WERC Highlights -- December 2003

Chaparral Fire Ecology: USGS scientist Jon Keeley of the Western Ecological Research Center has been invited by an international group of scientists from government and academia who have been conducting fire modeling research, to lead them on a one-day field trip, to visit recently burned areas in southern California and discuss chaparral fire ecology and management issues, during the week of Jan. 19-23, 2004. The scientists are meeting at the National Center for Ecological Analysis and Synthesis at the University of California, Santa Barbara. (Jon Keeley, Three Rivers, CA, 559-565-3170, jon_keeley@usgs.gov)

Salt Ponds: USGS biologist Nicole Athearn of the Western Ecological Research Center was interviewed in the field by Audubon Magazine about USGS work providing science support for the restoration of San Francisco Bay salt ponds. (Nicole Athearn, Vallejo, CA, 707-562-2002, nathearn@usgs.gov)

Island Night Lizard: A Dec. 30 story in the Los Angeles Times Outdoors section discusses island evolution on a field trip with Channel Islands National Park biologist Cathy Schwemm to look for the island night lizard. USGS scientists Gary Fellers and Kevin Lafferty (Western Ecological Research Center) are quoted in the story; also named is Charles Drost (Southwest Biological Science Center). Kathryn McEachern and Robert N. Fisher were also interviewed for the story. (Gary Fellers, Point Reyes, CA, 415-464-5185, gary_fellers@usgs.gov; Kevin Lafferty, Santa Barbara, CA, 805-893-8778, klafferty@usgs.gov)

Vegetation Succession: USGS scientist Jon Keeley of the Western Ecological Research Center commented in a Dec. 31 story in the San Diego Union-Tribune about what plants will likely replace the mixed conifers that recently burned in fires in San Diego County. Keeley suggested that much of the burned conifer area may eventually become shrub and grass habitat, with some oak woodland, but with invasive grasses like fire-prone cheat grass becoming common. (Jon Keeley, Three Rivers, CA, 559-565-3170, jon_keeley@usgs.gov)

Community Heroes and Guardians of the Snowy Plover: The Santa Barbara Independent recently recognized USGS scientist Kevin Lafferty of the Western Ecological Research Center and Cristina Sandoval of the University of California Natural Reserve System as "Local Heroes 2003." They were awarded for their efforts, which have also been recognized nationally, for successfully providing a 400-yard “nursery” area that enabled threatened western snowy plovers to nest undisturbed by human activity, with minimal inconvenience to beach users. A volunteer and educational effort increased public awareness and interest in the species. This summer, just two years after a simple rope fence was erected, 39 young western snowy plovers fledged on the Coal Oil Point Reserve beach, signifying the first evidence that a reduction in human disturbance can lead to the recovery of a formerly abandoned snowy plover breeding site. (Kevin Lafferty, Santa Barbara, CA, 805-893-8778, klafferty@usgs.gov)

Forest Research: USGS scientist Jon Keeley of the Western Ecological Research Center was interviewed in the field about his research on forest ecosystems and fire ecology by KPCC (Los Angeles NPR affiliate) for a story on forests and fire ecology to run in January. (Jon Keeley, Three Rivers, CA, 559-565-3170, jon_keeley@usgs.gov)

Fires, Forest, and Wildlife: USGS scientists Carlton Rochester and Jon Keeley of the Western Ecological Research Center were interviewed by the San Diego Union Tribune. Rochester spoke about the San Diego fires and the impacts on some of the native wildlife of the area; Keeley discussed San Diego mixed conifer forest regeneration. (Carlton Rochester, San Diego, CA, 858-637-6884, crochester@usgs.gov; Jon Keeley, Three Rivers, CA, 559-565-3170, jon_keeley@usgs.gov)

Sage Grouse Conservation in California: USGS scientist Michael Casazza of the Western Ecological Research Center will discuss "Sage grouse ecology in Mono County, CA" in Bishop, California, on Dec. 16, 2003. The talk will be given at a meeting of the South Mono Sage Grouse Population Management Unit Team, a group of public, private, and government participants concerned with the conservation of sage grouse in the region. The team is participating in the development of a conservation plan for sage grouse in this local area. To learn more about sage grouse conservation planning underway in California/Nevada: http://ndow.org/wild/sg/. (Michael Casazza, Dixon, CA, 707-678-0682 x629, mike_casazza@usgs.gov)

California Sea Otters: At an event hosted by the Monterey Bay Aquarium on Dec. 10, Congressman Sam Farr (CA-17) announced legislation he is introducing to study and restore the threatened southern sea otter. USGS scientist Jim Estes of the Western Ecological Research Center briefly summarized the status of the California sea otter and research and fielded questions about sea otters from school kids visiting the aquarium and reporters. Local newspaper and TV media attended. Estes was quoted in Dec. 10 story by KSBW-TV (NBC affiliate) and Dec. 11 story in the Monterey County Herald: http://www.theksbwchannel.com/news/2697362/detail.html http://www.montereyherald.com/mld/montereyherald/7466818.htm. (Jim Estes, Santa Cruz, CA, 831-459-2820, jim_estes@usgs.gov)

