Kinnikinnick Journal

Kinnikinnick Native Plant Society, Inc. / PO Box 1092 Sandpoint, Idaho 83864 www.nativeplantsociety.org

September Program Summary Presented by Marilyn McIntyre

Summarized by Rae Charlton

The Sept. 22, 2018

program, present-

ed by our own Marilyn McIntyre,

was “The Moist

Montane and Cli-

mate Change: Forty

Years of phenologi-

cal observations in

North Idaho.” As

KNPS members

know, Marilyn grac-

es each issue of the

newsletter with an

article and painting of some aspect of the natural world

as she observes it from her cabin at 3,200 feet, in the

Grouse Creek drainage. She has been keeping a journal

of such observations since 1980, and used it to describe

changes in her Northern Rockies habitat.

Marilyn noted that we now see the phrase “shifting base-

line syndrome”, referring to how people may just accept

current environmental degradation, unaware of the his-

torical situation. She began by describing climate and

forest conditions in her baseline of 1980. Weather-wise,

Volume XXII Number 5 November—December 2018

Presentations Sponsored by Kinnikinnick Native Plant Society

and Sandpoint Parks and Recreation

Community Hall, First Ave, Sandpoint

(Across from County Courthouse)

All meetings begin at 9:45 and are held at the Community Hall

unless otherwise indicated.

Saturday, November 24, 2018

Preston Andrews

“Dirty Dancing”: the Rhythm of the Soil

The living soil, including its microbiome, interacts in rhythm with

plants to affect their productivity and adaptability to environmen-

tal conditions. These interactions and other plant-soil relation-

ships will be explored, including a discussion of local soils. Preston is an Emeritus Professor of Horticulture at Washington

State University and resident of Sandpoint.

Saturday, December 8, 2018

KNPS Christmas Party!!

Our annual KNPS Christmas potluck will

be held December 8 from 11 - 2pm at the

Monarch Rd. Community Cen-

ter (previously the Sagle Senior Center) on

Monarch Rd. Please bring your holiday

cheer and a potluck dish to share, as we

visit with new friends and old acquaintanc-

es. This is always a favorite event, as we

begin the Holiday season! Hope to see you

on the 8th.

Upcoming Programs & Events

winter was characterized by frequent cloud cover, cool temperatures with rain and snow alternating (much more rain

than we currently receive), and severe cold spells every 10 years or so (Arctic air mass, down to 20 below, 25 feet of

snow one winter). The soil, made up of glacial till and lake sediments, includes lots of ash, which helps retain moisture.

The forest, with a great diversity of species, was basically healthy, except for White Pine blister rust and Douglas Fir

root rot. It had started to regrow in 1934 and was at its peak in the 80’s. We did not have the current annual fire scene: it

was called the “asbestos forest”, suffering only small fires, and the season ended by the third week of August with lots of

rain.

She has noted many changes. Bill McKibben, writing in 1984, believed people would respond to his alarm (350.org) but

unfortunately temperatures continue to rise. We have not experienced severe cold temperatures since 2004 (last -20 de-

gree day). “February is the new January”. The snow is drier, melts faster, and the creek doesn’t rise the way it did in the

(Continued on page 2)

Kinnikinnick Native Plant Society November—December 2

President’s Message

By Ken Thacker

We’ve had an incredible Indian Summer this year. It’s as if summer just didn’t want to give up, but it seems it now has. I

was curious about where the term “Indian Summer” came from. With a little Googling I found out that there are several

potential ideas that generally attribute the term to early European settlers in North America. Among others, Indian Sum-

mer was when the raids on European settlements by Indian war parties, usually ended for the year. Or it was the period

of time when Native American peoples harvested their crops. However, the weather phenomenon had been noted earlier

in the British Isles where it was known as St. Luke’s Summer, St. Martin’s Summer or All-Hallows Summer, but since

about the time of the American revolution “Indian summer” has almost completely replaced those. In case you were

wondering.

It’s the time of year for us to begin preparing for the new year and part of this for KNPS is the Annual Meeting in No-

vember. Normally this is where new board members get voted in and in most years, it has been 2. This year we will have

the unusual situation of a complete board membership that plans to remain at least one more year. According to our by-

laws, KNPS board members serve 2-year terms and can remain on the board for up to three terms or 6 years total. How-

ever, we do have one board member (Shawna Parry) who is finishing the 2nd year of her first term and must be reelected

or replaced. So, if anyone is interested in “throwing in their hat” or wishes to nominate someone to the board, please let

me know before the meeting on November 24th. A word of warning: Shawna is our treasurer and very hard

(impossible?) to replace. Otherwise, the slate to be voted on at the annual meeting will be the existing board.

