Addressing Conservation Challenges through Technology

Temperature is important to desert reptiles as it affects many aspects of their lives, including their ability to digest food, avoid overheating, and conserve water. Climate change creates increased urgency to understand the thermal ecology of desert reptiles and to develop tools for advancing such efforts. For decades, biologists have measured reptile internal body temperatures (Tb) using fine-gauge thermocouples inserted into the cloaca. Recent studies demonstrate that new tools such as infrared pyrometry and thermography may offer non-invasive means to estimate internal Tb in small lizards. We investigated the efficacy of thermography to estimate internal Tb in hatchling desert tortoises (n=39) in a controlled laboratory setting as part of a larger headstart program. We exposed hatchlings to one of two experimental thermal gradients (~22–40 or 22–60 °C) for 3 hours and compared paired surface (thermal camera) and cloacal (thermocouple) temperatures under warming (0.5 h), elevated (2.5 h), and cooling (2.5 h) temperature conditions. We then compared surface and internal Tb of hatchlings during normal activity within their home enclosures.  We present findings from these analyses and additional observations that highlight limitations and strengths of thermography in juvenile tortoise research and conservation.

Changing fire regimes are rapidly and extensively reshaping dry forest ecosystems across the Western US. Understanding the implications of contemporary fire regimes for biodiversity is necessary both for the direct conservation of species and to make informed decisions about the costs and benefits of potential forest management actions. However, the hypothesis that atypically large, severe fires in the Sierra Nevada are influencing overall biodiversity – beyond just a few priority species – has proven difficult to test. The confluence of three technologies have created new possibilities: durable, low-cost recording hardware enable landscape-scale monitoring, the machine learning algorithm BirdNET enables the extraction of bird diversity data from the resulting audio, and the Bayesian statistics program Stan enables the implementation of population models capable of accommodating complex avian community data. We conducted a Before-After, Control-Impact study of the effects of the 129,000 ha North Complex Fire on 67 species of diurnal birds. This fire caused site extinction probabilities to increase significantly for 26 species and caused site colonization probabilities to increase significantly for eight species. Thus, this large, high-severity fire has caused both a change in community composition and a net loss of avian biodiversity.

The California spotted owl (CSO) is a subspecies of conservation concern that resides at the center of forest planning efforts in California. CSO populations have been monitored in local areas with mark-recapture based demographic studies for decades, but the distribution, trends, and status of CSO outside of these areas is less well understood. Therefore, we developed and, in 2021, implemented a bioacoustic monitoring program that spanned most suitable habitat in the Sierra Nevada to estimate trends and understand patterns in site occupancy. We deployed autonomous recording units (ARUs) at over 1,700 sites for approximately 5 weeks each, yielding approximately 1 million hours of passively recorded avian vocalization data. Audio data was scanned using a novel machine-learning algorithm (BirdNET) trained to detect five different CSO vocalizations. Here, we present estimates of CSO site occupancy for the Sierra Nevada bioregion in 2021 and, by scaling occupancy estimates to densities within demographic study areas, provide the first estimate of population size for CSO in this part of their range. Our study demonstrates the feasibility of monitoring rare, vocally active species over regional scales with bioacoustics – providing not just an understanding of population trends but also locational information central to forest planning efforts.

Recent advances in acoustic recorder technology and automated species identification hold great promise for avian monitoring efforts. Comparing these innovations to traditional monitoring techniques is vital to understanding their utility to researchers and managers. We compared bird detection among four acoustic recorder models and concurrent point counts and assessed the ability of the artificial neural network BirdNET to correctly identify bird species from AudioMoth recordings. AudioMoths performed comparably to higher-cost recorders, and three of the five recorder models detected more species than the point counts. A combination of long AudioMoth recordings, BirdNET, and human verification detected higher species richness than point counts conducted in similar habitats. These methods enabled us to survey avian community composition with low misidentification rates and limited need for human verification. Subsequently, we have expanded this methodology to 170 survey locations across diverse ecosystems in central and northern California in 2021 and 2022. This approach holds great promise for improving large-scale, multi-species avian monitoring to inform conservation and management of California’s bird species.

Quantifying population parameters provides the opportunity to understand the effects of landscape structure and change on species of conservation interest. Estimating these parameters can be difficult for rare or cryptic species, particularly in rugged and remote landscapes, but noninvasive sampling methods can mediate these challenges. Herein, we developed an integrated spatial capture-recapture model to estimate the abundance, density, and distribution of a large carnivore of conservation interest, the cougar (Puma concolor), in Yosemite National Park, California, USA. We incorporated genotyped scats and remote camera detections collected in 2019 and 2020 to estimate cougar density and detection probability in Yosemite, and estimated the effects of vegetation, topography, anthropogenic and natural linear features, and survey effort on these parameters. We estimated an average of 31 (± 3.96, 24 – 39) cougars in Yosemite, with cougars occurring at higher densities in productive, vegetated areas. Detection probability was higher with increased survey effort, in the second year of surveys, and in areas closer to trails and farther from streams and heavily trafficked roads. Noninvasive sampling and integrated modeling approaches provide a framework that allows ecologists to leverage empirical data to elucidate the status of species of interest and provide inferences that can inform conservation objectives.

Long-term monitoring is crucial to understanding how ecosystems change over time at local, regional, and state-wide scales, which informs management strategies and actions aimed at conserving California’s biodiversity. The California Department of Fish and Wildlife (CDFW) is working with several partners to establish a Climate-Biodiversity Sentinel Site Network to monitor ecosystems and wildlife on public lands and inform land management in the face of climate change and other stressors. As part of this ongoing and growing effort, CDFW sentinel sites are being established on select Wildlife Areas and Ecological Reserves across the state, reflecting a range of climate conditions and ecosystem types. Each sentinel site will host a series of weather and soil sensors for climate monitoring, suites of wildlife cameras and acoustic sensors at four survey points and permanent vegetation plots for biodiversity monitoring, and a Motus tower to monitor animal movement. Resulting data will be processed with multiple automated and machine learning tools and will allow scientists to evaluate links between climate change and effects on local species and ecosystems. Understanding the effects of climate change at multiple spatial, temporal, and taxonomic scales can support adaptive land-management decisions and inform long-term goals and strategies for conserving California’s biodiversity.

Birds I: Owls

Short-eared Owls (Asio flammeus) are a globally distributed species, but whether their breeding ecology varies biogeographically is unknown and results in a lack of regionally relevant knowledge to inform conservation needs. We investigated the breeding ecology of Hawaiian Short-eared Owls (A.f. sandwichensis), or Pueo, using data from both focal study sites and incidental observations across the state of Hawai‘i. At focal sites, we found that greater visual obstruction readings were top predictors of the use of a site for Pueo nesting. However, these same metrics did not necessarily translate to increased nest survival; nests initiated earlier in the season and with higher percent vegetation cover had higher daily nest survival rates. Breeding Pueo diet at focal study sites included a variety of rodent, bird, and insect species, but diet composition did not vary significantly among nests. Across both focal and incidental state-wide observations, we found that Pueo nesting season spans from November through July, and breeding habitats ranged from coastal vegetation on nearby atolls to high elevation native wet forest. This study is the first to describe Pueo breeding ecology, providing a baseline for management actions in Hawai‘i and filling a geographical knowledge gap for this widely distributed species.

Fire disturbance is a driving force for biodiversity in forested ecosystems, but a new era of megafires that result from land use legacies and climate change has led to prolonged negative consequences for forest specialists. The forest owl community in the Sierra Nevada is presumably adapted to shorter-interval fires of low-moderate severity, but we have yet to quantify how individual species in this guild of avian predators respond to disturbance over space or time. In this study, we leveraged automated detections from passive acoustic surveys in the Sierra Nevada and occupancy models to 1) examine species-specific associations with burned habitat and fire legacies and 2) quantify the effect of novel fire disturbance on forest owl populations. We found that fire disturbance had variable effects of forest owl species, depending on both severity and time. Generally, low severity fire had delayed but posive effect on site occupancy for forest owl species, but high-severity fire generally had an immediate and delayed negative effect on occupancy for most species. Great orned owls were the expection, and they showed a delayed, postive relationship with areas burned at higher severity. Thus, we found evidence that species may benefit from fires that reflect the natural disturbance regime of the region, but fires characteristic of nodel megafires pose concern for forest obligates. More frequent and extreme forest fires may threaten the biodiverstiy of this guild of forest predators, and it is imperative to understand spatial and temporal responses of different species to disturbance to document potentially novel communities in a post-megafire landscape.

The California spotted owl (Strix occidentalis occidentalis) – an older forest species of conservation concern – has declined in many forests due to loss of habitat via severe wildfire and vegetation change. While population trends and factors responsible for trends have been well studied in the Sierra Nevada, less is known about their population status at the range boundary in southern California - a region undergoing rapid environmental change. Therefore, we conducted extensive spotted owl nighttime surveys during the 2022 breeding season in the Los Padres, Angeles, and San Bernardino National Forests, and compared remotely-sensed data on vegetation conditions and disturbance between currently occupied and vacant territories, and at vacant territories during historical occupancy versus after the loss of territorial owls. We made 1,913 visits to call points, surveying an area of 1,100 km2, yet located only eight occupied territories. Only three of the 13 historically occupied territories we surveyed remained occupied (23%). Vacant territories had a lower basal area of deciduous trees compared to occupied territories, and vacant territories had greater drought-related tree mortality after the loss of territorial owls compared to during historical occupancy. Our results coincide with other recent work indicating declines in spotted owl populations in southern California.

The range expansion of the Barred Owl (Strix varia) into western North America over the last century has emerged as a major threat to the Northern Spotted Owl (S. occidentalis caurina) and likely to other western forest species as well. A better understanding of Barred Owl natal dispersal, one of the primary driving mechanisms of range expansion, is needed for the implementation of effective management. Our research team attached satellite-GPS tags to juvenile Barred Owls in the Coastal Redwood Region of northern California to characterize their habitat use as they disperse from natal territories. These tags allow for fully remote tracking of owls and have the potential to provide locations up to 1.5 years past the date of deployment, making this study the first of its kind. We collected location data from 31 Barred Owl juveniles during dispersal and conducted a multi-scale habitat selection analysis to identify landscape features which juvenile Barred Owls are using. We found evidence for selection of shorter forest stands, drainages, and areas of relatively lower elevation. Our findings have implications for understanding patterns of Barred Owl spread and identifying potential dispersal corridors, and thus for managing further spread and recolonization of removal areas.

Barred Owls (Strix varia) have recently expanded westward from eastern North America, leading to substantial declines in Northern Spotted Owls (Strix occidentalis caurina). Passive acoustic monitoring (PAM) represents a potentially powerful tool for tracking range expansions like the Barred Owl’s, but further methods development is needed to ensure that PAM-informed occupancy models meaningfully reflect population processes. We used a combination of PAM data, GPS-tagging, and active surveys to identify patterns of vocal activity that best reflect resident occupancy and subsequently estimated resident occupancy rates by correcting site occupancy estimates using vocal activity thresholds. The proportion of survey nights with confirmed vocalizations (VN) and the number of ARUs within a sampling cell with confirmed vocalizations (VU) were strongly indicative of Barred Owl residency. Applying thresholds of VN > 0.17 and VU = 3 to our occupancy analysis, we were able to minimize false positive and negative errors, and we estimated the occupancy rate for resident owls to be 0.45. Our findings provide a scalable framework for monitoring Barred Owl populations throughout their expanded range and, more broadly, a basis for converting site occupancy to resident occupancy in PAM programs—thus ensuring changes in occupancy rates reflect changes in populations.

Concern for potential effects on California spotted owls can constrain forest restoration projects intended to reduce large, severe wildfires and drought-related tree mortality in the Sierra Nevada. Thus, call-based spotted owl surveys are typically conducted as part of the planning stage of forest restoration projects with a goal of achieving a 0.95 probability of detecting owls at occupied territories. Call-based surveys, however, require extensive and potentially hazardous nighttime work, typically across two years. As part of the development of a one-year, acoustically-aided survey protocol for spotted owls, we created a tool to help prioritize areas for differing survey strategies (full/twilight/acoustically aided/no surveys). The tool provides predictions of the probability of occupancy based on historical occupancy information and/or remotely-sensed estimates of tree height. Areas with shorter trees (primarily within a large, severe fire footprint) had a low probability of being occupied. In unburned landscapes, areas with more tall trees and more frequent historical occupancy were more likely to be occupied. Using these predictors, managers can more effectively identify areas not needing owl surveys, areas where one year of acoustically-aided surveys are appropriate, and areas where call-based surveys can be conducted without nighttime work, while maintaining a detection probability of 0.95.

Birds II

Hybrid zone stability depends on a balance between dispersal into the hybrid zone and selection against hybrids. Environmental change can influence dispersal and selection and lead to displacement of a hybrid zone, so a moving hybrid zone may indicate ecologically and evolutionarily important environmental change. We examine a historically stable hybrid zone between Audubon’s and myrtle yellow-rumped warblers to determine if a recent Mountain Pine Beetle outbreak has had an effect on the location of this hybrid zone. The mountain pine beetle outbreak west of the Canadian Rocky Mountains has led to the degradation of much of the yellow-rumped warbler breeding habitat, primarily in the region occupied by Audubon’s warblers. Using geographic clines in genetic data from over a thousand yellow-rumped warblers sampled across 16 years, we estimate the historical and contemporary positions of the hybrid zone. By comparing the location of the hybrid zone between time periods at four transects that differ in severity of the mountain pine beetle outbreak, we assess this hybrid zone's stability and discuss the potential for climate change to influence species boundaries.

Estimating population abundance is fundamental to species conservation. Conservation of threatened and endangered species, in particular, necessitates evaluation of quantifiable criteria to advance, and ultimately achieve, recovery. For instance, the draft Recovery Plan for the federally endangered least Bell’s vireo (Vireo bellii pusillus) recommends that downlisting to threatened status may be achieved when stable or increasing populations, each consisting of several hundred or more breeding pairs, are both protected and managed during five consecutive years across vireo metapopulation areas. One such area includes the Santa Clara River Valley of southern California. At present, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service and its partners are piloting a multi-year, point-count study of least Bell’s vireos across the valley study area. Our population assessment follows a dependent, double-observer sampling approach to enhance observer detection of vireos during repeat survey visits between 80 (spring 2021) and 104 (spring 2022) sites. While controlling for ecological- and observational-process variation, we analyzed preliminary vireo counts using single-season N-mixture models and estimated that hundreds of breeding pairs currently occupy the valley, which begins to evaluate recovery criteria and demonstrates the utility of standardized, stratified-random surveys to evaluate vireo population quantities and recovery outcomes across its range.

