Butte County Research Articles

Mapping of Post-Wildfire Burned Area Using a Hybrid Algorithm and Satellite Data: The Case of the Camp Fire Wildfire in California, USA

On November 8, 2018, a devastating wildfire, known as the Camp Fire wildfire, was reported in Butte County, California, USA. Approximately 88 fatalities ensued, and 18,804 structures were damaged by the wildfire. As a response to this destructive wildfire, this study generated a pre- and post-wildfire maps to provide basic data for evacuation and mitigation planning. This study used Landsat-8 and Sentinel-2 imagery to map the pre- and post-wildfire conditions. A support vector machine (SVM) optimized by the imperialist competitive algorithm (ICA) hybrid model was compared with the non-optimized SVM algorithm for classification of the pre- and post-wildfire map. The SVM–ICA produced a better accuracy (overall accuracies of 83.8% and 83.6% for pre- and post-wildfire using Landsat-8 respectively; 90.8% and 91.8% for pre- and post-wildfire using Sentinel-2 respectively), compared to SVM without optimization (overall accuracies of 80.0% and 78.9% for pre- and post-wildfire using Landsat-8 respectively; 83.3% and 84.8% for pre- and post-wildfire using Sentinel-2 respectively. In total, eight pre- and post-wildfire burned area maps were generated; these can be used to assess the area affected by the Camp Fire wildfire as well as for wildfire mitigation planning in the future.

Using Census Data and GIS in Survey Sample Selection

Event Abstract Back to Event Using Census Data and GIS in Survey Sample Selection Yunin J. Ludena Rodriguez1*, Elizabeth Angel1* and Irva Hertz-Picciotto1 1 University of California, Davis, United States Background: The “Wildfires and Health: Assessing the Toll in NOrthWest California” (WHAT NOW California) study at the UC Davis Environmental Health Science Center is conducting research to understand the broad picture of environmental and human health outcomes of recent wildfires. Objective: The California Fire and Health Impacts survey is the tool used to gather data about individuals and families affected by the fires. Methods: Stratified sample selection based on socioeconomic status (SES) and exposures to the fire were used to identify the target population for this survey. We obtained Census data and shapefiles, then formatted and merged the data using SAS. Combining of small adjacent Census blocks into larger clusters was needed to overcome sparseness, then we ranked each of the SES variables into quintiles by county to group more disadvantage population by SES status. The SES variables used were % of unemployment, % of Hispanic, % no post-secondary education and % home owners within each census block. The distance to fire parameter was established by calculating the shortest distance from a fire (maps obtained from CalFire) to each census block using ArcMap, giving a metric for the exposure to the fire and smoke. A ranking variable was created using tertiles based on SES and fire exposure ratings, categorizing each census block into one of nine for Low/Mid/High SES and Low/Mid/High Exposure. Results: Using this technique, surveys are currently being conducted in response to the 2017 Santa Rosa fires in Napa County and the 2018 Camp Fire in Butte County. Conclusion: By using publicly available Census data and shapefiles, and utilizing the tools available, primarily ArcMap and SAS, we can perform statistically valid sampling to better evaluate the health and recovery disparities of lower income populations. This method could easily be generalized for other community needs for which the data is publicly available. Keywords: Arcmap, wildfires, SAS, census data, Shapefiles, GIS Conference: GeoVet 2019. Novel spatio-temporal approaches in the era of Big Data, Davis, United States, 8 Oct - 10 Oct, 2019. Presentation Type: Poster-session Topic: Spatial data sources, open data, accessibility and information integration Citation: Ludena Rodriguez YJ, Angel E and Hertz-Picciotto I (2019). Using Census Data and GIS in Survey Sample Selection. Front. Vet. Sci. Conference Abstract: GeoVet 2019. Novel spatio-temporal approaches in the era of Big Data. doi: 10.3389/conf.fvets.2019.05.00095 Copyright: The abstracts in this collection have not been subject to any Frontiers peer review or checks, and are not endorsed by Frontiers. They are made available through the Frontiers publishing platform as a service to conference organizers and presenters. The copyright in the individual abstracts is owned by the author of each abstract or his/her employer unless otherwise stated. Each abstract, as well as the collection of abstracts, are published under a Creative Commons CC-BY 4.0 (attribution) licence (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/) and may thus be reproduced, translated, adapted and be the subject of derivative works provided the authors and Frontiers are attributed. For Frontiers’ terms and conditions please see https://www.frontiersin.org/legal/terms-and-conditions. Received: 31 May 2019; Published Online: 27 Sep 2019. * Correspondence: Mx. Yunin J Ludena Rodriguez, University of California, Davis, Davis, United States, yludena@ucdavis.edu Mx. Elizabeth Angel, University of California, Davis, Davis, United States, eeguerrero@ucdavis.edu Login Required This action requires you to be registered with Frontiers and logged in. To register or login click here. Abstract Info Abstract The Authors in Frontiers Yunin J Ludena Rodriguez Elizabeth Angel Irva Hertz-Picciotto Google Yunin J Ludena Rodriguez Elizabeth Angel Irva Hertz-Picciotto Google Scholar Yunin J Ludena Rodriguez Elizabeth Angel Irva Hertz-Picciotto PubMed Yunin J Ludena Rodriguez Elizabeth Angel Irva Hertz-Picciotto Related Article in Frontiers Google Scholar PubMed Abstract Close Back to top Javascript is disabled. Please enable Javascript in your browser settings in order to see all the content on this page.

