WERC Highlights -- May 2004

Opossum Parasite Linked to April Deaths of California Sea Otters: Most of the 62 southern sea otters found ill or dead along the California coast during April 2004 had been infected with a brain parasite, Sarcocystis neurona. This was determined from detailed postmortem examinations of 14 animals by veterinary pathologists at the California Department of Fish and Game (CDFG) Marine Wildlife Care and Research Center, with diagnostic support by several laboratories at the University of California, Davis, School of Veterinary Medicine. Infective “eggs” of the single-celled parasite are shed in the feces of the opossum, a non-native species in California. This parasite causes damage to the brain and other tissues of sea otters and is commonly fatal. (It is also associated with neurological disease in horses.) The number of otter deaths from this disease during April 2004 greatly exceeds previous years, and localized clustering of Sarcocystis neurona infections has not previously been documented. The sea otter stranding network, comprised primarily of CDFG, USGS, the Monterey Bay Aquarium, and the Marine Mammal Center, recovers dead sea otters and records data about each animal. (Gloria Maender, Tucson, AZ, 520-670-5596, gloria_maender@usgs.gov)

Northern Pintails: USGS scientists Joe Fleskes and Mike Miller of the Western Ecological Research Center were interviewed regarding results of pintail research (Central Valley Waterfowl Evaluation Project, Spring Pintail Project, Pintail Satellite Project) for an article in the popular magazine “California Game and Fish,” slated for the November 2004 issue. (Joe Fleskes, Dixon, CA, 707-678-0682 x628, joe_fleskes@usgs.gov; Michael R. Miller, Dixon, CA, 707-678-0682 x618, michael_r_miller@usgs.gov)

Snakehead Fish: USGS scientist Kevin Lafferty of the Western Ecological Research Center was interviewed by the Los Angeles Times regarding invasive snakehead fish. (Kevin Lafferty, Santa Barbara, CA, 805-893-8778, klafferty@usgs.gov)

Capstone Speaker at ASM Meeting: USGS scientist Jim Estes of the Western Ecological Research Center will deliver a Capstone speech at the 84th Annual Meeting of the American Society of Mammalogists, at Humboldt State University in Arcata, California, June 12-16, 2004. The invitation to be a Capstone Speaker is one of the highest honors extended by the society and recognizes Estes’ career accomplishments in sea otter ecology and marine community ecology. Estes’ presentation on June 16 is titled “From killer whales to kelp forests: industrial whaling and the reorganization of ocean ecosystems.” He draws on his recent work with colleagues which concluded that sequential declines of several marine mammals may well represent an ecological chain reaction set off by post-WWII industrial whaling. For more information: http://www.humboldt.edu/~asm/index.html. (Jim Estes, Santa Cruz, CA, 831-459-2820, jim_estes@usgs.gov)

ASLO Minorities Program Session Speaker: USGS scientist A. Keith Miles of the Western Ecological Research Center will deliver the keynote address at the Minorities Program Session of the American Society of Limnology and Oceanography's national meeting to be held in Savannah, Georgia, June 12-17, 2004. The session will be attended by the entire directorate of the American Society of Limnology and Oceanography, directors of the National Science Foundation, and many leading scientists in limnology and oceanography. The National Science Foundation has sponsored the Minorities Program for more than 15 years, attracting gifted minority and women undergraduates and graduates into graduate or professional environmental disciplines, and matching them with experienced scientists, who mentor them through presentations and provide counsel on their futures. Miles has served as mentor for many of years of the program. The title of his presentation is "Multi-species Contaminants Research in the Nearshore Environment of the Aleutian Archipelago, Alaska." (A. Keith Miles, Davis, CA, 530-752-5365, keith_miles@usgs.gov)

Mountain Yellow-legged frog: USGS scientist Adam Backlin of the Western Ecological Research Center was quoted in a May 11 story in the San Bernardino County Sun about rare mountain yellow-legged frogs that were rescued from City Creek in the San Bernardino National Forest last fall after the Old Fire in a conservation effort to prevent loss from postfire mudslides. The frogs are currently being cared for at the Los Angeles Zoo. (Adam Backlin, Carlsbad, CA, abacklin@usgs.gov)

Fire: USGS scientist Jon Keeley of the Western Ecological Research Center was quoted in an article on “Lessons from the California Fires” in the current (spring 2004) issue of Forest Magazine, a quarterly publication of the Forest Service Employees for Environmental Ethics. He was also quoted May 12 in the San Diego Union-Tribune in a story dealing with fire suppression impacts. (Jon Keeley, Three Rivers, CA, 559- 565-3170, jon_keeley@usgs.gov)

Greater Sage-Grouse: USGS scientist Mike Casazza of the Western Ecological Research Center will speak on “Sage-Grouse Ecology and Conservation in Mono County” on May 20 in Mammoth, California, for the spring public lecture series of the Sierra Nevada Aquatic Research Lab (University of California, Santa Barbara). In California, USGS scientists are studying the habitat use and migratory patterns of the isolated greater sage-grouse population in Mono County. Information gathered will be incorporated into a species conservation plan to help improve population management and guide future land use decisions in this region. (Mike Casazza, Dixon, CA, 707-678-0682 x629, mike_casazza@usgs.gov)

Northern Jaguars: USGS scientist Erin Boydston of the Western Ecological Research Center will present a paper on "Habitat connectivity for northern jaguars" on May 13 during the conference on Biodiversity and Management of the Madrean Archipelago II: Connecting Mountain Islands and Desert Seas, to be held May 11-14, 2004, in Tucson, Arizona. For more info: http://www.skyislandalliance.org/madreanconference/aboutconference.htm. (Erin Boydston, Henderson, NV, 702-564-4504, eboydston@usgs.gov)