Madrono, Vol. 56, No. 4, p. 296, 2009 PRESIDENT S REPORT FOR VOLUME 56 Dear CBS member, evolution;electronicaccesstothesearticleswouldraisethe I am honored toprovidemy first President's Report for sitnattousouorfthhiestjooruyrnaaslbaostawneilsltsasopfrwoevsitdeirnnguNsoraltlhgrAemaetriincsai.ght tPirieesiSdoecnite'tsy.posDietaionn.KCelBcSh RheacsortdrianngsitSieocnreedtartyo NtihsehaPnatsat As I write this, the Annual Banquet and Graduate Rajakaruna has accepted a new position in Maine. When Student Meetingat SanJose State Universityhavealready he leaves, Mike Vasey, a former President, will step in to toaclckurbryed.DoTuhegseScwheermesbkoethfrquoimteMsiucchciegssafnulStwaittehaUnfiavnetrassittiyc crteoasknietdiihnniusgepilhnaicsMearaiesnseeRaermccoohsrtdoinnogfLaStsehtcehreeynteiaarary.aDnrAd.ltoRhtaohjueagrkhaChraeulinwfaiolrlwnibileal oSunsisetuWdoieoslhoofuasdeap(tSaJtSioUngarandduastpeecisattuidoenn.t)WaendcoRnogdratMuylaattte plants. Andrew Doran (1st Vice President), Rod Myatt for their exceptional work organizing this successful (2nd Vice President), Heather Driscoll (Corresponding meeting. In fact, the graduate student talks and posters Secretary), Kim Kersh (Membership Chair) and Tom weresoexcellentatthismeetingthejudgescouldnotagree Schweich (Treasurer) continue as officers of the Society. which were the best talks forawards, so weended upwith Other members of the Council included Staci Markos, multipleawards. WinnerswereBrianAnacker(UCDavis), Ellen Simms, Chelsea Specht and the Graduate Student Naomi Fraga (Rancho SantaAna), JenniferGoropse (San Representative Ben Carter. Thank you Susan Bainbridge Jose State), Dena Grossenbacher (UC Davis), Matt foryourworkasWebmasterthispast year. The Editorsof Guilliams (UC Berkeley), Kristen Hasenstab-Lehman Madroiio, Rich Whitkus and Tim Lowrey, make up the (Rancho Santa Ana), Stephanie Porter (UC Davis) and remainder ofthe Board. Jenn Yost (UC Santa Cruz). Congratulations to you This is the first volume of Madrono edited by Drs. all. Whitkus and Lowrey, and they are quickly bringing the Our membership base is the foundation ofthe Society journalbackundercontroland ontimeafteratransitional and your support allows us to promote botanical research year. They have brought a commitment to quality and and education. Increasing our membership is thus a professionalism thatgivesallofusconfidencein the future priority, so please continue to encourage your colleagues ofthejournal. to join us and to publish in Madroiio. Please consider The past year was an active time for the Board of the providing a sponsoring membership or subscription to a California Botanical Society. The Board this year is foreign scientist or scientific institution to support botan- moving to bringing the Society totally online through the ical research in economically depressed, developing website. We hope to provide members with electronic countries. For more information on making such a gift, access to thejournal in upcomingmonths. Submissions of please contact Corresponding Secretary Heather Driscoll manuscripts and reviews have already converted to online (hdriscoll(a)berkeley.edu). The Society also welcomes gifts submission to some extent, but may move entirely to or other contributions to our endowment. electronic processing in the near future, along with Finally,InotethattheSocietyreachesitscentennialyear membership renewals and other functions. We're excited in2015, whichisnot that faraway. The Boardhasalready by this process but are moving carefully to ensure begunconsideringideasabout howtocelebratethatevent. sustainability ofthese improvements. Meanwhile, we also We'reopen to ideas from themembership, so asyoucome areworkingongettingallpastissuesofMadronoavailable up with them, please pass them along to board members. through an electronic journal access website. So many classic articles are hiding in the older issues, from floras V. Thomas Parker andspeciestreatments, toinsightfulpapersonecologyand December 2009