Historical records show that diverse Canaries in our “coal mine” environment generally have been disappearing, despite protections. Since 1994, we have been conducting periodic, consistent breeding bird censuses in a protected riparian area on San Francisco Bay’s east (downwind) shore, relatively stable in local weather and vegetation. We detected an overall decline in breeding birds there, hypothetically corresponding to steadily increasing human activity in adjacent areas. Yet bird declines were not steady at all. Reports of unusually warm, calm weather around San Francisco Bay in 2004, and unusually warm, humid weather in 2006 prompted us to compare these old and newer bird data to weather records, which also illustrated a 2000 heat event locally. To test hypothetical effects of these unusual heat events of 2000/2004/2006, we compared bird data before and after those years, yielding a clear, persistent reduction in most breeding avifauna, after those events. Annual Maximum temperatures also became repeatedly >36 degrees C, which might be a threshold for many of these birds. Such heat again in 2017 did not appear to decrease these bird populations further. Historical data from 1973 suggested >34% more territories there, but only minor subsequent heat through our 1994- data, illustrating additional limits on these birds. Trends in comparing general weather and breeding bird data might not be clear in such coastal, relatively benign climates, within birds’ adaptations. Yet occasional, extreme environmental events, particularly in a protected area avoiding much habitat degradation, appears to have additional major negative, lasting effects on these breeding populations.

A warming climate and rapid land-use change have altered disturbance regimes globally, and, in the dry forests of western North America, managers face increasingly critical and time-sensitive trade-offs when planning forest restoration activities. However, identifying and balancing potential trade-offs between forest restoration goals and biodiversity conservation is hindered by mismatches between existing wildlife ecology research and forestry metrics that can hamper managers’ ability to utilize existing information in decision-making. Here, we (1) determine the occupancy of ten avian indicator species across the entire Sierra Nevada ecosystem using passive acoustic monitoring at an unprecedented spatial scale and (2) directly link species’ distributions to forestry metrics and fire risk using a novel habitat dataset that is congruent with the metrics used by managers in forest restoration planning. We found that the ten species responded to habitat and fire risk idiosyncratically, which provides insight into the diversity of restoration and management strategies that will be necessary to protect the unique and varied forest communities of the Sierra Nevada. This work navigates the space between conservation research and regional planning and provides actionable information for managers seeking to understand species distributions relative to wildfire risk in the context of adaptive management and evidence-based conservation.

Once extinct from the wild, the California Condor's (Gymnogyps californianus) global population has increased to over 500 individuals over the last 35 years through intensive management efforts of dedicated individuals and agencies. In spite of these efforts, lead poisoning continues to be the most challenging obstacle for condor recovery. Ventana Wildlife Society (VWS), which co-manages the Central California Condor population with Pinnacles National Park, started a free non-lead program in 2012 to mitigate lead exposure. Since then, VWS has provided over 13,000 boxes of non-lead ammunition to hunters and ranchers within the condor range. However, an ammunition shortage since 2020, required VWS to develop a more critical and efficient approach to prioritize distribution to individuals having the greatest potential impact on condor survival. Using high-resolution GPS data from transmitters placed on condors, biologists were able to use GIS to pinpoint probable condor feeding events, and identify potentially high risk properties. Though this method has helped focus outreach efforts, it has also emphasized the need for placement of GPS transmitters on more condors. This will provide a more complete analysis of condor scavenging patterns, a better assessment of outreach priorities, and greater progress toward eliminating lead from the environment.

Once extinct in the wild, over 300 California Condors (Gymnogyps californianus) now make up five distinct and intensively managed subpopulations in California, Arizona, and Baja, Mexico. All five flocks are managed by multiple agencies, creating the need for standardization and collaboration among federal, non-profit, tribal, and international partners. To meet this need and increase efficiency in the management of this critically endangered species, Ventana Wildlife Society’s Senior Software Engineer Tim Huntington developed the CACO Central application. Field data related to movements, nesting, handling, and much more is uploaded to the application in real-time by biologists, and is consolidated in one location, allowing for easy access and more effective responses by field teams. By regularly compiling and pre-processing millions of condor GPS locations, CACO Central reduces this workload for biologists, enabling them to focus instead on using GPS data to inform management decisions. The standardization of data formatting across all flocks and monitoring agencies has also increased efficiency in broader-scale research projects involving condors. While some features of CACO Central are specific to condors, many of its core functions can and should be applied to a wide variety of species and monitoring projects in the ornithological field and beyond.

Birds III

Management of migratory waterfowl operates at many different scales, spans a large geographic area, and involves a large set of actors and stakeholders. Coordination and collaboration are therefore required to ensure effective management across each species’ entire life cycle. Additionally, effective management of such a complex social-ecological system requires alignment between the social and ecological processes at play. Management of migratory waterfowl is, in many ways, designed to be collaborative and has been particularly successful relative to other species. I sought to identify evidence of social-ecological fit within waterfowl management and understand the extent to which success is attributed to collaboration. Using a qualitative study design, I conducted semi-structured interviews with 32 individuals working across the Pacific Flyway in different sectors and analyzed the interview transcripts using an inductive coding process. I found patterns in management goals and approaches that align with the ecological system across the flyway. Participants agreed that collaboration is critical to successful management, and that collaboration itself is a metric of success. This research has implications for understanding what leads to successful management of migratory species in general and may help identify opportunities for improved collaboration within the waterfowl community.

Common ravens (Corvus corax) are intelligent, synanthropic predators subsidized by human activity throughout their range. Because of their attraction to human food resources, raven populations are increasing in North America, which has intensified predation risk for many protected species, including the federally threatened Western snowy plover (WSP, Charadrius nivosus nivosus). The breeding population of WSP in northwestern California has continued to fall below recovery goals and ongoing monitoring consistently reveals raven nest predation to be one of the most prominent direct causes of WSP reproductive failure. We are using GPS units to track the movement of ravens captured near WSP nesting beaches in coastal Humboldt County to better understand the factors influencing high raven abundance locally. Preliminary analysis of two years of data have revealed high variation in movement patterns, home range sizes, and apparent anthropogenic food resources based on breeding status and age of the individual, season, as well as surrounding landcover features. These findings, coupled with behavioral observations of ravens at beaches where WSP nest, indicate that raven management strategies such as hazing, egg oiling, or targeting human behavior would best be based on an understanding of raven behavior and surrounding land cover with a targeted site-specific approach.

The California least tern (CLT: Sternula antillarum browni) is an endangered seabird. Its phenology brings the CLT to the coast of California and Mexico each year to nest in colonies. An important factor believed to contribute to nesting success is prey availability; this study focuses on CLT foraging habits and prey availability at three colonies in southern California (2018-2020): Huntington Beach, Seal Beach, and Burris Basin. Foraging surveys were used to identify habitat use near each colony. Fish surveys were used to describe fish communities in areas where foraging had been observed. Community metrics from fish surveys were compared to guano and dropped fish to understand how food availability relates to CLT diet. CLT had higher use of open water habitats in close proximity to breeding grounds. Overall fish communities varied among habitat types and the combination of diet metrics suggested that CLT had access to high abundances of slender-bodied fish they were able to catch and consume. Suggesting prey availability did not limit the nesting success of the CLT, other factors may be influencing their population decline. Information from this study can help guide management of CLT colonies, provided a greater understanding of prey availability and diet of CLTs.

The associations of habitat area and fragmentation with species richness long have been major topics within community ecology. Recent discussion has focused on properly assessing fragmentation independent of habitat area, and on whether fragmentation has significant negative or positive associations with species richness. We created a novel, multiple-region, N-mixture community model (MNCM) to examine the relations of riparian area and fragmentation with species richness of breeding birds in mountain ranges within the Great Basin, Nevada, USA. Our MNCM accounts for imperfect detection in count data at the survey-point level while allowing comparisons of species richness among regions in which those points are embedded. We used individual canyons within mountain ranges as regions in our model and measured riparian area and the normalized landscape shape index, a metric of fragmentation that is independent of total riparian area. We found that riparian area, but not its fragmentation, was a primary predictor of canyon-level species richness of both riparian obligates and all bird species. The relation between riparian area and riparian-obligate species richness was nonlinear: canyons with ~25 ha woody riparian vegetation had relatively high species richness, whereas species richness was considerably lower in canyons with <25 ha. Projections of future riparian contraction suggested that decreases in species richness are likely to be greatest in canyons that currently have moderate (~10-25 ha) amounts of riparian vegetation. Our results suggest that if a goal of management is to maximize the species richness of breeding birds in montane areas in the Great Basin, it may be more effective to focus on maximizing total riparian area rather than minimizing riparian fragmentation, and that canyons with at least moderate amounts of riparian vegetation should be prioritized.

Challenges and Opportunities I: Species Recovery

Five-year status reviews give the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service the opportunity to periodically review the best available scientific information about a listed species and assess its progress toward recovery. Inhabiting rangelands along the central coast of California, the Santa Barbara County Distinct Population Segment of the California Tiger Salamander is managed across six metapopulation areas. A final Recovery Plan was published in 2016, which outlined both quantitative criteria and priority actions to help recover the species. Here, I present findings from an evaluation of population status and threats to the species, progress made toward achieving recovery criteria, and future recommended actions to advance recovery of the species. After reviewing the best available scientific information, we concluded that the California tiger salamander remains an endangered species in Santa Barbara County, with increased threat from climate-induced drought and inbreeding depression. Five-year status reviews assist the Service and its partners in identifying conservation needs and enhancing prioritization of conservation efforts for listed species.

The kiwikiu (Pseudonestor xanthophrys) is an endangered Hawaiian finch endemic to the island of Maui. With little prior known about the species, we started to study kiwikiu in 2006. We used color-banding, resighting, and nest searching to monitor density, productivity, and survivorship to illuminate the limiting factors for the species. Unfortunately, their population is still in decline, with 108–202 individuals left. In 2019, we attempted to establish a second population of kiwikiu. Over ten years in the making with steps including fencing, ungulate and weed removal, and forest restoration, 14 kiwikiu were translocated. All but two died from avian malaria, a non-native disease spread by invasive mosquitoes that had expanded into higher elevations due to climate change. The translocation awakened the possibility that kiwikiu may have few years left before extinction. Fortunately, recent population assessments found that disease has not covered the entirety of the current range yet and kiwikiu are still persisting. Their recovery is now dependent on landscape-level disease control, a tool still under development. Until mosquito control is implemented and other management tools become available, we are monitoring disease abundance, controlling non-native predators, establishing a viable population in captive care, and evaluating the possibility of translocation to another island.

Avian malaria is a primary cause of native Hawaiian honeycreeper declines and extinctions. Without control or elimination of the malaria’s vector, the southern house mosquito, several endangered honeycreepers will become extinct within the next 5-10 years, and other remaining species will continue to decline. Additionally, climate change is contributing to the spread of mosquitoes and malaria into previously unaffected habitats through changes in temperature and rainfall patterns. The Incompatible Insect Technique (IIT) and translocation of birds to refugia with lower disease prevalence provide hope for these critically endangered birds. Up-to-date data on the prevalence of avian malaria is essential to make informed decisions about implementation of IIT and feasibility of translocation efforts. To this end, Kauai Forest Bird Recovery Project, Maui Forest Bird Recovery Project, and Hawai’i Island Division of Forestry and Wildlife collaborated to obtain an unprecedented and comprehensive landscape-level snapshot of avian malaria in Hawai’i in 2022 by concurrently sampling birds and mosquitoes in key native forests on each respective island. We will present the current rates, intensity, and distribution of avian malaria in Hawai'i as well as updates on the progress of the on-ground efforts to address the extinction crisis in Hawaiian forest birds.

Climate change impacts, which are often modeled as "end-of-century", are currently resulting in climate-induced stress to species within their historical range, affecting their ability to both survive and reproduce effectively. However, given diverse threats such as invasive plants and animals, disease, and habitat loss, it can be difficult to discern whether population declines are due to climate change or other threats. We will present the most recent data on declines in Hawaiian forest birds, plants, arthropods, seabirds, and snails that have raised alarms across taxonomic groups regarding the role of climate change and how to manage for changing conditions alongside other threats. The severity and cross-taxon nature of the recent declines call attention to the likely impacts of climate change on plants, animals, and ecosystems long before the end of the century, and suggest the potential importance of translocations outside the historical range for the persistence of climate-sensitive species. Given the multiple threats across taxonomic groups, timely, coordinated and collaborative actions across the Pacific are critical to prevent extinction and achieve recovery.

Establishing and sustaining an environmental education program is a high priority as described in the Mojave Desert Tortoise Recovery Plan. The goal of the education program is to build public support for, and involvement in, desert tortoise (Gopherus agassizii) recovery. The U. S. Fish and Wildlife Service (Service) organized and hosted a public outreach campaign to inform the public about desert tortoise conservation issues, change learned behavior, and encourage responsibility for public actions that affect the species. The campaign called ‘Desert Tortoise Week 2022’ occurred within the first week of October. The Service encouraged conservation partners to develop and host educational events, also advertised on social media, to promote conservation and recovery actions for desert tortoises. Conservation partners hosted a series of desert tortoise talks, guided tours, and presentations. The Service also developed social media presence that challenged the public to engage in desert tortoise awareness events by posting photos of desert tortoise habitat during recreational activities. Conservation partners also developed educational virtual lesson plans, hosted webinars, recruited volunteers to remove invasive plants, and established scavenger hunts for the public to enjoy and learn more about the species. Overall, Desert Tortoise Week 2022 was a successful education recovery action.

