Hastings Natural History Reservation

04 Aug, 10 AM - 05 Aug, 07 AM

Big Sur Forests and Grasslands (OVERNIGHT) Sudden Oak Death has killed over a million trees in California, with millions more currently infected with the exotic pathogen, Phytophthora ramorum. While P. ramorum is recovered from nurseries around the world, there are only a few areas where this pathogen has escaped into wildlands and caused such devastation. This field trip will travel the central California coast from the ESA (Ecological Society of America) Conference in San Jose to showcase the unique Santa Lucia Mountains of Big Sur, home to grasslands, oak woodlands, redwood forests, and one of the most severe P. ramorum infestations in the state. Ecosystem-level forest and Sudden Oak Death research projects will be visited and described. We will go into infested forests to view symptoms in the field and to talk about the ecological and management impacts with leading experts in this subject. Participants will view disease impacts on a landscape scale, see a newly infected forest, and enter into a forest that has been completely changed by P. ramorum. We will also visit a large, ecosystem-level research project in Big Sur to speak with researchers about the challenges of studying this disease and its impacts. We will head south to Julia Pfeiffer Burns State Park and hike inland on the 4-mileWoldsen loop trail. It begins in the cool, towering redwoods (Sequoia sempervirens) with huge tanoaks (Lithocarpus densiflorus) filling the understory where symptoms of P. ramorum are hardly noticeable and the forest looks healthy. However, about ? mile up the trail you see symptoms on California bay laurel (Umbellularia californica), tanoaks, and oaks (Quercus spp.) that become more abundant as you proceed. The trail, which can be steep and uneven, steadily gains elevation for the first 2 miles bringing you out of the redwood-tanoak forest and into coastal California mixed evergreen forest. At the top you pop out of the forest into coastal sage brush with views of the Pacific Ocean directly below you. After the Woldsen trail, we will head north and stop at Big Sur State Park where the disease has literally devastated tanoak and oak populations for some time now. Participants will begin to understand the full potential of P. ramorum on the region as a whole. We end the first day at the University of California?s Hastings Reserve in Carmel Valley, where we will have dinner and stay overnight. The following morning we will discuss the unique oak woodland and grassland system at the Reserve and hear about various research projects taking place there. Hastings is located in the Sierra de Salinas, on the most northerly end of the Santa Lucia Range that makes up the Big Sur wilderness of central coastal California. Located about 26 river miles upstream of the Pacific on the Carmel River watershed, Hastings includes the confluence of three seasonal creeks that feed into Finch Creek, and then the Carmel River. Immediately adjacent to Hastings are a complex of vernal pools and springs that support the endangered California Red-legged Frog (Rana aurora) and one of the few coastal populations of the federally listed, endemic California tiger salamander (Ambystoma californiense) that have not hybridized with tiger salamanders introduced from Texas and other western states to much of the Sierra de Salinas. Most of Hastings has not been grazed for 60 years, and the reserve is home to several rare, unplowed native perennial grasslands. This area is of high conservation interest focused on the vernal pools and oak woodlands. Within driving distance are redwood forests, coastal terrace grasslands, central valley foothills, some of the most productive farmland in the world, stands of endemic pine and cypress, and diverse, endemic shrub communities Hastings is unique in California in that it has over 60 years of intensive observation and collection effort in an area that has been carefully protected to reduce human impacts. Complete collections of invertebrates, plants, and vertebrates are curated at Hastings or in nearby institutions. Over 30 long-term ecological data sets have been compiled on plants and animals at Hastings. Many other ecological data sets are also available. We will be hiking 6-8 miles on trails that will take us through different habitats and climates. The weather in August in Big Sur is typically cool and foggy at lower elevations but hot and sunny up on the ridges and inland. Dress in layers, wear sturdy hiking shoes and bring sunscreen. In Big Sur there is always the risk of coming in contact with poison oak; wearing long pants is recommended. Not recommended for children. You will need to bring your own bedding (pillow case, light sleeping bag or sheets), towel and toiletries for the overnight stay at Hastings Reserve. LIST OF Participants:

Visit #13130 @Hastings Natural History Reservation

Approved

Under Project # 8610 | Public Use

Ecological Society of America Field trip

research_scientist - University of California, Davis

Reservation Members(s)

Group of 3 K-12 Instructor Aug 4 - 5, 2007 (2 days)
Group of 13 Other Aug 4 - 5, 2007 (2 days)

Reserve Resources(s) | Create Invoice

Bunk House Cottage 16 Aug 4 - 5, 2007
Fanny's Cabin/Caboose 16 Aug 4 - 5, 2007
Hallisey House 16 Aug 4 - 5, 2007
Hastings Cabin 16 Aug 4 - 5, 2007
Ranch House 16 Aug 4 - 5, 2007
Red House #1 16 Aug 4 - 5, 2007
Robertson House 16 Aug 4 - 5, 2007
School House 16 Aug 4 - 5, 2007
Stucco House 16 Aug 4 - 5, 2007