NPSO 2019 Annual Meeting

July 12-14     Klamath-Siskiyou Mountains

Field Trips

Sunday July 14, 2019    9:00 - 3:00                    Field Trip # 33

Difficulty:     Moderate  (Approximately 1 mile) - off-trail with uneven terrain, but without too much elevation gain.

Elevation:     Located at 6,000 feet. Elevation gain will depend on the desire of field trip participants.

Group Size Limit:     15

Trip Description:     This field trip will be a moderate off-trail excursion, botanizing at Silver Fork Basin and Kettle Belly Glade below Dutchman Peak and Observation Peak on the Siskiyou Crest. The extensive meadow system contains showy displays of wet, moist and dry meadow species. Abundant bees and butterflies will round out the show.

We will visit Silver Fork Basin and if we have time we will visit additional wetlands and meadows in the vicinity.

At an elevation of 6,000 feet we will explore off the road through meadows and wetlands. Barb knows the wildflowers and Cindy will be able to help identify grasses - native as well as non-native. This will be an easy to moderate trip depending on how far we venture from the road.

Silver Fork Basin is at the top of the Silver Fork of Elliott Creek, located on the Rogue River-Siskiyou National Forest, at the headwaters of the Applegate River, near the California border and the boundary with the Klamath National Forest.

Floristic Highlights:     Marah oregana, Lupinus polyphyllus, Tofieldia glutinosa, Veratrum californicum, Paeonia brownii, Sidalcea oregana, Helenium bigelovii, Rudbeckia occidentalis

Appropriate Footwear:     Wear sturdy shoes for off-trail hiking.

Special Considerations:     There will be lots of flowers, butterflies and native bees. Bring a camera, binoculars and hand lens if you prefer. We will be on a high elevation ridge with sun and wind exposure. Prepare and stock your backpack appropriately. Bring sun protection, extra water and snacks. Bring trekking poles if you use them.

Plant Lists:     There are no specific plant lists for Silver Fork Basin itself, but we can use the nearby plant lists for Observation Peak and Dutchman Peak.

Meeting Place and Time:     Trip # 33 leaves at 9am from Pacifica.

Alternate Meeting:     To accomodate trip members who aren't staying at Pacifica, this trip will also pick up members at its first stop at Star Ranger Station at 9:30, (6941 Upper Applegate Road).

Driving Directions:     Directions to Silver Fork Basin:

From Pacifica, head right (southerly) across the Applegate River and through the town of Applegate on HWY 238 about 18 miles. Turn right on Hamilton and go past Cantrall-Buckley County Park. Turn right on Upper Applegate Road, driving 7.5 miles to Beaver Creek Road (Road 20) and turn left. Eventually Road 20 turns to gravel. Turn right onto Road 2025 at the Silver Fork Gap intersection and continue the short drive to Silver Fork Basin and Kettle Belly Glade. Note: Road 20 contains washboard sections and is a bit rough and narrow near Dutchman Peak; it is still passable in regular cars, although best in AWD or 4WD.

Driving miles from Pacifica to trailhead:     36 miles one way from Pacifica. (Drive time about 1 hour and 10 minutes.)

Leaders:       Barbara Mumblo & Dr. Cindy Roché

Barbara Mumblo has lived in the eastern part of the Applegate Valley for 42 years. Dr. Frank Lang piqued her interest in botany during a field trip to Mt. Ashland in 1976 which led to her graduating from Southern Oregon State College (now Southern Oregon Univ.) in 1980 with a BS in Biology (mostly botany classes). She worked as a botanist at Star Ranger Station from 1987 to 2015 when she retired. Barbara was selected as a NPSO Fellow in 2018 for her efforts in plant conservation and noxious weed education. Her contributions to the Siskiyou Chapter have been significant including volunteering on the 2019 Annual Meeting planning committee.

Dr. Cindy Roché lived and botanized in the Rogue Valley and adjacent mountain ranges from 1998 to 2016. During that time she illustrated grasses for two volumes of the Flora of North America, and taught workshops at the Siskiyou Field Institute. For the past 17 years she has been working with the Carex Working Group on a Field Guide to Grasses of Oregon and Washington, recently published by OSU Press. After moving to Bend, she added sedges to her repertoire by assisting Barbara Wilson in teaching sedge workshops.

Oregon checkermallow (Sidalcea oregana ssp. spicata)

Photographing pollinators and native plants at Silver Fork Basin

Dry and moist habitat mosaic in Silver Fork Basin

Brown's peony (Paeonia brownii)

Silver Fork Basin and Dutchman Peak as seen from Observation Peak.