Understanding band canker of almond caused byBotryosphaeriaceaefungi and attempts to control the disease in California

Band canker of almond caused by Botryosphaeriaceae species has been a sporadic disease on 6- to 8-year-old almond trees in California many years after its discovery in the mid-1970s. However, during the mid- to late-2000s, the disease appeared frequently in much younger orchards, 2-4-year-old trees, and especially on trees grafted to vigorous rootstocks (i.e., ‘Hansen’) and in the majority of almond-growing regions. In California, for example, orchards with band canker were recorded in Kern, Fresno, Madera, Merced, Stanislaus, San Joaquin, Sacramento, Yolo, Solano, Colusa, Yuba and Sutter, Butte, Glenn, and Tehama Counties. The aim of this study, financed by the Almond Board of California, was to determine the causal agents of the disease, the period of infection of young almond trees, the spread of the disease among orchards, and develop disease management practices. Seven species were isolated and identified causing cankers on almond trees as follows: Botryosphaeria dothidea, Neofusicoccum parvum, N. mediterraneum, N. nonquaesitum, Diplodia seriata, and Macrophomina phaseolina causing cankers on the trunk of the trees; and B. dothidea, N. mediterraneum, N. parvum, and Dothiorella sarmentorum causing canopy cankers. Inoculations of potted plants of the cultivar ‘Nonpareil’ with B. dothidea periodically for 2 years indicated that the inoculation conducted from March through May caused the largest cankers. The spread of the disease from inoculum sources into the almond orchards was studied in two orchards, one in Fresno Co. with the principal source of inoculum from riparian vegetation along an irrigation canal, and the second in Butte County with the main inoculum source being an old walnut orchard next to the almonds bearing pycnidia and pseudothecia of the pathogens. In both orchards, the spatial pattern showed that the severity and incidence of symptoms declined with distance from the external inoculum sources. However, we have recently detected spatial patterns of band canker severity in very young orchards (2-3 years old) that suggest other inoculum sources, such as early putative infection at nurseries, although this contention needs to be studied in the near future. To manage the disease various methods were attempted. None of the tried methods had significant effect on reducing band canker, except the installation of splitters in the sprinklers in a ‘Nonpareil’/‘Padre’ orchard. Specifically, the size of the band cankers was significantly reduced about 4 months after the alteration of the sprinklers. Also, during the next season, this control practice caused a decrease in both the size and the incidence of the band cankers by 50%. Future research plans on possible endophytic inoculum sources of Botryosphaeriaceae as they transition to become pathogens and new disease management strategies in newly planted orchards will be discussed.

