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McLaughlin Natural Reserve

SCHEDULE OF EVENTS

2009 Presentations/Lectures/Hikes

Presentations,
Lectures, &
Workshops

Hikes 
(rainy weather cancels)

Volunteer Days

March 29

April 11 & 12

June 20

July 11

March 21

April 5

May 3

May 30

Contact Us!

 

NOTE: Space for all hikes and lectures is limited. Reservations are accepted on a first-come first-serve basis. Unless otherwise stated, please make your reservations by calling Cathy Koehler or Paul Aigner at (707) 995 9005, or emailing mclaughlin@ucdavis.edu

Please provide your name, phone number, and the name of each person for whom you are also making reservations.

 

HIKE: Saturday, March 21, 2009, 9:00am - 4:00pm

Three Counties Hike

Geologist Dean Enderlin and McLaughlin Reserve Co-Director Cathy Koehler will lead us on this tour of the remote corner of Napa County where it meets Yolo and Lake Counties. As we cross Reserve and BLM lands, including Davis Creek Canyon in the Cache Creek watershed and the historic Reed Mine, we’ll observe interesting geologic formations, early-season wildflowers, and other plants such as the primitive conifer California nutmeg. Wear sturdy hiking boots, bring lunch and plenty of water, and dress for all weather. Rain cancels. Meeting location will be provided to registrants.

Saturday, March 21st, 2009, 9:00 am - 4:00 pm.

To sign up, contact Cathy Koehler or Paul Aigner at (707) 995 9005 or mclaughlin@ucdavis.edu (and please give us your phone number).
Rating: Strenuous (with a steep uphill grade), approximately 4 miles. Meeting time: Sunday, February 22, 9:00 am

Leaders: Cathy Koehler (lead); Dean Enderlin (guide)

 

LECTURE: Sunday, March 29, 1:00-2:30 pm (optional field trip 2:30-4:00pm)

"Looking for extraterrestrial life on Earth"

Alien life forms in Lake County?  Well, not really, but research is being conducted at the McLaughlin Reserve to better understand possible survival strategies for microbial life on other planets. On earth, microbes exist in some of the harshest possible environments--hot and cold vents in the deep seafloor, thick blankets of marine sediments on ocean floor rocks, caves and deep mines, perennial ice, high altitude and high radiation deserts. . .the list goes on. Studying such micro-organisms and learning about how their environments provide energy and nutrients to sustain them can help focus the search for life on other planets.

Please join us for a lecture by Dr. Dawn Cardace, an exobiologist working at NASA Ames and conducting research at the McLaughlin Reserve. Dawn has worked on the geochemistry of caves, where she got her first glimpse of extreme life in sulfur caves in the Tabasco region of Mexico, and on the interplay between the geochemistry, mineralogy, and biology of marine sediments. Her current work focuses on the  surveying the geochemistry and microbiology 120 feet underground in subsurface rocks that are stranded blocks of ancient ocean crust. This survey will help to understand better how the deep biosphere on Earth works, and what it can tell us about the potential for life beyond Earth. Dawn will take us through the history of exobiology, and discuss some of the techniques key to the ongoing search for hints of life on other planets. After the lecture, for those who are interested, Dawn will take us to her research site on the Reserve to continue discussions of her work.

Sunday, March 29, 2009 at the UC Davis McLaughlin Reserve, Lower Lake, CA
1:00 - 2:30 pm: Lecture and discussion; Optional Field Trip 2:30 - 4:00 pm.

Reservations are required and are accepted on a first-come first-serve basis.

To make your reservations call the Reserve at (707) 995 9005, or email mclaughlin@ucdavis.edu.
Please provide your name, phone number, and the name of each person for whom you are also making reservations.

 

HIKE: Sunday, April 5, 9:00 am - 4:00 pm

"Grateful Dead and Hole Creek Hike"

In partnership with the Land Trust of Napa County

This hike takes us into a beautiful part of Lake County that very few people ever visit, and passes through various geologic formations on which we can view a diversity of spring wildflowers in the distinct plant communities associated with those formations. The loop we hike begins at the McLaughlin Reserve and almost immediately descends quite steeply to Hole Creek (a tributary of Hunting Creek) on BLM land. The loop then takes us up-creek for a while, after which we climb back out of the canyon to the meadows and slopes below a stunning rock outcrop which we affectionately call Grateful Dead.

All attendees must bring lunch, abundant water, snacks, be prepared for warm weather or showers, and wear sturdy hiking boots.

Limited to 20 attendees. Rain cancels. Meeting location will be provided to registrants.

Sunday, April 5th, 2009, 9:00 am - 4:00 pm.