Panoche Plateau supported a robust, genetically distinct population of federal- and CA-endangered Blunt-nosed Leopard Lizards (Gambelia sila) prior to 2014. However, following a drought in 2013-2014, the population declined and was extirpated by 2021. In 2020, our collaborative team from Fresno Chaffee Zoo, Fresno State University, and the US Bureau of Land Management began intensive monitoring of G. sila in the Panoche Hills, investigating multiple potential contributors to G. sila decline such as warming temperatures, predation pressure, pathogen pressure, and water availability. The bulk of evidence suggests that extirpation resulted from reproductive failure in 2014 followed by demographic collapse, potentially exacerbated by heavy recreational use of Panoche Plateau during the early part of the spring reproductive season. Delayed collapse following an extreme climate event could be common and suggests G. sila populations should be carefully observed both during and following the current drought. Otherwise, Panoche Plateau appears to still represent high-quality habitat for G. sila, with low predation pressure and parasite load paired with high-quality thermoregulatory habitat. In spring 2023, we will begin repatriating G. sila produced by the captive colony maintained by Fresno Chaffee Zoo to Panoche Plateau. Animals will be radio-monitored for their entire lives to estimate survival and reproductive output, and these data will be used to better understand habitat features that facilitate population persistence in G. sila.

Rabbit hemorrhagic disease virus serotype 2 (RHDV2), the cause of a highly contagious and fatal lagomorph disease, rapidly spread through the western United States and Mexico. In response, an ad hoc interagency/zoo/academia/non-profit team implemented emergency conservation actions to protect California’s Central Valley endemic, endangered riparian brush rabbit (Sylvilagus bachmani riparius, RBR) from RHDV2. RBRs have lost over 90% of historic habitat, and remnant habitat is fragmented and prone to flooding and wildfire. The team first implemented a vaccine safety trial by administering Filavac VHD K C+V® vaccine (Filavie, France) to 19 wild RBRs captured and temporarily held in captivity. Rabbits were monitored for adverse effects and serum collected prior to, and at 7-10-, 14-20-, and 60-days post-vaccination for antibody response determination. No adverse vaccine effects were documented; therefore a large-scale effort to reduce extinction risk by vaccinating ~15% of the estimated wild population began in September 2020. Population estimation via remote camera transects coupled with predictive modeling informed vaccination goals. To date, 674 RBRs have been vaccinated at least once. In Spring 2022, RHDV2 deaths were confirmed in unvaccinated RBRs and sympatric desert cottontails (Sylvilagus audubonii). Vaccination, disease surveillance and population monitoring are continuing to detect possible disease-related population change.

Beginning in 2002 with a state report, 20 years of efforts have been made in California to address permitting challenges that impede work to restore fish and wildlife habitat and recover imperiled species populations. In recent years, leaders of state and federal agencies have collaborated to break new ground in developing innovative regulatory tools that represent a sea change in the permitting and environmental review of beneficial projects. The state’s Cutting Green Tape Initiative has ensured the completion of crucial statewide programmatic permits and exemptions, while the Governor and legislature have provided funding and staff for efficient, coordinated review and approval of restoration and multi-benefit projects. Federal regulatory agencies implementing the Endangered Species Act and Clean Water Act – USFWS, NOAA and the Army Corps Regulatory Division – have partnered to create broad, far-reaching biological opinions that set a new standard for ensuring swift yet effective permitting oversight of habitat projects. Together, with the support of restoration proponents throughout the state, agencies have shifted the regulatory role from limiting restoration to accelerating it, providing project proponents with clear design guidance and general and species protection measures to ensure appropriate usage. Project examples are presented to highlight successful use of these regulatory processes.

Challenges and Opportunities II: Human Dimensions

The number of Motus wildlife tracking stations in the west has grown from 6 in 2018 to over 100 in 2022. Very little guidance for how to test whether a station is detecting tags exists currently. I will go over the current suggestions and then present recent developments in standardizing testing protocols. I will present work by several co-authors on how we might use drones to test tag detection as well as statistical methods for presenting station detection effectiveness. I also present simple methods that can be accomplished by anyone installing a Motus station using a test tag on a PVC pipe and a GPS or smartphone. Finally I will give links to resources for tag and station testing.

There have been almost 1,800 dams removed in the United States in the last 100 years. As of 2021, California has a total of 690 dams and has removed 137 dams. The process of removing a dam first undergoes a process called decommissioning. Decommissioning is an assessment of the functional use of the dam and, based on that, a decision on whether a dam will be retained, retrofitted, or removed. In this paper, dams in the US and Asia are reviewed to determine the prioritization of the factors to consider for dam decommissioning and how the cost-benefit analysis can incorporate marsh habitat restoration. The results identified from both sets are extrapolated to determine the feasibility of pairing marsh restoration with dam decommissioning projects by following a life cycle assessment plan. Upon preliminary analysis, sedimentation accumulation is the primary factor for dam decommissioning and removal. The sedimentation transport that occurs downstream of a dam after dam removals can benefit sediment accumulation in rivers deltas and build up marsh elevation. Pairing marsh habitat restoration with decommissioning reduces the cost of decommissioning projects and provides additional restoration benefits, which combined result in negative net cost (i.e., positive net benefits). Studying the effects of removals quantifies the benefits of a dam removal project and the efficiency of marsh restoration. However, further studies on sediment transport models of the selected dams would better quantify those benefits by improving our understanding of the sediment accretion rate in the marshes of the estuary.

A history of legacy mining in California has resulted in an estimated 200,000 hazardous abandoned mine openings. These mines, if left unremediated, can pose a hazard for humans and the environment. The California Department of Conservation – Abandoned Mine Lands Unit (AMLU), has an interest in protecting the public from physical hazards at abandoned mine sites, which often provide habitat for bats and other wildlife, especially Townsend’s big-eared bat (Corynorhinus townsendii) and California leaf-nosed bat (Macrotus californicus). AMLU houses an interdisciplinary team that possess a unique suite of training and experience to survey subterranean mine features for hazards and wildlife and provide technical expertise. Through partnerships with state and national land management agencies over 1,600 features have been remediated: 1,150 with bat compatible closures since 2000. During the planning phase, AMLU works closely with bat researchers to complete biological surveys and ensure that remediations balance habitat conservation and public safety. In 2020, AMLU started conducting bat surveys during the inventory phase to identify any previously unknown critical bat habitat. AMLU hopes to improve the integration of bat survey data with feature inventory to plan remediation strategies and identify future targets for White Nose Syndrome surveillance and population monitoring.

Wildlife and traffic don’t mix well. Wildlife-vehicle conflict refers to the mortality, aversion, and fragmentation effects of traffic on wildlife (mammals, birds, herpetofauna). The adverse impact of traffic on California fauna has been at the center of recent legislation. The Road Ecology Center has collected >100,000 observations of wildlife-related crashes and roadkilled animals, using the California Roadkill Observation System (CROS, https://widlifecrossing.net/california) and the California Highway Incident Processing System (CHIPS). These observations come from hundreds of agency, academic, NGO, and individual scientists, and CHP officers and have species identity accuracy of 97%. Using these data, combined with wildlife values and crash coefficients, we identified 1,717 one-mile segments of state highway where fencing would cost less than the cost of WVC in those segments. We further identified >150 segments where fencing + under-crossings (10’ box culvert, 4-lane highway) would cost less than crashes in those segments. These results provide an immediate source of information for Caltrans and other state agencies to meet recent legislative requirements, such as AB 2344, and apply for federal funding under the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law. These data would also be useful for municipal and regional entities to use in local conservation planning.

Landscape linkages are hypothetical objects developed in geographic information systems (GIS) proposed to connect areas of habitat in fragmented landscapes. Assuming they are used by organisms in nature, linkages could be an important tool for biodiversity conservation. However, large-extent connectivity models (e.g., at the US state scale) are generally not based on evidence of wildlife occurrence and testing whether or not wild animals follow these artificial pathways created by conservation planners have given mixed results. Using >180,000 wildlife detections over 20 years, we evaluated potential utility of five California linkage models for common California mammal, reptile and amphibian species in two ways: 1) occupancy modeling and 2) roadkill detections as a proxy for wildlife movement. We found that linkage areas were not important predictors for the probability of landscape occupancy for most species. Linkage areas were also not consistent predictors of conflict on roads. These results show that hypothetical landscape linkages are not an all-purpose conservation strategy. Unless validated using data from wildlife occurrence, caution should be exercised when using linkages in land and transportation-based conservation planning. Connectivity as a gradient across the landscape should be the target of conservation, including in land-use and transportation planning.

The Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS) and the U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service (USFWS) Partners for Fish and Wildlife are agencies which work with private landowners to address resource concerns by assisting with technical and financial assistance. Private lands have historically been overlooked for their potential contribution to landscape level conservation. In Temecula, California, these two agencies worked with a private homeowners association (HOA) with two ephemeral streams running through 400 acres of open space. One stream had dangerous 10-to-12-foot banks next to a trail and was incised into the floodplain. Both agencies provided technical and financial assistance to design and implement a restoration project on 1200 linear feet of stream that met the landowner’s goals. The NRCS guided the HOA using their 9-step conservation planning process allowing them to accomplish safe recreational access, riparian habitat restoration, and decreased erosion. At project implementation, the HOA had community backing, 14 federal, state, and local partners, and 5 required permits. This collaboration between public agencies and the private landowner addressed the HOA’s concerns and goals and shows that voluntary conservation on private lands is a viable approach to the conservation of natural resources.

From the beginning of the article published by BioScience: After taking office, President Biden signed an executive order announcing his America the Beautiful plan to conserve 30% of US land and water by 2030. He challenged Americans to collaboratively “conserve, connect, and restore the lands, waters, and wildlife upon which we all depend” at a national scale (US Departments 2021, p. 9). Here, we take a major step in advancing President Biden's plan by envisioning a bold and science-based rewilding of publicly owned federal lands (hereafter, federal lands) in the American West. Beyond concerns for human survival and flourishing, a principled commitment to the natural world and a sense of moral urgency underpins the motivation for our proposal. In general, rewilding aims to reestablish vital ecological processes that can involve removing troublesome nonnative species and restoring key native species. Our rewilding call is grounded in ecological science and is necessary regardless of changing political winds. Our objective is to follow up on President Biden's vision to conserve, connect, and restore by identifying a large reserve network in the American West suitable for rewilding two keystone species, the gray wolf (Canis lupus) and the North American beaver (Castor canadensis).

Invertebrate Conservation

About 90% of wetlands have been lost in California. Of those that remain, many are degraded by invasive species, such as Iris pseudacorus (IRPS). IRPS has invaded freshwater (FW), brackish (BW), and marine (MW) wetlands in southern California estuaries. Using various sampling methods, our objective was to determine if IRPS impacts the invertebrate community relative to uninvaded areas in Los Peñasquitos Lagoon in North County San Diego. Preliminary data collected using sticky traps showed no difference in abundance of aerial insect communities between IRPS and non-IRPS canopies in FW and BW, but there was higher abundance in IRPS relative to non-IRPS at MW. The aerial insect community composition differed among sites with more Culicidae and Muscidae in FW, higher Agromyzidae in BW, and higher Thysanoptera in MW. Pitfall traps showed differences among sites and plot types where FW sites had higher abundance compared to BW sites, and abundance was higher in non-IRPS compared to IRPS. Community composition showed more Linepithema humile and Transorchestia enigmatica in the FW compared to BW. Exploring the impacts of IRPS on insect communities can inform and prioritize management strategies by determining the extent of impacts and most impacted locations.

We used hand-held GPS Receivers, baited minnow traps, visual encounter surveys, air rifles, and Fyke nets, to map and collect American Bullfrogs, Rana catesbeiana, at wetland sites over the ca. 455 acres Resighini Rancheria, in Klamath, Del Norte County, California from 2018 through 2022. We were able to identify seven (N=7) distinct age-classes from collected samples. We dissected the metamorph, juvenile, sub-adult and adult frogs obtained, in order to record prey item types, and prey sizes, relative to frog size. Prey base diversity was high, and impacts on a wide array of pollinating insects was observed, including: hornets, wasps, bumble bees, dragonflies, gnats, crane flies, beetles and honey bees. We correlated our diet data with a prey item dataset from a 2004 study site in Merced County, and found additional evidence for the impacts of bullfrog predation on pollinating insects. A truncated discussion of how our data support previous studies on the predatory impacts of non-native, invasive bullfrogs at wetland eco-systems, is presented.

The Delhi Sands Flower-Loving Fly is an imperiled, obligate sand dune species that hasn’t been thoroughly studied due to its rarity and largely subterranean life cycle. Although much of this fly’s remaining habitat is protected, the species still faces a myriad of threats including invasive weeds, sand stabilization, sand loss, soil type conversion, and trespassing. Armed with what is known about the life history of the fly, 17 years of survey data, and hands on experience, management efforts have been undertaken to optimize suitable habitat for the Delhi Sands Flower-Loving Fly, with some promising results. Thus far, tangible successes have included localized range expansions and the recolonization of recently abandoned area, underscoring the importance of adaptive management for bolstering populations of declining species.

California State Parks plays a critically important role in supporting western monarchs. The agency protects and manages around thirty overwintering sites along the coast of California, providing crucial habitat to the species. As western monarch populations have experienced significant declines, their habitats have been impacted by development and other disturbances that leave them vulnerable to senescence and severe wildfire. Given the importance of State Parks to the species, we partnered with Xerces Society for Invertebrate Conservation to obtain Monarch Butterfly and Pollinator Rescue Program funds to enhance monarch habitat. Through this project, we have conducted habitat assessments and developed management and restoration plans. We are currently restoring and enhancing habitat at four overwintering sites, with additional sites planned for 2023. Restoration actions include tree planting, trimming, and removal; nectar resource planting; and allowing for natural recruitment of key tree species. Several challenges have been identified, including roosting tree species choice, coordination with landscape-scale wildfire resilience work, and long-term maintenance. Management and restoration methods will be evaluated and adapted over time in consultation with species experts and researchers. This project ensures that State Parks-protected land will continue to provide high quality habitat for overwintering western monarchs into the future.

As pollinators of native plants, bumble bees play a key role in structuring ecosystems. They also deliver the ecosystem service of pollination to many crops, providing a substantial monetary benefit to US agriculture. These bees are negatively impacted by agriculture, climate change, and habitat loss, with one-quarter of species native to North America now threatened with extinction. California is a bee biodiversity hotspot, but systematic surveys to document bumble bees have never been performed. Launched in 2022, the California Bumble Bee Atlas is a community science collaboration filling this gap, with volunteers gathering non-lethal survey data around the state, identifying species in need of conservation, and assisting partners with recovery efforts. This talk will describe the ecology and conservation of bumble bees, as well as the first year of results from the California Bumble Bee Atlas community science project.