A review of Sedum section Gormania (Crassulaceae) in western North America

Sedum section Gormania was restricted to Oregon, Nevada and California in the western United States. After extensive field work from 2011 to 2016, we revised 17 members of the group using floral and vegetative characters, resulting in the acceptance of four new taxa in California. A serpentine endemic from the mountains of western Tehama County was recognized as S. rubiginosum. It was separated from S. kiersteadiae by its dense rosettes, overlapping stem leaves and non-apiculate corolla. A serpentine endemic from low elevation canyons in Del Norte County was described as S. patens. It was distinguished from S. laxum by its white spreading petals and yellow anthers. A plant of high elevation, serpentine and non-serpentine sites in Siskiyou County was circumscribed as S. marmorense; it differed from S. oregonense in its sepals and inflorescence with a thick granular waxy deposit, and leaves in dense rosettes. Sedum paradisum was segregated from S. obtusatum, raised to species level, and divided into two subspecies. Plants of the northern Sierra Nevada were newly defined as S. paradisum subsp. subroseum, separable with nodding young flowering shoots and a disjunct range in Butte, Plumas and Sierra counties. Sedum flavidum and Sedum eastwoodiae were removed from S. laxum sensu stricto, and raised to species rank, based on floral characters. We clarified the concept of S. obtusatum subsp. retusum, and restored it to the rank of species as S. sanhedrinum; it was restricted to Glenn, Lake, Mendocino, and Tehama counties, California. Sedum flavidum and S. oregonense as defined here showed more morphological variation than previously understood. Finally, we remarked on hybridization and cleistogamy observed in the field.

Review of the Nearctic (north of Mexico) species of Elacatis Pascoe(Coleoptera: Salpingidae: Othniinae).

The North American (north of Mexico) species of Elacatis were revised, based on external and genitalic structures of adults. Seven species are recognized, though the historical inclusion of E. fasciatus Bland among Nearctic species is very likely based on an erroneous collecting locality. Two new species are described, with type localities (counties only) in parentheses: E. larsoni (Nebraska: Box Butte County) and E. stephani (Arizona: Cochise County). The following new synonym is proposed: Othnius umbrosus LeConte 1861 = Othnius lugubris Horn 1868; therefore, only E. umbrosus (LeConte) is associated with dead/dying conifers in western North America. Larval E. umbrosus are thought to be xylophagous, while adults are very likely predaceous. Elacatis senecionis (Champion) and E. immaculatus (Champion) are recorded from north of Mexico for the first time. A lectotype is designated for Elacatis longicornis Horn. A key to the seven species in Canada and the United States is provided, supplemented with photographic images of habiti and selected structural features. Maps of known distributions, based on geo-referenced locality lists, are provided.

Recap of the ASA–SSSA Region 6 Soils Contest

Cal Poly's soil judging team collaborate at the group judging pit. Photo by Irfan Ainuddin. The ASA–SSSA Region 6 Soil Judging Contest was held 3 Mar. 2018, in Butte County, CA. This was the third ASA-SSSA Region 6 contest in as many years since being revitalized in 2016. This year's contest was coordinated by Dr. Garrett Liles, Assistant Professor of Soil Science at California State University–Chico (Chico State) and Chair-Elect of SSSA's Soil Education and Outreach Division. The ASA-SSSA Region 6 Soil Judging contest capped a successful three-day “soil-ebration” in Butte County where Dr. Liles and Chico State hosted the California Soil Survey Cooperators Meeting and the Professional Soil Scientists Association of California's (PSSAC) annual field tour. This multi-day event successfully brought together National Cooperative Soil Survey (NCSS) cooperators and stakeholders to exchange ideas and identify opportunities for collaboration through presentations, open dialog, and experiencing the dynamic landscapes at the interface of the Sierra Nevada and Cascade mountain ranges in the Northern Sacramento Valley. Aligning the soil judging contest with the NCSS meeting and PSSAC field tour was a very efficient and effective way for soil science professionals to connect with students majoring in agriculture, earth sciences, and related fields. The Region 6 Soil Judging Contest marked another year of growth and popularity for this hands-on educational and skill-building experience in the western U.S. This year, the number of participating universities increased to four with Humboldt State University joining California Polytechnic State University (Cal Poly), California State University–Fresno (Fresno State), and Chico State—all returning from last year's competition. The University of California at Riverside also sent students, for the second consecutive year, where they, too, learned and gained knowledge of soils and geomorphology. Butte Community College provided the contest site with many Butte students there to observe soil judging in action. In total, 26 students participated in the judging competition with Cal Poly winning the team judging portion and Fresno State winning the group judging event. The top five individuals were awarded trophy plaques for their individual achievements. The regional contest was also a qualifier for nationals, with Cal Poly and Fresno State advancing to the National Contest, which was held in Martin, TN, 18–23 March (see related article on previous page).

