WERC Highlights -- September 1999

How Have Humans Changed California Deserts? The issues of degradation and recovery/restoration of the southern California deserts (Mojave and Colorado deserts) are of much interest to client agencies of the USGS. The first major review of human impacts on these deserts is published in an article in the latest issue of the journal Environmental Management. Dr. Jeffrey Lovich of the Western Ecological Research Center and his coauthor Dr. David Bainbridge of the United States International University, San Diego, discussed changes that have significantly altered an area of 10 million hectares over the past century. Off-highway vehicle use, overgrazing by domestic livestock, agriculture, urbanization, construction of roads and utility corridors, air pollution, and military training exercises have negatively affected these deserts. Complete recovery of the ecosystem could require hundreds to thousands of years, depending on the nature of the disturbance. The article can be found in: Lovich, J. E., and D. Bainbridge. 1999. Anthropogenic degradation of the southern California desert ecosystem and prospects for natural recovery and restoration. Environmental Management 24:309-326. (Jeff Lovich, Riverside, CA, 909-787-4719) Official news release

DDE in Remote Aleutian Bald Eagles: Three USGS scientists and a university researcher found high levels of organochlorine contaminants in bald eagle eggs on four islands in Alaska's Aleutian Archipelago during the summers of 1993 and 1994, reported in the September issue of the journal Environmental Toxicology and Chemistry. Two of the coauthors, Dr. Bob Anthony of the Oregon Cooperative Fish and Wildlife Research Unit and Dr. Keith Miles of the Western Ecological Research Center were interviewed this week for stories in the Anchorage Daily News, Environmental News Network, Seattle Times, and Science. Current research funded by the U.S. Navy focuses on determining the source of contamination in bald eagles by sampling various organisms in the food chain. The article can be found in: Anthony, R. G., A. K. Miles, J. A. Estes, and F. B. Isaacs. 1999. Productivity, diets, and environmental contaminants in nesting bald eagles from the Aleutian Archipelago. Environmental Toxicology and Chemistry 18:2054-2062. (Keith Miles, Davis, CA, 530-752-5365) Official news release

World Turtle Crisis Continues in News: A survival crisis of the world's turtles was announced recently by Conservation International. Jeff Lovich, a scientist and research manager with the USGS Western Ecological Research Center who co-organized a workshop last month of leading international turtle experts, was interviewed by Lee Dye for a story on ABCNews.com. (Jeff Lovich, Riverside, CA, 909-787-4719)

Fire Suppression and California Chaparral Wildfires: A recent article in the journal Science reported that fire suppression has not caused catastropic wildfires in California shrublands. Principal author of the article and a USGS scientist with the Western Ecological Research Center, Jon Keeley was interviewed about his study by Douglas Taylor for a future issue of the Environmental Review newsletter. The monthly newsletter uses interviews with scientists to explain their work to the public in layman's terms. (Jon Keeley, Three Rivers, CA, 559- 565-3170) Official news release