Ahart Herbarium
Ahart Herbarium presents
All Things Botanically Related (Series)
Staff and students at the first cultural burn on the CSU Campus in over 170 years, coordinated by Don Hankins. Photo by Jake Hutchison, Enterprise-Record
Dr. Don Hankins
Restoring Land with Fire
Presented by Don Hankins
Professor of Geography and Planning at California State University, Chico
Thurs, January 16, 2025
7pm - 8pm
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Fire is an integral process in many California Ecosystems which have largely been shaped through Indigenous fire stewardship. The departure from active landscape burning resulting from land use changes, policy, and other factors has made these systems vulnerable. Restoring fire to maintain ecosystem health and other benefits is critical, but obtaining desired outcomes is nuanced. This presentation will illustrate the interconnected nature of Indigenous knowledge to shape ecocultural relationships through fire stewardship to restore ecosystems and enhance climate and social resilience.
Dr. Don Hankins is a Professor of Geography and Planning, as well as the University Reserves Land Stewardship Coordinator at California State University, Chico. He has a B.S. in Wildlife, Fish and Conservation Biology and a Ph.D. in Geography from the University of California, Davis. His interests and expertise are in pyrogeography, ecohydrology, landscape ecology, intervention ecology, conservation, environmental policy and Indigenous stewardship. Don has been involved in various aspects of environmental planning, stewardship, conservation, and regulation for a variety of organizations and agencies including federal and tribal governments. Drawing from his academic and cultural knowledge he is particularly interested in Indigenous traditional knowledge and policy and their application as a keystone process to aid in conservation and stewardship. He has published several articles specific to Indigenous prescribed fire and the social dynamics of colonization on cultural burning. Amongst other projects his current research includes longitudinal studies of fire effects on biodiversity, cultural resources and hydrology and overall environmental resiliency in riparian forests, oak woodlands, and meadows in California and Eucalypt and tea tree woodlands in the Cape York Peninsula, Australia. These projects involve working with local Indigenous communities in the respective areas to achieve a broader framework of collaborative stewardship and learning. Don has also been active in policy related to Indigenous stewardship particularly as related to fire and water management.
Local forest
Eric Knapp
Forest Management in a Hot and Fiery Future: Lessons from the 2024 Park Fire
Presented by Eric Knapp
Research Ecologist with the US Forest Service, Pacific Southwest Research Station
Thurs, February 20, 2025
7pm - 8pm
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The 2024 Park Fire started in Chico’s Upper Bidwell Park following a record-setting July heatwave. Among areas burned was the Ishi Wilderness, including the Beaver Creek Pinery – a remote plateau with a unique old-growth ponderosa pine and black oak forest. This forest was shaped by frequent fire, the last in 1994, and in many ways looked like forests of the past, prior to removal of Tribal management and prior to implementation of fire suppression policies. Previous wildfires did not kill the mature trees in this stand even when nearby areas suffered substantial losses. What characteristics protected the forest from loss, or was it just luck? This question led to a study, initiated in the mid 1990’s, with plots established and monitored over time. The data provide a rare contemporary reference for managers wishing to restore fire-resilient structures to forests elsewhere. But will such stands hold up to a wildfire burning under some of the most severe conditions possible? And how long can a forest be without lower-intensity fire in this landscape, before it loses that desired resilience? This talk will discuss the outcomes of the Park Fire and implications for maintaining forests, like those of the Beaver Creek Pinery, under today’s fire climate.
Eric Knapp is a Research Ecologist with the US Forest Service, Pacific Southwest Research Station, based in Redding, CA. He has been studying the fire ecology of ecosystems native to the north-state for over two decades.
All Things Botanically Related - Past Presentations:
Rare Alkali Wetland Plant Species in the Southern Great Basin and Mojave Deserts
Rare Alkali Wetland Plant Species
Dr. Naomi Fraga
Research and Conservation of Rare Alkali Wetland Plant Species in the Southern Great Basin and Mojave Deserts
Presented by Naomi Fraga
Director of Conservation Programs, California Botanic Garden
Thurs, November 21, 2024
7pm - 8pm
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The southern Great Basin and Mojave deserts in eastern California and western Nevada support numerous special status plant species that are endemic to alkali wetlands. These species face numerous threats including groundwater extraction, off-highway vehicle (OHV) trespass, mining exploration, grazing ungulates, and climate change. Groundwater pumping and subsequent hydrological alteration has been identified as the most significant threat to the long-term persistence of these species. I present ongoing research with the goal of informing conservation efforts for four species: Astragalus lentiginosus var. sesquimetralis (Sodaville milkvetch, Fabaceae), Chloropyron tecopense (Tecopa bird's beak, Orobanchaceae), Nitrophila mohavensis (Amargosa niterwort, Amaranthaceae), and Zeltnera namophila (spring-loving centaury, Gentianaceae). In late spring of 2024 a large group of volunteer botanists (and the first meeting of the unofficial Astragalus appreciation society) employed a pilot study to evaluate the utility of using spectral imagery to identify potential habitat for alkali wetland species using Astragalus lentiginosus var. sesquimetralis. Results of our survey and potential utility of these data will be discussed. We will also present preliminary population genetic and phylogenetic results for Chloropyron tecopense and Zeltnera namopila to evaluate the distinctiveness of disjunct populations.
