Join us for our first General Meeting over Zoom teleconference! We’ll hear the latest Chapter announcements, then enjoy a talk by Dr. Jesse Miller.

Lichens surround us and though they are rarely noticed, they are sensitive environmental indicators and play critical ecological roles. California is a continental hotspot for lichen diversity, but its lichen communities are among the most threatened in North America. In this talk, Jesse Miller will discuss his research on the effects of altered wildfire regimes on California lichen communities, with case studies from low- to mid-elevation conifer forest in the Sierra Nevada and old-growth chaparral in the Coast Range of Napa County. He will also present recent research conducted with an undergraduate class that uses lichens to monitor air pollution in the vicinity of the Stanford campus.