California Native Plant Society Presents BEAUTY AND THE BEAST: CALIFORNIA WILDFLOWERS AND CLIMATE CHANGE

The Marin Chapter of the California Native Plant Society (Marin CNPS) will present a special exhibition of photographs entitled Beauty and the Beast: California Wildflowers and Climate Change, featuring over 70 wildflower portraits and native landscapes by Marin City photographers Nita Winter and Rob Badger. The breathtaking photographs address climate change and its effect on a universal symbol of beauty: the wildflower. The show runs April 2 through June 1, 2019, and is open to the public Tuesdays through Saturdays 9am - 4pm at Sausalito's Bay Model Visitor Center (2100 Bridgeway, Sausalito), with an opening reception on Saturday, April 6th from 1-3pm. Admission is free.

The photo exhibition and additional planned events and activities throughout April and May are being sponsored by the Marin Chapter of the California Native Plant Society to help Bay Area residents understand what may happen to our exceptional local biodiversity with the increasing effects of changing climate conditions.

"Everyone loves wildflowers and the spring season finds most residents out on the trails of Mt. Tam, Ring Mountain, Point Reyes and other county hotspots for wildflower bloom," said Marin CNPS board member Laura Lovett. "By making a connection between the land we all love and the threats it faces, we hope to create more awareness of the potential for environmental degradation that can occur with climate change, and offer ways to get involved in addressing it."

Marin Chapter of the California Native Plant Society - Special Events for April & May 2019

April 2-June 1. EXHIBITION. Beauty and the Beast: California Wildflowers and Climate Change, photography by Rob Badger and Nita Winter, at the Bay Model lobby gallery April 2 through June 1. Open Tuesday-Saturday, 9 am-4 pm. Opening reception for the exhibition Saturday April 6, 1-3 pm; Meet the artists; Light refreshments served. Bay Model Visitor Center, 2100 Bridgeway, Sausalito

Saturday, April 13. SPRING NATIVE PLANT SALE. Falkirk Cultural Center, 1408 Mission Ave, San Rafael; 9 am-1 pm. Special focus on California wildflowers; free talk at 10:30 am on growing ephemeral wildflowers.

Saturday May 4. GARDEN TOUR. Native plant pollinator garden in front of Bay Model will be on the Sonoma-Marin Eco-Friendly Garden Tour, 10 am-4 pm. 2100 Bridgeway, Sausalito. Also participating: bee, butterfly and birding groups. Register www.savingwaterpartnership.org/eco-friendly-garden-tour

Sat & Sun May 4-5, May 11-12. MEET THE ARTISTS. On Saturday and Sunday both weekends, exhibition will be part of Marin Open Studios, 11 am-6 pm. Bay Model Visitor Center, 2100 Bridgeway, Sausalito

Thursday May 9. SPEAKER. Talk on Firewise Landscaping: Can Native Plants Help Save Our Homes From Fire? by Greg Rubin, President, California's Own Native Landscape Design. 7 pm with book signing afterward. Bay Model Visitor Center, 2100 Bridgeway, Sausalito. Admission is free, but registration is required. Tickets available here https://www.eventbrite.com/e/firewise-landscaping-can-native-plants-help-save-our-homes-from-fire-tickets-56691331298

Wednesday May 22. SPEAKER. Talk on Restoring Plants, Soil and Water: Nature Wants to Help by Judith Schwartz, Environmental Journalist. 7 pm with book signing afterward. Bay Model Visitor Center, 2100 Bridgeway, Sausalito.

Admission is free, but registration is required. Tickets available here https://www.eventbrite.com/e/restoring-plants-soil-and-water-nature-wants-to-help-tickets-56691736510

Wildflower Hikes

Thursday, April 4. HIKE. Wildflowers of Ring Mountain with Marin County Parks Naturalist Shannon Burke. 10 am-2 pm; Tiburon

Sunday, April 14. HIKE. Wildflowers at Mount Burdell with Marin County Parks Naturalist Shannon Burke. 10 am-2 pm; Novato

Wednesday, April 17. HIKE. Wildflowers at Chimney Rock with Marin County Parks Naturalist Shannon Burke. 10 am-2 pm; Point Reyes National Seashore

Saturday April 27. HIKE. Spring Bounty: Native American Uses of Native Plants at Ring Mountain Open Space Preserve with Naturalist Kurt Rademacher. 10 am-2 pm; Tiburon

Sunday May 5. HIKE. Mt. Tam: Boot Jack to Old Stage Road with California Academy scientist Terry Gosliner. 10 am-2 pm; Panoramic Highway

All events are free

ROB BADGER & NITA WINTER, PHOTOGRAPHERS

For more than 20 years, international award-winning photographers Rob Badger and Nita Winter have worked to capture California's vanishing wildflowers, bringing awareness to the beauty of the Golden State as well as to the dangers facing our natural habitats from climate change. The exhibition emphasizes Marin's landscapes but also includes diverse geographic regions of California, from Sierra alpine rock gardens to Death Valley's desert scenery.

Beauty and the Beast: California Wildflowers and Climate Change is sponsored at this venue by the Marin chapter of the California Native Plant Society with support from the Buck Family Fund of the Marin Community Foundation and from Marin Municipal Water District. The exhibition originated at the San Francisco Public Library and is traveled by Exhibit Envoy.

CALIFORNIA NATIVE PLANT SOCIETY

The non-profit California Native Plant Society is a leading voice in plant science and native plant conservation, working to increase the understanding, enjoyment, and horticultural use of native plants throughout the state. The organization works closely with decision-makers, scientists, and local planners to advocate for well-informed and environmentally friendly policies, regulations, and land management practices that protect and enhance our native flora.

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