permaculture

["Lawrence F. London, Jr." <london>]

---------- Forwarded message ----------
Date: Fri, 9 Dec 1994 06:08:18 -0800
>From: Adolf Ceska <aceska@cue.bc.ca>
To: ben@cue.bc.ca
Subject: BEN # 84


BBBBB    EEEEEE   NN   N             ISSN 1188-603X
BB   B   EE       NNN  N
BBBBB    EEEEE    NN N N             BOTANICAL
BB   B   EE       NN  NN             ELECTRONIC
BBBBB    EEEEEE   NN   N             NEWS

No. 84                               December 9, 1994

aceska@freenet.victoria.bc.ca        Victoria, B.C.
-----------------------------------------------------------
 Dr. A. Ceska, P.O.Box 8546, Victoria, B.C. Canada V8W 3S2
-----------------------------------------------------------

BOTANY BC 1994 - FINALLY ON BEN
>From : Ted Lea <tlea@fwhdept.env.gov.bc.ca>

I  finally got around to completing the writeup on Botany BC for
BEN. ... Sorry this took so long.

BOTANY BC took place June 20 to June 25, 1994 in the Haida Gwaii
(the Queen Charlotte Islands) and was one of the finest meetings
ever, comparable to the earlier Bamfield meeting  of  1989.  The
organizing  committee of Ros Pojar, Jim Pojar, Trudy Chatwin and
Evelyn Hamilton should be congratulated for a well organized and
excellent program of both botanical and non-botanical activities

Highlights included:

A short morning session  of  informative  talks  by  Jim  Pojar,
Leslie  Goertzen,  Alvin  Yanchuk,  and Mike Hawkes, followed by
field tours of tidal wetlands, coastal forests and  sand  dunes.
The expertise of Jim Pojar, Hans Roemer, Wilf Schofield and many
others  was greatly utilized by participants. We saw some inter-
esting sand dune plants: beach  peavine  (Lathyrus  littoralis),
beach  lupine  (Lupinus  littoralis),  seashore  bluegrass  (Poa
douglasii   var.   macrantha)   and   beach   glehnia   (Glehnia
littoralis).  An  evening  salmon feast in the sun at Tlell, was
followed by Woodhenge on the beach, celebrating summer solstice.
The site was blessed by an eagle feather which assured  no  rain
for the remaining days. This was also the scene for a variety of
bizarre  botanical  rituals. Some botanists also took the oppor-
tunity to visit the famed Golden Spruce.

The following day consisted of field tours visiting  an  amazing
array  of  bogs,  including  the blanket bogs with their sundew,
yellow waterlily, and natural  bonsai  of  hemlock  and  yellow-
cedar,  as  well  walks  up  Tow Hill and to the blow hole. That
evening incredible Hors d'oeuvres in Masset were followed  by  a
Haida  feast in Old Masset (Haida) where botanical and piscerian
products were consumed with great relish. This was  followed  by
native  dancing,  including  a  male  only  dance  for botanical
guests.

A highlight  of  the  whole  tour  was  the  boat  trip  through
Skidegate  Inlet to the west coast aboard the Anvil Cove, hosted
by Barbara and Keith Rowsell. Meals were again to high standard-
s, and camping in the forest was a wonderful experience  without
the usual Queen Charlotte rain. Early morning sessions on marine
plants by Mike Hawkes led to the search for the elusive Sea Palm
(never found). Tidal pools teamed with interesting sea life such
as,  sea  cucumbers,  sea  anemones,  starfish,  many species of
marine algae and much, much more.

Unfortunately, the helicopter trip to the alpine limestone areas
and endemics, was cancelled due to low  cloud,  however,  hearty
souls  hiked  as  close  as  they  could get and were treated by
seeing filmy fern, Mecodium wrightii  and  the  Queen  Charlotte
endemics:   Newcombe's  butterweed  (Senecio  newcombei),  Queen
Charlotte butterweed (S. moresbiensis), curly-hair  moss-heather
(Cassiope  lycopodioides  ssp.  crista-pilosa),  Queen Charlotte
violet (Viola biflora subsp. carlotae), Calder's lovage  (Ligus-
ticum  calderi) and Taylor's saxifrage (Saxifraga taylori). Many
people took the boat tour to Gudal Bay, and Marble Island to see
the Horned Puffin nesting sites and the speedy Peregrine Falcon.
No whales were seen, assuring a return to the Misty Isles in the
future.