Beginning her work at the Garden in 2001, Dr. Naomi Fraga has taken on various roles; currently she serves as Director of Conservation Programs. Fraga earned her Ph.D. in 2015 from Claremont Graduate University and Rancho Santa Ana Botanic Garden. Her research focuses on systematics of the species formerly treated in the genus Mimulus (Phrymaceae) and commonly known as monkeyflowers, as well as the floristics of California, conservation of rare species, and pollination biology.
California Phenology Thematic Collections Network
Ahart Herbarium is actively photographing specimens in the collection and linking the images to the collection information for each species. This information is accessible through the California Phenology Thematic Collections Network (www.CCH2.org(opens in new window)). Through a National Science Foundation grant, the Herbarium will be imaging over 30,000 specimens in the collection which will be similar to the one here. Collectively, over 23 different herbaria and collections across California will be located on CCH2. Check out the website!(opens in new window)
Ahart Herbarium passed another minor milestone by accessioning over 125,000 specimens – see the number 120,000 stamped in the middle of the Herbarium logo on the lower left side of the sheet in the left photograph. This specimen is another fine example of the collecting and specimen mounting of Lowell Ahart – his collection number 21,434 from last summer.
Located in Holt Hall room 129, the Herbarium is the most complete repository of plant specimens from northeastern California. The emphasis is on the northern California flora, and includes a great number of rare, threatened, and endangered plant species. Established with specimens donated by the late Professor Vesta Holt in the 1950's, the herbarium now contains more than 107,000 dried and mounted plant specimens. The majority of samples are flowering plants, conifers, and ferns, but bryophytes, lichens, and especially slime molds, are also well represented. The herbarium is used extensively for identification of sensitive and other plant species by various agencies and individuals. Loans of herbarium specimens are made to any higher academic institutions who request them.
Facilities available to visitors to the herbarium include the use of high-quality dissecting scopes, a compound microscope, an extensive reference library, an internet-connected computer, an internet connection for personal computers, and, with suitable training, access to the collection of specimens.
Users of the herbarium facilities and collection are encouraged to make plant collections during their field excursions and donate them to the herbarium. This is how the collection grows and increases its utility and importance to the whole botanical community.
Friends of the Ahart Herbarium Workshops!
Discover the Fascinating World of California Bryophytes!
Sat/Sun, February 1-2, 2025
9am – 4:30pm
Chico State University/Bidwell Park
California is home to over 800 species of bryophytes—mosses, liverworts, and hornworts—each playing a vital role in our ecosystems. Join this two-day, hands-on workshop to explore their diversity and learn the skills to identify and appreciate these remarkable plants.
What to Expect:
- Day 1: Start with an introductory lecture on bryophyte basics, then head to Bidwell Park for a field trip to practice identification techniques and explore habitats where different species thrive.
- Day 2: Spend the day in the lab using microscopes to study bryophytes, learn essential terminology, and work with keys to identify specimens to genus and species.
Whether you're a beginner or a plant enthusiast, this workshop will open your eyes to a whole new dimension of California’s native flora!
Register here by January 16, 2025(opens in new window): Registration is limited to 16 attendees (8 minimum). See flyer here (PDF) for fee structure and more information.
Instructor
Ben Carter is a Senior Environmental Scientist in the Bishop office of the California Department of Fish and Wildlife. He studied mosses for his PhD at UC Berkeley and has spent most of his career studying the ecology, biogeography and floristics of California mosses. Contact Ben at benjamin.carter@wildlife.ca.gov for more information.
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Ahart Herbarium is open to the public!
Hours are Fridays 9:00 am to 5:00 pm, and by appointment.
Visiting the herbarium is by appointment only, by contacting the Curator at ljaneway@csuchico.edu.