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Field Trips with Friends

The Upper Feather River Watershed is a biodiversity hotspot, the headwaters of the State Water Project, and home to unique species like the Baker cypress and Sierra Nevada yellow-legged frog. Friends of Plumas Wilderness is proud to offer our Field Trip Series to connect our local community with this landscape for both enjoyment and discussion of the challenges facing this region. We seek out local experts who help tell the stories of the land and creatures in the hope that generations from now will have the opportunity to study and explore as we have.

On this great day of celebrating our public lands, come join Friends of Plumas Wilderness Board member and retired USDA Forest Service Ecologist Kyle Merriam and USDA Forest Service Botanist Andrew Fiel to witness the amazing regeneration of the Baker Cypress tree. Both of our experts have studied this unique species for decades and conduct research in the Mud Lake Research Natural Area. They will be our guides and instructors as we tour the Wheeler Peak population of the Mud Lake RNA.  

Baker Cypress (Hesperocyparis bakeri) are only found in 11 locations in northern California and SW Oregon. The two populations located in the Mud Lake RNA represent the highest elevation populations in California, above 6,000 feet. Baker Cypress are a special tree; they have serotinous cones that require high-severity wildfires to melt the resin that seals in their seeds. As the parent tree dies, these seeds sprout and thrive in the sun-drenched open canopy. We will witness this in multitudes 5 years after the devastating Dixie Fire. This is a clever adaptation that historically allowed for fire resilience. However, due to altered fire regimes and more frequent fires, repeated fires threaten the immature seedlings before they can mature and produce new cones, leaving this species vulnerable to extirpation. Come learn more about this fascinating species!

We will meet at our Quincy office at 9am to carpool in vehicles with all-terrain tires and high clearance for an hour’s drive, followed by a short hike.

Bring water, a hat, layers of clothing, and your lunch. We will provide water to refill your bottles and some snacks.

This is a free event, but a $20 donation to our organization would be greatly appreciated so that we can continue to bring these expert-led Field Trips with Friends to you!

Thank you for your support, and we look forward to seeing you on September 26th!

RSVP here!

Have a special place in mind? Or a local expert who wants to collaborate? Drop us a line: hello@plumaswilderness.org

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