2003 ACTIVITIES

"Sedges (Carex) are the largest genus of flowering plants in California, the largest genus of wetland indicators in the state and have more rare taxa than any other genus on the northcoast. This workshop is an intensive immersion into sedge morphology, keying, and the identification and ecology of local coastal taxa. This workshop will begin with a basic review of sedge biology and morphology, and then the rest of the day will be spend dissecting and keying specimens in the laboratory using a microscope and the Jepson Manual. Much material will be available for review, dissection, and comparison. This workshop is geared for beginners, but all ages and levels of caricology may find it profitable."

In 1952, a fatal disease was accidentally introduced into the range of Port Orford cedar. Since then, the disease, a close relative to Sudden Oak Death, has steadily marched across the cedar's range, causing alarm among land managers and nature lovers alike. The cedars play a critical role in several habitats of northern California, and the effects of losing the species are unknown but likely to be significant. Erik will describe the spread of the disease, discuss why it infects some places and not others, and assess the different methods for slowing the spread of the disease.
At HSU, Erik teaches plant ecology, population ecology, and general education courses on environmental change in north america. His research interests focus on the effects of habitat fragmentation on understory plants, invasion ecology, and the effects of fire on plant communities. He has been conducting field research since 1992, mostly in the Siskiyou Mountains.