Wednesday, September 22, 2021 — 7:30 pm
Please join us to learn from Calflora’s executive director, Cynthia Powell, about new Calflora tools for CNPS native plant professionals, gardeners, and enthusiasts. Calflora aggregates millions of plant observations across the state from dozens of sources and serves them to the public free of charge. These data sources include CCH2 (a worldwide plant information portal from the California Consortium of Herbaria), iNaturalist, and CNPS plant checklists from around the state. How can you better use this incredible resource to learn more about regional plants?
In this presentation, Cynthia will cover Calflora’s planning your garden tool, specimen and other plant observations used in this tool, detailed plant ranges now available on Calflora’s species pages (for example, Grindelia stricta), population monitoring tools, email alerts, and the CNPS East Bay and Calflora collaboration with Dianne Lake and the chapter’s Database of Rare, Unusual and Significant Plants. She will also go over the important role CNPS members play in submitting and commenting on Calflora observations and checklists.
Hands-On Practice with Calflora in the Field
Thursday, September 23, 9-11 am
Attending Cynthia Powell’s September 22 presentation is a prerequisite for attending this free hike.
Email programs@ebcnps.org to sign up for the hike and receive detailed location information.
Two Cynthia species (C. Powell and C. Adkisson) will lead a hike in the Oakland-Berkeley Hills to demonstrate use of new Calflora tools in the field. This will be a moderate hike of about three miles. Due to COVID-19 precautions, we must limit the number of participants on the hike. If there are more hike registrations than spaces on the hike, we’ll conduct a random drawing with everyone who signs up for the hike.
About Cynthia Powell: After three years as Calflora’s GIS project manager, in 2016 Cynthia became Calflora’s executive director. She graduated with her MS in GIS (Geographic Information Science) in 2010, forecasting Mokelumne River water supply based on MODIS remote sensing snow pack images. She’s been examining what was under that snow—plants—ever since. She coordinates all Calflora programs, research, outreach, and advocacy, as well as fundraising and project management. Cynthia wears many hats.
Our CNPS East Bay speaker programs will be presented as online meetings until it is once again safe to gather in person. If you have questions, contact Sue at programs@ebcnps.org.
