Your best source of accurate information about California's most extensive ecosystem...
The Chaparral
Welcome Fellow Natural History Enthusiasts, Research Scientists, and Wildland Firefighters
Of all the distinct, natural communities in California, only one is found throughout and only one can be said to represent the state's most characteristic wilderness: chaparral, a special plant community characterized by drought-hardy, woody shrubs, shaped by a Mediterranean-type climate (summer drought, winter rain) and intense, infrequent wildfires. It is within the chaparral where California will find its best and perhaps last chance to reclaim its wildness and preserve the quality of life made possible by the region's natural, open spaces.
This site is being updated frequently, so please return from time to time. Last update: June 12, 2011.
The Purpose of The Institute is...
To promote an understanding and respect for the chaparral and Mediterranean-type climate in which it thrives in order to: * Increase the conservation, protection, and preservation of shrubland ecosystems.
* Encourage an active interest in learning about the chaparral, the organisms living there, its evolutionary development, and the fragile relationship it has with fire.
* Foster a reconnection to the natural environment.
*Supporting the creative spirit as inspired by the natural environment.
* Facilitate better communication between the scientific and firefighting communities.
* Help develop planning policies that will lower the risk of fire crossing over the wildland/urban interface without compromising wildland values.
* Help clarify fire and land management regulations to eliminate bias against native shrubland plant communities.
* Permanently secure the value of protecting chaparral as an important natural resource for the benefit of current and future generations.
* Foster a greater understanding between human cultures originating and existing within Mediterranean-type ecosystems.
Red Shanks Chaparral
The California Chaparral Institute...
is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit corporation of naturalists, scientists, wildland firefighters, and educators who value the chaparral as both a valuable resource and a place to enjoy the wilderness.
Every dime we obtain through speaking engagements, consulting work, and membership donations help us defray costs for publications, transportation, research and education. Without financial attachments to any formal institutions or economic interests we can afford to be the voice of the chaparral without concern over future funding. What we do is not about money, but about making a difference.
So please consider joining the California Chaparral Institute to help support our mission by becoming a member at one of the following three levels:
1. Citizen Naturalist 2. Chaparralian 3. California Grizzly Bear
To receive periodic updates and news concerning the California Chaparral Institute, please join our mailing list by using the form to the right.
For interesting thoughts and photos concerning the chaparral and the importance of nature you can also...
Available Materials and Services
Publications: There are so many misconceptions about chaparral and wildfires that we felt it was important to produce a book that would help set the story straight. Consequently, Fire, Chaparral and Survival in Southern California was written. Portions of the book can be read on the Book Excerpts page.
Receive a free copy by joining the Institute on our MEMBERSHIP page.
Members also receive our periodic journal, THE CHAPARRALIAN. You can see a list of all past issues and download a few samples copies here.
A Personal Message About Soccer and Nature
After controlling the ball 90% of the time, shutting out the opposition three games in a row, and riding high on friendship born from struggle and cooperation, our 10-year-old son's soccer All-Star team was forced into a penalty kick show-down due to a 1:1 tie. As each player squared off, the tie continued until the last, with goalie kicking against goalie. We lost. It was such lousy way to lose, especially since our team had played so well together. Such a one-on-one showdown just doesn't seem right.
You may be wondering what this has to do with chaparral; well, quite a bit actually. You see Sunday, the day we would have been playing in the final game had we won, our family of four spent the afternoon hiking up a mountain covered with magnificent, old-growth chaparral near our home. At one point the vegetation was so high and dense that our path had to weave its way through a narrow tunnel of ceanothus, the canopy of which arched more than three feet over my head. I'm six feet six inches tall. More than a century ago, such a place would have been a utilized by the California grizzly bear to travel from one side of the mountain to the other.
My son knew the plants along the way and proudly announced their names. They were friends to him. They were friends to all of us. On the way back down, we heard the bouncing whistle of the wrentit, a chaparral voice that made our hearts sing. Our son pointed that out too. It was one of the best adventures we've had as a family. You see, nature has a way of refocusing energies, helping to put things back into perspective. It allows us to realize (once again) what is really important in life.
Yeah, we lost a little dream on the soccer field and still felt horrible about it, but somehow it was O.K. after our chaparral adventure Sunday. Nature brought us back. And it wasn't just because we took a walk, but because we took a walk with friends from the wild. We felt at home. The characters and things around us were familiar because we knew their names and their life histories. They had meaning for us.
Beyond its value as a natural resource and watershed, chaparral is valuable as a place of connection, beauty, and peace in a very busy and sometimes confusing world. This is why I am so passionate about helping others learn to appreciate the chaparral or whatever natural environment is near their home. It helps make life so much more enjoyable and helps people smile, something we need a lot more of these days, especially after a not-so-good day on the soccer field.
Richard W. Halsey President California Chaparral Institute
One of the best kept secrets of the chaparral is its remarkable wildflowers. Pictured here is a Humboldt's Lily (Lilium humboldtii) found at the base of Viejas Mountain, San Diego County. A walk through the chaparral between January and May offers a nearby, peaceful alternative to visiting other, more distant wildflower display locations.