JEDI Session (Justice, Equity, Diversity and Inclusion)

All people in California are healthy, financially stable, and safe. This was the aspirational vision for racial equity that inspired the strategies in the California Department of Water Resources’ Racial Equity Action Plan. Andrea Riley and Dena Hunter will highlight DWRs diversity, equity, and inclusion efforts, including the development and implementation of the Racial Equity Action Plan.

Though the United States of America prides itself on justice, equality, diversity, and inclusion, the fact remains that many facets of our society are as divided as they have always been. Instances of ableism, ageism, sexism, and gender identity discrimination continue to make the headlines…and hardly a day goes by without a newscast about an unlawful act of ethnic discrimination. According to the Association of American Medical Colleges, Statista.com, and Zappia.com, in 2021, the U.S. had a combined total of over 1,133,800 African American physicians, civil engineers, attorneys, police officers, registered nurses, and teachers. However, one field continues to lag behind others. The total number of archaeologists in the U.S. of African American descent, according to Zappia.com and other sources, for the last few years has hovered at less than 800. Qualified applicants are not being turned away. Instead, there appears to be a “vision problem” where African American boys and girls cannot and do not envision archaeology as a viable or interesting career option. Introducing archaeology to college-bound students of color would be insightful and rewarding. The overarching goal of this grassroots effort is the realization of greater diversity in the archaeology field.

Caltrans recognizes our leadership role and unique responsibility in State government to eliminate barriers to provide more equitable transportation for all Californians. This understanding is the foundation for intentional decision-making that recognizes the past, stops the current, and prevents future harms from our actions. Caltrans is fostering a culture of belonging, inclusion, equity, and justice by leveraging the diverse lived and learned perspectives of every team member. We are centering appreciation and respect for all employees, members, Tribal communities, and broader communities at the heart of our efforts. This presentation will highlight the Caltrans DE&I approach, where you will hear from two leadership teams, The Equal Employment Opportunity Program (EEOP) and the Caltrans Office of Race and Equity. The discussion will focus on two collaborative approaches

• Internally - greater human resources are generated from various perspectives to deliver innovative products and services at their best, employee retention, and growth in upward mobility, creating a safe environment where everyone may bring their whole selves to work.

• Externally - a diverse workforce enhances our ability to engage with the community for a direct and meaningful benefit that meets communities’ needs.

It is widely known that telling science in story form, scientific storytelling, can double and quadruple the audiences, media reach and funding for research that scientists need. However, this method of communication is widely met with resistance within the science community. The average scientist still believes the saying, “Let the science speak for itself.” The problem is without a researcher, scientific communicator or organization telling others why they should listen to the research, the science is never heard. According to my exploration on this topic, the following three reasons for resistance are stated the most; (1) storytelling correlates with fiction and science is based in facts, (2) technical research is too complicated to be told in story form and thus “dumbing down” would need to occur, (3) researchers or science communicators should not put emotions or discuss themselves when discussing good science. All these beliefs have been shown to be false. This resistance of scientist to use storytelling is unwarranted and leads to good research not getting to those that could utilize it. Scientific storytelling is one of the best methods to get good science out to a diverse group of individuals, companies and organizations that need it.

Abstract: California is the largest and most diverse state in the nation with the fourth largest economy in the world. As the state works towards mitigating the impacts of climate change, drought, wildfires, and other threats to our natural resources, considering the impacts of these threats to diverse populations has become imperative. Despite the plethora of equity and diversity statements, and commitments to include a variety of voices in environmental decision-making, successfully implementing equitable practices such as reducing implicit bias in the hiring process to diversify the conservation workforce remains operationally challenging. This presentation will provide reasons on why embedding equity remains a challenge and provide a framework that organizations can use to begin the process of centering equity into all policies, processes, and actions. Using the California Department of Fish and Wildlife’s efforts to integrate equitable principles into its work culture and external activities, this presentation will discuss the challenges and available opportunities for organizations to shift conversations about equity away from superficial statements into action. To achieve the state’s drought, wildfire resilience, and natural resource protection goals, CDFW has started to include equity as a core component in funding requirements, species management plans, and sensitive species decisions. This attention both fulfills CDFW’s mission AND gives voice to the most polluted and under-resourced communities to improve overall outcomes for all.

Mammals I: Ungulates

The rising presence of wildfires in western US landscapes necessitates a better understanding of how wildlife respond to these disturbances both immediately and as scorched habitats recover. Managing for species, such as deer, requires an understanding of which forage items sustain them over different post-fire phases. We used molecular genetic analysis of feces (metabarcoding) to document changes in deer diet during springs of 2017–2021, spanning before and after a large wildfire (Ranch Fire of 2018) in Northern California. We used 707 pellet samples collected both on and off the burn area throughout the 5 years, providing pre-fire (2 yrs), post-fire (1 yr), and recovery (2 yrs) periods, each with burn and control comparisons. We predicted that dietary diversity would decrease post-fire in the burn area as herbaceous and shrub layers were reduced, and increase during the recovery period as pioneer species began to recover. We extracted DNA from fecal pellets and sequenced a trnL gene region of the chloroplast genome on a high-throughput platform. We identified 90 plant taxa from an average of ~7,000 sequencing reads per fecal sample. Diet diversity was high in pre-fire and recovery periods in all sites but significantly reduced post-fire in burn sites only (P < 0.001), with diet dominated by a single forage item, oak (Quercus spp). Diet diversity was dominated by shrub taxa pre-fire but composed proportionally more of herbaceous taxa during recovery. Thus, oak species played a central role in buffering the deer population from immediate impacts of wildfire.

Direct or indirect contact between domestic populations of animals and wildlife carries an inherent risk for transmission of pathogens that cause infectious disease. In Humboldt and Del Norte counties of northern California, ongoing conflict between ranchers and Roosevelt elk groups results from elk use of ranching pastures and pastures on private land. Fecal samples from elk in association with cattle, cattle, and from elk not in known association with cattle were assessed for the presence of bacteria Salmonella enterica and pathogenic Escherichia coli to assess whether association with cattle increases risk of infection for elk. Group identity (one of the elk groups or cattle group) was the leading parameter in infection likelihood models, and elk in association with cattle were over nine times more likely to have pathogenic non-O157:H7 E. coli isolated from their feces than elk that were not in association with cattle.

Population monitoring of game species is essential for supporting regulated hunting programs and for guiding effective conservation of these species in response to climate change, altered land use, and other potential stressors. However, indirect measures of population trend are the best available monitoring data in many situations. We used a 20-year timeseries of indices computed from three independent sources of data (e.g., hunter encounter surveys, harvest records, and citizen science observations) as proxies for the mule deer (Odocoileus hemionus) population status within a 26,400 km2 region of northeastern California. Results suggest that the deer population has steadily increased at an average rate of 1–2% annually, with adult male deer increasing at a faster rate. Periodic oscillations in population were strongly associated with winter severity. Populations appear to respond negatively in the two years following years of heavy snowfall, and the effects of climate change on snowfall may explain the overall increasing population trend. The stability of these apparent patterns is uncertain, and it is unclear whether the trend could be an ecological trap. Efforts underway to apply more robust monitoring methods (e.g., models using data from fecal DNA and aerial surveys) are expected to help answer these questions.

Noninvasive fecal DNA (fDNA)-based spatially explicit capture-recapture (SCR) approaches have proven valuable for estimating abundance of deer (Odocoileus spp) and other wildlife. The utility of SCR approaches for more gregarious species, such as elk (Cervus canadensis), is less clear because grouping behavior formally violates assumptions of statistical independence. We sought to understand the extent of spatial clustering in tule elk (C. c. nannodes) and to assess robustness of SCR estimates to such spatial dependence. Using GPS telemetry of 32 male and 34 female tule elk from 3 northern California populations during Jun–Aug 2017–19, we found strong clustering of female elk, but no detectable clustering by males. Concurrently, we conducted fDNA sampling, obtaining >1,000 genotypes of 425 sex-typed individuals, which we used for conventional CR analysis of the 66 physically captured individuals and for SCR based solely on the fDNA samples. Estimates of abundance from these approaches incorporating both sexes were statistically equivalent, although precision was considerably higher for SCR. Single-sex SCR estimates agreed with these estimates in 2 of the populations but differed in one population for which female spatial clustering was most extreme: in that case, the estimate of female abundance was much higher than in the two-sex model, the conventional CR model, and in an independent study of that population later that same year. We conclude that SCR of both sexes was robust to gregariousness in elk because inclusion of males was sufficient to offset spatial dependence stemming from aggregation of females.

In northern California, Roosevelt (Cervus canadensis roosevelti) and Rocky Mountain (C. c. nelsoni) elk occupy a wide variety of habitats over a large extent, including the Marble Mountains Elk Management Unit (MM EMU) within the Klamath Mountains. Dense forest canopy and steep, mountainous terrain present significant challenges for monitoring elk populations using traditional aerial and ground-based methods. These constraints have resulted in inadequate spatial and temporal research and monitoring. To address the need for comprehensive and reliable elk abundance estimates, we implemented a landscape-level remote camera study within the MM EMU. We deployed 180 remote cameras and applied a time-to-event model to estimate elk abundance. This method utilizes the movement rate, area in front of each camera, and leverages the latency time to detection for a given species. Here, we present the use of a recently developed method to non-invasively estimate the abundance of unmarked elk at the landscape-level in northern California. Implementation of this method can provide reliable information to aid management decisions for the continued recreational, ecological, and economic benefits of elk specifically and wildlife in general.

Mammals II: Bats

Gallinaceous Guzzlers were widely established across the southwest beginning in the 1940s. Many of these structures still function but, degradation overtime and changes in jurisdictions and laws have complicated their management. For example, newly designated wilderness dictates their removal due to prohibited human structures. We implemented a Before/After Control Impact study to evaluate wildlife response to the loss of water from these guzzlers given the potential for removal. A subset of 14 guzzlers greater than 3.2 km from any other know water source were selected for monitoring. Seven were later selected for drainage of water (dewatering). Wildlife was monitored at the guzzlers using trail cameras and acoustic bat and bird recorders. Preliminary results suggest bats do not focus on guzzlers and were not affected by dewatering based on echolocation call detections. Of some 16 bird species detected on recorders at guzzlers, about half were detected on trial cameras at the guzzler mouth at regular intervals. Dewatering led to many birds that regularly visited the guzzler abandoning use of the guzzler. We are finalizing results of bird recordings taken after dewatering. Guzzlers likely benefit some species, but greater demographic data is needed to ascertain impacts of dewatering.

Southern Nevada has a long history of underground mining and hundreds of abandoned mines remain throughout the region. We have been surveying and actively monitoring bat use of roughly 350 abandoned mines throughout the region since 2006. Over that time, patterns of roost use have been stable with species composition and colony sizes remaining predicable over time. Beginning in 2021 and continuing through 2022 there has been a notable increase in species richness and intensity of use in these features. These changes correlate with drought and heightened surface temperatures throughout the region. Subterranean temperatures have remained consistent despite increased surface temperatures and our findings suggest that mine workings are providing refugia to species that have historically roosted in epigeic features that provide less buffer from changes in ambient conditions.

Stocking of trout into naturally fishless lakes in the mountains of western North America has reduced populations of many native species, particularly benthic aquatic invertebrates, in those systems. Although many bats consume emergent aquatic insects, no previously published studies have focused on how bats could be affected by changes to prey populations at lakes subsequent to trout stocking. The aim of this study was to determine whether fishless lakes or lakes stocked with trout provide higher quality foraging habitat for bats. We recorded and analyzed bat echolocation calls to assess overall bat activity, foraging activity, and foraging rates at nine feature-matched pairs of stocked and unstocked high elevation lakes in the central Sierra Nevada of California. Bats that echolocate around 40 kHz showed higher levels of overall activity, foraging activity, and foraging rates at stocked lakes. These higher activity levels could indicate the presence of higher quality foraging habitat. Alternatively, these bats could be foraging on suboptimal prey, pursuing small insects such as mosquitoes, and this could represent a cost to these bats due to the lower energetic return of small prey. Introduced trout may constitute a conservation issue to populations of bats in areas where both taxa occur.

While bats have anecdotally been reported roosting in cliff swallow (Petrochelidon pyrrhonota) and barn swallow (Hirundo rustica) mud-nests for several decades, this roosting behavior is rarely discussed in the available peer-reviewed literature. The authors have documented seven bat species roosting in swallow mud-nests in California, Arizona, and New Mexico. Roosting bats have been observed inside swallow nests during the fall and winter seasons, and emerging from swallow nests during the spring and summer, indicating year-round use. The number of individual bats observed roosting in a single nest ranges from one to up to seven, and bats have been found roosting in up to 20-25 percent of nests at a single structure containing swallow mud-nests. At some sites, bat guano indicating use by bats has been observed in almost every swallow nest inspected. Bats can be injured or killed during the removal of swallow mud-nests from structures. Given the extent of use by bats outside of the bird nesting season coupled with the widespread practice of removing swallow nests during that time of year, swallow mud-nest removal could have conservation implications for bats. Recommended best practices to minimize the potential for bat injury and mortality will be discussed.

Knowledge of roosting and foraging requirements is necessary in managing for viable bat populations, especially when areas are being cleared of native vegetation for development, such as solar installations, infrastructure, agriculture, and urban expansion. Bats are very mobile and often active in areas not accessible by roads.  Nocturnal aerial tracking from a light aircraft has been successful in determining foraging habitat and the minimum distance traveled for three species of bats: California leaf-nosed bat (Macrotus californicus), Townsend’s big-eared bat (Corynorhinus townsendii) and Allen’s big-eared bat (Idionycteris phyllotis). Macrotus was tracked from three different mine roosts along the Lower Colorado River in winter and summer 2015-16 and exhibited different seasonal activity and foraging behavior. In a summer roost in the same area in 2016, Corynorhinus used the same foraging habitat as Macrotus, with both species traveling a minimum of 40 km/night. In 2004, Idionycteris in Arizona traveled approximately 80 km roundtrip nightly between the roost in creosote bush scrub at 1000 m elevation and foraging areas in mesquite grassland and pinyon/juniper woodland (1500-2000 m) in the next mountain range to the east.  Protecting a limited radius of habitats near the roost for foraging would not have been appropriate for these bat species.

