“Carrizo, Washburn Wildflowers II” by Laurel Sherrie
The 2024 Carrizo Colloquium on October 25 at the Pavilion on the Lake in Atascadero features contemporary field science and research on the diverse flora and fauna of the Carrizo Plain, and includes a display of paintings of the Carrizo provided by San Luis Outdoor Painters for the Environment (SLOPE).
Artist Joe McFadden will give an overview of SLOPE, its mission, members, and history as part of a program that begins at 9 a.m. and finishes up at 4 p.m. Topics this year include indigenous and federal agency co-management of the sacred sites on the Carrizo, a report on recent geological discoveries, educational potential of wildflower tourism, the use of water to recover the pronghorn population, and the expansion of the Giant Kangaroo Rat population.
A celebration of the tenth anniversary of the formation of the Carrizo Plain Conservancy follows the colloquium.
Colloquium tickets are $5 and available online or at the door.
A free, optional docent-led hike on October 26 will focus on the geology and the history of the Plain. Hikers will see and discuss geological, hydrological, biological, and historical features, and will visit Painted Rock, a sacred Native American site.