Common Persimmon (Diospyros virginianaL.), a Naturalized, Potentially Invasive Species in the State of California

Common persimmon (Diospyros virginiana L.) is a deciduous tree occurring widely in eastern North America, as far west as Texas. The species is known for producing relatively large, edible fruits that were consumed by Native Americans and by the European colonists who arrived in North America more recently. Because of its fruit production, D. virginiana is broadly planted outside its natural range. Here, I report on five naturalized occurrences of D. virginiana found in the state of California, where the species is not native. In 2016 and 2017, these populations were surveyed and monitored for fruit production. In all populations, mature fruits were found in the autumn, and these fruits were observed to produce viable seeds with filled embryos. Two of the populations have greater than 70 individuals and contain trees at varying levels of maturity. It is not yet known if these populations are the result of asexual reproduction via root sprouting or sexual reproduction via diaspores. However, the production of viable diaspores in all surveyed populations indicates that sexual seed set is occurring. The large size of two stands, one along a creek in Butte County and the other on a river flood plain in Tulare County, suggests that some areas of California might be susceptible to invasion by this species. Future research should try to determine whether recruitment via diaspores is occurring, and whether these seeds are the product of selfing in perfect-flowered plants, or cross fertilization in a population containing both male and female plants, as this would have important implications for the potential invasiveness of this species in the state.

Whole-Genome Sequence of Human Rhinovirus C47, Isolated from an Adult Respiratory Illness Outbreak in Butte County, California, 2017.

ABSTRACTHere, we report the full coding sequence of rhinovirus C47 (RV-C47), obtained from a patient respiratory sample collected during an acute respiratory illness investigation in Butte County, California, in January 2017. This is the first whole-genome sequence of RV-C47 to be reported.

Crop Coefficient Curve for Paddy Rice from Residual Energy Balance Calculations

AbstractThe crop coefficient (Kc) values of rice paddy are important for estimating accurate rice crop evapotranspiration (ETc), water transfers planning, efficient irrigation management, and hydrological studies. In this study, ETc was measured and a generalized Kc curve was calculated for paddy rice in the Sacramento Valley, California. Field experiments were conducted in three rice paddy fields during the 2011–2013 growing seasons. Surface renewal analysis, after calibration using eddy covariance method, was applied to obtain sensible heat flux values from high-frequency temperature readings; latent heat flux densities were characterized by the residual of the energy balance method. The results revealed that there is considerable variability in rice water use both spatially and temporally. The average 3-year measured seasonal ETc of the experimental fields ranged from 690 to 762 mm in Butte County and from 681 to 813 mm in the Colusa County. A mean daily seasonal ETc of 5.3 mm d−1 and midseason ETc of...

Control of Codling Moth with Intrepid Edge and Altacor in Walnuts, 2014

This study was designed to evaluate the efficacy of Intrepid Edge for first generation control of CM in walnuts. The study was conducted in two orchards: a “Payne” walnut orchard (A) near Tracy, CA, and an “Ashley” walnut orchard (B) near Butte City, CA. Application timings were determined by degree-days (DD). DD were calculated using a single sine horizontal cutoff model with a lower threshold of 10°C and an upper threshold of 31.1°C. Temperatures were obtained from the UCIPM weather station at Tracy. A (CIMIS No. 167) in San Joaquin County, CA, for orchard A and Durham. A in Butte County, CA, for orchard B. The first application was made on 16 April at …