Mammals III: Canids

Managing the fish and wildlife public trust is challenging especially in a value diverse and increasingly polarized society. High profile and controversial topics like wolves are uniquely difficult and complex because they occur in our sharpest sociopolitical realities of the day including our urban vs. rural fracture, decreased faith in government and leaders, and the promotion of “alternative facts.” However, wolves provide a superb opportunity for managers to grow in our societal cognizance and better engage with our publics to improve two-way communication, trust, and credibility. Managers must become savvier to choreograph well in a changed world – not just the biological to ecological, but also the psychological and the sociological. We must reinvent ourselves to interact with our publics in a manner that reduces barriers and promotes valued connections with individuals, groups, communities, and media professionals, that broadens and deepens human relationships and participation. Some hard-earned perspectives and ideas are presented here.

California is one of the most recent U.S. state to be recolonized by gray wolves. Since the male wolf OR-7 dispersed from northeastern Oregon and entered California 7 years ago, more than 15 additional wolves have entered California from other states. There are now three packs in California of which two have now reproduced in multiple years. Monitoring and management is challenging because wolves travel widely and use large, often remote areas. In working landscapes, wolf conservation and management is further complicated by the presence of livestock and land ownership and management patterns. In California this is magnified because most citizens lack of experience living with wolves, and the lack of some tools to mitigate wolf-caused livestock damage. As CDFW works to conserve wolves and minimize impacts to livestock producers, we strive to collaborate closely with communities within wolf range and to work hard towards good two-way communication and meaningful trust relationships. CDFW's wolf monitoring and management is adaptive and multifaceted and involves working closely with both wolves and people.

Past climatic fluctuations have heavily influenced species distributions, often causing periods of isolation in refugia, followed by secondary contact and gene flow. Previous mitochondrial analysis of the gray fox (Urocyon cinereoargenteus) identified a division in the Great Plains between eastern and western lineages that were unusually divergent relative to other North American carnivores (up to 1 Mya), possibly representing cryptic species. However, nuclear divergence and reproductive isolation were not investigated. Using both reduced-representation (n = 259) and whole-genome (n = 42) sequencing, we investigated these questions by first assessing divergence time and evidence for admixture, and then, upon discovering an admixture zone, investigating the extent and timing of admixture pulses. Nuclear analyses of divergence supported previous mtDNA estimates of divergence time and indicated a narrow zone of admixture. Using local ancestry reconstruction, we found a recent bi-directional pulse of gene flow that began <100 generations ago, and a more ancient pulse of unidirectional gene flow, from the eastern into the western population, up to ~1,700 generations ago. Based on the estimated ages of these introgression events, we compared the observed cline width to predictions of a null model that assumed neutral introgression and no reproductive barriers. The observed cline width was similar to the predicted cline width, approximately 500 km, providing no clear evidence of reproductive barriers. However, we identified several genomic regions with signatures of selective introgression across the contact zone that were linked previously in other species to olfaction, mate choice, and behavioral divergence.

The island fox (Urocyon littoralis) is endemic to the California Channel Islands. The species experienced a dramatic population decline to near extinction followed by rapid recovery over the past thirty years. These drastic fluctuations in population size make the island fox an excellent candidate for studying the effects of density on home range size and habitat selection. In 2010, when density was historically low, researchers on Santa Rosa Island documented male fox home ranges on the eastern portion of the island. Beginning in 2022, with the fox population now at carrying capacity, we tracked the locations of 15 adult male foxes using GPS collars in a similar study area to compare their home range size, characteristics and overlap. Preliminarily, we found that island foxes display negative density dependent effects on home range size. Future work will include a finer scale look at fox habitat selection in both time periods to inform management decisions for this iconic species.

A population of endangered San Joaquin kit foxes (Vulpes macrotis mutica; SJKF) occurs in the urban environment in the city of Bakersfield, California, and may be important for SJKF conservation.  We used a systematic camera station survey and occupancy analysis to identify suitable habitat for SJKF in Bakersfield and to estimate a conceptual carrying capacity.  We identified high, medium, and low suitability habitat totaling 121 km², 196 km², and 40 km², respectively.  Based on a mean urban kit fox home range size of 0.78 km² and an assumption of two adults in high suitability home ranges and one adult in medium suitability ranges, we estimated the adult carrying capacity in Bakersfield to be 561 foxes.  A carrying capacity of 561 adults would increase the estimated range-wide carrying capacity by as much as 38%.  Adult density estimates derived for the urban SJKF population based on the carrying capacity (1.57/km²) and home range size (2.56/km²) were higher than estimates for foxes in natural habitats.  The urban SJKF population in Bakersfield is substantial and therefore could contribute significantly to conservation and recovery efforts for SJKF.  Given our results, a potential conservation strategy may be to encourage or even establish additional urban SJKF populations.

Mammals III: Canids (continued)

We describe four case studies in central California in which young San Joaquin kit fox (Vulpes macrotis mutica) pups were orphaned and either fostered for a period of time in captivity and released, or provisioned entirely in the wild by caretakers. In February 1992, six pups whose mother had died by predation were temporarily fostered in captivity. Four of the pups were then placed in the den of their father and an unrelated female (Case 1) and the remaining two pups were placed with an entirely unrelated family group (Case 2). In April 2019, a mother of five pups died by vehicle strike. These pups appeared to be weaned though no other adults were present, so they were provisioned at their natal den (Case 3). In spring 2022, one abandoned pup was hospitalized for sarcoptic mange concurrently with an unrelated family group consisting of an adult female and her three pups. The orphaned pup was introduced into the family group while in captivity and all were released together after recovery (Case 4). Of the 12 orphaned pups in all cases, at least seven survived till dispersal age, two survived into the following year, and one reproduced.

A population of endangered San Joaquin kit foxes (Vulpes macrotis mutica) occurs in the city of Bakersfield, CA.  In spring 2013, sarcoptic mange was detected in this population and the disease quickly spread.  In January 2019, the disease appeared in a smaller kit fox population in nearby Taft, CA.  Over the last 9 years there have been over 474 reports of kit foxes with mange, 100 confirmed deaths, 141 foxes treated in the field, and 155 foxes treated at the California Living Museum (CALM).  In conjunction with treating foxes, the Endangered Species Recovery Program (ESRP) has also conducted an annual citywide camera survey in Bakersfield since 2015 and Taft since 2019 to assess mange among kit foxes and its spatial spread.  The data collected is consistent with opportunistic sightings, trapping efforts, and reports from the public, all of which indicate a substantial decline in the urban kit fox population.  The periodic confirmation of healthy foxes throughout both urban areas as well as population modeling indicates that the disease will remain indefinitely.  Mange response, camera survey monitoring, and research projects will continue in order to treat sick foxes and further study the effects of mange on the urban kit fox population.  

San Joaquin kit foxes (Vulpes macrotis mutica) are listed as Federally Endangered and California Threatened, primarily due to profound habitat loss throughout their range. The San Joaquin kit fox now persists in a metapopulation consisting of three main “core” populations, one of which is in Panoche Valley California. In spring of 2019, following the completion of the Panoche Valley Solar Farm, a 3-year investigation of ecological and demographic traits of San Joaquin kit foxes within Panoche Valley was initiated to determine how the population is affected by this anthropogenic disturbance. To investigate these effects, kit foxes were monitored on two sites within Panoche Valley. The solar site was located within a 1.5-km buffer of the Panoche Valley Solar Farm arrays and the reference site was located on Silver Creek Ranch in relatively undisturbed habitat. Kit foxes were collared with GPS collars and tracked regularly to dens and resting areas. Over the course of the study, 99 individual foxes were captured and we were able to determine the size and space use of 77 foxes. We also documented similarities and differences in reproduction, survival, mortalities, and diet between the two sites.

We assessed demographic and ecological patterns of endangered San Joaquin kit foxes (Vulpes macrotis mutica) relative to resource and competitor abundance in the Carrizo Plain National Monument (CPNM) during 2014 to 2019. Based on prey sign surveys, abundance of kangaroo rats and rabbits increased from 2014 to 2019. Kangaroo rats increased in kit fox diets while the rabbits and rodents increased in coyote diets. Visitation rates by both kit foxes and coyotes increased during the study, and the proportion of individual stations that were visited by both species also increased. We used GPS collars to examine kit fox survival, reproduction, and space use in a year of low prey availability (2015-16) and a year of high prey availability (2017-18). Kit fox survival was 0.69 in 2015-16 and 0.87 in 2017-18. Reproductive success was 44.4% in 2015-16 and 72.7% in 2017-18. Mean home range size was 4.3 km2 in 2015-16 and 1.3 km2 in 2017-18. On the CPNM, kit fox population dynamics and ecology appear to be primarily influenced by kangaroo rat abundance and not by competition from coyotes. Consequently, kit fox populations appear to be regulated by “bottom up” processes.

Mammals IV: Mustelids

Island species have long been considered an important tool for understanding speciation and to investigate evolutionary forces driving DNA sequence evolution. The Island spotted skunk (Spilogale gracilis amphiala) is an endemic insular carnivore found on two of the Channel Islands off the coast of southern California: Santa Rosa Island and Santa Cruz Island. Limited study of morphology found little differentiation between the island spotted skunks and their mainland counterpart, the western spotted skunk (S. gracilis microrhina, S. gracilis phenax), fueling an idea that spotted skunks arrived on the Channel Islands in the past two centuries. However, genetic studies using microsatellites and mitochondrial DNA found significant differences among the two island populations and mainland populations, suggesting a longer evolutionary history of spotted skunks on the islands. Still, the degree to which island spotted skunks are diverged from one another and from their mainland relative remain unclear. To further investigate the evolutionary history of island spotted skunks, we sequenced whole genomes of skunks from Santa Cruz Island, Santa Rosa Island, and the California mainland. Our results support the antiquity of island spotted skunks, showing high genomic differentiation between all three populations, lower diversity in island populations, and increased inbreeding in island populations.

American badger (Taxidea taxus) and western burrowing owl (Athene cunicularia hypugaea) occur in the San Francisco peninsula however information about their population status and distribution was limited.  The Midpeninsula Regional Open Space District (District) funded a study of both species in order to best manage them and their habitats within District properties, and to contribute to regional species conservation.  Study methods included GIS analysis to create habitat suitability models and a badger linkage model, field surveys and camera trapping to ground truth models, and genetic analysis of badger hair.  More than half (58%) of all collected badger observations were found within six District properties clustered along Skyline Ridge/Hwy 35.  Model results show that badger habitat in the peninsula is heavily fragmented by natural and anthropogenic factors, and their pathways of movement are narrowly restricted which highlights the importance of maintaining landscape permeability for this wide ranging species.  Three primary badger movement linkages were identified: 1) a central network of habitat connections between District properties along Skyline Ridge/Hwy 35, 2) a coastal linkage running from north of San Mateo down to Santa Cruz, and 3) an eastern linkage running from Skyline Ridge/Hwy 35 to Coyote Valley.  The coastal linkage provides more suitable badger habitat compared to the eastern linkage and may be the only viable pathway for badgers to reach the central District population.  Results suggest that moderate grass management is beneficial for both species.  Results supported anecdotal knowledge that burrowing owls winter in some District properties but do not breed there.  Twenty-five individual badgers were identified using genetic analysis, eleven of which were collected within District properties, however sample amplification rates were not successful enough to calculate a badger population size in the peninsula.  Results suggest that badgers on the peninsula appear to be an isolated population with some degree of inbreeding, and as less genetically diverse than populations to the north and south.  The District is pursuing opportunities to continue genetic sampling achieve a badger population size metric.  Results inform an array of future management opportunities include maintaining grassland connectivity, identifying and enhancing bottlenecks along linkages (wildlife friendly culverts, vegetation management), using artificial burrows to enhance existing wintering owl habitat, acquiring properties to strategically support grassland connectivity, and develop regional support for species conservation and listing consideration.

Rapid environmental changes – in climate, land use, and biotic interactions – are accelerating species extinctions and extirpations globally. Identifying the drivers that threaten populations is essential for conservation yet can be difficult given the variable nature of an organism’s response to biotic and abiotic stressors. We analyzed a 13-year monitoring dataset to explore the demographic responses of fishers (Pekania pennanti) to rapid environmental change in the southern Sierra Nevada, California, USA. Fisher survival was sensitive to both biotic and abiotic factors, although the strength and direction of these effects were ultimately mediated by age and sex. Specifically, male survival was lower among young individuals and decreased with increasing temperatures, basal area of hardwoods, and fungi consumption. Female survival was resilient to age effects and diet yet increased with greater forest heterogeneity and decreased with increasing temperatures and snow depth. Our findings illustrate the importance of disentangling the effects of both intrinsic and extrinsic factors on survival, especially among species with distinct sexual or ontogenetic differences. As global drivers of environmental change intensify in strength and frequency, understanding these complex relationships will allow practitioners to best manage for population persistence of fishers and habitat resilience concurrently.

Footprint identification technique (FIT) is an emerging non-invasive tool in wildlife conservation that has been adapted for a wide variety of species. FIT enables classification of footprints using a geometric profile generated through computer software with a simple graphical user interface.  Here we report the development of novel application of footprint identification technique (FIT) for species discrimination for fisher (Pekania pennanti) and marten (Martes caurina), and sex-ID for fisher.  We developed FIT using footprint images collected from free-ranging animals at track plate stations that were identified to individual and sex via genotyping of non-invasive genetic samples.  We developed a reference dataset of 165 marten tracks and 267 fisher tracks (27 females, 34 males).  Geometric profiles for each track were extracted using a specialized FIT add-in developed for fisher in JMP data visualization software. We used a linear discriminant analysis to analyze these geometric profiles and create discriminant functions for species and sex ID.  Classification accuracy for both species and sex ID was >90%.  FIT provides a promising new tool for fisher research and monitoring by providing a simple and cost-effective method for non-invasive species or sex identification.

