There are a lot of worthy causes out there. Why help preserve and promote a better understanding of the chaparral? Because chaparral defines California like no other native plant community. It provides Californians with a sense of place. And chaparral offers vital natural resource values that help maintain California's ecological health, such as providing watersheds to protect our water supplies, carbon sequestration to combat climate change, and habitat that supports some of the highest levels of biodiversity on earth. Chaparral remains one of the last bastions of the California condor. Unfortunately, there is a segment of society that sees nature, and specifically native shrublands like the chaparral, only as "fuel" that needs to be eliminated. Thousands of habitat clearance operations are being conducted across California that are unnecessarily destroying thousands of acres of valuable habitat. In addition, misunderstandings about native shrublands lead to damaging land management practices such as the planting of nonnative, hybrid trees after fires in places they do not belong.
The Chaparral Institute is the only organization dedicated to stopping such destructive practices, promoting sound science in wildland fire policy, and helping the public and government agencies understand and appreciate the value of native shrublands, especially the chaparral.
Your support will help fund our preservation, education, and research programs with the ultimate goal of assisting others to reconnect with the natural environment in which they live and to recognize the importance of making long term plans to maintain wild places for our families to enjoy in the future. While we focus on the chaparral, our message is universal: nature is a wonderful place to enjoy life. Live nature, love life.
Please support our important mission and select from one of the three membership levels listed below. You can either contribute directly by credit card through PayPal or mail a check with the membership form found below. We are a 501(c)(3) non-profit corporation so your donations are tax-deductible.
Thanks!
Richard W. Halsey Director The Chaparral Institute
Three Levels of Membership
1. Citizen Naturalist: $40. Benefits include The Chaparralian (our periodic journal that covers the chaparral ecosystem and the importance of nature delivered via email) and news alerts about chaparral conservation issues. First time members receive a signed copy of the second edition of Fire, Chaparral, and Survival in Southern California.
If this is a gift membership please send us the name, address, and email of the individual you would like to send the gift to via EMAIL after you place your order. If you are renewing your membership and would still like to receive a copy of the book, you can let us know that too via EMAIL. Thanks!
2. Chaparralian: $65. Benefits include The Chaparralian (our periodic journal that covers the chaparral ecosystem and the importance of nature delivered via email) and news alerts concerning chaparral conservation issues. First time members recieve: - Signed second edition of Fire, Chaparral, and Survival in Southern California - Secrets of the Chaparral DVD (details below)
If this is a gift membership please send us the name, address, and email of the individual you would like to send the gift to via EMAIL after you place your order. If you are renewing your membership and would still like to receive the book and/or DVD, you can let us know that too via EMAIL. Thanks!
3. California Grizzly Bear: $100. Benefits include The Chaparralian (our periodic journal that covers the chaparral ecosystem and the importance of nature delivered via email) and news alerts on conservation issues. First time members receive: - Signed second edition of Fire, Chaparral, and Survival in Southern California - Secrets of the Chaparral DVD (details below) - Special chaparral issue of the California Native Plant Society's journal Fremontia (details below)
If this is a gift membership please send us the name, address, and email of the individual you would like to send the gift to via EMAIL after you place your order. If you are renewing your membership and would still like to receive one or all of the first time member benefits, you can let us know that too via EMAIL. Thanks!
And/or Make a Donation If you would like to make a donation to the Chaparral Institute or increase your support as a member, you can do so here. With a donation of $10 or more, we will send you one of our Chaparral Pocket Naturalist guides as a thank you! Please see our Plants & Animals page for a photo of the guide. All donations are tax-deductible. Many Thanks!!!
If you would prefer to join The Chaparral Institute by mail please download the membership form here
The 2008 second edition of Fire, Chaparral, and Survival in Southern California is the only readily available book that describes in detail California's most characteristic plant community, the chaparral. It not only provides the basics of chaparral natural history, but also how wildfires are fought, what we have learned about them, and why it is so important to reconnect with one's surroundings. Also included is a color photo identification section describing 64 of the most common Southern California chaparral plants and animals. For more details about content or how to purchase additional copies, please go to Book Excerpts.
“Secrets of the Chaparral” DVD
as part of Huell Howser's California's Green PBS television series
Join Huell Howser and Richard Halsey as they explore several beautiful types of chaparral, discuss the chaparral’s misunderstood relationship to fire, and discover the true home of the California grizzly bear. This is by far the best introduction to the chaparral plant community you will find on film anywhere. It is perfect for classroom use as well as for anyone interested in obtaining a clear explanation about California's most characteristic wilderness.
Running time: About 25 minutes. See a sample video clip below.
Special Issue: CHAPARRAL.The fall 2007 issue of the California Native Plant Society's quarterly journal, Fremontia.
With beautiful color photographs and articles by experts in the field, this is an outstanding overview of the chaparral ecosystem. Articles include "Chaparral: Pure California" by Richard W. Halsey, "Diversity and Evolution of Arctostaphylos and Ceanothus" by V. Thomas Parker, "Chaparral Zonation in the Santa Monica Mountains: The Influence of Freezing Temperatures" by Stephen D. Davis, et al., "Chaparral and Fire" by Jon E. Keeley, "Chaparral Geophytes" by Claudia M. Tyler and Mark I. Borchert, "Man and Fire in Southern California: Doing the Math" by Hugh D. Safford, "From Ashes to Life: Effects of Fire on a San Diego Chaparral Community" by David M. Cohn III. 33 pages.
