am, at the west side of the parking lot at the Legends Shopping Center, southwest of Scheels, nearest the Sparks Marina. Take the Sparks Blvd. exit from I-80, go north about ½ mile to East Lincoln Way and turn west, go around the first roundabout and follow the road to Scheels.
Second meeting place: 9:15 am at the McDonalds on the west side of Fallon.
From Carson vicinity: meet at Forest Service office, 1536 S.Carson St. (US 395) Carson City, to leave at 8:00. Rendezvous with Reno group at 9:15 at Fallon McDonald's on US 50.
While there we will look for Penstemon acuminatus var. latebracteatus, Astragalus lentiginosus var. kennedyi and Castilleja angustifolia var. flavescens. This area was a stop on the Pony Express.