Pre-Conference Workshop at 2018 CNPS Conservation Conference in Los Angeles
Grass ID: You can totally do this! An Introduction to Grass Identification
Instructors: Andrea Williams, Vegetation Ecologist, Marin Municipal Water District; Michele Hammond, Botanist, East Bay Regional Park District; Rachel Kesel, Conservation Management Specialist, One Tam
Register at CNPS Conference Website: $70 Attending the Conference / $90 Not Attending the Conference.
- Early registration: through October 31, 2017
- Regular registration: November 1, 2017 – January 14, 2018
- After January 14: onsite only (subject to availability, register before January 14 to guarantee your spot)
The goal of this workshop is to give attendees confidence and skills to key an unfamiliar grass, and recognize key characteristics and groupings. First, a brief introduction to the ecological history of California grasslands will be offered, followed by a summary of the current status of this valuable resource with respect to weed invasion, restoration, and land use. Workshop leaders will go over important grass anatomy and associated vocabulary before introducing the grass key found in the 2nd Edition of The Jepson Manual (Eds. Baldwin et al.), as well as online resources for assistance in keying. Participants will spend some time with fresh and dried specimens, examining characters and understanding groupings of grasses to form a basis on which to build further knowledge.
This workshop is designed for botanists, resource and range professionals, ecologists, as well as interested landscape professionals and home gardeners. Participants should have a basic understanding of dichotomous keys and plant anatomy.
Participants will receive key excerpts and supplies to create reference specimens.
Andrea Williams is a Vegetation Ecologist for Marin Municipal Water District on Mt. Tamalpais as well as a board member of the California Native Grasslands Association. She has worked in coastal grasslands from Northern California to Oregon off and on for 25 years.
Michele Hammond is a Botanist for the East Bay Regional Park District in Alameda and Contra Costa Counties, and is also a board member of the California Native Grasslands Association. She has studied California grasslands and their ecology and management for the past 20 years.
Rachel Kesel is a Conservation Management Specialist for One Tam. She holds a Master of Science in Conservation from University College London, where she honed her research and field skills. She loves grasses and grasslands, but then who doesn’t?