California has experienced unprecedented wildfire activity in recent years, as half of the twenty largest fires in the state's recorded history occurred during 2020-2021. Large and severe wildfires have substantial potential to degrade or effectively eliminate, for the near future, habitat of forest-dependent species such as martens or fishers. For instance, >33% of predicted habitat for the endangered southern Sierra fisher population burned in the past 2 years and >55% since 2012. We describe conditions in the Sierra Nevada with >10 years of animal demographic data in 2 locations. In the northern Sierra, we estimated the influence of fire on predicted habitat and connectivity for marten. We created predicted habitat models from extensive location data and spatially optimized variables. We evaluated models using cross validation and independent data, then created a resistance surface (negative exponential predicted habitat quality). The Dixie fire burned 45% of marten predicted habitat cores and 38% of corridors, 24% of which were at moderate or high severity. In both study areas we ran new simulations following fire, assuming high resistance in moderate/high severity burned patches to identify areas for optimized restoration planning. We conclude with creative ideas and possibilities for maintaining forest dependent species in landscapes with prior and ongoing megafires. 

The landscape in the southern Sierra Nevada has undergone dramatic change over the last decade, including a severe drought starting in 2012, extensive conifer mortality beginning in 2015, and a series of increasingly large and intense wildfires including (from north to south) the Ferguson Fire (2018) in Yosemite National Park, the Rough Fire (2015) in the Sierra National Forest, and the KNP Complex Fire (2021) in Sequoia-Kings Canyon National Park. Living in the midst of this changing landscape are fishers (Pekania pennanti) and other wildlife species that depend on features of mature forest, including dense canopy cover, large diameter trees, and microsites suitable for resting and reproduction (e.g., large cavities, hollow logs). Beginning in summer 2021, we used a combination of remote cameras and GPS collars to identify where fishers continue to occur, which patches of older forest (“forest refugia”) they are using, and how they navigate in or around recent fire footprints to remaining green forest (“linkage habitat”). We report the broad findings of this multi-agency endeavor (2021-2022) for the Merced River study area (Yosemite NP, Stanislaus NF, Sierra NF) and the Kings-Kaweah Rivers study area (Sequoia-Kings Canyon NP, Sequoia NM/NF) and implications for conservation.

Mammals V: Rodents / Lagomorphs

For decades biologists have focused almost exclusively on the presence or absence of certain indicator plant species in predicting salt marsh harvest mouse (Reithrodontomys raviventris) occupancy in the San Francisco Estuary. At the 2022 Annual Meeting we presented a new approach to assessing habitat for its potential to support the salt marsh harvest mouse which focused on function over form. This method guides the user to evaluate the habitat at a local and regional scale, and specifically addresses features important to individual survival, likely the single most important factor in population level persistence of this species which occurs in naturally isolated patches. During the 2022 Rangewide Survey for the Salt Marsh Harvest Mouse biologists utilized this habitat assessment tool to evaluate habitat and predict species presence before and after live trapping surveys at 55 sites. During this presentation we will present the results of the assessments, an evaluation of how accurately the assessments guided correct predictions, and recommendations for its use in the future. We will also address which habitat features from the assessment were most correlated with salt marsh harvest mouse occupancy (e.g., the value of marsh size versus vegetative cover). As salt marsh harvest mouse presence or absence has very important implications for many decisions made in the Estuary, the ability to accurately predict occupancy without costly and intensive live trapping is extremely valuable. Regional biologists should work together to continuously refine and improve these methods.

In 2022 a collaborative group of wildlife managers, researchers, and consultants in the San Francisco Estuary completed the first ever range-wide survey for the endangered salt marsh harvest mouse (Reithrodontomys raviventris). Since the species is restricted to the marshes of the Estuary and exists in discrete populations contained within isolated marshes, it was possible to identify all potential populations and target them for surveying. A large amount of data is collected for each harvest mouse captured (~15-20 attributes), in addition to 4-6 photos per individual, making data collection, management, and storage a challenge. Post-survey manual data entry is challenging due to factors like difficult to read handwriting. Further, linking tabular data with photo data is challenging using traditional data storage programs like Microsoft Excel. During this survey efforts 3-6 crews worked simultaneously to survey sites throughout the Estuary. Preparing and utilizing a different Field Maps map each week, which contained all sites, allowed teams to track progress and work adaptively. Pre-prepared maps of trap grids made it easier to track which traps had been checked, in addition to providing a dedicated container for tabular and photo data. Utilizing modern mobile app based technologies can improve survey efforts and data quality, though wildlife biologists themselves may not have the time or technical expertise to set them up. Here we share lessons learned and methods for utilizing ArcGIS Field Maps to perform better and safer wildlife surveys.

Habitat fragmentation is a leading threat to wildlife globally. Effects of habitat fragmentation are often inferred retrospectively based on genetic connectivity estimated from a single modern sampling effort. Alternatively, genetic data obtained from museum specimens can facilitate direct comparisons of genetic connectivity pre- and post-habitat fragmentation. We examined the effects of habitat fragmentation on the federally endangered salt marsh harvest mouse endemic to the San Francisco Bay Area by comparing genetic data from 11 microsatellite markers in modern samples (2010-2022) and historical museum specimens (1938-1959). Genetic diversity (allelic richness, expected heterozygosity) was greater in the historical samples in the total population and within each of the six subpopulations we sampled. Genetic distance (FST) among subpopulations was greater in the modern sample than historical sample, consistent with reduced connectivity and/or genetic drift within populations. Generally, sites with the smallest remaining habitat patches exhibited the greatest degree of genetic diversity loss. Our results directly link losses in genetic diversity and connectivity with ~80 years of habitat loss and fragmentation. Our work highlights the threat of anthropogenic landscape change to wildlife populations.

The endangered riparian brush rabbit (Sylvilagus bachmani riparius; RBR) is a brush species found in a few areas of the San Joaquin Valley of California. The subject of large restoration projects, little is known of RBR habits or interactions. Camera traps can capture activity and behavior in their dense habitat, providing insight into their habitat usage and, potentially, their recovery. Originally a Master’s camera trap project with goals of studying behavioral interactions and usage of restored sites. Extreme flooding in 2017 stranded the study population with concentrated prey and predator populations. In response, the camera study shifted to capture this pulse event at San Joaquin River National Wildlife Refuge from February to August 2017. Camera traps captured RBR performing a variety of behaviors, including territorial and reproductive behaviors, despite the limiting circumstances. In contrast to the crowded conditions, most behaviors recorded were individual, suggesting a solitary lifestyle. Interspecific interactions were primarily with competitor species, mostly the desert cottontail (Sylvilagus audubonii). Further, camera traps captured RBR interacting with exotic plants and supplemental feed in addition to native plant species. Overall, this study highlighted the additional knowledge gained from behavior and camera studies.

In arid and semi-arid environments, burrowing mammals play a key role in increasing landscape heterogeneity through facilitative (positive) species interactions. The loss of burrowing mammal populations can consequently lead to negative effects cascading through the ecosystem; it is therefore critical to understand these facilitative interactions for conservation and management. For instance, wildlife translocations are a popular management tool that are often not successful. Accounting for facilitative interactions during translocation could improve success rates. To investigate the importance of burrow facilitation on San Joaquin antelope squirrel (Ammospermophilus nelsoni) translocation success, we designed a program for antelope squirrels using a natural experiment, with paired sites selected for the presence and absence of a burrowing facilitator, the giant kangaroo rat (Dipodomys ingens). We radio collared 97 antelope squirrels from core habitat within the Carrizo Plain. We then translocated 67 to uninhabited lands in their historical range, half to a site with giant kangaroo rats and half without. Over two sessions we observed differences in survival, dispersal and movement, and home range size across the three treatment groups. Our study highlights the importance of considering facilitative interactions when selecting release sites for translocation and planning restoration campaigns.

Stephens' kangaroo rat (Dipodomys stephensi; SKR)--recently downlisted from federally endangered to threatened--is protected across a network of reserve lands in Riverside and San Diego Counties, California. The diversity of ownerships and jurisdictions involved has made it difficult to coordinate management and monitoring efforts, or to track progress towards species recovery goals. An interagency team recently completed a rangewide SKR management and monitoring plan, which uses an innovative habitat model, created using variables derived from updateable satellite imagery, as a foundation. During summer-fall of 2022, cooperating agencies completed the first year of systematic population monitoring under the plan using standardized live-trapping grids randomly distributed on reserves across the range and stratified by habitat value--thus establishing the first rangewide baseline for tracking SKR status and trends. In addition to providing one-stop shopping for information about SKR biology, populations, threats, and management techniques, the plan will help diverse agencies be more efficient and effective in using their limited resources to recover the SKR.

Karyotypes differences between two subspecies of Pacific kangaroo rat Dipodomys agilis (2N=62 in the north and 2N=60 in the south), combined with minor allozyme and morphological differences, resulted in their re-classification into two the agile kangaroo rat (AKR, D. agilis) and the Dulzura kangaroo rat (DKR, D. simulans) in 1997. The distribution of AKR is from Kern and Santa Barbara counties down to upland areas the San Gabriel, San Bernardino, and Santa Monica mountains, while DKR occurs at lower elevations south from the foothills of those mountains to northern Baja California. It has been proposed that these two species are potentially sympatric in the foothill region of the San Gabriel mountains. We tested the validity of their species level classification, as determined by genomic divergence and the absence of introgression. To this end, we sampled AKR/DKR populations along a ~100 km transect crossing the San Gabriel mountains and performed whole genome sequencing/resequencing. Our results showed that, although AKR is found north and south of the mountains, there was no evidence of hybridization with DKR, supporting the specific status of the taxa. The divergence time between AKR and DKR was estimated as 0.5 to 1 Mya, and there is no proof of secondary contact since then. These populations encompassed a substantial elevational range, and we examined patterns of intraspecific genetic differences potentially linked to elevation.

Capture-recapture is a powerful, if expensive and difficult, approach to estimate abundance. Noninvasive genetic sampling is a potential alternative, but methods vary among taxa with little research on its use in rodents. We addressed a series of questions to develop a noninvasive genetic sampling approach for the endangered giant kangaroo rat (Dipodomys ingens). Over 2 years, we used 2 sampling grids, first live trapping and then collecting and genotyping fecal pellets. We found that fecal pellets were successfully genotyped up to 9 days (93%) after exposure, but that rate precipitously fell soon after. Although giant kangaroo rats are territorial, multiple individuals deposited fecal pellets at the same sampling locations; however, single pellets contained sufficient DNA to recover genotypes and to identify individuals, so contamination was not a problem. Per occasion capture probabilities were lower in noninvasive genetic sampling (p = 0.26, SE = 0.01) than from live trapping (p = 0.42, SE = 0.06). Population estimates were similar using noninvasive genetic sampling, although they were quite a bit higher (Ntrap = 36, Nfecal = 64) on one grid. Noninvasive genetic sampling should be tested in additional taxa and systems to provide more generalizable recommendations.

Professionalism and Ethics

Spending time in the field is one of many reasons we chose a career in wildlife biology. Some of us receive extensive training while others learn while on the job. This can lead to a knowledge gap that requires biologists to conduct surveys for species where they have limited knowledge or experience. This can also result in the biologist overlooking sensitive species or making errors in the identification of a target species. Overlooking State or federally listed species denies the animal the protection it is due under the law. In addition, it can result in substantial personal risk, delay projects, result in fines, and damage reputations. Misidentifying common species as sensitive can also result in unnecessary mitigation, permitting, and regulatory burdens for the client or land manager. How do we avoid making these mistakes, maintain our ethics, and seek the mentoring needed to become better field biologists. Join us for an app based interactive discussion where we present methods to overcome knowledge gaps, communicate with clients and colleagues on our field abilities, and how to gain the knowledge and experience needed to succeed as a wildlife biologist.

Advocacy, Ethics, Client Needs, and the Resources. Maintaining Your Ethics While Supporting Responsible Growth Wildlife biologists play a key role in the preservation and management of wildlife. We study the behavior, physiology, and ecology of wildlife and how humans alter or modify the distribution and behavior of species. Wildlife biologists also conduct surveys to determine the potential for sensitive species to occur in an area proposed for development. These studies are used by land managers, resource agencies, and consultants in the evaluation of impacts associated with the development of infrastructure. But how do we balance advocacy for the species, the client, and compliance with State and federal regulations. How do we maintain our ethics while ensuring projects that benefit society are completed with the best possible mitigation to off-set impacts to sensitive wildlife. Join us for an app based interactive discussion with the audience and panel to discuss how advocacy and ethics relate to our roles as wildlife biologists.

This interactive session builds on the previous presentation (Ethics in the Field. Know Thyself) and takes a deeper dive into the legal and administerial consequences that affect projects or studies when critical mistakes are made in the field, in the data analysis, or the conclusions presented in a report. We will discuss how these errors often accumulate or are compounded overtime, where they often occur, and how they should be remedied when discovered. More importantly, we will highlight methods that should be used when planning and conducting field work, how to support your conclusions, and how to prepare legally defensible documents.

Surprisingly, there is a significant paucity of natural history information for most wildlife species. This is in the context of the most significant increase in biologists in the field in history. Many of us see or know about aspects of the natural history of one or more species—which may be used as a subject of a story among colleagues or a posting on social media—and don't fully understand or value the significance of these observations. This is particularly true among consultants who don't find the support to publish natural history notes or otherwise report their findings and observations. Those biologists that have published findings, both great and small should feel an obligation to those around them to encourage others to publish observations and findings. This is not only in support of the individual’s professional standing but can greatly enhance or facilitate management of many species that are currently enigmatic. Publishing natural history notes is relatively easy and can provide future workers with the information they need appropriately manage species and their habitat.

Reptiles and Amphibians I

Blunt-nosed Leopard Lizards (Gambelia sila) are a federal- and state-listed endangered species endemic to the San Joaquin Desert, where much of their habitat has been lost and fragmented due to land conversion for agricultural and industrial use. In 2023, researchers plan to begin repatriating captive-reared animals to the recently extirpated Panoche Plateau. Despite the species' importance and prior radio-telemetry studies, no one has yet confirmed that standardly used radio-collars do not attract increased predator attention to collared G. sila. Using previously validated methods, 380 effective clay models were placed at 20 locations over a 12 week period. Field cameras were paired with 16 locations to document attacks and identify predators on the Plateau. Treatments were no collar, silver, white, and bronze. Common predators captured on cameras included ravens, loggerhead shrikes, and coyotes. Less common predators included greater roadrunners and San Joaquin kit foxes. Preliminary analysis shows that collars had no effect on predation probability. It is important to ensure that predation due to increased visibility will not have a dramatic effect on repatriated individuals on the Plateau site. Understanding the impact radio-collars have on predation of G. sila will ultimately aid in the recovery and management of the species.

