Sunday May 20th, 2007 Finding "Woodwardia Canyon" and the Mexican flannelbush Otay Mountain, Southern San Diego County
Meet at Lower Otay Reservoir at 8AM return to vehicles at 3:30PM
If you would like to go email Jonathan Snapp-Cook at snappcook(at)gmail.com to reserve a space and get directions for the meeting spot.
Mexican flannelbush (Fremontodendron mexicanum) is one of the rarest shrubs in the California flora. Its large yellow flowers and evergreen foliage set this species apart from most rare species that are small, inconspicuous or otherwise hard to spot. Yet still only one native population of Mexican flannelbush was thought to exist in 1998 when it was federally listed. The fires in San Diego County in 2003 opened up areas that had previously been too densely vegetated to survey and a second population of Mexican flannelbush was found. Further research into the historical herbarium collections found that collections made in 1935 (C. F. Harbison) and 1936 (F.F. Gander and C. W. Wolf) had geographical information that didn't match with the known populations. These herbarium labels suggested that there was (and hopefully still is) another native population on Otay Mountain in "Woodwardia Canyon." The only problem is that it seems "Woodwardia Canyon" is not labeled on any maps. Please join this field trip to locate "Woodwardia Canyon." As forensic botanists we will be armed with the historical herbarium labels and a list of other collections made from "Woodwardia Canyon." We will try to recollect the specimens that our fore-botanist collected from this site and census any new populations of Mexican flannelbush that we find. This field trip is off trail in a BLM wilderness area. There will be approximately 6-8 miles of strenuous hiking on uneven, rocky and steep terrain. Please wear a hat, boots, and long pants. Please bring lunch, at least 2 liters of water, sunscreen, and other appropriate field gear (e.g. cameras, notebooks). Plant pressing material will be provided. Please email Jonathan Snapp-Cook at snappcook(at)gmail.com to reserve a space and get directions. Also, if you have knowledge of any additional clues that would be helpful (i.e. field notes from Harbison, Gander, or Wolf, or a map of "Woodwardia Canyon") please contact Jonathan.