UC Berkeley's forestry program celebrates 100 years

Editorial UC Berkeley’s forestry program celebrates 100 years I Will Suckow n 2014, UC Berkeley celebrated the centennial of its forestry major. As with many other events in the university’s history, the creation of the forestry program began with a push from student activists. In 1912, a group of agriculture undergraduates started a forestry club that has endured to the present. They pressed UC administrators and state leg- islators to establish a major in the subject, and in 1914 the Berkeley campus welcomed the first cohort of students to its new forestry program. Since then, the forestry issues addressed by UC teaching, research and extension programs have changed, but the tradition of serving society and the environment has continued unabated. This issue of California Agriculture provides an opportunity to reflect on the past 100 years J. Keith Gilless of forestry in California and the important Dean, College of Natural partnership between our campus teaching Resources, UC Berkeley program and the statewide UC Agriculture and Natural Resources (UC ANR) research and ex- tension programs. All of the forestry faculty in UC Berkeley’s College of Natural Resources have appoint- ments in either the Agricultural Experiment Station or UC Cooperative Extension (UCCE). With UC forestry experts addressing They often work closely with the state- issues such as carbon sequestration, wide network of UCCE endangered species, catastrophic forestry and natural wildfire, invasive species and resource advisors based in county of- managing forests to enhance water fices and the UC ANR yield, we are confident that our research and extension centers. partnerships with the people of this The articles in this state will remain relevant long into issue show the range the future. of research being con- ducted by the extended 4 CALIFORNIA AGRICULTURE • VOLUME 69 , NUMBER 1 UC forestry community. Two articles highlight work from our educational partners in the California State University system. As we embark on the next century of forestry education in California, it has never been more important that UC Berkeley, Humboldt State and Cal Poly San Luis Obispo — which host the state’s three accredited forestry educational programs — work together to educate a new generation of forest- ers. They will need a solid foundation to meet the high standards of California’s licensing requirements and work successfully under the close public scrutiny of forest management demanded by the California Forest Practice Act. Two UCCE advisors, Michael De Lasaux in Plumas and Sierra counties and Glenn Nader in Sutter, Yuba and Butte counties, authored an article about exciting grassroots extension partnerships with California’s fire safe councils. The article on the Sierra Nevada Adaptive Management Program (SNAMP) by UC Berkeley Professor Lynn Huntsinger, UCCE Central Sierra Forestry Advisor Susan Kocher and UC Berkeley researcher Adriana Sulak illustrates UC ANR’s effectiveness in bringing cutting-edge science to key forestry issues — fire management, wildlife habitat and water quality — faced by people across the state. The Center for Forestry (ucanr.edu/sites/cff) coor- dinates much of the forestry research and extension work at UC Berkeley and also manages four forest properties. The article by the center’s property man- ager, UC Berkeley Professor Robert York, describes a project in the crown jewel of California’s research forests, Blodgett Forest Research Station in El Dorado County. Blodgett and our other properties are es- sential for outreach activities, helping to ensure that research is adapted and understood by the wide vari- ety of stakeholders in California’s forestland. We are excited for the future of our research forests, and have recently finalized plans to assume title to lands previ- ously managed by Pacific Gas and Electric Co. that will bring our research forest footprint to 10,000 acres. On September 19, 2014, more than 350 of our alumni, faculty, staff and friends gathered at the UC Berkeley Faculty Club to celebrate 100 years of forestry in California and recognize a century of ac- complishments. Now we look forward, embracing the challenges of ensuring sustained uses of California’s 40 million acres of forests and woodlands. With UC forestry experts addressing issues such as carbon se- questration, endangered species, catastrophic wildfire, invasive species and managing forests to enhance wa- ter yield, we are confident that our partnerships with the people of this state will remain relevant long into the future. c

Inquilinism of a Baculite by a Dynomenid Crab from the Upper Cretaceous of South Dakota

ABSTRACT We describe a small crab inside the phragmocone of a heteromorph cephalopod Baculites sp. smooth from the Gammon Ferruginous Member (lower Campanian) of the Pierre Shale in Butte County, South Dakota. The crab Ferricorda kimberlyae (Bishop, 1987) is well preserved with its carapace and pereiopods parallel to and between two septa of the phragmocone. Because of its superb preservation, the specimen is unlikely to have been washed into the phragmocone. The crab probably retreated into the phragmocone chamber to avoid predation or to molt and was subsequently buried by an influx of rapid sedimentation. This is the first instance of inquilinism by a crab in a heteromorph ammonite. Despite the rarity of such fossils, the occurrence of crabs inside ammonite shells was probably not uncommon on sea floors during the Mesozoic. Morphological details of the specimen reveal that Ferricorda is a dynomenid crab.