Dogs and Wildlife: USGS scientist Kristin Berry of the Western Ecological Research Center was interviewed by the Los Angeles Times about effects of dogs on wildlife for an article in the Outdoors section. Berry discussed the threat of dogs to desert tortoises, especially near desert towns, cities, and in rural areas, and described instances of dog attacks on tortoises and even field biologists. Dogs can kill tortoises, or cause severe damage to a tortoise’s shell and limbs. (Kristin Berry, Moreno Valley, CA, 909-697-5361, kristin_berry@usgs.gov)

USGS in Park News: Articles by USGS scientists Erin Boydston, Jennifer Shulzitski, and Will Russell of the Western Ecological Research Center are in the winter issue of Park News, published jointly by Golden Gate National Recreation Area and the Golden Gate National Parks Conservancy. Shulzitski and Russell described their research on increasing wildlife diversity associated with habitat restoration at Ft. Funston, a coastal dune site just south of San Francisco ("In Our Backyard: Protecting Biodiversity for Everyone"). Boydston wrote about tracking carnivores in the Marin Headlands ("In the Headlands: Tracking Wily Coyote"). The web link to access the issue online will be: http://www.nps.gov/goga/parknews/index.htm. (Jennifer Shulzitski, Sausalito, CA, 415- 331-0847, jshulzitski@usgs.gov; Will Russell, 415-331-0847, wrussell@usgs.gov; Erin Boydston, Sausalito, CA, 415-331-0639, eboydston@usgs.gov)

Alien Plant Invasions: In the western United States, two important disturbance factors that appear to play a role in promoting alien plant invasions are grazing and fire. In a recent publication in the journal Ecological Applications, USGS scientist Jon Keeley and colleagues examined patterns of native and alien plant diversity in response to disturbance along an elevational gradient in the southern Sierra Nevada. Their results failed to support the theory that native plant diversity would inhibit alien invasion. Instead, they found that sites of alien invasion were often hotspots of native diversity. A summary of the findings and management implications can be found online in a publication brief for resource managers: http://www.werc.usgs.gov/pubbriefs/keeleypbnov2003b.html. Citation: Keeley, J. E., D. Lubin, and C. J. Fotheringham. 2003. Fire and grazing impacts on plant diversity and alien plant invasion in the southern Sierra Nevada. Ecological Applications 13:1355-1374. (Jon Keeley, Three Rivers, CA, 559-565-3170, jon_keeley@usgs.gov)

Vegetation Studies on Channel Islands: USGS scientist Kathryn McEachern of the Western Ecological Research Center presented results of several projects conducted over the past four years, at the California Islands Symposium, held in Ventura, California, Dec. 1-3. Projects include: Santa Cruz Island plant community characterization using relevé plots and classification analyses; Geographic Information Systems methods for vegetation analysis, Santa Cruz Island; vegetation and landbird program reviews for Channel Islands National Park; development of vouchered plant and vertebrate species lists for NPSpecies, a new National Park Service database; and recovery outplanting experiments for the endangered soft-leaved island paintbrush (Castilleja mollis). For more information: http://www.cnpsci.org/cis/cis2003/index.htm. (Kathryn McEachern, Ventura, CA, 805-658-5753, kathryn_mceachern@usgs.gov)

Contaminants and Imperiled Species: Research by USGS scientists Gary Fellers and Deborah Cowman on the effects of organophosphate insecticides on amphibians was discussed and Fellers was quoted in a story about the inadvertent poisoning of endangered and other species from the use of pesticides and herbicides in the Dec/Jan 2004 issue of National Wildlife magazine. (Gary Fellers, Point Reyes, CA, 415-464-5185, gary_fellers@usgs.gov)

Nation's Christmas Tree: The Oakland Tribune interviewed USGS scientist Nate Stephenson of the Western Ecological Research Center about the ages and sizes of giant sequoias, particularly the "Nation's Christmas Tree," which is the General Grant tree in Kings Canyon National Park. Stephenson was also contacted by the Baltimore Sun, looking for a seasonal brief for their science page. (Nate Stephenson, Three Rivers, CA, 559-565-3176)

San Francisco Bay Estuary: A presentation by USGS scientist Steve Schwarzbach of the Western Ecological Research Center is among research that will be highlighted in an article to appear in the December issue of the newsletter ESTUARY. The article will summarize the recent conference on the state of the San Francisco Bay estuary including Schwarzbach’s paper on implications of methylmercury bioaccumulation for estuarine birds. The bimonthly newsletter is published by the U.S. EPA's S.F. Estuary Project and the nonprofit Friends of the S.F. Estuary. For more information: http://www.estuarynewsletter.com/. (Steven Schwarzbach, Sacramento, CA, 916-379-3745, steven_schwarzbach@usgs.gov)