The CNPS Plant Science Training Program is proud to present a two-day Riparian workshop, at the, Casitas Springs (between Ventura and Ojai) Target audience: Professional and student botanists, biologists, and ecologists. Participants should have knowledge of plant terminology and plant identification skills. Primary Instructors: David Magney, botanical consultant Ken Niessen, botanist and GIS specialist Cher Batchelor, botanical consultant Course Description: This is an intensive short course on riparian system plant identification, ecology, habitat delineation and classification, and regulations associated with riparian habitats. This course is specifically designed for the environmental consultant or agency staff that wants or needs to improve their knowledge and skills about riparian habitats. Attendees will learn: how to identify many riparian plant species, including the challenging willows; the rules and regulations that apply to riparian habitats; how they function, including physical, chemical, and ecological functions; and how to delineate and map riparian habitats. Emphasis will be given to southern California species and habitats; however, information learned in this class will be readily applicable throughout California and elsewhere. The class will include classroom presentation and exercises, and field excursions, primarily into the Ventura River, a dynamic free-flowing river. We will spend about half the time in the field. Participants, who successfully complete an open and closed-book test at the end of the workshop, will receive a certificate of completion. 1
Instructor Bios David L. Magney, President of David Magney Environmental Consulting and leader in CNPS, is a biologist/botanist and physical geographer with a thorough knowledge of the flora of California with 25 years of field experience. Mr. Magney has worked on and managed a large variety of projects throughout the Pacific southwest including biological resource inventories, vegetation mapping and classification, wetland delineations and restoration, rare plant surveys and ecological studies, fisheries habitat assessment and mitigation design, fisheries monitoring, small mammal trapping and surveys, biological impact analysis and mitigation, and construction and mitigation monitoring. He formed DMEC after spending 2 years with Fugro West, 6 years with Jones & Stokes Associates, and 3 years with Dames & Moore. Mr. Magney has also worked for the USFS and UCSB Herbarium. Mr. Magney earned a BA in Geography and Environmental Studies (emphasis in botany) from University of California, Santa Barbara in 1985. He also holds an A.S. in Landscape Horticulture. Mr. Magney successfully completed training courses in wetland delineation (1989) and Federal wetland policy (1991) from the Wetlands Training Institute; training in the Corps of Engineers Hydrogeomorphic Assessment Methods (HGM); and courses on hydric soils, wetland hydrology, CEQA and NEPA, Endangered Species Acts, and vernal pools. He has taught courses or given presentations on wetland impacts and mitigation, CEQA, Clean Water Act permitting, water quality, and wetland delineation methodology. Mr. Magney has authored two floras in California and presented numerous papers on vegetation and water quality. He serves on the Environmental Review Board for Los Angeles County Regional Planning, the City of Ojai s Tree Committee, and is very active in CNPS (Board Member and Channel Islands Chapter president). Ken Niessen is a botanist and GIS specialist living in Ojai California. He has a bachelor s degree in biology from UCLA (1986) and a master's in Botany from UC Berkeley (1988), both with emphases in plant ecology. He has worked for US Forest Service at the Ojai Ranger District of the Los Padres National Forest since 2004, and also works as a consultant for the USGS at Channel Islands National Park and the Ojai Valley Land Conservancy. His particular expertise is in weeds, sensitive species, and GPS/GIS mapping. He is on the CNPS Channel Islands chapter board, and frequently leads plant hikes and training sessions for local organizations. Ventura River, David Magney 2
Cher Batchelor is a biologist/ecologist with Rincon Consultants, specializing in ecological studies of natural, naturalized, and disturbed ecosystems; gathering floristic and ecological data; and performing statistical data collection design for analysis. Ms. Batchelor has a B.S. in Ecology and Systematic Biology (emphasis in Ecology), California Polytechnic State University, San Luis Obispo (1995). She has four years of field experience in biological studies and has a working knowledge of the California flora. Ms. Batchelor is currently completing field surveys of botanical resources, including special-status species, for throughout Ventura and Los Angeles Counties. Ms. Batchelor has performed biological surveys, special-status species surveys, and upland vegetation mapping and classification She has conducted wetland delineations, restoration plantings, and mitigation monitoring in several locations in southern and central California. She prepared wetland permit applications and assisted in preparing detailed wetland mitigation and monitoring plans. Ms. Batchelor has conducted extensive construction-phase monitoring for projects working within wetlands, including two projects on the Ventura River. She assisted in an intensive and watershed-wide study of existing wetlands, and in developing wetland restoration plans for several sites, within the Calleguas Creek Watershed. She conducts CEQA Initial Studies, as an on-call biologist for the Ventura County Planning Division, performing sensitive biological resource assessments for Ventura County discretionary projects. 3
Equipment List, Location, Cost, and Other Details Please bring the following: Hand lens Clipboard Field notebook and pencils Ziplock bags for collecting plant material Water for field days Lunches for two days (packable) Sturdy boots Field clothes appropriate for the weather and conditions (e.g. protection from rain, sun, heat/cold, insects, etc.). Jepson Manual or Blue Munz Location:, 8437 Edison Drive, Casitas Springs, off (west of) State Route 33, between Ojai and Ventura. Cost: $390 CNPS members $400 non-members To register, please go to http://cnps.org/cnps/education/ Please call Josie Crawford, Plant Science Training Coordinator, for any information about this or other workshops in the Plant Science Training Program at (916) 447-2677 or email her at jcrawford@cnps.org Physical requirements: Participants should be physically able to hike two miles over uneven terrain and remain in the field for a half-day at a time. Participants will receive a certificate of completion after successfully completing an open and closed-book test at the end of the workshop. 4
Wed, November 7 Proposed Agenda (subject to change) 8:30 a.m. Meet at coffee and tea Introductions Introductory Lecture 11:00 a.m. Ventura River field study Plant identification and riparian ecology Lunch in field (please bring your own lunch and beverage) 1:00 p.m. Continued plant identification and riparian ecology 4:30 p.m. Break for day Thurs, November 8 8:30 a.m. Meet at coffee and tea Riparian delineation and mapping 11:30 a.m. Ventura River field study Delineation, plant identification and riparian ecology Lunch in field (please bring your own lunch and beverage) 1:00 p.m. Continued Field Study 3:00 p.m. Questions and answers Test on material for certificate of completion (closed and open-book) Course Evaluations 4:30 p.m. End of workshop 5