The Southwest Chapter of the Colorado Native Plant Society explores, preserves, and enjoys the flora of the Four Corners 
area. We welcome new ideas for field trips, activities, and programs, and we especially welcome new members from Colorado, New Mexico, Arizona, and Utah. Please share the following agenda of field trips and other activities with friends. If you have questions, feel free to contact the Southwest Chapter President, Al Schneider, by email or call him (970) 882-4647.
All of our programs and field trips are free and open to everyone -- members and non-members.
Officers of the Southwest Chapter:
Al Schneider, President: email
Eve Gilmore, Vice-President: email
John Bregar, Treasurer: email
Publicity: Beverly Danielson: email and David Wright: email
Click for information about the programs and outings of the
San Juan Chapter of the Native Plant Society of New Mexico (Farmington area) and the Flagstaff Chapter of the Arizona Native Plant Society.
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2009 Programs
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January 26: Social, Photo Show, and 2009 Field Trip Planning
Durango Recreation Center 6:30-9:30 p.m.
We will start the evening with a photo show by Eve Gilmore of plants of South Africa. Following this we will plan our field trips for 2009. If you cannot attend, please call Al (970-882-4647) with your field trip requests and ideas.
March 30: Social and Photo Show
Durango Recreation Center 6:30-9:30 p.m.
Ross McCauley, the new Botany Professor at Fort Lewis College, will show us photos of Oaks of Mexico and the Four Corners.
As always, we will also socialize and enjoy homemade sweets.
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2009 PLANT IDENTIFICATION CLASS
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HOW TO IDENTIFY WILDFLOWERS
Friday, May 1, 2009, Dolores, Colorado
(Note the change from Telluride, Colorado)
Class sponsored by the Colorado Native Plant Society
Are you a wildflower lover who gets frustrated year after year at not being able to identify (or remember!) the gorgeous plants you see each summer? Do you remember the plants but want to know more about them? Come learn at a wildflower class presented by the Colorado Native Plant Society.
You will learn to identify plants using a number of methods, short cuts, and plant keys. Detailed characteristics of leaves and flowers will be discussed using photos and live specimens. Characteristics of the major plant families will be noted. Other subjects covered include: the difference between common and scientific names, pronouncing and understanding scientific names, which identification books to buy, the differences in various botanical keys, how to use these keys, and common keying problems and solutions. The Four Corners wildflower site (www.swcoloradowildflowers.com ), plant photo shows, plant keys, microscopes, and live specimens of plants will be used. There will be plenty of time for your questions.
Presenters of the Workshop are Colorado Native Plant Society members Al Schneider and John Bregar. Al is President of the Southwest Chapter of the Colorado Native Plant Society, Vice-President of the state CoNPS, webmaster for the Society (www.conps.org), and author of www.swcoloradowildflowers.com. John is a retired geologist, superb botanist (and birder), and leads many trips with the Colorado Mountain Club, Durango Birding Group, and Colorado Native Plant Society.
Al and John look forward to seeing you.
Date: Friday, May 1, 2009
New Time: 8:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. Please be in the classroom by 8:15 a.m. But remember that you must pay and register prior to the class. See below.
New location: Dolores Public Lands Office, Highway 184 just east of its intersection with Highway 145. Note that this is the new Public Lands Office. The old office in Dolores is closed.
Cost of the ID class: $30 ($20 for members of the Colorado Native Plant Society). The $30 fee includes a year membership in the Colorado Native Plant Society for new members.
Bring: magnifying glass if you have one, sack lunch, cup, plate, cloth napkin, etc. Refreshments will be served.
PRE-REGISTRATION IS REQUIRED.
PAYMENT WITH REGISTRATION IS REQUIRED.
REGISTER EARLY; CLASS SIZE IS LIMITED.
When you mail your registration and check,
please include your
mailing address,
phone number,
and email address.
Make your check out to: Colorado Native Plant Society and mail to:
Al Schneider
19049 Road V
Lewis, Colorado 81327
Call Al (970-882-4647) or email him for more information.
Cancellation Policy: If you cancel more than two weeks before the class, i.e., before April 17, all but $5 of your fee will be refunded. There will be no refunds in the last two weeks before the class, i.e., no refunds after April 16.
