Recording of our Getting in Touch with Nature virtual presentation of "The Hidden Lake Bluecurls: Management and Recovery of a Rare, Endemic Plant", by Ken Kietzer on August 17, 2021.

Ken Kietzer, Environmental Scientist for the Inland Empire State Park District, presents a history of the evolution and conservation of a rare plant, the Hidden Lake Bluecurls. These tiny flowers, endemic to a small vernal lake in Mount San Jacinto State Park, were listed as threatened by the U. S. Fish and Wildlife Service (USFWS) in 1998 primarily due to threats from recreation. Since its listing, other concerns have been added to the list, such as climate change, wildfire, and disease. Learn about the creative management actions taken by California State Parks and its partners have taken that led to the delisting of Hidden Lake Bluecurls, and plans for balancing conservation and recreation in the future.

Ken Kietzer is the Senior Environmental Scientist for California State Parks Inland Empire District. He studied Zoology at Southern Illinois University where he earned Bachelor of Science with a specialization in Wildlife Management and Minored in Chemistry. He considers himself lucky to have a career which allows him opportunities to manage the diverse holdings of the State Parks in the Inland Empire from the very urban open space and globally significant wildlife corridor of Chino Hills State Park to the sub-alpine “wilderness” of Mount San Jacinto State Park to the Mojave Desert ecosystems of Providence Mountains State Recreation Area. Working for California State Parks also allows him the freedom to manage projects from concept to implementation and then to monitor and maintain them as they mature.