Restoring San Francisco's Rare Manzanitas

San Francisco hosts two of the rarest manzanitas in the world: Raven's Manzanita (Arctostaphylos montana subsp. ravenii) and Franciscan Manzanita (Arctostaphylos franciscana). These endangered species grew together in a distinct maritime chaparral habitat that once covered the serpentine hilltops of San Francisco. Their story is one of discovery, loss, salvage, and restoration, with a bit serendipity sprinkled throughout. Michael Chassé will share the history and ecology of San Francisco's rare endemic manzanitas and how current efforts are returning these species to the San Francisco landscape.

 

Michael Chassé is a biologist for the National Park Service at the Golden Gate National Recreation Area, where he has coordinated natural areas stewardship and rare plant monitoring for close to 20 years. He is a graduate of San Francisco State University's Department of Geography. His master's thesis focused on San Francisco's rare endemic manzanitas. Michael also served as a Peace Corps Volunteer in Mongolia in the early 1990's.