Lichen Walk: Rare & Special Lichens of the Coastal Chaparral (San Bruno)

Submitted by the Event Organizer

Lichens are symbiotic organisms–fungi living with photosynthesizing partners–that are all around us. Lichens are beautiful, and they also play critical roles in ecosystems. As small organisms that are sensitive to fine-scale environmental conditions, lichens can be used as powerful ecological indicators. Once you begin to pay attention to lichens you can hear the stories they’re telling about the world around us.

Join Dr. Jesse Miller for a look at diverse lichens of the San Francisco peninsula, with a special focus on cyanolichens growing in old growth, hypermaritime (i.e., hella coastal) chaparral. Cyanolichens are lichens with cyanobacteria rather than green algae as photosynthesizing partners. They are typically sensitive to air pollution and other kinds of disturbance. When you see a diverse community of large cyanolichens, you can be pretty sure you are in a special and relatively unindustrialized place!

We’ll learn to identify several species of cyanolichens, as well as some other species, and we will also discuss their ecological roles. The total hiking distance will be four to five miles round trip on an out-and-back trail; it will be a moderately difficult hike. I expect that we will end the group session at the turn-around point so that everyone can hike back at their own pace. The group session will last for at least 1.5-2 hours.

Everyone is welcome, but please leave your dogs at home. No previous experience with lichens is needed.

A $10-40 donation to support lichen research is requested at registration–pay what you can. Private lichen and plant identification lessons are also available with the instructor.

Space is limited so please register early to ensure you get a spot. The specific location where we will meet will be sent upon registration. Our meeting location will be close to San Bruno, and we will be hiking in the vicinity of Sweeney Ridge, no more than a 30 minute drive from SF. Transportation to the trailhead is not provided, and attendees are encouraged to carpool.

Instructor bio: Jesse Miller has worked with lichens since 2007. After several years working as a field botanist and lichenologist in Oregon and California, he completed his PhD in plant ecology at the University of Wisconsin-Madison. He now teaches ecology at Stanford. His recent research includes studying the effects of larger, hotter wildfires on lichen diversity in the Sierra Nevada. For more info, see his website: jesseedmiller.com

To find out about future lichen and plant walks in the bay area, please join my mailing list.

Disclaimer: Please double check event information with the event organizer as events can be canceled, details can change after they are added to our calendar, and errors do occur.