Our fundraiser at the Idaho Pour Authority last week brought in $519! Most of this was from raffle tickets sold by our

elite corps of ticket sellers. We also gained 4 or 5 new members and this brings our total of new memberships to 11

since June. Welcome aboard new folks! We all should be looking for and making them feel welcomed.

Sandpoint has made another “best of” list. Lexie DeFremery found a recent article in SmartAsset.com entitled “Best

Places to retire in Idaho” which listed Sandpoint as #1. As we all know, getting on lists like this is a mixed blessing, but

our arboretum was identified as a part of the reason Sandpoint is #1:

The article states “Active retirees will find many opportunities for biking, boating and even skiing. There’s a ton more to

do in the small city, too, including the Kinnikinnick Native Plant Society’s arboretum, the Bonner County History Mu-

seum and regular farmers’ markets.” The full article can be found at: https://smartasset.com/retirement/best-places-to-

retire-idaho.

past. The snow is coming later, especially in February. In 2018, the

understory is dying because the soil is too dry; we’re in drought condi-

tions. NW forests are the most impacted by climate change because as

it gets drier and hotter wildfire risk increases. The northwest is partic-

ularly vulnerable to larger and faster moving fires, with pervasive

smoke.

Marilyn closed with two quotes: Bill McKibben on what a half century

of profligate growth has wrought, and Mary Oliver’s poem “Summer

Day”.

Note: Marilyn has compiled many of her “Moist Montane” articles

into a beautiful handmade book, which she has donated to KNPS. It

will be checked out to members for a month at a time, changing hands

at each general meeting. Many thanks to our gifted artist/naturalist for

her generosity.

(Continued from page 1) October Program Summary

Arboretum Cleanup Potluck

Kinnikinnick Native Plant Society November—December 3

Committee Reports

Arboretum

The annual “putting the Arboretum to bed” clean-up was accomplished, with great

cheer, on Oct. 7th. Our other late season accomplishment was a much needed re-

pair of the kiosk. Vandals had gouged and scarred the panel to the left of the map,

and also attacked the panel on the right. Sue Gervais volunteered to cover the pan-

els with burlap, which was installed with the help of Ken Haag. It is a great im-

provement! Many thanks to them, along with all the volunteers who help keep our

Arboretum thriving as a showplace for native plants.

Conservation Committee

Encouraged by the Conservation Committee, the KNPS Board submitted the fol-

lowing scoping comments to Washington Department of Ecology on the PacWest

proposed Silicon Smelter:

The Kinnikinnick Native Plant Society, Inc., Sandpoint, Idaho advocates for the

conservation of native plants in Idaho and elsewhere. The proposed location of the

smelter makes us very concerned that air and water quality will be impacted in

Bonner, Boundary and Kootenai Counties in Idaho. We strongly encourage that

you closely examine and quantify:

The extent of the air shed affected by the emissions from the smelter.

The potential impacts, by species, of all native plants found within the air shed. These should focus especially on

trees and lichens, the latter being highly sensitive to degraded air quality.

Work with the U. S. Forest Service and U. S. Fish and Wildlife Service to identify sensitive plant species in the air

shed that may be impacted and study impacts of degraded air quality on them.

Identify any acidification and airborne pollutants that could affect native plant habitat, both terrestrial and aquatic.

North Idaho soils are acidic, so additional acid deposition from the smelter emissions are likely to lower pH signifi-

cantly.

Landscape Committee

The landscaping committee has finished their consultations for 2018. It's cold and

rainy (finally) so we are hunkered down for a long winters rest. We completed three

landscape consultations this year and everyone appreciated our efforts. If you would

like to see the results of one of our consultations, stop by the Daybreak Center at 820

Main St. in Sandpoint and look at the landscaping work that was completed by Mark

Stockwell and his crew. Thanks to Nancy, Gail, Bob, Jill, Sylvia, Vicky, Don and

Eileen for all their help.

Grant Committee What is so special about November 30th? Ask the members of the KNPS grant com-

mittee who will tell you it is the deadline for applications for the Lois Wythe Native

Plant Grant. Who will apply? How many applications will be made? Will there be

really creative projects needing funding? There is still time to encourage any group,

class or individual to apply for the 2019 grant. Application forms are available on the

KNPS website.

As you may remember, the grant was established 11 years ago to honor Lois Wythe, our founder and the driving force

(Continued on page 4)

Arboretum Clean up day

Kiosk Improvement

Kinnikinnick Native Plant Society November—December 4

behind the development of the Arboretum in Lakeview Park. The grant is intended to promote an interest in and appreciation for

native plants.

This is a good time to remember the winners from past years. In 2009 and 2010 the funds sponsored the tuition for the master

gardener class. The winner in 2011 used grant money to assist in expenses related to a seed-saving class.

