RANCHO MURIETA, CA (MPG) - From fairy shrimp to fishing poles, nature took center stage at the River Valley Garden Club’s March 24 meeting, as members heard a vivid presentation on California’s vernal pools and presented a $500 grant to support the Kiwanis Club’s annual Kids Fishing Day at Lake Clementia. About 30 people attended the evening gathering at the Rancho Murieta Association building.

The club presented a $500 community grant to the Rancho Murieta Kiwanis Club in support of its long-running Kids Fishing Day. Community Grants Chair Karen Bengard made the presentation. The grant was part of the Garden Club’s ongoing effort to support youth and outdoor programs.

Accepting the grant on behalf of Kiwanis, Pat Rooney thanked the club and described the Joe Mazzoni Kids Fishing Day, now in its 22nd year, as a popular event for children ages 5 to 12 that typically draws about 100 youngsters.

The day features fishing with volunteer helpers and a hot dog lunch, giving local families a memorable time at the lake. 

“It’s just a wonderful event,” he said.

Guest speaker Professor Jamie Kneitel, chair of the Environmental Studies and Biological Services Departments at Sacramento State, introduced members to the rich and often overlooked world of vernal pools: those shallow depressions that fill with water in winter and then dry into colorful rings of wildflowers in spring. He explained that the pools form over a buried hardpan layer that traps winter rain and said that more than 90% of California’s original vernal pool habitat has already been lost to development and other land-use changes.

Kneitel showed a video taken just weeks earlier, revealing the microscopic community of aquatic invertebrates that suddenly appears when the pools fill: fairy shrimp, copepods, water fleas, worms and other tiny crustaceans. These “passive dispersers,” he said, survive the long dry season as tough resting eggs in the soil that can remain viable for decades until the water returns.

In contrast, “active dispersers” such as mosquitoes, diving beetles and other flying insects live in the pools only during the wet phase before emerging and flying off to other habitats. He also highlighted the pools’ larger residents – the California tiger salamander and the Western spadefoot toad – which spend the dry months safely underground.

On the floral side, Kneitel showed slides of the wildflowers that make vernal pools famous: golden goldfields, intricate calico flowers and his personal favorite, the tricolor monkeyflower, which he described as “just so cute.” Many of these plants are found only in vernal pools, and some are listed as threatened or endangered. He also introduced the audience to the Boggs Lake Dodder, an orange, thread-like parasitic vine that wraps around host plants such as coyote thistle and siphons off water and nutrients.

While the parasite looks destructive, Kneitel described a field study by one of his students at Mather Field showing that plots where the dodder was left alone actually had higher plant species diversity than plots where it was removed. 

“It suppresses the strongest competitors,” he explained, “and that opens space for more species to coexist.”

In closing, he emphasized that vernal pools are an iconic part of California’s natural heritage but also among its most imperiled ecosystems, and that stronger conservation and careful management will be needed to protect their unique plants and animals for future generations.

In other business, Plant Sale Chair Deb Rooney outlined plans for the club’s annual plant sale, set for 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. Saturday, May 9 in the RMA parking lot. Calling it the Garden Club’s major fundraiser of the year, she said proceeds help to support the club’s grants, scholarships and community projects.

Rooney urged members to donate plants, pots, garden art and other garden-related items, and to volunteer for setup and sale-day duties. The event will feature plant tables, a raffle, a children’s Mother’s Day project, a Master Gardener information table and flower-arranging demonstrations, with finished arrangements available for purchase. Large shade tents provided by the Rancho Murieta Association will help to keep plants – and volunteers – comfortable as the club works to welcome the community and raise funds for its many activities.

More information about the club can be found at its website: rivervalleygardenclub.net.