From the President

In spite of all the uncertainty, we had a wonderful summer at the Park, with a record number of visitors as well as sales in the Visitor Center Gift Shop. We had standing room only at our junior ranger and cubs programs, impressive numbers for Family Day, and a full house for our John Muir Laws seminar in September. By the way, if you missed his wonderful presentation, you can see an encore on our website at www.bigtrees.org.

Our Association, in cooperation with the California State Parks Foundation, hosted an “I Love State Parks” weekend in August as part of our ongoing involvement in the campaign to keep state parks open. CBTA Board Member Bunny Firebaugh organized the two-day event. We filled banners with heart-shaped postcards signed by more than 900 people, which sent a visual message to state legislators holding hearings on park closures.

The Parks Foundation has kept the Governor’s feet to the fire by directing a grass roots campaign that has resulted in a public outcry over proposed park closures. It must be working -- Labor Day has come and gone, and state parks are still open. The Parks Foundation is working toward getting the State Park Access Pass on a future ballot. This plan would give stability to the state parks system. Although we remain open for now, the 2009 Budget Act calls for another $22 million in funding cuts for state parks next year.

Kudos to Marilyn Regan and Betty Woodward for their outstanding job in bringing us Family Day in August. And thanks to you, our members, park docents, park staff, administrative staff and supporters for making the day such a success. We couldn’t do it without you. Another wonderful day connecting kids to nature, nurturing a love and respect for it… enabling them to be the future protectors of our parks.

- Marcy Crawford

Holiday Sale - November 20 -Save the Date

This year’s annual CBTA Holiday Sale will take place on Friday, November 20 from 11:00 am - 3:00 pm. CBTA members, docents and state employees who shop that day will save 40% on most items and 30% on books. This is CBTA’s way of saying “Thanks!!” for all you do for Calaveras Big Trees State Park.

The sale is open to the public on Saturday and Sunday, November 21 and 22, from 11:00 am - 3:00 pm. CBTA members, docents and state employees who choose to shop those days will receive their standard discount.

Enjoy hot apple cider and homemade goodies, and get great deals on all your holiday needs while supporting the Park.

A Santa’s Express donation station will be in the Visitor Center during the sale, so please bring in your donations of non-perishable food items. Santa’s Express makes holiday meals a reality for families that otherwise may not have one.

- Bunny Firebaugh

New Giant Sequoia Research

Recent observations of Giant Sequoia (Sequoiadendron giganteum) root systems in groves in the southern Sierra Nevada gives us some new and very different information about these marvelous trees. We have always heard that Giant Sequoia root systems are shallow and spreading in order to collect enough water and soil nutrients to support the growth of such large trees. Where they occur on gentle slopes with a close and consistent water source, this is generally true.

But in some cases, Giant Sequoias seem able to adapt their root systems to very different conditions. Scientists have made observations in groves where Giant Sequoias are growing on very steep slopes far from a water source. In those cases, it was noted that some trees were sending roots down from the main lateral roots 60 feet or more in search of water!

- Wendy Harrison

Yellow-jackets - not all bad

Many park visitors are very worried about the possibility of encountering large wildlife species such as bears or mountain lions. However, it is often the smaller animals that cause more trips to the hospital and ruined picnics than our large furry friends. This summer’s peak yellow-jacket population is a prime example.

What is the purpose of yellow-jackets? Their role in the natural community is predator and scavenger. They prey on many pest insect species, and help decompose dead animals of many kinds. They are social hunters that live in colonies containing workers, queens and males. Colonies are annual with only inseminated queens overwintering. Survival of the overwintering queens determines the size of the population.

Queens emerge during the warm days of late spring, select a nest site, and build a small paper nest in which eggs are laid. After eggs hatch from the 30 to 50 brood cells, the queen feeds the larvae for about 18 to 20 days. The larvae pupate, emerging later as small, infertile females called workers (all females are capable of stinging).

By mid-summer, the first adult workers emerge and work on nest expansion, food foraging, care of the queen and larvae, and colony defense. From this time until her death in the fall, the queen remains inside the nest laying eggs. The colony expands rapidly reaching a maximum size of 4,000 to 5,000 workers, and a nest of 10,000 to 15,000 cells in late summer! At peak size, reproductive cells are built with new males and queens produced. They stay in the nest and are fed by the workers. New queens build up fat reserves to overwinter.

The males leave the parent colony to mate. After mating, males die quickly. Abandoned nests decompose and disintegrate during the winter. The cycle is repeated in the spring.

Although adults mostly feed on items rich in sugars and carbohydrates (fruits, flower nectar, tree sap), the larvae feed on proteins (insects, meat, fish). Adults chew and condition the meat fed to the larvae. Larvae secrete a sugar material relished by the adults. In late summer, foraging workers change their food preference from meats to ripe, decaying fruit, or scavenge human garbage and soda, since larvae in the nest fail to produce enough sugar to satisfy the workers.

Depending on the species, nests can either be aerial or concealed - usually underground. The nest can reach the size of a basketball by the end of the season. Nests are made from wood fiber chewed into a paper-like pulp; often you can see the individual strips of paper made by the insect.

Yellow-jackets are important part of the natural community, even though they can cause us pain as they aggressively go about their business.

- Wendy Harrison