Your notice of cancellation may be given by email ( webmaster@conps.org ) or phone (970-882-4647). If it is given by regular mail
(Al Schneider, 19049 Road V, Lewis, Colorado 81327),
it must be postmarked by the above dates.
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2009 Field Trips
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Please join us for a great time with beautiful flowers
and friendly companions.
General field trip information
Contact the trip leader to reserve a place on the trip
and to find out about the exact meeting place and time.
As they become available, details will be added to the trips announced below
and more trips will be added.
1) All trips listed on this page are free and open to members and non-members.
2) There are three different levels of trips; you are welcomed on all trips. Leaders on all trips are open to all levels of plant questions. Come learn with us.
a) Trips for *avid botanists*: Weber's Flora of Colorado, West Slope and a hand lens are used to examine very fine details in unusual and often inconspicuous plants. These trips are very slow paced and they focus on determining the exact species using scientific names -- although these avid botanists have been heard to whisper common names.
b) Trips for **budding botanists**: Some plants are examined with a hand lens, and there is plenty of time for questions about basic botany. The leader will name many of the plants observed and will discuss techniques for identifying plants. These trips cover more trail distance and focus on determining genus for most plants, species for some. Common and scientific names are used.
c) Trips for ***wildflower enthusiasts***: These are wildflower appreciation walks. The leader will give basic ideas about wildflower identification and the names of many plants are given. These trips might cover a number of miles. Common names are used -- although a few folks whisper scientific names.
3) Unless otherwise stated, trips are limited to 15 participants.
4) Trips leave promptly from the trailhead.
5) No pets.
6) Children who are enthusiastic about wildflowers and who are accompanied by an adult are welcomed.
7) Most trips are in and out on the same trail so if you can only walk short distances, you may sit down, enjoy the wildflowers, and wait for us to come back.
8) As indicated in the Society Bylaws, there is to be no collecting of plants except for herbarium specimens.
9) Be sure to call the trip leader if you cancel, otherwise everyone will be waiting for you at the trailhead.
To see photos of Four Corners plants, including plants mentioned in the trip descriptions, go to: www.swcoloradowildflowers.com.
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2009 FIELD TRIPS
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This trip is full. April 25: Botanize the Four Corners Area
This trip is for **budding botanists** and *avid botanists*.
Join expert Navajo botanist, Arnold Clifford, as we search for the unexpected -- which we always find.
Trip leader: Arnold Clifford. Email or call Al 970-882-4647 for information and reservations.
May 2: Rim of the Canyons Spring Wildflowers
This trip is for ***wildflower enthusiasts*** and **budding botanists**.
Join the Price family on their farm at the edge of Monument Canyon near Dove Creek for spring botanizing. We will do some slow walking and botanizing before lunch and then walk the canyon rim for more flowers and long views. The vegetation is Pinyon-Juniper. On the trail to the point we will see Pedicularis and Townsendia as well as Scarlet Gilia, Astragalus, Lupinus, and much more. N-NW of the house along the low rim we find Cacti, and when we drop into the bottom there will be Cottonwoods.
Contact trip leader Dana Price for information and reservations: Email or 505-872-2646.
May 23: Beautiful Mountain, Navajo Reservation
This trip is for **budding botanists** and avid *botanists*.
Join Arnold Clifford for unique flora and long views on Beautiful Mountain on the Navajo Reservation.
Contact Al Schneider for information and reservations: email or 970-882-4647.
Castilleja chromosa photo by Loraine Yeatts
June 14: Magnificent Wildflowers of Mesa Verde National Park
This trip is for ***wildflower enthusiasts*** who want to do some walking.
Mid-June on the Prater Ridge Trail near the entrance of Mesa Verde National Park provides a superb wildflower display. Depending on the weather and the group, we will walk 3 1/2 or 4 1/2 miles.
Contact trip leader Al Schneider for information and reservations: email or 970-882-4647.
This trip is Cancelled
June 20: In Search of the Giant Onions
This trip is for ***wildflower enthusiasts***.
We will be searching out Triteleia grandiflora, a huge and lovely onion commonly found in the Northwest but found in Colorado only in a small area of Ponderosas north of Dolores, Colorado -- hundreds of miles from the Northwest locations. Click for photos and details about Triteleia grandiflora.