To sign up, contact Cathy Koehler or Paul Aigner at (707) 995 9005 or mclaughlin@ucdavis.edu (and please give us your phone number).
Rating: Strenuous (with a steep uphill grade), approximately 3+ miles. Be prepared for some creek-boulder hopping and possible foot-dunking during the creek-side portion of the hike.


WORKSHOP: Saturday and Sunday, April 11 and 12, 9:00 am - 4:00 pm both days.

"Introduction to wildflower identification: a two-day botany workshop"

Instructor: Dena Grossenbach, Ph.D. candidate - Department of Evolution and Ecology, UC Davis (with assistance from Reserve staff)

This two-day workshop, aims to provide an introduction to the physical characters used to identify flowering plants to family, genus, and species, and will provide practice in scientific identification of wildflowers using both non-technical and technical field guides including "The Jepson Manual. " Attendees will also gain background knowledge of the evolutionary history and relationships of flowering plants and learn how current classification systems reflect those relationships, all the while focusing on what makes the flora of California so darn interesting! 

Training will involve: lab sessions using stereo-microscopes and hand-lenses to investigate physical structures and learn the terms used to describe these structures in plant identification guides; short excursions around the Reserve to investigate flowers in the field and to collect specimens; a series of “keying” exercises, wherein attendees will start to use their newly acquired skills in understanding and labeling plant structures to identify plants to family, genus, and species using a dichotamous key.

Registration for this workshop closes on April 4th.

Saturday and Sunday, April 11 and 12, 9:00 am - 4:00 pm both days, at the UC Davis McLaughlin Reserve, Lower Lake, CA

This workshop is limited to 20 people. Registration for only one day is not accepted - we can only accept registration from individuals able to attend both days. Registration closes on April 4th. Attendees must bring sturdy shoes for field outings, sunscreen and/or protective clothing, a reusable water bottle, and their own lunches and snacks. Coffee and tea will be provided.

To make your reservations call the Reserve at (707) 995 9005, or email mclaughlin@ucdavis.edu.
Please provide your name, phone number, and the name of each person for whom you are also making reservations.

Although there is no fee for the workshop, a $20.00 donation is suggested to help us cover costs of renting the microscopes.

 

HIKE: Sunday, May 3, 9:00 am - 4:00 pm

"Knoxville Cliff Climb"

The destination for this hike is the cliffs of the Blue Ridge. Starting on Knoxville Berryessa Road in the Knoxville Wildlife Area, we’ll head straight up hill to the sandstone cliffs of the Blue Ridge, ending about 1,000 ft above the valley floor amidst a unique community of wildflowers that occur on the well-drained sandy slopes of the upper ridge, and with a spectacular view the central valley and the complex hills and valleys of Lake, Solano, and Napa Counties. Be prepared for continuous uphill hiking, very steep terrain as we approach the cliffs and as we climb down from the cliffs, and of course continuous downhill hiking on the return loop.

Participants must wear sturdy boots with rugged soles to prevent slipping on loose/steep substrates, bring a lunch, snacks, at least two quarts of water, and appropriate sun protection. The hike is about 4 miles long, but rated as strenuous. Meeting location and directions will be provided to registrants.

Limited to 20 attendees. Rain cancels. Meeting location will be provided to registrants.

Sunday, May 3rd, 2009, 9:00 am - 4:00 pm.

To sign up, contact Cathy Koehler or Paul Aigner at (707) 995 9005 or mclaughlin@ucdavis.edu (and please give us your phone number).
Rating: Strenuous, approximately 4 miles.

 

Stewardship Day: Saturday, May 30, 9:00 am - 4:00 pm

"Fourth Annual Goat Grass Grab"

Serpentine areas in California provide some of the few remaining examples of truly native California grasslands. Over most of California, our native grassland species have been replaced by invasive annual grasses from Europe and Asia. Most of these invasive species are unable to tolerate the harsh soil conditions on serpentine, and so serpentine meadows have become a refuge for our native grassland flora. Barbed goatgrass is a noxious weed from the Mediterranean and Asia that shows unusual tolerance to serpentine. It is rapidly invading serpentine meadows and other grasslands throughout California, where it can dramatically reduce native species abundances if allowed to establish dense populations.  

Our mission during the goat grass grab will be to comb some of the best native serpentine meadows in the McLaughlin Reserve area, and selectively hand-pull goatgrass before it has a chance to spread. Bring work gloves. Lunch and refreshments will be provided, and we will cook a group dinner at the reserve field station at the end of the day. Meeting location will be provided to registrants.

If you are interested, please contact Cathy Koehler or Paul Aigner at (707) 995 9005 or mclaughlin@ucdavis.edu (and please give us your phone number).

