WERC Highlights 1998

December

Sea Otter Declines in California and Alaska: There are fewer southern sea otters in California, according to the fall survey conducted by Western Ecological Research Center scientists. The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service reported on the survey in a recent news release, resulting in articles December 28 in the Sacramento Bee (New York Times byline), and December 29 in the San Jose Mercury (interviews of WERC biologists Jim Estes and Kevin Lafferty, and USGS veterinary pathologist Nancy Thomas). On January 5, New York Times writer William K. Stevens reported in depth on the declines of northern sea otters in Alaska's Aleutian Islands, quoting scientist Jim Estes repeatedly. The news of killer whales feeding on sea otters has been featured in numerous stories since the release of an article in the journal Science in the fall. The reasons for steady declines in California sea otters over the past several years are not yet fully understood. (Jim Estes, CA, 831/459-2820; Brian Hatfield, CA, 805/927-3893) Official news release

Nighttime Capture of Carbon Dioxide by plants in California Vernal Pools: An article in the December issue of BioScience by Elia T. Ben-Ari, features editor, discusses research of Jon Keeley of the USGS Western Ecological Research Center on plants of California vernal pools that evolved a specialized form of photosynthesis usually seen in desert plants. California vernal pools are seasonal pools that fill with rainwater in winter and dry out completely during summer droughts and support hundreds of endemic plants. The intense competition for carbon dioxide may have led to the evolution by some plants of fixing carbon dioxide at night. (Jon Keeley, Three Rivers, CA, 559/565-3170)

October

Sea Otters In the News: A recent USGS news release identifying sea otters at risk has generated a number of media contacts for USGS scientists. Media coverage includes stories by the Associated Press, National Public Radio, The Washington Post, San Francisco Chronicle, Sacramento Bee, and the Anchorage Daily News. A second wave of contacts this week in preparation of more stories includes CNN, ABC, National Geographic Television, San Francisco Channel 5 Television, EarthWatch Radio, and Environmental Review. (Jim Estes, Santa Cruz, CA, 831/459-2820) Official news release