From 2012-2017 landscaping projects using native plants claimed the funding. Recipients included the Panhandle Animal Shel-

ter, the Kootenai Elementary School, Lake Pend Oreille High School, City of Dover, Southside Elementary School and Forrest

Bird Charter School. Although some of these gardens are no longer viable, the grant provided the participants an opportunity to

get to learn about native plants.

(Continued from page 3)

Arboretum Cleanup potluck Kiosk Improvement

October Program Summary

Submitted by Rae Charlton

Nearly 100 people crowded into the Community Hall to hear Jack talk about the

subjects of his newest book, a pioneering local couple named John and Carrie

Leiberg. He became interested in them after Ann Ferguson of the Bonner County

History Museum showed him some photos of a tribal encampment near David

Thompson’s fur trade post on Lake Pend Oreille. The photographs were taken by a

“Dr. Leiberg”, whom Jack assumed was the fellow whose plant surveys he’d seen.

However, he found out that the Doctor was actually Carrie, who practiced frontier

medicine in places like Hope and Post Falls. He became intrigued with them both.

John, a Swedish immigrant, arrived in the U.S. at the age of fifteen, alone. He

farmed in Iowa, got married, and began working for the Northern Pacific railroad.

One of his first jobs was planting trees along the railroad, to give the impression of

lush forests waiting for homesteaders. He was working for the railroad in 1883, and

came to N. Idaho in 1885. Already he was into plants, collecting them avidly and

boxing them up to ship to museums and collectors. It is possible to follow John’s

trail through his plant collections. Eventually he (and Carrie) homesteaded at the

southern end of Lake Pend Oreille, where Farragut is today. The winter village of

the Kalispell was across the lake.

Although he was also a prospector (more than thirty claims) John’s first love was clearly plants. He realized that collec-

tors back east were eager to receive specimens of western plants, which he sent by train to places such as the New York

Botanical Garden. He discovered a beautiful water lily which now bears his name (Leiberg’s waterlily, Nymphaea

leibergii). Although there is no record of his receiving formal training, John was an acute observer. He had the talents of

a field geologist, e.g., understanding how land forms were sculpted by the Ice Age floods, and how climate affected the

land. He was insatiably curious. Fortunately, thanks to his wife’s work he had an excellent microscope. It was helpful

in studying his favorite subject, mosses (he documented 120 different species). He kept up a regular correspondence with

Elizabeth Britton, an eminent botanist who became a friend to both John and Carrie.

John wanted to do field work for the railroad, and was hired to do a survey of the Columbia Basin. Traveling widely, he

did a plant survey, figured out different kinds of habitats, and saw human-caused degradation of the land (e.g., mining,

building the railroad). He also surveyed and created original reports of major forested lands in the Pacific NW and Cali-

fornia, including what are now four national forests. It was an exciting time to be doing such work, the era of John Muir,

Gifford Pinchot, and Teddy Roosevelt.

Carrie, meanwhile, had opened offices in Post Falls and Hope. She was hired to be the doctor for the railroad’s district,

dealing with any injuries to railroad workers along with caring for their families. She was particularly interested in fami-

ly practice, and in better care for women during childbirth (e.g., having a maternity hospital).

Jack stopped the narrative here, for questions. His book tour can be found at jacknisbet.com.

Kinnikinnick Native Plant Society November—December 5

Member Profile: Pat Ramsey

Submitted by Cindy Hayes

My husband, Jim, and I moved to Sandpoint in the summer of

1996, leaving our four sons and family who still live in Orange

County, California. We are currently snow birds and winter there.

My work before the move included church secretary, aide to a high

school special-ed teacher, and contracting with Coastline Commu-

nity College to run English language and basic math labs for a

large company in Orange County.

After the move, one of the first organizations I joined was the Ida-

ho Native Plant Society. It seemed a good way to get to know the

new area. The group was still meeting at the Extension Center next

to the fairgrounds. It was a fledgling group founded by the deter-

mination of Lois Wythe who also dreamed of having an arboretum.

Throughout the years I became a friend of Lois and attended many

wonderful classes and gatherings she presented about native plants,

herbs, plant lore, crafts and much more. I owe the best part of my

Native Plant experience to Lois and long time member, Mike

Franklin. Many of the friends I met through Lois and the Native

Plant Society remain friends today.

Early on I served as membership chair of Native Plant, was vice-president, and became the first education chair. My

main function with education was in putting together all the elements of the first Arbor Day celebrations.

I have been active in the community and have served on the board of The Friends of the Library for over 20 years and

during that time served as president on three separate occasions. I was active in P.O.A.C. and participated on the Visu-

al Arts Committee and the Children’s Booth at the summer Arts and Crafts Fair. The Bonner County Museum has al-

ways been an interest and I led student tours for years as well as instructing art for 4th graders with the Kaleidoscope

program and volunteering as a special-ed aide at Farmin-Stidwell and reading with 2nd graders at Kootenai Elementary.