Environmental temperatures are a crucial aspect of ectotherm habitat quality. Operative temperature models (OTMs) have been an important tool for understanding the temperatures that organisms experience in their environments. While these physical models are inexpensive and easy to construct, they are limited to sampling a relatively small number of points in a landscape and thus fail to capture the full temperature variation that may be present. Recent research has demonstrated a way to create a spatially explicit OTM by combing traditional OTMs with drone data. Building on this work, we developed a spatially and temporally explicit model of operative temperature for our study species, the Blunt-nosed Leopard Lizard (Gambelia sila). We then used this model to test the idea that the spatial distribution of temperatures is important for ectotherms. Previous research had supported this idea but was limited to simplistic artificial environments. Our new spatially and temporally explicit OTM allowed us to test this in a complex natural system for the first time. Our work generally supported the idea that the spatial arrangement of temperatures on the landscape impacts ectotherm thermoregulation and movement. In addition to this, this new OTM may also serve as a useful tool for simulating changing environments and helping us better understand what impacts those changes will have on the temperatures that organisms experience.

Organisms increasingly face extreme temperatures due to climate change and may depend upon flexible, behavioral strategies to cope with altered thermal regimes. Burrows and cavities provide animal-engineered microhabitats with more stable and moderate temperature and humidity profiles that can benefit their occupants, and by modifying burrow architecture and use, animals can mitigate their exposure to high temperatures. However, the exact extent to which burrows alter thermal regimes and provide protection against extreme heat events in the wild is often unknown. These questions are key for burrowing species of conservation concern, like the Mojave desert tortoise. Here, we characterize how desert tortoise burrows buffer exposure to surface temperature and humidity regimes using data from natural tortoise burrows in the wild. We then link these results to data from natural and artificial burrows used by nesting females at outdoor enclosures, including data collected during a heat-wave that resulted in complete nest failure. Our results highlight the high buffering potential of burrows, but also suggest that in some cases –particularly for younger life stages–burrows may not be sufficient to protect animals from extreme temperatures that are projected to increase under climate change. These results can inform future head-starting methods for this species.

The blunt-nosed leopard lizard (Gambelia sila) is a state and federal endangered species in part due to the decline of suitable habitat throughout the San Joaquin Valley of California. The San Joaquin Desert has become increasingly fragmented over time, forcing blunt-nosed leopard lizard populations into isolated areas with diminishing or unsuitable resources. Efforts are being made to preserve extant populations and bolster dwindling populations through management and captive breeding, however it is crucial to ensure these resources are being used effectively. To understand how their ecology affects their success on the landscape, we used radio telemetry to track 11 individual adult leopard lizards in 2022, 6 lizards in 2021, and 21 lizards in 2020 during the main active season to determine home range size and land use. Additionally, we collected soil samples, operative temperature estimates, rodent burrow density, percent open space, and landscape data across the Little Panoche Valley region. Understanding how these factors contribute to blunt-nosed leopard lizard population dynamics inform ongoing recovery efforts, including Panoche Plateau repatriation.

The blunt-nosed leopard lizard (BNLL; Gambelia sila) is an endangered species endemic to the San Joaquin Desert of California. Understanding its diet is fundamental to the conservation of the species and its habitat. DNA metabarcoding leverages the power of high-throughput DNA sequencing to provide both higher taxonomic resolution and prey-detection capacity over traditional fecal diet analyses, particularly when diets are composed primarily of arthropods. We non-invasively collected fecal samples, genetically identified them to species, and then used DNA metabarcoding of the 16S mitochondrial DNA region to recover arthropod diet sequences. We then compared the sequences recovered from diet to a custom reference library of DNA sequences recovered from arthropods in the study area to facilitate a high taxonomic resolution of lizard diet. Our dataset resulted in >700 samples from BNLL and four other sympatric lizard species. From these, we identified >100 invertebrate diet items. This information will be used to identify the most abundant prey species for the BNLL and potential competitor species. The development of a custom reference library helped overcome the lack of existing sequence data for arthropods in a region of high endemism.

The Blunt-nosed leopard lizard (Gambelia sila) is an endangered and charismatic lizard species native to California’s Central Valley. In partnership with The Bureau of Land Management and the Telemeco Reptile Ecology and Evolution lab at California State University, Fresno, emergency permission was granted to collected adult G.sila (4 male and three female) from the Panoche Hills plateau. This colony was taken to Fresno Chaffee Zoo to form the first captive assurance colony of G.sila. Since the 2020 collection the program has produced over 60 lizards and have produced F2 animals. Our presentation will review our program successes, challenges and the future of our work this species.

Reptiles and Amphibians II

Amphibian and reptile species face numerous threats including disease, habitat loss and degradation, invasive species, and climate change. However, effective management and conservation of herpetofauna largely depends upon resource-intensive survey methodologies. Camera trapping techniques show promise, but these methods must be tested alongside traditional methods to fully understand their advantages and disadvantages. To meet this research need, we compared an approach that combines a drift fence with short-focus camera traps to visual encounter surveys (VES) with cover boards. Between June and August 2020, we conducted two VES and installed one drift fence with camera traps at ten sites in Monterey County, CA, USA. The drift fence/camera setup outperformed the VES in terms of number of observations and herpetofauna species detected, while also resulting in detections of numerous small mammal, bird, and invertebrate species. Due to the effectiveness of the drift fence/camera setup, we have employed this technique at 170 survey locations across central and northern California in 2021-2022 and modified the methodology to improve performance and cost-effectiveness. Continued and broader application of this approach across California will provide critically needed data for the management and conservation of small animals, particularly small mammals and reptiles.

California harbors up to 28 species of native anurans in four families. Of these, the majority (17 species-61%) have been noted as declining in distribution and abundance and are protected as threatened, endangered, or under other regulatory status designations. Among this multitude of threatened amphibians, the Northern Leopard Frog (Rana pipiens), perhaps North America’s most widespread amphibian, appears almost forgotten from discussion in California. The Northern Leopard Frog’s status in California has been confounded by the introduction and establishment of non-native populations, combined with a confusing taxonomic history and a propensity to occur on private land. A presumed native population has not been observed in California since the early 1990’s: however, in 2019 a dead leopard frog was observed on a snowbank in Mono County, within the presumed historical native range of the species. Subsequent surveys in 2020-2022 have documented an extant but sparse population in the Walker River Watershed west of the Nevada border. Here we report on the collection history of Rana pipiens in California via museum records. We provide survey results from the Walker River site and outline potential steps for habitat enhancement. Lastly, we present ideas for the conservation of this species in the Golden State.

The One Lake project is a large-scale, transit-oriented, mixed use residential and commercial development and public infrastructure project which at build-out will affect 378+ acres of California tiger salamanders (CTS) breeding, movement, and upland habitat. Habitat loss, fragmentation, and degradation are threats to CTS populations. To further sustain the regional CTS population, 668+ acres of on-site mitigation were set aside in perpetuity including 14 created CTS breeding pools, reestablished and rehabilitated seasonal wetlands, and constructed mounds. Despite drought conditions, capture and relocation to on-site mitigation areas resulted in handling/monitoring of 8,310 CTS (7,939 larvae and 371 adults, juveniles, and metamorphs) from November 2018 through December 2022. Under our mitigation criteria the 14 CTS breeding pools were created, and CTS were documented successfully breeding in four of these pools and a fifth adjacent pool on an established conservation bank in the winter of 2021-2022. No CTS have been relocated to three of these pools since 2019. Relocation of CTS adults and larvae combined with enhanced mitigation areas have resulted in the continued success of an isolated CTS population in Solano County.

This presentation will review biological observations and lessons learned during habitat enhancement actions at San Francisco International Airport’s West-of-Bayshore property in San Mateo County. Discussion will center upon three uncommon aspects of California red-legged frog (Rana draytonii) biology that were encountered in summer 2022, and how each affected the site enhancement approach. These include aestivating frogs that were discovered during the record-breaking September 2022 heat wave; a localized area where tadpoles and metamorphs expressed severe edema (bloating); and how the finding of overwintering larvae affected site enhancement actions. Field responses to be discussed include the use of a portable vascular doppler meter to detect blood movement in unresponsive aestivating frogs; laboratory treatment methods, pathology reports, and water quality testing results to respond to the observed edema; and efforts to retain floating vegetation (floating marsh pennywort; Hydrocotyle ranunculoides) to maintain habitat and avoid late season California red-legged frog tadpoles.

The persistence of threatened species in California is in part the result of head-starting programs of local institutions and partnerships. Given increasingly limited resources, small teams of conservation professionals must optimize growth and survival of head-starts throughout development in captivity, as well as consider the environment into which these animals will be released—more uncertain and dynamic now than ever. Here, we present on San Francisco Zoo and Yosemite National Park’s project to rear threatened California Red-legged Frogs (Rana draytonii) for release in Yosemite. We consider both behavior and disease susceptibility in our efforts to raise frogs best suited for the wild.

Many endangered species live in extremely altered habitat and historical habitat may only be known through written descriptions of landscapes prior to alteration. Restoring habitat for species in these situations can be difficult when there are unknowns and consensus on design is needed to ensure habitat elements for listed species. California’s Central Valley is reflective of this situation where the vast expanse of wetlands has been levied and converted to agriculture and development. Lookout Slough, a large-scale multi-benefit restoration project for fish habitat and flood protection would create tidal wetland habitat reflective of historical conditions. The project provides a great opportunity to include design elements for the semi-aquatic giant gartersnake (Thamnophis gigas), a threatened species endemic to the Central Valley. The species was previously believed extirpated in the region, but detected by the project during the planning phase. Habitat design was a collaboration between species experts, agency personnel, and the project design team to incorporate both aquatic and terrestrial habitat elements for the snake while still meeting project goals for fish restoration credits. Habitat design was adjusted to reduce snake winter refugia flood risk. An overview of the project and processes to address design uncertainty for snake habitat is provided.

Reptiles and Amphibians III

Global warming could be detrimental to sea turtle populations because sea turtles exhibit temperature-dependent sex determination. With warmer temperatures, egg incubation produces a skew towards a female-biased sex ratio. Previous studies suggest that an increase in females is beneficial as more females lead to more eggs. However, these studies have not incorporated a sex ratio dependency for mating success. I compared two models, one with sex ratio-independent mating success and the other with sex ratio-dependent mating success, to see if there are differences in population growth for the Northwest Atlantic population of loggerhead sea turtles. Sex ratios were calculated based on regional temperature predictions from IPCC’s AR5 representative pathway scenarios (RCPs). An age-structured population dynamics model was used to track cohorts from 2005-2100. Hatchling numbers were calculated with and without dependency on mating success. The sex-ratio independent model showed an increase in population size in all scenarios, with the warmest RCP scenario having the greatest increase. Conversely, the sex-ratio-dependent model showed either a stable or decreasing population size. This shows that sex-ratio-dependent mating success may influence our perception of whether climate change is expected to affect sea turtle population growth trends negatively or positively.

Molecular genetic tools are commonly used to explore phylogenetic relationships and identify cryptic species, but they are unable to resolve how species function differently ecologically. To create informed management plans, we need to accurately predict how environmental perturbations will affect different taxa. For Southern Alligator Lizards (Elgaria multicarinata), genetic and morphological data suggest that the species is composed of at least two species-level clades, although this diversity is cryptic and can only be distinguished by molecular analysis. I examined whether the thermalbehavior or thermalsensitivity of two clades of Elgaria multicarinata varied based on their northern or southern latitude distribution. My result supported that the two incipient species are almost ecologically identical, with minor differences in their thermalbehavior and tolerance. Selected body temperatures are lower for lizards with larger mass and there is a trend for the Southern clade selecting lower temperatures. Understanding the subtle nuances of thermalbehavior between subspecies can prove crucial to maintaining these species alongside continued climate change.

In the mid to late 1800s and early 1900s, Western Pond Turtles (Actinemys marmorata and A. pallida) were sought after in California as an ingredient in turtle soups and stews. At the height of the commercial terrapin fishery in California in 1895, about 63,000 Western Pond Turtles were reported in the markets, but agency records are sporadic and a full accounting of the market data remains incomplete. The USFWS initiated a review of the status of Western Pond Turtles in 2015 to determine if there is sufficient evidence to warrant their listing as an Endangered or Threatened species. To better understand the magnitude of the commercial terrapin fishery, we reexamined commercial fish landing reports of the USFWS and CDFW and other relevant texts available in digital repositories to determine the Reported (known) market data (262,600 turtles). Then we estimated the Model-fitted (unknown) market data (261,500 turtles) to calculate the overall Estimated market total (524,100 turtles). Calculated scaled estimates suggest as many as a million turtles were captured for human consumption. These numbers demonstrate the magnitude of the historical terrapin fishery and could provide a baseline to inform future listing decisions.

Northwestern and southwestern pond turtles are declining throughout their range. Their precipitous decline is correlated with habitat conversion, degradation, and destruction, typically related to anthropogenic sources. Pond turtles of both species utilize uplands for numerous aspects of their natural history and can be found in upland areas for the vast majority of the year. This poses significant concerns for their conservation since locating them in uplands is challenging, to say the least. Knowing which life stages use uplands during specific times of the year can facilitate avoiding injury and mortality, which is critical to sustaining populations of these long-lived species.

Southwestern pond turtle (Actinemys pallida) populations have been consistently declining throughout their range. This growing concern for population decline is exacerbated by increasing drought, urbanization, and fragmentation. Despite this, focused studies at the San Joaquin Marsh in Orange County, California have demonstrated continuous population growth and stability in the past ten years. We hypothesized that southwestern pond turtle populations at the San Joaquin Marsh demonstrate population stability and resilience despite two years of drought-like conditions. We analyzed the population demographics to determine impacts on population stability in the context of drought. We conducted a mark-recapture survey study over two years (2019-2020) at the San Joaquin Marsh that was then compared to previous pre-drought data (2008-2012). We found that the population estimate at this location had significantly increased in comparison to the previous status reports, even in the face of drought-like conditions. However, we also observed lower juvenile recruitment and a lower proportion of females in reference to males when compared to the previous study conducted prior to drought conditions. Our results indicate a need for conservation and water system management for southwestern pond turtles and further investigation into the status of pond turtle populations, especially after stochastic disturbance events.

