CSERC Blogger

This past weekend my co-worker Lindsey and I ventured out of Leavitt Lake (just east of Sonora Pass) down into Kennedy Canyon for a three-day backpack trip into the new western addition of the Hoover Wilderness and the Emigrant Wilderness. During this adventure we were treated to expansive alpine views of granitic and volcanic mountains, as well as an amazing abundance and diversity of wildflowers in bloom.

 
Based on our experience, I recommend getting out to the high country today (around 9000′) to enjoy an incredible wildflower season in its peak. Here are some photos highlighting our journey- be sure to share with us your own pictures and mountain adventures by commenting here or email me at: julias@cserc.org. Enjoy!

 
Julia Stephens, CSERC associate

This summer CSERC staff is especially busy with field work and much of their work time is spent in the beautiful surrounding mountains, as they conduct research and monitor resources.

Below is a gallery of photos taken by staff members this year as they work and play in this amazing region – we hope you enjoy them and are inspired to get out there on your own!

-Julia Stephens, CSERC associate

There is something truly special about seeing a woodpecker when you are out in the woods. Whenever I encounter one I can’t help but announce their presence to whoever happens to be listening, and I stop what I am doing to enjoy watching them for however long I can.
Actually, there are many different species of woodpeckers found in our region, with twelve species listed on the Central Sierra Audubon’s “Birds of Tuolumne County” page!
This blog describes some of the distinctive and interesting traits of a few of the well-known species of woodpeckers that you might run into in the woods. Here they are, in no particular order:

 
1. Acorn Woodpecker

This robin-sized charismatic and relatively common type of woodpecker is found throughout the oak forests in the western United States. Recognizable by their “clown face” (eyes surrounded with black), they are well known for their ability to collect and store acorns. Families of acorn woodpeckers (composed of up to three breeding females and seven breeding males), work together to create “graneries” in trees, wooden fences, and telephone poles, drilling holes to fit thousands of acorns for the upcoming winter consumption.

 

 
Also interesting to note, is that young juvenile woodpeckers stay with their parents for several years helping to raise more young.

 

 

 
2. Black-backed Woodpecker
These woodpeckers are also around the size of a robin, and are distinguished by an all-black back, black and white bars on their flanks, and the males have a bright yellow-crowned head (the females have black heads). Their preferred habitat are wooded areas that have recently burned, as their diet consists largely of wood-boring beetles and grubs that are plentiful in these locations.

 
3. White-headed woodpecker

  These woodpeckers have the distinction of being the only North American bird species with a white head and black body! Males have a red crown, while the females have an all-white head, and these woodpeckers are also the around the size of a robin. Their preferred diet consists of almost entirely of pine cone seeds, which they are skilled at cracking open the shells of to get to.

 
4. Northern Flicker

 When I see a northern flicker in the woods, usually its because I have startled it from the ground, and all I can see of it is its rear end as it flies away from me- the wings a reddish brown color, the rump white, and a flight pattern that seems to fit the name “flicker”.

 


 
The flicker prefers to forage on the ground as it finds ants for nourishment by scratching at the ground with their claws and lapping them up with their barbed tongues. They are between the size of a robin and a crow, and have a black spotted belly and a black striped back, as well as reddish-brown patches on the underside of their wings.

 

 

 
5. Pileated Woodpecker

 The pileated woodpecker is a well-known image to many Americans, as it was the source of inspiration for the well-known animation character, Woody Woodpecker. It is actually the largest of the common North American woodpecker species, and what stands out to me besides their size when identifying them is their long “zebra striped” head and neck, and the red crown which stands up in the back like a punk rock haircut.


 
Their favorite food is carpenter ants which they get to by (very loudly) drilling large rectangular holes into trees, which are in turn utilized by many other bird species for accessing other yummy insects. They prefer large older trees and snags for nesting and roosting, and have struggled to make a comeback after the deforestation of much of their habitat over the last century.

 

 

 
Is there a type of woodpecker you were hoping I would describe but somehow missed? Do you have a good woodpecker story the world needs to here? Share it with us here or on CSERC’s Facebook page!

 
-Julia Stephens, CSERC Associate

I have found that becoming familiar with the local flora, fauna, and natural history in our area truly enhances my outdoor experiences. For example, learning how to identify the different plant species that grow in this area, makes me start to notice more about their habitat: what other plants grow around them, if they prefer shade or sunlight, the kind of soil they grow best on, or what elevation range they grow in. The more I learn, the more I truly appreciate the what an ecosystem really is, and how we are all part of it.

