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'W"aucoba GJVews Sponsored by the Bishop Museum & Historical Society, Bishop, Ca. 93514 VOLUME II IFounded and Edited by Enid A. Larson, Box 265, Big Pine, Ca. 93513 Spring 1979Subscription: Four 9" long stamped self-addressed envelopes 4 issues per yearor a membership ($5.00) in Bishop MuseumWAUCOBA: A Paiute word for "pine t ree"; also highest peak in Inyo Mts., 11,027 f t .

CHIPMUNKS EAST OF THE SIERRA NEVADA Report No. 1

prawing contributed by Art Baca,Pleasant Hill , California(from a photograph of Merriam's Chipmunktaken by Enid A. Larson, Omega 120)

THE PANAMINT CHIPMUNK A Range Extension

On 3 Mar. 1979, D. Giuliani and VinceYoder were in the Sacatar Canyon (LamontQuad. Topo. Map) in a rocky, pinyon pinehabitat and found th e Panamint Chipmunk(Eutamias panamintinus) in abundance. In2 hours Derham saw and heard more than 18individuals: some on the Inyo County side ofth e crest and others on the western slope ofth e Sierra in Tulare County (about 1/4 mile)west of th e crest .This is the f i rs t record I have discoveredfor this species of chipmunk being reportedfrom the western slope of th e Sierra. Theelevation of Sacatar Pass is about 2200 m(7200 f t) and i t s location is at least 17miles south of th e southernmost point reportedby Johnson (1943). This rocky pinyon habitatcontinutes southward to at least Nine-Mile Canyonand needs to be explored further for theoccurrence of this chipmunk. In this areaof the Sierra Nevada the pinyon nu t crop wasabundant in autumn of 1978, and unopenedseeds of this pine s t i l l lay on the groundin March beneath th e t reesIn addition to distinctive coloration,th e behavior of this species of chipmunk is adiagnostic field characterist ic.

GEOGRAPHIC DISTRIBUTIONAL MAPofTHE PANAMINT CHIPMUNKIn Eastern California and Nevada

~ E V A D A

+CALIFORNIA

- - Enid A. Larson, Big Pine, Ca ..

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SOME NATURE NOTES==== ====== =====

Feb.12, 1979 - Male and female Nuttall 'sWoodpecker (Dendrocopus nut ta l l i i ) notedalong Rt. 395 about a mile S of LonePine.Feb. 14 - A loose flock of about a dozenTree Swallows (Iridoprocne bicolor)alollgaqueduct and over meadow southerly ofDiaz Lake.Feb. 18 - A flock of about 100 Graycrowned Rosy Finches (Leucosticte teph-rocot is) were observed feeding on seedson th e ground under Hop Sage (Greyiaspinosa) and Shadscale (Atriplex sp.) .About of the males were'of the grayheaded race, Hepburn Rosy Finch (L. t .l i t tora l is ) . - -Feb. 20 and 21 - 4 Turkey Vultures(Cathartes aura) soared over Lone Pinefor part of the afternoon eech day.Feb. 24 - A Great-horned Owl (Bubo vir-ginianus) nest discovered in a willow onthe west side of Diaz Lake. Female ha sbeen on the nest each vis i t to date (Feb.21). Male is often perched in a nearbytree. Motorboats, cars; fishing activi t ies have no t caused her to abandon thenest so far.Feb. 26 - A Common Snipe (capella gal-linago) flushed twice out of Lone PineCreek t ributary in the Alabama Hills.Pacific Treefrogs (Hyla regilla) in apond in the same t ributary.Feb. 27 - A Ruby-crowned Kinglet (Regu-lus calendula) observed mi. Wof- - - Lone Pine along creek. Screech Owl,grey phase, (Otis asio) road ki l l observed 2 mi. west of Lone Pine.Feb. 28 - Male Nuttall Woodpecker observedon the west side of Diaz Lake.Mar. 2 - Violet-green Swallows (Tachy-cineta thalassima) observed alongaqueduct 5 mi. N of Lone Pine.Mar. 3 - A group of over 150 Common Raven (corvus corax) were observed by Derham Giuliani and the writer in the uppereasterly end of Sacatar Canyon, e l .7000+'. This pinyon-juniper communityalso contained three species of jay;Scrub. Steller 's , and Pinyon (Aphelocomacoerulescens, Cyanocitta s te l ler i , andGymnorhinus cyanocephalus). CaliforniaGround Squirrel (Citel lus beecheyi)andPanamint Chipmunk (Eutamias panamintinus)also noted in the vicinity of the pass.Mar. 6 - Half a dozen or so House Finches(Carpodacus mexicanus) were noted feeding on Dicoria canescens var. Clarkii seeds at Eureka Dunes. Mar. 13 - Barn Swallows (Hirundo rustica) observed along aqueduct 4 mi S of Lone Pine. Mar. 15 - A pair of Audubon's Warblers (Dendroica auduboni)noted at Lubkin Creek 4 miles south of Lone Pine. Mar. 17 - A few White-throated Swifts (Aeronautes saxatal is) swooping, fluttering, and soaring over Alabama Hills. --Vincent Yoder, Lone Pine, Ca.t t t t t t t t t t t= = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = =CORRECTION: In WAUCOBA NEWS Vol. I I I ,Winter, 1979, there was error in thereport of INSECTS:--last Paragraph shouldread: "a to ta l of 3 fl ightless females"and "the males are thought to be winged".The typ is t ' s apologies to Dr. Powell and toDerham Giuliani.= = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = =

