California Native Plant Society -- Marin Chapter Meetup

Leader: Carolyn Longstreth & Todd Steiner, wildlife biologist & Founder of Salmon Protection & Watershed Network (SPAWN)
Please sign up for this field trip on Meetup. Registration Link: (to be provided)
Please sign the CNPS waiver for 2026: CNPS Marin 2026 Waiver
When the first hard rains hit the ground, streams swell and Coho salmon begin their spectacular homeward migration. Participants of this creek walk will witness a tradition that goes back thousands of years, as these fish swim hundreds of miles from their ocean feeding grounds to return to their birthplace and continue the survival of their species. As we watch for spawning Coho and river otters, we will ponder the plight of our endangered Coho salmon and discuss their ancient connection to our iconic coast redwoods and the riparian plant community. We will drink in the moist forest atmosphere and admire the redwood specialist plant community that thrives there.
Please dress in warm layers, as it can be cold in the redwoods. We also recommend bringing waterproof jackets or an umbrella, hiking boots, binoculars, and snacks.
The walk will occur even if there will be light rain on January 3d. But if a heavy rain is forecast, check the Meetup site to find out if the walk will occur. In the event of a strong storm, the walk will take place on the following Sunday, January 10.
The tour will meet at the parking lot for the group picnic site on the other side of the creek from the entrance kiosk for Samuel P. Taylor State Park at 8889 Sir Francis Drake Blvd, Lagunitas. There park has an entrance fee of $8 ($7 seniors) or check out a CA State Parks pass from your local library. Marin Transit Bus 68 serves the park.
Bring: Water, a snack/lunch. Dress in layers.
Rain cancels. Check Meetup for notification. Rain date January 10.
Practice clean trail etiquette. Pocket Guide - Every Step Counts and Cleanliness Tips for Hikers
Email Carolyn with any questions.
Text for day-of-trip questions or issues: 415-233-2777
Limit 20

January General Chapter Meeting
Monday, January 12, 2026 at 7:30 pm
Speaker: Roger Raiche, gardener, horticulturist, botanist, and conservationist

The Cedars - An Island on the Land

The Cedars of Sonoma County is one of California’s hotspots for ecological diversity. The geology of serpentine, an ultramafic rock, is characterized by high iron and magnesium content. It formed deep in the Earth’s mantle and surfaced through the subduction process. This “island” of mantle rock is embedded in Sonoma County within the Coast Ranges of Northern California. The Cedars is characterized by its dramatic topography, featuring deep canyons and rich, red-colored rock. Ultrabasic springs (pH > 11) create another layer of geology. These unique conditions have given rise to a rich ecology, including newly discovered microorganisms, insects, and seven endemic plant species.

Author and lecturer, Roger Raiche, is a founding partner of The Cedars Science Program and Planet Horticulture Landscape Design. Roger is renowned for his keen observational skills and encyclopedic knowledge of the California Flora. Roger discovered and published several new species, including three at The Cedars. Three other California plant species have been named in his honor. Roger has facilitated numerous scientific expeditions across a wide range of disciplines.

Roger’s observation skills have been complemented by his decades-long advocacy for the conservation of California native plant habitats. The creation of the BLM Area of Critical Environmental Concern ACEC at The Cedars and the permanent conservation of The Main Canyon at The Cedars were decades-long goals achieved. Roger is a California Native Plant Society Fellow. “Becoming a Fellow is the highest recognition CNPS awards its members. These members have accumulated extraordinary accomplishments towards the understanding, appreciation, and preservation of California native plants."

https://www.planethorticulture.com/the-cedars/
https://cnps.org/wp-content/uploads/2018/03/Fremontia_Vol37-No2.pdf

Join CNPS and Friends to weed the Alder Creek Preserve restoration site in Inverness.
In 2023, the Inverness Association (IA), cleared the site of a large acacia forest. Since then, an enthusiastic group of IA members, neighbors, and SPAWN volunteers have planted a mix of native trees and shrubs and watered them throughout the summer.
Now the focus turns to tackling the weeds: acacia seedlings, poison hemlock, vinca, African veldt grass, and others. We'd love to have your help!
Location: The site is located about a 1/2 mile north of Inverness village, at the corner of Sir Francis Drake Blvd and Vision Rd. For more information, contact Carolyn Longstreth at cklongstreth@gmail.com.
If you have not done so already, please sign the Waiver for Marin Chapter 2026
Bring: gloves, kneeling pads, and your favorite weeding tool.
Late registrants and walk ins are welcome.

A Mid-Winter Stroll through Tilden Park’s Botanic Garden
Wednesday, January 28, 2026 10 am to 2 pm
Leaders: Anna Gil and Kurt Rademacher

While many of the world’s plants basically “close shop” during winter, for those which evolved to thrive in California’s “Mediterranean” climate with its mild winters and long, hot, rainless summers, the early winter rains signal a spring-like resurrection! Long patient seeds germinate, ferns unfurl, and the mossy tree trunks and iconic yellow hillsides soon erupt into emerald green.

Join us for an intriguing walk through the Regional Parks Botanic Garden tucked into a valley in the Berkeley Hills. This is a “living museum” of California’s varied plant communities, from deserts and alpine meadows to chaparral and coastal rainforests. We will explore how various plants adapt to their unique habitats and seasons: their structures and ‘tricks’ to both thrive and survive the exuberant and the dormant times.

For now, winter uncloaks a surprising palette of variously colored seeds, twigs, and buds in reds, purples, yellows and greens on leafless plants like the various willows, maples and dogwoods. The garden’s scores of Manzanita species are in full, if dainty, bloom, as are some other early bloomers like the anxious milk maids and the secretive fetid adder’s tongue. Don’t expect to see anything abloom in the Sierran meadow section, though we will learn what their alpine colleagues are doing beneath their current snowpack.

Come prepared for a cold-weather walk on potentially wet trails and stony stairways for this peek into the winter world of our native plants. This walk will be about one mile long.

Directions: East Bay Regional Parks Botanic Garden, Tilden Park, via Shasta Road approach, Berkeley. Intersection of Wildcat Canyon Road and South Park Road. Carpool Options: Meet at 9 am, leave by 9:15 Larkspur Landing Shopping Center, aka “Marin Country Mart” near the East end of the shopping center near Design Within Reach

Bring: Water, a snack/lunch. Dress in layers. A hiking pole and sturdy shoes are advised, as surfaces can be uneven. Rain cancels.

Email Ann with any questions: annonfire@gmail.com Text for day-of-trip questions or issues: 530-521-4402

Please:

• New Year, new waiver. Please sign the CNPS Marin 2026 Waiver
• Practice clean trail etiquette. Pocket Guide – Every Step Counts and Cleanliness Tips for Hikers
• No dogs on this trip.