 

With this in mind, I wanted to provide resources for those who prefer to learn about their environment through experience. Getting out there with the experts can really skyrocket your level of knowledge, not to mention help you meet other folks with similar interests!

1. The High Sierra Institute: Based near Sonora Pass at the historic Baker Station, the High Sierra Institute offers a huge variety of affordable classes such as: wildflower identification, geology, bird identification, nature journaling, backpacking, and much more. You can sign up by enrolling at Columbia College or Modesto Junior College (it is free to enroll): the class cost ranges between $41-67 (including lodging but not food), and class length ranges from 1-4 days. For a list of courses being offered this summer, visit the High Sierra Institute’s website, or enroll through Columbia College by linking here.

 

2. The Central Sierra Audubon Society:
For those who want to improve their birding skills, these are the folks to hang out with! They offer birding field trips open to the public, as well as host a diverse assortment of speakers who are experts in their own field at their semi-regular monthly meetings. To see what classes are being offered by the Central Sierra Audubon Society, click here.

 

3. The Sierra Club:
If hiking is your thing, then look no further. The Mother Lode Chapter of the Sierra Club will connect you to their many local Groups throughout the Sierra Nevada, all of which offer a variety of guided hikes in their region which the public is welcome to participate in. Hikes range from one to multiple days in duration. Click here for a link to regional hikes being offered by the Sierra Club!

 

4. The California Native Plant Society, Sierra Foothills Chapter:
Being a plant person, I am a big fan of these guys. If you are looking to stop and smell (and learn) the flowers, check out their 2010 planned outings, by linking to the Chapter president’s excellent wildflower website.

 

5. Camping Women Sierra Foothills Chapter:
For females who want to get outdoors in a supportive social group. This group has a large list of very affordable activities planned such as: weekly kayaking paddles, day hikes, backpacking, and camping trips. Their website describes their mission well: “We share with one another our knowledge of: camping skills, music and singing, cooking methods, camping gear and shelters, nature identification, and our love of the out-of-doors. Most of all, we have fun!” Get connected with other outdoor-loving females, and check out their schedule of events.

 

6. Do it yourself, but with help:

Sometimes we just want to get out there on our own for a variety of reasons. If this is your case, and you are looking for that one essential field guide that will help you identify much of the flora and fauna out there, I highly recommend the beautifully illustrated and easy to use book “The Laws Field Guide to the Sierra Nevada”. To learn more about this groundbreaking book or to order one online, link here, or you can also buy one from the Central Sierra Audubon Society at any of their meetings.

 

I hope you found this helpful, but if you have any questions please be sure to let me know and I will do my best to point you in the right direction. Was there a group that I missed? Let me know what you think should be on the list.

Julia Stephens
CSERC Associate

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Ever since I “discovered” the Highway 49 wildflower bounty between Coulterville and Mariposa last Spring, I have been waiting eagerly for an opportunity to revist this glorious area. If you haven’t been yet, wait no more and get out there today! The variety of foothill wildflowers range from a multitude of chinese houses, poppies, popcorn flower, brodiea, monkeyflowers, jewelweed, fairy lanterns and so much more.

What makes going right now even better is the large amount of rainfall we have received has every possible drainage showing off with its own unique cascade or waterfall to wander along and explore. Here are a few images from my trip yesterday to tantalize your flower loving tastebuds. If you have any questions about where to go, please be sure to let me know!

One word of caution: there is poison oak, so know what it looks like to avoid it!

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It was tough leaving Yosemite Valley on Saturday where the waterfalls cascaded over the spectacular granite cliffs as the snow melted in the high country. As beautiful as it was, the descending spring break crowds spurred me back to the Groveland area to stay with friends for the night, leaving the Merced watershed and hoping to find a more quiet corner to hike in the Tuolumne River watershed the next day. There are so many corners of this County that I have yet to explore, so I was excited to find a new trail, hoping for some sun and wildflowers. Luckily, my friends had a great suggestion: to hike along Cherry Creek and the Tuolumne River on the Andresen trail.

This particular section of Cherry Creek flows downstream of Cherry Lake where it meets the Wild and Scenic Tuolumne River, both drainages regulated by Hetch Hetchy Water and Power. This stretch of Cherry Creek and the Tuolumne River is referred to as the “Cherry Creek run”, one of the most difficult commercial sections of whitewater in the state. It is upstream of the more popular whitewater run referred to as “the T”, which starts from Lumsden Road and travels through 18 miles of spectacular scenery and whitewater ending at Don Pedro Reservoir.

