LEGEND OF THE SHREW: CATALINA ISLAND CONSERVANCY'S EFFORTS TO MONITOR AN ELUSIVE ISLAND ENDEMIC

Emily C Kreisberg; Catalina Island Conservancy; ekreisberg@catalinaconservancy.org; Destiny Saucedo, Katie Elder

The Catalina Island Shrew (Sorex ornatus willetti) is endemic and elusive; only a few dozen have been recorded since their discovery in 1941, making every detection critical. The Catalina Island shrew was listed as a Species of Special Concern in 1996 by the California Department of Fish and Wildlife. The Catalina Island Conversancy wildlife team currently uses motion-activated cameras to detect shrews and has conducted trapping in the past. Between 2023 and 2025, ten locations in riparian areas were monitored during Spring and Summer with downward facing, motion-activated cameras. Three shrews were detected in 2023, four were detected in 2024, and no shrews were detected in 2025. The number of detections was correlated with annual precipitation. Moving forward, the wildlife team will consider adding additional monitoring locations and adjusting the timing of deployment, which may yield more images of shrews and expand recent known areas of occupancy. Additionally, the Artificial Intelligence (AI) program Animl will be used to expedite photo review. More documentation of shrews will help management determine monitoring protocols and protection measures.

Poster Session