WERC Highlights -- August 2003

Wetlands Restoration for Giant Garter Snakes: USGS scientist Glenn Wylie of the Western Ecological Research Center will give a talk on the habitat use of giant garter snakes in restored wetlands at Colusa National Wildlife Refuge at The Wildlife Society’s 10th Annual Conference in Burlington, Vermont, Sept. 6-10. Wylie will discuss the threatened snake’s colonization and use of restored habitat and the protocols developed to monitor these snakes and adaptively manage habitat features of restored wetlands to increase their numbers. Results of this project will guide other habitat restoration efforts to help the recovery of giant garter snakes. For more information: http://www.wildlife.org/conference/index.cfm. (Glenn Wylie, Dixon, CA, 707-678-0682 x616, glenn_wylie@usgs.gov)

Ecology and Conservation of the Willow Flycatcher: A new monograph published in Studies in Avian Biology, is the first to synthesize the results of research and management of the willow flycatcher, highlighting the endangered southwestern subspecies. The volume, edited by USGS research ecologists Mark Sogge of the Southwest Biological Science Center and Barbara Kus of the Western Ecological Research Center, in collaboration with Susan Sferra of the Bureau of Reclamation and Mary Whitfield of the Southern Sierra Research Station, draws from presentations at a conference held in 2000 (“Ecology and Conservation of the Willow Flycatcher,” Oct. 24-25, 2000, Tempe, AZ). The monograph provides current information on flycatcher distribution and abundance, breeding ecology and behavior, and other topics pertinent to the conservation and management of willow flycatchers such as cowbird parasitism and livestock grazing. The volume is available from the Cooper Ornithological Society, c/o Western Foundation of Vertebrate Zoology, 439 Calle San Pablo, Camarillo, CA 93010. (Mark Sogge, Flagstaff, AZ, 928-556-7194, mark_sogge@usgs.gov; Barbara Kus, San Diego, CA, 858-637-6881, barbara_kus@usgs.gov)

Snakes: Robert N. Fisher was interviewed by a reporter from the Riverside Press-Enterprise about the impacts of snake collecting on wild populations of snakes in southern California. (Robert N. Fisher, San Diego, CA, 858-637-6882, rfisher@usgs.gov)

Pacific Coast Band-tailed Pigeon Survey: USGS scientists in cooperation with state, federal and Canadian biologists recently developed and adopted a comprehensive standardized method for estimating range-wide abundance of Pacific Coast band-tailed pigeons, a popular game species on the West Coast. The population index is based on pigeon counts conducted at mineral sites located throughout the range of the pigeon (California, Oregon, Washington, British Columbia). Band-tailed pigeons are known to consistently visit mineral sites during the breeding season, providing a means for estimating their abundance. The new survey will provide information on short-term population trends, which managers can use to help guide and evaluate their current and future actions, as well as help guide harvest regulations. The development of this survey was a cooperative effort supported through the Webless Migratory Game Bird Program of the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, Oregon State University, California Department of Fish and Game, Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife, Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife, the Canadian Wildlife Service and the U.S. Geological Survey. The Pacific Flyway Study Committee recently acknowledged the development of this standardized, range-wide survey, which has been a high priority of the committee for several years. (Michael Casazza, Dixon, CA, 707-678-0682 x629, mike_casazza@usgs.gov)

Giant Garter Snake Recovery: On Aug. 15, USGS scientist Glenn Wylie discussed research on the threatened giant garter snake during a field tour of the Colusa Basin Integrated Watershed by staff of the California Department of Water Resources, and others. Wylie discussed habitat restoration, monitoring methods, and preliminary research results while the group viewed levee repairs in Reclamation District 108 made since 2000 under the Corps Sacramento Bank Protection Program. The levee repairs were constructed with soil topping over riprap and planted with a mixture of native grasses to retain habitat for the snake. (Glenn Wylie, Dixon, CA, 707-678-0682 x616, glenn_wylie@usgs.gov)

Channel Islands: USGS scientists Gary Fellers, Robert N. Fisher, Kevin Lafferty, and Kathryn McEachern of the Western Ecological Research Center were interviewed by the Los Angeles Times about animals and plant life on the Channel Islands of California, discussing evolution, rare endemic species, and differences between species that live on islands compared to mainland counterparts. (Gary Fellers, Point Reyes, CA, 415-464-5185, gary_fellers@usgs.gov; Robert N. Fisher, San Diego, CA, 858-637-6882, rfisher@usgs.gov; Kathryn McEachern, Ventura, CA, 805-658-5753, kathryn_mceachern@usgs.gov; Kevin Lafferty, Santa Barbara, CA, 805-893-8778, klafferty@usgs.gov)

Mountain Yellow-legged Frog: A reporter and photographer from the San Gabriel Valley Tribune and the Pasadena Star-News accompanied USGS biologists Cindy Hitchcock and Erick Ambat of the Western Ecological Research Center on a survey for mountain yellow-legged frogs in the Angeles National Forest, in southern California. The article will focus on imperiled species in the Angeles Forest. (Cindy Hitchcock, Irvine, CA, 818-998-6270, chitchcock@usgs.gov)

Snowy Plovers: USGS scientist Kevin Lafferty of the Western Ecological Research Center was interviewed by KEYT TV (ABC Santa Barbara, CA) about this year’s western snowy plover boom -- 40 chicks fledged -- the most ever within the protection of a special rope-fenced area at Coal Oil Point Reserve, a public beach in Santa Barbara, Calif. (Kevin Lafferty, Santa Barbara, CA, 805-893-8778, klafferty@usgs.gov)

Fire and Invasive Grasses: The Riverside Press Enterprise highlighted a project by USGS scientists Matt Brooks and Todd Esque on evaluating effects of fuel treatments and invasive annual grasses on fire behavior and fire effects at Joshua Tree National Park: http://www.pe.com/localnews/desertpass/stories/PE_NEWS_ndjosh06.f1f8.html. (Matt Brooks, Henderson, NV, 702-564-4615, matt_brooks@usgs.gov)

Who Wants To Be A Millionaire: Asked by this TV show to solve a dispute over the answer to the question “A dense evergreen thicket of trees and shrubs would be what ecological region?” A) chaparral, or B) Sierra mountains, USGS scientist Jon Keeley, a chaparral expert at the Western Ecological Research Center, explained that the question was ambiguous and neither answer quite correct – and that’s his final answer. (Jon Keeley, Three Rivers, CA, 559-565-3170, jon_keeley@usgs.gov)

Sierra Bighorn Sheep: USGS scientist Les Chow of the Western Ecological Research Center was interviewed by the Los Angeles Times for a story about Sierra bighorn sheep in Kings Canyon National Park. Chow stated that the population of bighorn sheep in Yosemite National Park has doubled in the last few years and has expanded their range in the southern Sierra Nevada Mountains: http://www.latimes.com/news/local/la-me-outthere9aug09,1,7966698.story. (Les Chow, El Portal, CA, 209-379-1307, les_chow@usgs.gov)

Aleutian Sea Otters: USGS scientist Jim Estes of the Western Ecological Research Center was interviewed about the recent decline of Aleutian sea otters in the August 2003 issue of National Geographic magazine. An excerpt of the story “Alaska’s Wild Archipelago” appears at: http://magma.nationalgeographic.com/ngm/0308/feature4/index.html. (Jim Estes, Santa Cruz, CA, 831-459-2820, jim_estes@usgs.gov)