California rock pools are seasonal freshwaters that support several threatened and endangered species. They are a sparse and understudied habitat but important for biodiversity, endangered species, and endemic species. The endangered Longhorn Fairy Shrimp (LFS)(Branchinecta longiantenna) is found in rock pools, but little is known of its ecology. The purpose of this study was to assess LFS distribution and abundance as they are associated with numerous biotic and abiotic variables. Rock pools were sampled between November 2016 and May 2019 at sites in Alameda and Contra Costa counties. Since Vernal Pool Fairy Shrimp (VPFS)(Brachinecta lynchi) are common in rock pools, we also included it as a focal species in this study. Out of over 900 pools sampled, LFS occurred in 8% and VPFS occurred in 70% of the pools. Both species were influenced by hydrological patterns and associated with many pool characteristics (e.g., depth, exposure), abiotic (e.g., phosphates, conductivity) and biotic (e.g., competitors, predators) variables. Unoccupied pools were not significantly different than occupied pools. These results provide new insight for guidance on future management and the eventual recovery of these threatened and endangered species.

The San Joaquin Valley Giant Flower-loving Fly (Rhaphiomidas trochilus; GFLF) is one of the largest flies in North America which was presumed extinct in the 1970s until its rediscovery in 1997. It is currently pending review for federal listing under the Endangered Species Act. Due to habitat loss, it is now only known to occur at Sand Ridge, approximately 24 km east of Bakersfield, California. This rare species inhabits arid areas characterized by loose sandy soils, scattered vegetation, and perennial shrubs. It spends most of its life underground foraging as a larva before emerging as an adult in the dry summers. Torrential rainfall and anomalous August rains in 2023 may have contributed to the absence of the GFLF from annual surveys conducted over the season. This may be the first recorded instance in which a Rhaphiomidas species has not been observed during its expected flight season possibly due to excessive moisture rather than drought. This poses a question about how excessive precipitation in addition to extreme bouts of drought may affect the long-term survival of rare and endangered species that are vulnerable to the effects of small population size (e.g. inbreeding depression, resiliency to demographic or environmental stochasticity, etc.).

As legislators and the public demand renewable energy sources to replace fossil fuel use, the footprint of solar farms is on the rise nationwide. Solar energy is often considered to be a "green infrastructure." However, historic management of the lands beneath solar panel arrays has not focused on providing ecological value. Efforts to design and monitor pollinator habitat in conjunction with solar arrays has been increasing in popularity throughout the U.S., and multiple states have enacted legislation to promote pollinator-friendly habitat on solar farms. In 2020, Marin Clean Energy (MCE) became the first power purchaser in California to enact a pollinator habitat program. Participating solar farms must plant pollinator habitat, which is monitored and scored for three years following installation. In addition to providing habitat for pollinators and other invertebrates, properly managed pollinator habitat can also improve water quality, decrease erosion, and provide ecological value for other native wildlife. Concerns around the physical properties of arrays, as well as fire safety and pest control, impose unique restrictions upon habitat design and management. This presentation focuses on opportunities for and potential benefits of pollinator-friendly habitat on solar farms, as well as challenges related to design and monitoring of habitat.

Bumble bees (Bombus) are social insects that depend on flowers for their nectar and pollen diet, making them important pollinators of both wild and crop plants. Many bumble bee species have been reported to be in decline, including in California, where ¼ of native species are threatened, some of these having been afforded federal- or candidate status state-level endangered species protection. Threats driving declines of California bumble bees are related to agricultural activities (especially pesticide use), habitat loss to development, and climate change-related ecological disturbance. One obstacle to bumble bee conservation is a lack of standardized data collection and monitoring, which is necessary to characterize population trends and detect declines. The California Bumble Bee Atlas is a community science effort to address this need. In its first two years, 650 participants have submitted more than 10,000 bumble bee observations using a standardized field survey protocol. The project has documented the persistence of many native species, while also detecting range shifts and declines for others. In this talk, we present data from the Atlas, exploring patterns of species diversity and abundance across the state’s diverse ecosystems, with particular focus on the state’s six bumble bee Species of Greatest Conservation Need.

Bees are important pollinators of native and cultivated plants, and consequently there is considerable research on bees in agricultural settings. However, there is limited knowledge of how legal cannabis (Cannabis sativa) cultivation may impact these communities, and the potential for licensed farms to support native bee diversity. This project provides baseline data on Bombus communities across six farms located in Humboldt County, California. Furthermore, this project seeks to assess the effectiveness of native hedgerows on bee diversity at these sites. From May to August of 2022 and 2023, native bees were surveyed monthly with a combination of pan and blue vane traps; in 2023 these efforts were expanded to natural habitats surrounding these farms to allow comparison of these wildlife communities to areas that are representative of the habitat before conversion to cannabis production. Additionally, data on floral resources were collected to assess their influence on bee communities. In this presentation, we share preliminary findings on patterns of community richness and abundance for Bombus species, and how they vary between landcover types (coastal grassland and mixed hardwood-conifer forests). In general, grassland sites had more even and abundant bee communities, but forest sites supported rarer species.

Approaching the recently released CDFW Survey Considerations for California Endangered Species Act (CESA) Candidate Bumble Bee Species, can be a prickly task for consultants not familiar with invertebrate/pollinator survey methodology. We discuss our previously successful approaches to surveying for Crotch bumble bee in coastal and inland California from a consultant’s perspective, and how to approach your habitat assessments and presence/absence surveys with the greatest probability of success and agency approval. Additionally, we will highlight basic bumble bee identification and provide refence to materials to further sharpen your bumble bee and common pollinator identification skills.