Join us for our favorite get-together of the year: the annual potluck dinner and election meeting, followed by our annual Butner Family Memorial Lecture. The evening is devoted to native plant appreciation, Chapter business, and delicious food. It’s the party of the year – don’t miss it!

At 3,486 feet, Mount Umunhum is one of the highest peaks of the Santa Cruz Mountains, and also one of the most mysterious. Overlooking the Santa Clara Valley, the mountain has views that extend to Monterey Bay and even the Sierra Nevada on a clear day. The summit is the former site of the Almaden Air Force Station, which was closed and off-limits to the general public and curious botanists for years. But in September 2017, after 60 years and extensive restoration by the Midpeninsula Regional Open Space District and U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, this iconic “hummingbird rest” and its unusual geology and flora opened to the public and took up the mantle as a must-see destination.

Ken’s program will showcase the flora and fauna that he and botanist John Rawlings documented on hikes and with camera traps during a survey of Mount Umunhum’s summit, canyons and new trails during the 2014-2017 restoration. The flora includes 290 native taxa, with eight CNPS Ranked, one State Rare, and over 20 Locally Rare species. Come learn about Umunhum’s uniqueness, and see why this “new” summit is a true gem of our Chapter and region!