The Andresen trail starts just below the Holm powerhouse, on the north side of Cherry Creek, where it meanders through large, moss covered canyon live oaks that cling to the hillside. Calling this drainage a “creek” is an understatement this time of year. Cherry Creek in late March was raging and crashing over boulder gardens with some seriously impressive rapids. It looked like a river to me, which got us to wondering…at what point does a creek get named a river? Hmmm…

We carried on through the filtered shade of the oaks where the poison oak was just starting to leaf out a deep red color that warned us to watch out when taking a closer look at more interesting flora like the western hounds-toungue. As the trail opened up, we admired the glowing green of the leafing buckeyes, which, with the ceanothus shrubs, dominated this hillside. The trail continued above Cherry Creek and soon we were to the confluence with the Tuolumne River and hiking above the river canyon. We traveled up and down through popcorn flowers, blue dicks, fiddleneck, prairie star, and poppies, over mossy drainages and granite steps. We stopped often to listen to the calls of the canyon wren or to notice a distant raptor catching a current high above the canyon.

Soon we came to Jawbone Creek, which raged down the hillside before dumping into the Tuolumne River below us. This posed a formidable barrier and we decided to eat lunch on the boulders at the creek, rather than trying to cross during spring run-off. We were deafened by the sound of the raging creek while we relaxed before turning back.

Rebecca Cremeen, CSERC planning specialist

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This last week I let the warm weather get the better of me and I decided to head down to the foothills to Table Mountain, near Jamestown and New Melones Reservoir.

Table Mountain is considered by some to be the world’s best example of an inverted stream, as approximately 9 million years ago a volcanic eruption originating near Sonora Pass rushed down a former river channel filling it with a volcanic mud and lava. As millions of years of erosion have taken place on the landscape since this eruption, the softer soils and rock of the surrounding landscape has eroded away revealing this ancient flow and its flat top, as it sinuously weaves in long segments for almost 50 miles leading from the mountains down to almost Knight’s Ferry where it finally tapers out.

Some people head to this area to climb Table Mountain’s steep cliffs, but I had come to hike with my dog companion Monster.

Here are some images from our mini-adventure, hopefully they will inspire you to check out this great spot, or to get out to your own special hiking area.

At the base of the mountain, oak woodlands dominate the scenery.

Monster was impressed with the colorful assortment of wildflowers on top.

If you would like directions to or a trail map of Table Mountain or other great local hikes, visit CSERC’s Scenic Destination page!

-Julia Stephens, CSERC Associate

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Recently I was surprised to learn that a friend of mine who I have always known to be an avid backcountry adventurer also happens to be an incredibly talented nature photographer. All of us here at CSERC are very excited to encounter his inspiring artistic interpretation of the natural landscape of this region- reminders of what CSERC works so hard to protect.

This is just a sampling of Forrest’s photographs. If you would like to see more of his work visit his Flickr page by linking to it here. Please remember to credit Forrest for his work if you use any of his images for your own personal use.

I hope that you enjoy Forrest’s photos as much as we do- please let him and CSERC know if you would like to see more in the future.

-Julia Stephens, CSERC associate

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Love it or hate it, rain and snow can control our life in the Sierra Nevada during the winter.

In the spirit of the season, here are some lightly educational and entertaining links to winter-related topics and activities for our readers to enjoy. Click on the titles of each section to visit sites that provide great info and images on each topic.

I really enjoy looking under a magnifying glass at snowflakes as their incredible and unique shapes are revealed up close. Snowcrystals.com has some great images as well as breaks down the different patterns that snowflakes make.

Read on »

As we approach the coldest and wettest time of year in the Sierra Nevada, I notice that the shorter daylight hours and sometimes less than sunny weather makes it harder for me to get off of the sofa and into the fresh air after a day at work or school. I still find time to get outside on my days off being passionate about skiing, but overall I am tempted to be much less active in the winter time.

Lately my dog Monster has been especially pitiful when I get home, and doesn’t seem to understand why I won’t take him running in the dark. Feeling guilty, I have begun to make an effort to be active in the cold, wet, darkness of our winter evenings, and have surprised myself with how much I love it! Taking Monster for walks through my neighborhood in the night, I find myself looking up at the sky above and marveling how bright and clear the stars are this time of year.

Read on »