WERC Highlights -- April 1999

Tracking Sea Otters in Washington State: U.S. Geological Survey sea otter research in Washington State will be featured on the Canadian Discovery Channel program Animal Tracks April 1-8. The program shows scientist Ron Jameson and field crew of the USGS Western Ecological Research Center capturing and tagging sea otters off the northwest Washington coast. By studying Washington sea otters, WERC scientists hope to better assess sea otter population status and growth when compared with populations in California and Alaska. The scientists are also gathering comparative baseline information, which will be extremely valuable in the event of an environmental catastrophe, such as a major oilspill, in which large numbers of sea otters can be expected to die. (Ron Jameson, Corvallis, OR, 541/754-4388)

National Wildlife magazine Features USGS Research: Research of four scientists of the USGS Western Ecological Research Center is included in two articles and a news item in the April/May issue of National Wildlife (described below in the following three items). Other articles in the same issue name six other U.S. Geological Survey scientists and their studies.

Ravens Vs. Desert Tortoises: In "Fatal Attraction," Los Angeles writer Michael Tennesen reported on the growing threat to the desert tortoise's long-term survival by desert-dwelling ravens that feed on young tortoises. With urban development of the Mojave Desert subsidizing raven populations with water, food, and nest-sites, numbers of ravens have increased by 1,000 percent for the same period during which tortoise numbers have fallen by 90%. Tennesen interviewed Kristin Berry, who studies desert tortoises, and Bill Boarman, who studies ravens. (Kristin Berry, Riverside, CA, 909/697-5361; Bill Boarman, Riverside, CA, 909/787-5152)

Bobcats Near Urban Areas in California: Montana journalist Gary Turbak wrote in "Living on the Fringe" about the bobcat's ability to adapt to living near heavily populated areas such as San Francisco and Los Angeles. One of the researchers interviewed in the article is Judd Howell, who conducts mammalian community ecology in San Francisco's Golden Gate National Recreation Area, where bobcats exist in a park visited annually by nearly 14 million people. (Judd Howell, Sausalito, CA, 415/331-0639)

Where There's Smoke There's Germination: USGS scientist Jon Keeley and colleagues have established that smoke can trigger germination in dormant seeds of 25 chaparral plant species of California. In an article in the October issue of the journal Ecology, the two scientists reported that smoke can trigger germination in dormant seeds of certain species of plants in California chaparral. Heat from fires induces many plant species to germinate, but the researchers found that 25 chaparral species require smoke exposure, but not heat, for germination. These differences in response to fire are ecologically significant, because the structure of chaparral plant communities is determined by which plant species recolonize the landscape following fire. Thus, these research results have potentially significant implications to the management of fire-prone chaparral communities. The findings prompted a news item by Science News (October 24) and story by Environmental News Network (October 28). (Jon Keeley, Three Rivers, CA, 559/565-3170)

USGS Scientists Contribute to Weeds Book: Jeff Lovich and Todd Esque of the Western Ecological Research Center contributed information in the federal publication Invasive Plants, Changing the Landscape of America: Fact Book. Lovich spoke about the impacts of saltcedar on riparian habitats in the desert. He also provided information about Morrocan mustard, an invasive plant in California, explaining that burrowing activities of native animals can enhance the spread of this invasive mustard in remote desert areas. Esque explained how invasive plants fuel desert fires. Also known as the Weeds Fact Book, the volume is a product of the Federal Interagency Committee for the Management of Noxious and Exotic Weeds, an interagency body chaired jointly by the Department of the Interior and the U.S. Department of Agriculture. The Weeds Fact Book is a comprehensive non-technical overview of invasive plants in the United States. It is intended to increase awareness and understanding of government administrators and decision makers, resource managers and users, and the public about the destruction and losses caused by invasive plants in the United States. The book was published in 1998 in Washington, D.C., by the Government Printing Office; information about ordering the book is available at http://bluegoose.arw.r9.fws.gov/FICMNEWFiles/FactBook.html. (Jeff Lovich, Riverside, CA, 909/787-4719)

Frog Deformities Not Cause of Frog Declines in California: USGS scientist Gary Fellers of the Western Ecological Research Center, quoted in an article in the San Jose Mercury News April 30, asserted that deformities are rare in California frogs and are not the cause of widespread amphibian declines there, but that airborne pollutants from the Central Valley may be associated with frog declines even in pristine locations. Reporter Glennda Chui's article focused on recent research results made public in the journal Science regarding the discovery of a parasitic roundworm that had caused deformities in Pacific treefrogs in Santa Clara County, California. (Gary Fellers, Point Reyes, CA, 415-663-8522 x 236)

Restoring the California Desert: Scientist Jeff Lovich of the USGS Western Ecological Research Center will make the keynote address at the Southern California Academy of Sciences annual meeting at California State University, Dominguez Hills, April 30-May 1. The theme is "The status of natural resources, management, recovery and restoration." Lovich will speak on man's degradation of the southern California desert ecosystem and prospects for natural recovery and restoration. The desert is near large growing population centers and may require thousands of years to recover completely from damage. (Jeff Lovich, Riverside, CA, 909-787-4719)

Diversity and Government Careers: In a recent interview with Jan Goldberg of CASS Communications, statistician Julie Yee of the Western Ecological Research Center told her personal story of getting a Ph.D in statistics and starting her career in USGS. The interview will appear in "Diversity Monthly Career Opportunities & Insights" in a future career-related publication of CASS Communications. The article will offer information about the types of government careers that are available, particularly those in the technical categories. The principal target audience is women and minorities attending college or who have just graduated. (Julie Yee, Dixon, CA, 707-678-0682 ext 627)