WALNUT BLIGHT MANAGEMENT USING XANTHOMONAS ARBORICOLA PV. JUGLANDIS DORMANT BUD POPULATION SAMPLING

Four years of surveying walnut blight and the causal pathogen in Tehama County California (Ca.) and three years in Butte County (Ca.) revealed a linkage of a history of Xanthomonas arboricola pv. juglandis populations in orchards with current season disease and temporal dynamics explained by differences in disease control measures. In the Tehama County (Ca.) orchards, walnut blight control has been very good and aggressive spray programs are maintaining bud pathogen populations at low levels. In the Butte County (Ca.) locations, although there are only three years of data, less effective spray programs have allowed disease damage and the initial inoculum overwintering in dormant buds to increase. The incidence of walnut blight damage differed greatly between different trees in a linear transect through a ‘Vina’ orchard and disease was strongly related to the population of pathogen in the developing buds, suggesting that the disease history of individual trees also varies, and is predictive of the risk of disease on those trees and that spatial segregation of disease occurs within an orchard. Assessments of the population sizes of the pathogen in dormant buds is thus a good predictor of the risk of walnut blight in a given year since the walnut buds are the primary source of initial inoculum that can spread to susceptible leaf and nut tissues after they open.

The Development Process of Japanese Rice Farming in Butte County in the Early 1910s

The Development Process of Japanese Rice Farming in Butte County in the Early 1910s

Biology of the Geophyte,Triteleia ixioidessubsp.anilina(Themidaceae), In Coniferous Forests of Butte County, California

The life cycle of the widespread, cormous geophyte, Triteleia ixioides (W. T. Aiton) Greene subsp. anilina (Greene) L. W. Lenz (Themidaceae) was studied in the field over several years in coniferous forest sites in Butte County, CA. All sites, ranging from 1383 to 1774 meters in elevation, have a Mediterranean climate and loamy soils above Tuscan mudflow substrate. Flowering scape height, corm weight, and corm depth varied significantly. Old corms decreased in dry weight throughout the winter, as shoots, roots, and new corms grew. By spring, each old corm had produced a leaf and a flowering scape, was depleted of stored food, and had a new “replacement corm” (without roots) already developed on top of it. Fruit set varied from 38.5% to 89.1%, with significant differences among populations sampled in different years and sites. Seed set was low (overall mean 38.4%), but varied significantly among years and sites, ranging from 26.4% to 56.3%. Plants are partially self-compatible. Soil moisture was not limiting to seed set, nor was pollen vectors, except on cold days. The most important pollinator was a bee fly (Bombylius facialis, Bombyliidae), although native bees provided some pollination at higher sites. Ten-minute observation periods, during bee fly activity, showed up to 15 visits to plants in a square meter. Percent seed germination was high (88–100%), with germination after the first rains and seedling growth continuing during the cold months. Seedlings produced single leaves up to 60.4 mm long, and corms averaged 1.6 ± 0.1 mm wide at one site. Contractile roots, produced lateral to the primary roots, averaged 16.13 ± 1.00 cm long. Shrinking and wrinkling at the upper part of the contractile root pulled the newly formed corm deeper in the soil. Study of contractile roots in Triteleia and other geophytes may help illustrate adaptation to summer drought in Mediterranean California.

Identifying armed respondents to domestic violence restraining orders and recovering their firearms: process evaluation of an initiative in California.

We evaluated a law enforcement initiative to screen respondents to domestic violence restraining orders for firearm ownership or possession and recover their firearms. The initiative was implemented in San Mateo and Butte counties in California from 2007 through 2010. We used descriptive methods to evaluate the screening process and recovery effort in each county, relying on records for individual cases. Screening relied on an archive of firearm transactions, court records, and petitioner interviews; no single source was adequate. Screening linked 525 respondents (17.7%) in San Mateo County to firearms; 405 firearms were recovered from 119 (22.7%) of them. In Butte County, 88 (31.1%) respondents were linked to firearms; 260 firearms were recovered from 45 (51.1%) of them. Nonrecovery occurred most often when orders were never served or respondents denied having firearms. There were no reports of serious violence or injury. Recovering firearms from persons subject to domestic violence restraining orders is possible. We have identified design and implementation changes that may improve the screening process and the yield from recovery efforts. Larger implementation trials are needed.