ALABAMA HILLS STUDY===-=== ===== =====

I have ini t iated a study in th e AlabamaHills area near Lone Pine. I plan to ident i fy a l l l i fe forms as well as I can; noteman's act ivi t ies that affect the area, suchas recreation, subdivision, running stock,etc . ; keep weather records; record unusualgeological phenomenon.

Although I am interested in the entirearea my effor ts will be concentrated atabout 25 si tes . Section corners will beused fo r easy location and permanency, andthey are randomly located as to habitat ,thus eliminating subjective elements of personal choice. Photographs of the s i tes havebeen taken in each cardinal direct ion. Aphoto record of certain plants may be madeto indicate growth, survival, injury, recovery, etc. I expect to devote the rest of myl i fe to this study (hopefully 20-25 yrs) and"long term" trends may begin to show up.

Since my technical abil i t ies are somewhat limited, professional ideas and help willbe most welcome. As the information accumulates and my famil iari ty with the area improves, the study will be of increasing value,I hope, to interested persons, groups, publicagencies, etc . , who may have free accessthereto. I may be contacted through telephonenumber 876-4275. Vincent Yodert t t t t t t t t t t t

Comment on Seed Dispersal in PinusDr. Tomback's emphasis on the Clark's Nutcracker as th e primary dispersal agent for seeds

of P. albicaulis and P. f lex i l i s (Waucoba News3:1) cannot be questioned by those who havespent time in subalpine habitat . However, herspeculation that the seed wings were "lost" because they "became unnecessary and were costlyto produce by the t ree" 1:$ uQ."; "ell,:f,POnded.!:.. f l ex i l i s is known to produce seed wingswhich remain within th e cone as the seed isshed (Munz '59,Sargent '35, Jepson '25).The seed wing of P. albicaulis is highlyreduced but nevertheless present in varyingdegrees of development (Jepson '25).Cones of P. albicaulis collected near SonoraPass bore large seeds with the reduced wings.The dry weight of the seed wings was alwaysmuch less than 0.0050 gm, a small fractionof th e weight of a typical seed (.0569 gm)or needle leaf (.0208 gm). The seed wing ina l l pines i s apparently derived from th e surface of the ovuliferous scale to which i tremains attached in these two species (Sporne'65). I t does not seem l ikely that carbonallocation strategies are sensi t ive to such asmall scale of economy, especially since subalpine t rees may produce an entire cropof unfilled seeds during unfavorable periods.The reduction in seed wing size may, however,have been selected for by discriminatinganimals unable to accomodate a tough fibrouswing unsuited for a given oral , dental oresophogeal geometry. The persistence of theseed wing in populations of t rees implies amaintenance of genetic variat ion.

Bruce M. Pavlik