Contact trip leader Cara MacMillan for information and reservations: email or 970-882-6854.
July 18: Alpine Wildflowers
This trip is for ***wildflower enthusiasts***, **budding botanists**, and *avid botanists*.
We will travel to an alpine area or two near Silverton. After scouting to see which of several areas would be most suitable, trip leader, John Bregar, will determine the exact locations about a week before the trip. Candidates for the trip destination are Melanie Highline, Maggie Gulch, Minne Gulch, Stony Pass, and similar areas where we can drive to the alpine zone.
This will be an exploratory trip, because we have not botanized them extensively, so come prepared for surprises! We may cover a fair bit of ground, calling off names of common flora without spending a lot of time on them, but if we encounter something unusual, we will unsheathe the hand lenses and take the time to work through botanical keys.
We will meet at a Durango location (to be announced) at 6:30 AM to carpool. If you have 4WD, please bring it. Our early departure will give us a better chance to enjoy morning sunshine before possible monsoon thundershowers chase us away. Come prepared with sun block for sunshine, warm clothing in case it's cool, and rain gear should we be caught in a shower.
Contact trip leader John Bregar for information and reservations: email or 970-385-1814.
July 25: Annual Pilgrimage to Worship the Wildflowers on the Pass Creek Trail
This trip is moderately paced for ***wildflower enthusiasts*** who want to do some walking.
About 80 species of wildflowers will be blooming in abundance along the two miles of trail (4 miles round trip) covered on this trip from subalpine forest to alpine meadows. Our focus will be on enjoying the overall mass of flowers, not on identifying every species or looking at them in great detail. We will make many stops so we'll hardly notice the 800 feet of elevation gain. Participants can wait anywhere along the trail if they are tired, and the group will come back past them on the way back to the cars.
Bring lunch, rain gear, and a warm hat and coat. Hiking boots are recommended.
Contact trip leader Travis Ward for information and reservations: email or 970-247-1310. Trip limit is 15.
August 1: Stroll Through the Wildflowers at the New Lone Mesa State Park
This trip is moderately paced for ***wildflower enthusiasts*** and **budding botanists**.
As we wander wide open meadows and rolling hills of Ponderosa Pines, we will find dozens of species in bloom, including the newly discovered species, Gutierrezia elegans. At times we will be moving very slowly as we examine some plants in detail and at other times we will walk more continuously. There will be plenty of time for wildflower photography and for questions about the plants we see.
Lone Mesa State Park is under development and will not be open to the public for a number of years, so this is a special chance for you to see it.
Contact trip leader Al Schneider for information and reservations: email or 970-882-4647.
August 6-9: The New Mexico Native Plant Society Annual Meeting in Taos, New Mexico
Native plant society annual meetings always have great lectures and many fine field trips. The Native Plant Society of New Mexico always puts on an informative meeting with excellent speakers and field trips. This year's meeting has the added attraction of Taos mountains, culture, and civic pride.
Click for details. If you plan to go to this meeting, please call Al, 970-882-4647, to arrange carpooling.
August 28 (Friday): Mushroom Hunting.
This trip is slow paced for ***wildflower enthusiasts*** and **budding botanists**.
Join recently retired Fort Lewis College Professor of Biology, Page Lindsey, as we hunt for and then eat wild mushrooms.
(More details to follow.)
Limit of 15 participants.
Contact Al Schneider for information and reservations: email or 970-882-4647.
August 29: Fire Ecology in Ponderosa Forests: The Story Told by Fire Scars
This trip is moderately paced for all levels of botanical interest.
Fire expert Roz Wu will take us into the forest north of Pagosa to learn about the tales that fire scars tell and to learn about all aspects of fire in the forest.
We will meet at 9:30 a.m. north of Pagosa and finish about 2 p.m. Bring lunch, water, rain gear, and curiosity.
Contact Charlie King for information and reservations: 970-731-4794.
September 11-13: Colorado Native Plant Society Annual Meeting in Fort Collins. No matter what your level of interest in Colorado plants, you will enjoy the meeting's great speakers, field trips, and socializing. For details, click the Annual Meeting link at top left.
Phil Kemp tells us about Aspen/Spruce/Fir forests in the chill of a 2007 field trip.