The Fern-Leaved Monkeyflower (Phrymaceae), a New Species from the Northern Sierra Nevada of California

Abstract The fern-leaved monkeyflower, Mimulus filicifolius (Phrymaceae, Section Simiolus), is a new species described from the northwestern corner of the Sierra Nevada of California. The new taxon is differentiated from close relatives of Mimulus L. (M. laciniatus Gray and M. guttatus DC.) mostly by having many finely divided, bi-pinnately compound leaves. Mimulus filicifolius occurs mainly within ephemeral seeps of rock outcrops, where it occupies similar habitats to M. laciniatus, which occurs farther south in the Sierra Nevada. Mimulus filicifolius appears to be highly geographically restricted, and is currently known only from Butte and Plumas Counties within the Plumas National Forest. It therefore merits strong conservation consideration.

Absentee Ownership in the Fire-Prone Northern California Foothills

Absentee–owned parcels make up one-third to one-half of private properties in wildland–urban interface areas of the United States. The prevalence of absenteeism in fire-prone areas is of concern to resource management agencies, community fire-safe councils, and homeowners who share boundaries with these parcels. In the foothills of Butte County, California, absentee-owned parcels make up over half of privately owned noncorporate parcels. The concern by fire-safe councils in this fire-prone wildland–urban interface is that absentee owners will not participate actively in fuel reduction. We used geographic information systems to illustrate the extent and geographic distribution of absentee parcels in the foothills and in one community, Concow. The article provides some initial findings about the impressive acreage and complex spatial distribution of absentee-owned parcels in relation to owner-occupied parcels. The article also raises some methodological issues about the definition of absenteeism.

Juncus trilocularis (Juncaceae), A New Rush Species from Western North America

Abstract Juncus brachyphyllus is a plant of floodplains, prairie remnants, and glades in the Midwest, from Tennessee to Texas, north to Illinois and Nebraska. Disjunct plants called J. brachyphyllus from Idaho to California are described here as a new species, J. trilocularis. They are distinguished by smoother stems and longer styles, and frequently have longer anthers. Rare putative hybrids between J. confusus and J. trilocularis are discussed from Lassen County, California and Kittitas County, Washington. Another putative hybrid, between J. occidentalis and J. trilocularis, is reported from Butte County, California. The new species is assigned to Juncus section Steirochloa Griseb., and a sectional key is provided for western North America.

Multiple cycles of wave-dominated estuarine deposits in low-accommodation settings, Cretaceous J sandstone, northwestern Nebraska

The J sandstone comprises less than 46 m (151 ft) of sandstone-dominated strata within the mudrock-dominated lower Upper Cretaceous succession of northwestern Nebraska. The unit is a prolific hydrocarbon producer in this region (Denver-Julesburg Basin), but its lithostratigraphic and sequence-stratigraphic framework, critical for reservoir characterization and mapping, is poorly known. We have achieved an improved understanding of depositional history and sequence stratigraphy by describing and correlating cores and wireline logs from wells within Sioux, Dawes, and Box Butte counties, Nebraska, and Niobrara and Goshen counties, Wyoming. Coals, paleosols, fluvial or inner estuarine sandstones, estuarine mudstones, fluvial conglomerate, shoreface sandstone, and reworked volcanic fallout (bentonite) lithofacies were identified. Trace fossil assemblages representing stressed expressions of the Skolithos and Cruziana ichnofacies are common. These lithofacies are arranged vertically into three erosionally based cycles, each less than 28 m (92 ft) thick, and each grade upward from fluvial or inner estuarine sandstones into estuarine mudstones and in turn into shoreface sandstones. The lateral and vertical stacking patterns of the lithofacies are complex, however, and the upper cycles appear to fill space eroded into the underlying ones. Northeast-southwest–elongate isochore trends appear in all three cycles. Lithofacies transition downdip from inner estuarine sandstones in the northeast to estuarine basin mudstones and shoreface sandstones toward the southwest. Detrital mineralogy indicates an easterly (cratonic) provenance for the entire unit. Our data suggest that the J sandstone in northwestern Nebraska accumulated in wave-dominated estuarine settings, as part of a long-lived transgressive systems tract. The unit as a whole occupies a complexly incised landscape cut during a third-order lowstand ca. 98 Ma. Coeval cycles of similar magnitude throughout the Western Interior suggest that the three cycles represent eustatic fluctuations. The highest quality reservoirs occur at the base of the unit in inner estuarine lithofacies in the central and southwestern parts of the study area.