 

LECTURE: Saturday, June 20, 1:00-2:30 pm

"When the Darwinian struggle for existence is more like a cakewalk: how mild conditions and helpful neighbors influence the evolution of plants"

Presented by Dr. Erin K. Espeland, USDA ARS, Northern Plains Agricultural Laboratory, Pest Management Research Unit, Sidney MT

Evolution through natural selection is constantly occurring all around us. Historically people have thought of biological evolution as occurring along timelines of hundreds of thousands of years, but examples such as the accumulation of herbicide resistance in weed species have taught us to think about evolution on human time scales.

The intimacy with which plants respond to their environment, and how populations evolve as a result of this response, is a fascinating way to examine evolutionary processes over short periods of time. Plants tend to occur near other plants, either of the same species or of different species. Interactions between plants have traditionally been thought of as competitive, with each plant preventing others’ access to water, nutrients, and light. However, it also turns out that plants can actually help one another survive. This positive interaction in survivorship is not only a force of natural selection, but it can also streamline the process of adaptation in a more general way.

Not all plant populations are equal in their ability to adapt, and plant populations have very different evolutionary challenges compared to animal populations. In a conservation and restoration context, we see that many plant populations will need to undergo adaptive evolution in order to persist when faced with new pest invasions and with climate change. Dr. Espeland's research at McLaughlin reserve helps us understand that some environmental factors are more important than others in driving evolution in plant populations, and these factors can affect both the direction and the rate of adaptation.

Saturday, June 20, 2009 at the UC Davis McLaughlin Reserve, Lower Lake, CA
1:00 - 2:30 pm: Lecture and discussion.

Reservations are required and are accepted on a first-come first-serve basis.

To make your reservations call the Reserve at (707) 995 9005, or email mclaughlin@ucdavis.edu.
Please provide your name, phone number, and the name of each person for whom you are also making reservations.

LECTURE: Saturday, July 11, 3:00-4:30 pm (optional mini-field trip 4:30-5:30 pm)

"Can native species help us control unwanted weeds?  Native tarweeds vs. yellow starthistle"

Presented by Kris Hulvey, Ph.D. Candidate, University of Califonia - Santa Cruz

When working to control weed spread in grasslands, it is important to understand the extent to which biodiversity and the composition of plant communities influence the ability of a non-native species to invade. Similarly, when trying to decrease abundances of invasive plant species, it is important to consider whether restoration with particular native species can result in higher success in controlling the target invasive species.

Kris Hulvey has been focusing her research both on understanding what makes grasslands vulnerable to invasions as well as how to restore invaded areas so that these areas become less vulnerable to re-invasion by unwanted weeds. Her main focus has been the weed, yellow starthistle. This familiar non-native weed species is problematic for ranchers and managers of wildlands alike. When pastures become dominated by starthistle, they no longer support sufficient amounts of forage plants for cattle. Similarly, wildland meadows suffer severe loss in native species when invaded by starthistle. In both cases, understanding what might keep starthistle from invading or re-invading grasslands is key to maintaining natural diversity and healthy ecosystem functions.

Kris will discuss results of three experiments that highlight the role that native competitive plants – and in particular, California’s tarweeds – can play in decreasing starthistle invasion/re-invasion. While tarweeds are not the solution to everyone’s starthistle problems, understanding how tarweeds and other competitive plants interact with starthistle in grasslands can help land managers of all sorts determine the best way to manage their weeds.

Join us afterwards for a tour of one of the experiments mentioned in the talk. This restoration experiment, which is a cooperative effort with the McLaughlin Reserve managers, looks at the success of various restoration actions in controlling yellow starthistle re-invasion.

Saturday, July 11, 2009 at the UC Davis McLaughlin Reserve, Lower Lake, CA
3:00 - 4:30 pm: Lecture and discussion; Optional Field Trip 4:30 - 5:30 pm.

Reservations are required and are accepted on a first-come first-serve basis.

To make your reservations call the Reserve at (707) 995 9005, or email mclaughlin@ucdavis.edu.
Please provide your name, phone number, and the name of each person for whom you are also making reservations.

Trail Maintenance Volunteer Opportunities.

Are you interested in hiking in a beautiful location and helping out the Reserve at the same time?  We are looking for volunteers who are interested in helping with minor trail maintenance, especially by hiking the trails so they remain distinct on the ground. For those who are interested, we also need help finding outlying populations of some of our target invasive weed species, and volunteers can help us locate these by hiking around the Reserve in more remote areas. Finally, for those interested in native flora there are opportunities to make plant collections for addition to the McLaughlin herbarium specimens, and help us refine our floristic inventory.

If you are interested in being a volunteer hiker and/or plant-spotter, please contact Cathy Koehler or Paul Aigner at (707) 995 9005 or mclaughlin@ucdavis.edu (and please give us your phone number).