Gene Albitre : Ethnobotany
Ethnobotany
Presented by Gene Albitre on Sunday, April 7, 2024, at 1 pm
On April 7, 2024, Gene Albitre, a retired Native American spiritual leader, will give a presentation on Ethnobotany. Ethnobotany is the study of a region’s plants and their practical uses through the traditional knowledge of local culture and people. What plants were utilized by the Native Americans in this area? Gene will answer this question and others.
Gene grew up on a ranch outside of Bakersfield. Since the age of 14, Gene has worked all aspects of rawhide, using buffalo, elk, deer, and other animal skins. His Native American culture has taught him to work on animals so that nothing would be wasted. He crafts rattles, drums, and cookware, and practices the art of beading. He is a writer and presenter and believes that gaining a better understanding of the past will reflect on our connection with nature and the world at large.
Through his leadership and practice of the arts, Gene helps to preserve the legacy and facilitate connection among the Native American peoples and to educate others on the history and significance of Native American Culture in modern times. He is one of the four Common Ground artists sponsored by the Arts Council of Kern, the Creative Corps, and the California Arts Council.
This presentation is part of our 2024 Wildflower Exhibit.
Kim Schaefer : A Vascular Flora of the Sacatar Trail Wilderness
A Vascular Flora of the Sacatar Trail Wilderness, Southern Sierra Nevada, CA.
Presented by Kim Schaefer on Saturday, April 6 at 2 pm
Kim Schaefer, a master’s student studying Botany at Claremont Graduate University and California Botanic Garden will be giving a presentation on her location of study, the Sacatar Trail Wilderness.
The Sacatar Trail Wilderness (STW), approximately 20 miles northwest of Ridgecrest, CA, occupies a unique ecological transition zone. This part of the southeast Sierra Nevada occurs at the interface of the vast Mojave Desert, Great Basin Floristic Province, and highly diverse California Floristic Province. The 90 mi2 area encompasses a significant elevational gradient from 3,500 to nearly 9,000 feet and supports a diverse array of vegetation communities, from creosote scrub to montane meadows. The STW is a “botanical black hole,” an area with little to no previous documentation of the plants that occur there. The absence of weather stations within the STW makes it difficult to understand the precise microclimates its plants are subject to, especially considering that conditions vary within such a wide elevational range. With more study, this region of the eastern Sierra could potentially serve as a setting for future research on plant migration in response to climate change.
This presentation is part of our 2024 Wildflower Exhibit
Glenn Harris : Holocene Climate Change
Holocene Climate Change – How Have Plants Responded
Presented by Glenn Harris on Friday, April 5, 2024 at 6:30 pm
Climate change seems to be a hot topic recently, with projections ranging from a crispy burned-up earth to an impending ice age, the earth has gone through several climate swings in the past, and from these, we can learn how plants have responded. The presentation will include a quick tutorial on the glacial periods, theories as to their cause, the climate of the current Holocene epoch, and how civilizations have reacted to temperature changes of the epoch. The discussion will include information on vegetation at the end of the last major glaciation. This will be compared to current vegetation. The author will discuss what we have learned and how we can project future trends. The author has spent most of his life observing natural ecosystems. For the last nearly 50 years he has been working in the region. His illustrated talk will include tables, maps, illustrations, and photographs of many plants and landscapes.
This presentation is part of our 2024 Wildflower Exhibit
Annual Wildflower Exhibit 2024
Every spring the Maturango Museum hosts the annual Wildflower Exhibit during which visitors can see the wide variety and abundance of wildflowers that grow in the Indian Wells Valley and surrounding canyons. Collectors with the proper BLM permits spend multiple days gathering the wildflowers which are placed into bottles or vases then set onto tables according to their family. This allows visitors to have a close-up view of the many wildflowers from this area – all in one room!
The exhibit features annual wildflowers and flowering shrubs. The annual wildflowers include species from the tiny white cryptantha (forget-me-nots), to the bright and showy coreopsis (bright yellow wildflower). Shrubs such as the creosote bush and desert senna are also on display. Each species is identified by a group of professional botanists and labeled with its common and scientific name.
As in past years, local artists from the Desert Artist League will be drawing and painting selected wildflowers throughout the weekend.
In addition to seeing the wildflowers, the Maturango Museum has multiple speakers during this year’s Wildflower Exhibit.
- Friday, April 5 at 6:30 pm, local Glenn Harris will give a presentation on “Holocene Climate Change - How Plants Have Responded.” Find out more about Glenn Harris
- Saturday, April 6, at 2 pm, Kimberly Schaefer, a master’s student studying Botany at Claremont Graduate University and California Botanic Garden, will give a presentation on her study area - the Sacatar Trail Wilderness. The title of the presentation is, “A Vascular Flora of the Sacatar Trail Wilderness, Southern Sierra Nevada, CA.” Find out more about Kimberly Shaefer
- Sunday, April 7 at 1 pm, Eugene Albitre from Bakersfield will give a presentation on Ethnobotany. His presentation is sponsored by the Arts Council of Kern. Find out more about Eugene Albitre
With the winter rains we have received thus far, this spring promises a colorful and fragrant display of wildflowers for this exhibit!
Entry fee is $2.00 per person paid at the door.