A family geocaching expedition on Sacramento’s American River Trail last weekend provided the inspiration for the second Trailmix.Net online seminar titled Poison Oak, Recognition and Prevention.
The objective of the seminar is to learn about Poison Oak, how to identify it, what causes a poison oak rash, symptoms of exposure, symptoms of severe exposure, the exposure timeline, prevention, and treatment of a poison oak rash.
While researching the seminar I learned that toxidendron diversilobum, also known as poison oak, is found all along the Pacific Coast of North America from Canada to the Baja Peninsula. In fact, poison oak is the most abundant shrub in California. It was surprising to see this in writing, but based upon my own empirical observations in the field it makes perfect sense (I have lost count of the number of times I have been exposed to poison oak).
Prevention of poison oak exposure is all about detection. If you can’t identify poison oak, by the end of the seminar you should know enough to spot it and avoid it on the trail.
You can download and view the seminar (including the Trailmix.Net Poison Oak Challenge) in the Trailmix.Net seminar download area. If you prefer reading reference articles, a list is provided below.
Poison Oak References:
NIH Medline
Understanding Poison Oak, Ivy, and Sumac
Poison Oak, Ivy, Sumac – Topic Overview
American Academy of Dermatology
National Parks Service
PESGCE
Toxicodendron Dermatitis: Identification, Immunologic Mechanisms, Diagnosis, and Treatment