We will be visiting to view the vernal pools and associated vegetation, around the Western Playa pool by the barn, and to collect a limited number of herbarium specimens of common plant species that are in flower. This is the only vernal pool area we can easily reach with our Fresno State vehicles (which include a 12-passenger van), and also one of the largest pools in the reserve, with large populations of many common vernal pool species. This means that by removing a few (~10) individuals of each species we collect, we will not be impacting the population's reproductive capacity in the local area as much as we would in other parts of the reserve with smaller populations of non-listed plant species. The students will be strictly instructed to avoid trampling flowering plants as much as possible, and given that it is a dry water year, if there are particular species that are not as abundant as usual, the students can also be instructed not to remove any individuals of those species.

Approved