NPSO 2012 Annual Meeting

Field Trip - Woodcock Bog RNA and West Fork Illinois River

Description

Gentiana setigera
Norm Jensen

Leaders: Marcia Wineteer and Rachel Showalter, Medford District BLM botanists

Difficulty: Easy 2 - 3 miles round trip hiking on road and off trail.

Altitude Gain: 400’

Altitude: 1480 – 1800 feet

Description: Join Marcia and Rachel on an easy hike to the BLM’s Woodcock Bog Research Natural Area. This area represents an outstanding example of a hanging fen on serpentine soils, as well as open forest stands of Pinus jeffreyi (Jeffrey pine) and denser stands of Chamaecyparis lawsoniana (Port-Orford cedar). Most rare species occurring there bloom in the spring, but in July we’ll still see the vegetative leaves of Darlingtonia californica (cobra lily), and blooming Epilobium oreganum (Oregon willow-herb), Gentian setigera (elegant gentian), possibly Calochortus howellii (Howell’s mariposa lily), Viola primulifolia ssp. occidentalis (Western bog violet), and other later blooming species. After spending a couple of hours wandering around the fens at Woodcock Bog, we’ll head south to Obrien and FS Road 4402, which follows the West Fork Illinois River. We’ll stop at another BLM parcel that contains an abundance of rare serpentine species, where we can wander and search for the rare species Arabis koehleri (Koehler’s rockcress), Monardella purpurea (Siskiyou monardella), Epilobium rigidum (stiff willow-herb), Castilleja brevilobata (short-lobe Indian paintbrush), and Eriogonum pendulum (Waldo buckwheat), as well as more common later-blooming species.

Group Size Limit: 12

Time: 8:30am - 3:00pm

RT Mileage: 40 miles

Monardella purpurea
Mark S Brunell

If you have questions that aren't answered here, send email to annualmeeting12@siskiyou.npsoregon.org.