Still On Safari
Stay up-to-date with observations! While this is our first journal entry since 2015, we add new observations all the time (and not just plants)! http://www.inaturalist.org/projects/biodiversity-survey-on-the-mt-tamalpais-watershed
Our list is now over 1,000 plants! When we started in 2012, we had around 900. We’ve seen a startling increase in species, and they’re not all weeds! We’ve also actually added more than 100 taxa, since we have removed a few from the list. http://www.calflora.org/entry/plantlist.html#vrid=px77
The greater One Tam area has seen over 80 native plants disappear in the last 50 years. MMWD has lost around 100, in all likelihood, but the strongly coastal areas still within “One Tam” has populations of several hangers-on. Many of these are fire-followers and (hopefully) still in the seedbank; but lots of them have moved north and west or are wet area species and likely these losses are in response to climate change. http://www.calflora.org/entry/plantlist.html#vrid=px453
We need fewer than 250 plants to be “done.” We have been quite successful picking these off a few at a time; last week we caught Gilia clivorum, Lupinus formosus var. formosus, and Trifolium bifidum var. bifidum, and followed up on a report and found a rare plant not seen on district land in a while (it has been seen on State Parks recently), Calandrinia breweri. It’s an excellent plant year, and we have high hopes we’ll make a serious dent in this list—sadly for the loss of society, camaraderie, and teamwork, without public safaris. http://www.calflora.org/entry/plantlist.html#vrid=px296
If you would like to stay involved, and share your “expertise” at botanical blitzing, the California Academy of Sciences and One Tam are each running several all-taxa blitzes over the next couple months. We are working on additional ways for you to continue using your powers of observation for the good of the mountain, and appreciate all you have contributed.
Also check out the lovely article about this project in Bay Nature magazine, participate in the lecture What the Heck Is Citizen Science and Why is it So Important? and join the City Nature Challenge SF vs LA competition!
Thank you!
