Abstract Detail

Systematics Section/ASPT

Orozco, Jessica [1].

A Floristic Study of the South Fork Tule River Watershed, southern Sierra Nevada, Tulare County, California.

For my master’s thesis, I am conducting a floristic study of the South Fork Tule River (SFTR) watershed, located in Tulare County, California. The SFTR originates near Slate Mountain, in Sequoia National Forest, and drains west through the Tule River Indian Reservation (TRIR) into Lake Success. Given past exploitation of the tribe, access to the land by scientists had been previously limited. The watershed is ca. 118 sq. mi. in area and has a 900–9302 ft. elevation range. The objectives of my study are: 1) Document all vascular plant taxa that occur within the watershed. 2) Create an annotated, vouchered checklist of the flora. 3) Assess the status of rare plant taxa. 4) Create a reference herbarium for the TRIR. I began this project in spring 2013, and have spent 40 days in the field, and anticipate a completion date in fall 2015. Prior to my study, 264 collections had been made from SFTR watershed with only 57 from the reservation. Thus far I have collected 691 specimens, representing 372 different taxa. Poorly documented plant diversity on tribal trust lands, including the TRIR, speaks to the need for more collaboration between Native American communities and botanists. Both botanists and tribal community members can benefit from the information generated from this study as we work together towards an improved understanding of the California flora.

1 - Rancho Santa Ana Botanic Garden, 1500 North College Ave , Claremont, CA, 91711, USA

Keywords:
none specified

Presentation Type: Oral Paper:Papers for Sections
Session: 18
Location: Salon 3/The Shaw Conference Centre
Date: Monday, July 27th, 2015
Time: 2:00 PM
Number: 18003
Abstract ID:85
Candidate for Awards:None