I’m a long time member of The Community Assistance League, and the Hope and Sandpoint Garden clubs. It was an

honor to be named a Woman of Wisdom in 2008.

I enjoy card crafting, a book discussion group, bunco and knitting groups, Friday Afternoon Tea group and the joy of

living in this beautiful area.

Photo of Pat Ramsey (upper left) with Native Plant found-

er Lois Wythe (center) and long time member Mike

Franklin (upper right).

To My Dear KNPS Family,

Thank you for your love, support

and words of encouragement

following Jimmy’s death. I am

deeply touched by your thought-

fulness and generosity, which

will never be forgotten. I am tru-

ly blessed to have so many car-

ing friends.

My deepest thanks,

Gail Bolin

Kinnikinnick Native Plant Society November—December 6

A Voice From the Moist Montane ForestA Voice From the Moist Montane ForestA Voice From the Moist Montane Forest A

What do I see as I walk in the Moist Montane Forest in the last days of October

Story and Art by Marilyn McIntyre Time has written its ongoing script over every surface of Earth, each page covered by a newer page, each new page laid down atop an older one. Time usually writes slowly; wind raking patterns in sand, stream of water shaping a boul-der, a page every million years or so. Time lets its thoughts percolate; it sleeps on them. Holly Haworth What do I see as I walk in the Moist Montane forest in the last days of October, along a major north easterly drainage in the Northern Rockies habitat? It is just beginning to rain and soak the parched ground and give the still living trees in the understory new hope. The colors, as eve-ryone has written in the Reader, have been candy for the eyes and in the case of the living young subalpine fir, perfume for the nose. It’s as if the whole forest is giving a sigh of relief. If and when we get snow, how much it will be and whether or not it will stick around in this newly arrived El Nino oscillation is still up for debate among those in the know. El Nino can be very tricky here. The big snows of 68/69 oc-curred during an El Nino event but most other El Nino years have been dryer and warmer than is typical. So we will have to remain in suspense. In the meantime the big and small Western Larch are at the peak of their golden glow against the cloudless cobalt blue skies and the huckleberries are a neon red/orange carpet, hiding the red needled branches and gray stems of the dead saplings in the understory. I have worked and lived in the forest for 40 years now and have never seen such a cone crop on all of the species. Is it the increasing CO2 in the atmosphere or drought stress? Looking closely I can find signs of terminal bud weevils in the spruce and lodgepole pine, but there is no sign of the woolly adelgids that are reportedly killing the sub alpine fir in other places in the region. I suspect most of the death is due to drought and that, with temperatures warming, we have moved into a lower elevation Montane forest from having been on the cusp with the Cold Forest where sub alpine fir, Englemann Spruce and whitebark pine thrived. Whatever comes this winter, we and the other forest dwellers are prepared for the worst as usual. Our Chickadees, Steller and Canada Jays are home for the duration. Join us in having a beautiful winter, Marilyn McIntyre

Kinnikinnick Native Plant Society November—December 7

Marilyn McIntyre stands beside her mural

Board of Directors 2018Board of Directors 2018Board of Directors 2018

Ken Thacker, President, Programs

Jan Geren, Vice President

Carol Robinson, Secretary

Shawna Parry, Treasurer

Julie Kallemeyn, Publicity

Cindy Hayes, Board Member

Judy Lyding, Board Member

Carol Jenkins, Board Member

Additional Committee Chairs and Positions

Mary Jo Haag, Sue Gervais, Mary Fraser,

Rae Charlton, Arboretum

Dennis Rieger, Landscape

Molly O'Reilly, Conservation

Janice DeBaun, Lois Wythe Grant

Mary Jo Haag, Historian

Jackie Earle, Hospitality

Margaret Petersen, Printer

Jill Wilson, Marilyn George, Newsletter Committee

Jill Wilson, Newsletter Editor

Dennis Rieger, Website Administrator, List serve

Late fall on Lake Pend Oreille…...photo by Jill Wilson.

Membership Rates

January 1st through December 31st

______ Individual $25.00

____ Household** $30.00

____ Student/Senior (65+) $20.00

____ Sustaining** $50.00

____ Patron** $100.00 _______ Sponsor $50.00

**These memberships are entitled to two votes

Membership dues and additional

Donations may be tax deductible

Membership Information

(make check payable to Kinnikinnick Native Plant So-

ciety or KNPS)

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Kinnikinnick Native Plant Society

PO Box1092

Sandpoint, Idaho 83864

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nativeplantsociety.org.