California’s desert region supports hundreds of rare and unique plants, and is also the location of a renewable energy development boom. Even where vegetation communities are left intact or restored inside facilities, ground-mounted infrastructure may have negative impacts on desert-adapted plants because it creates novel rainfall runoff and shade conditions.
Join us for this talk to learn how Karen is using experimental solar arrays in the Mojave Desert to test how these altered conditions affect plant performance. She is studying the response of the annual community overall, and focusing on populations of two sunflowers in greater detail: the rare Eriophyllum mohavense (CRPR 1B.2) and the closely related common E. wallacei. She will discuss how panels alter local microhabitats, how annual species respond and how insights gained may help reduce negative impacts of energy development.
Karen Tanner is a PhD candidate at University of California, Santa Cruz, where she also studies strategies to improve salt marsh restoration outcomes at the Elkhorn Slough National Estuarine Research Reserve (Monterey County). Learn more about her salt marsh restoration studies at www.karenetanner.com/index.php/saltmarsh/.
Karen served as our Chapter’s Invasive Plant Chair for Santa Clara County in 2014. Before training as a plant ecologist, she worked in the computer software industry for 15 years and prior to that she earned a degree in fine art.
Mon Jul 21 @ 8:30AM - Alum Rock Park Restoration |
Tue Jul 22 @ 7:00PM - 09:00PM Native Plant ID: Onagraceae (Evening Primrose) and Polygonaceae (Smartweed/Buckwheat) |
Wed Jul 23 @ 8:30AM - Alum Rock Park Restoration |
Thu Jul 24 @ 7:00PM - 08:30PM Get Inspired! Maintain a Native Plant Garden, A Talk by Stephanie Morris |
Fri Jul 25 @ 9:00AM - Edgewood Restoration |
Fri Jul 25 @ 7:00PM - 08:50PM Photography Group - Photo Sharing Meeting |
Sat Jul 26 @ 8:00AM - 10:00AM Lake Cunningham Native Garden |
Sat Jul 26 @ 9:00AM - 11:00AM Cataldi Park Native Garden |
Sat Jul 26 @ 9:00AM - 11:00AM Kirk Park Pollinator Garden |
Mon Jul 28 @ 8:30AM - Alum Rock Park Restoration |