The new book Plants of Coastal British Columbia was put to  many
uses  during  the field sessions. Many keen botanist were busily
seen keying out plants, while others were seen  using  it  as  a
fine seat cushion or sun block.

For  those who missed this year's BOTANY B.C., many of the magi-
cal moments were recorded by John Parminter on his camcorder and
will be shown at next year's 10th annual meeting which  will  be
held in the Chilcotin area.


CONSERVATION OF NORTH AMERICAN FUNGI
>From: Amy Rossman
      (originally  posted  on  the Biological Conservation News-
      letter No. 138 - distributed by CONSLINK@SIVM.SI.EDU)

The number of fungal species estimated  to  exist  on  earth  is
approximately  1.5  million, yet little is known about the rela-
tive abundance of these  species,  or  if  any  are  endangered.
Nevertheless,  many  species  of fungi appear to be declining in
Europe and in the Netherlands. Eef  Arnolds  points  to  nitrate
deposition  as  being responsible for the decline of many mycor-
rhizal species, which are necessary for the health of their tree
hosts. Some mycologists are also concerned about the effects  of
mushroom  harvest  on  fungal  populations. The decline of these
fungi could directly  affect  the  health  of  the  forest,  and
Europeans   are   taking   steps  to  safeguard  populations  of
threatened fungal species by creating "red lists,"  which  regu-
late the collection of selected species.

There  are no "red lists" for fungi in North America, but recent
reports indicate that  many  fungi  may  be  endangered  in  the
Pacific  Northwest  due  to  habitat  loss. The Forest Ecosystem
Management Assessment Team (FEMAT),  commissioned  by  President
Clinton  to examine forestry practices in the Pacific Northwest,
lists 527 fungal species which are closely associated with  late
successional  forest  ecosystems.  Of these, 80 are endemic, and
destruction of their habitat could result in  their  extinction.
One  example  is  Oxyporus  nobilissimus,  which  is  a polypore
restricted to old growth Abies; it is known from only  12  loca-
tions.  A  less  dramatic  but  equally notable example is Tuber
rufum, a truffle which has a  beneficial  association  with  the
roots  of oak. Western oak habitat is being lost to agricultural
and residential development, and as the oak goes,  so  goes  the
truffle.  The FEMAT report calls for inventory and monitoring of
western oak habitat.

The inclusion of fungi in federal  ecosystem  assessments  is  a
landmark in the history of mycology and conservation. Management
agencies  are  starting  to  acknowledge  that  good stewardship
includes consideration of all species, and that microbes such as
fungi occupy important ecosystem niches and require protection.

The FEMAT report can be obtained by calling (503) 326-2877.


NITROGEN, ENVIRONMENT, AND PEOPLE: AN INTERNATIONAL CONFERENCE
>From: Craig MacConnell <cbmac@coopext.cahe.wsu.edu>

February 23 & 24, 1995
Everett, WA

A conference focusing on nitrogen in our environment:

        What role does it play ?
        What are the health concerns ?
        How do we manage it successfully ?

Nitrogen, Environment, and People is a two-day conference focus-
ing on the effects and management of nitrogen  in  our  environ-
ment. The conference is intended to provide a comprehensive view
of  nitrogen  to  gain a better and broader understanding of its
effect on our natural resources - particularly water.

Conference topics will  include  the  sources  and  movement  of
nitrogen  in  our  environment,  potential  health concerns, and
successful management tools for reducing nitrate  contamination.
The  goal: to provide the tools and understanding needed to help
achieve sustainability of our natural resources.

The conference  will  provide  valuable  information  to  anyone
dealing  with  resource sustainability issues - health officers,
land use planners, public policy makers, agricultural  commodity
groups,  environmental organizations, Tribes, local governments,
conservation  districts,  and  agriculture  and  water   quality
professionals.  Those  who see nitrogen as a pollutant and those
who see it as a benefit will want to attend this  conference  to
learn more.

The  conference is designed with three concurrent sessions under
the broad categories of:

                        Big Picture
                        Health
                        Management
                        Physical Processes

The conference has scheduled 74 speakers  on  a  wide  range  of
topics.

Registration   is   $80  before  January  10,  1995.  Conference
registration includes: Continental breakfast, refreshments,  and
lunch  both  days  plus  all  conference  proceedings (including
abstracts).

For a complete electronic version of the conference brochure and
registration form send an e-mail request to:

Craig MacConnell
Washington State University Cooperative Extension
Whatcom County, Bellingham, WA
(206)676-6736/Fax(206)738-2458
Internet: cbmac@coopext.cahe.wsu.edu