Southwestern pond turtles (Actinemys pallida) have declined throughout Orange County over the past century. Aliso Creek is thought to have one of the largest remaining southwestern pond turtle populations in Orange County. Over 3 years, we investigated a population of southwestern pond turtles to assess the demographics, including population size, sex ratio, and recruitment. We estimate that over 100 southwestern pond turtles reside within the investigated portion of Aliso Creek. This study occurred after of a large arundo removal project in the creek. Further investigation is needed to understand the effects of arundo removal on pond turtle population recovery.

Use of AI for Processing Camera Trap Images

Passive acoustic monitoring has proven effective for broad-scale population surveys of acoustically active species, making it a valuable tool for conserving endangered species like many Anurans (and some carnivores). However, successful automated classification of anuran vocalizations in large audio datasets has been limited. We deployed five autonomous recording units at three known breeding areas of the declining Yosemite toad to supplement ongoing, human survey efforts. We analyzed the audio data with the BirdNET algorithm, which was originally developed for birds but has been expanded to include the Yosemite toad and the sympatric Pacific chorus frog, among other non-avian classes. We achieved high classification accuracy for both species, and efficiently detected the two species in thousands of hours of audio data. For both species, (1) vocalization counts were correlated among three co-deployed recording units but varied substantially in magnitude, (2) we obtained phenological data about nearly the entire breeding period, and (3) we observed diel cycles in vocal activity. Vocalization counts are a precursor to acoustic-based abundance indices, while phenological data could reveal shifts in breeding linked to climate change, two types of information that could improve the conservation of vocally active amphibians. Finally, we extend the results presented here to illustrate how these techniques are relevant to population monitoring of carnivores.

The California Department of Fish and Wildlife (CDFW) deploys thousands of cameras at strategic locations throughout the state to estimate wildlife distributions and population demographics, which is a critical step in detecting declines, managing populations, and understanding ecosystem health. The thousands of cameras produce tens of millions of images, which present data storage, processing, and sharing challenges. To address these challenges, CDFW partnered with Wildlife Insights, an online platform for storing, identifying, and analyzing camera trap data. Wildlife Insights has enabled CDFW to increase the security of its photos and holistically manage photos so that information can be shared across regions and programs, and assessments of wildlife communities can be done at landscape scales using existing camera data. Further, Wildlife Insights’ computer vision model expedites the processing of photos by automatically identifying blank images (e.g., images of moving vegetation), vehicles, and species, which users can then review and manually verify. CDFW staff from across the state have uploaded over 32 million images from across 10,250 camera deployments to Wildlife Insights, and there will be many more to come as historical data and new projects transition to the platform. 

Artificial intelligence (AI) and machine learning are terms describing software approaches that can be trained to perform tasks. Pattern recognition is at the core of most AI tools, including the growing suite of approaches for identifying wildlife. We describe the AI Image Toolkit (AIT, https://ait.dudek.com), a web-based system using a series of tasks in an overall workflow: 1) processing of large image datasets to identify and isolate images containing animals, 2) management of image files as part of camera trap projects, and 3) provision of data useful in occupancy and other modeling. In the first case, raw data from camera traps are uploaded to a cloud location. The tool identifies images containing animals (>95% accuracy) and returns them to a user in a zip file, along with a count of number of individual animals. In the second case, images containing animals are transferred to a web-based system, where the user can tag images with species, number of animals, behavior, demographics, and other information. In (3), data and metadata are organized and can be queried and automatically packaged into formats used in GIS or statistical analysis; for example, occupancy models, diversity indices, effectiveness of crossing structures.

A study was conducted using a TrapCam dataset to develop a model to assist biologist(s) with sorting TrapCam pictures of interest from blank pictures. This study utilized a dataset of over 50,000 pictures. There were eight categories of interest identified for this study: baby owls, dogs, owls, people, cars, equipment, trucks, and feeding with owls being the primary class. The first seven categories are objects detected by the model and the last category is a behavior which was treated the same way as the objects. The model utilized is the yolo v4 model which is an open-source computer vision model designed for object detection utilizing bounding boxes. The model was ‘trained’ utilizing a data set from the project site and pictures found on google. This dataset can be used as a base for other models to be hand trained as well. Much of the code developed during the training process can be reused for other projects cutting down significantly on development time. The dataset generation can be conducted by anyone with minimal set up and training. This project was conducted utilizing open-source software along with the google cloud which resulted in minimal costs for development and a path to a ‘low cost’ commercial product via the cloud. The google cloud can be swapped out for other ‘clouds’ if ever needed. Open source licenses almost always allow for use of the code in commercial products, so there should not be any licensing issues for use in project work.

Natural Resource Managers use camera traps and other sensors to monitor and adaptively manage threatened and endangered (T&E) species and other species of interest. However, moving, storing and analyzing large quantities of photos currently poses multiple significant challenges. Picogrid Platform addresses these challenges by combining hardware capable of real-time photo collection, cloud-based photo/video management software and a variety of third-party AI algorithms. This talk will cover the experience of building and testing enterprise-grade software for camera trap image management used by the Department of Defense.

Determining best methods to detect individuals and monitor populations that balance effort and efficiency can assist conservation and land management. This may be especially true for small, non-charismatic species, such as rodents (Rodentia), which comprise >40% of all mammal species. Given the importance of rodents to ecosystems, and the number of listed species, we tested two commonly used detection and monitoring methods, live traps and camera traps, to determine their efficiency in rodents.  An artificial-intelligence machine-learning model was developed to process the camera trap images and identify the species within them which reduced camera trapping effort.  We used occupancy models to compare probability of detection and occupancy estimates for six rodent species across the two methods.  Camera traps yielded greater detection probability and occupancy estimates for all six species. Live trapping yielded biasedly low estimates of occupancy, required greater effort, and had a lower probability of detection.  Camera traps, aimed at the ground to capture the dorsal view of an individual, combined with machine learning provided a practical, non-invasive, and low effort solution to detecting and monitoring rodents. Thus, camera trapping with A.I. is a more sustainable and practical solution for the conservation and land management of rodents.

As a requirement of the Habitat Conservation Plan prepared for the Wright Solar Park project, ICF has used 10 remote cameras annually since 2020 to determine if San Joaquin kit fox (Vulpes macrotis mutica) are present. Unbaited camera stations were established along the fence line of the solar facility and continuously collected images for 4 months in 2020 (May-August) and for 7 months in 2021 and 2022 (February-August). Tens of thousands of images were collected each year. Traditionally, these large image collections are reviewed by humans, who need to sift through many uninteresting images. To improve this process, we created a data processing pipeline using Microsoft’s open-source Megadetector and Species Classification machine learning models, developed from millions of examples of camera trap images. At the project site, we were able to filter out most images without objects of interest, leaving a manageable number of images for human review. The results of the surveys have confirmed the presence of San Joaquin kit fox at the site each year. There were 5 detections in 2020, 9 detections in 2021, and 19 detections in 2022. We present methods for calibrating and running these models on large image collections typical of long-term monitoring projects.

War with the Newts? Interactions between Pacific coast newts and endangered amphibians.

Ecological interactions whose effects have conservation significance are often difficult to test in the wild. A potential negative predatory interaction between larval roughskinned newts, Taricha granulosa, and California red-legged frogs, Rana draytonii, was recently observed in a coastal pond in Santa Cruz County, California. In order to explore the effect of larval newts on R. draytonii, we constructed 9 small ponds where factorial experiments can be conducted in a setting where confounding factors can be controlled. The ponds are approximately 6 meters in diameter and one meter deep and are arranged in a triangular array to create three sets of three ponds, each of which is approximately 6 meters apart from center to center. Ponds will be ringed with 18 inch aluminum flashing to control ingress into the ponds and the array will be fenced to exclude cattle and pigs. Preliminary experiments will include rearing R. draytonii from salvaged egg masses to assess background reproductive success in the absence of predators. Subsequent experiments will include factorial treatments where newt larva will be combined with R. draytonii eggs, and eggs-only ponds and larva-only ponds will constitute the controls. The results will guide ongoing management of natural populations where R. draytonii and T. granulosa are sympatric.

Predation events that result in the mass mortality of amphibians are sporadically reported in the literature; most often involving predation of the terrestrial adult stage of biphasic amphibians by avian or mammalian predators. Recently, reports from multiple locations in California describe egg predation (oophagy) by adult newts (Taricha spp.) on the egg masses of California red-legged frogs (Rana draytonii), significantly depleting the number of developing ova or eliminating the egg mass altogether. Specifically, I will describe oophageal predation events that occurred concurrently at two ponds, by two species of newts (T. torosa and T. granulosa), on the Mitsui Ranch in Sonoma County, California in Spring 2021. Predation was not limited to the egg masses of R. draytonii, but occurred on three additional native amphibian species in one of the ponds and three species total in another. Predation enets occurred over a 6-week period, from February through April, during the most severe drought recorded on the Mitsui Ranch in 47 years of ownership. The Mitsui Ranch has hosted continuous research and monitoring teams since 2011, but this is the first observed incident involving significant oophagy by Taricha spp. I’ll discuss environmental, behavioral, and evolutionary factors that might lead to these mass predation events, and whether they could have long-term demographic effects on amphibian populations. Finally, I’ll discuss whether and when such events compel mitigating management actions.

The endangered Santa Cruz long-toed salamander (SCLTS; Ambystoma macrodactylum croceum) inhabits a restricted range and is in decline due to multiple stressors including climate change, habitat loss, and competition with nonnative species. From 2007 to 2017, we implemented a Habitat Conservation Plan (HCP) at Tucker Pond in Santa Cruz County. The HCP required control of nonnative American bullfrogs (Lithobates catesbeianus), specifically culling and annual pond draining. Bullfrogs were successfully eliminated by 2015. However, three pitfall trapping studies conducted under the HCP documented lower numbers of breeding SCLTS adults (~200-400) as compared with a baseline estimate (~1,000 in 2001-02). Over the same period, relative abundance of native rough-skinned newts (RSN; Taricha granulosa) increased exponentially, with nearly 7,000 adult captures in 2016-17. Observations of predation by RSN on SCLTS eggs were documented. We are concerned that high numbers of predatory RSN in the pond could result in extirpation of an already depressed SCLTS population. Annual pond draining, timed to favor SCLTS transformation, is ongoing. In addition, a study testing the effectiveness of a mesh fence, designed to permit free movement of SCLTS while restricting entry by larger RSN, was initiated in 2017 and continues to the present.

In the winter of 2017 we transferred 20 egg masses of the California red-legged frog, Rana draytonii, a species listed as ‘threatened’ under the Federal Endangered Species Act, into a small pond in coastal Santa Cruz County, California. We unexpectedly discovered large larval salamanders devouring the eggs. Sampling that spring and summer showed no R. draytonii tadpoles in the pond. Mitochondrial DNA indicated that the salamander larvae were rough skinned newts, Taricha granulosa. Continued sampling throughout 2018 and 2019 found both larval T. granulosa and the California newt, T. torosa, to be present in the pond, but larval T. granulosa alone was present throughout the winter months. Predation by overwintering T. granulosa larvae constitutes a previously unreported ecological pressure on R. draytonii and thus may have a significant effect on recovering this sensitive species.

Very few studies have been conducted on the Sierra newt (Taricha sierrae), a species that is distributed throughout the western slope of the Sierra Nevada. During late winter and early spring, the Sierra newt congregates in intermittent streams to breed. During the 1998-1999 breeding seasons, T. sierrae instream movement and distribution were studied in a segment of the south fork of Little Dry Creek, located on the McKenzie Preserve in eastern Fresno County. In this study, T. sierrae individuals exhibited high site fidelity within stream subareas, but there were several individuals that moved extensive distances, particularly after storm events. In 2004-2010 and within this same population and stream segment, a total of 634 newts were marked with PIT tags. Starting in 2004, this stream segment was surveyed weekly or biweekly for 18 breeding seasons, through 2021/2022. Numbers of breeding individuals detected in the study stream segment have varied significantly from year to year depending on timing of precipitation and stream conditions. Individuals marked with PIT tags continue to be detected, particularly during years with good breeding conditions, indicating that this is a long-lived species which may skip breeding in less optimum years.

Poster Session

The Humboldt marten (Martes caurina humboldtensis) is a federally threatened and state endangered subspecies of the Pacific marten (Martes caurina). Humboldt martens occur in four contemporary populations, designated “Extant Population Areas” by the United States Fish and Wildlife Service, in coastal Oregon and northern California, each presumed to be at risk of extinction due to their small size and isolation. Despite efforts to better understand their contemporary distribution and habitat associations, little is known about the abundance and interspecific relationships of Humboldt martens across their current range. To fill these information gaps, we deployed 288 non-invasive hair snares and 132 remote cameras across three sampling grids in the North Coastal California Extant Population Area from August to November 2022. We will incorporate remote camera detections into single season occupancy models to estimate space-use of martens and co-occurring carnivores. Further, we will incorporate genotyped marten hair samples into spatial capture-recapture models to estimate abundance and density of Humboldt martens relative to co-occurring carnivores and habitat structure. These findings will bolster our understanding of Humboldt marten density across a broad range of habitat types, as well as how co-occurring carnivores may influence marten ecology.

The California Endangered Species Act (CESA) facilitates the listing and conservation of threatened and endangered species in California. The California Department of Fish and Wildlife (CDFW) is charged with conducting scientific reviews of species petitioned for listing, administering permitting programs to authorize impacts to listed species, and conducting periodic status reviews of listed species. While CESA provides protection for listed and candidate species, until recently CDFW has had neither the funding nor the authority to prepare recovery plans providing a conservation roadmap and delisting criteria for those species. In 2019, CDFW was given authority to produce recovery plans and in 2021 was provided funding for positions coordinating recovery planning. Future plans will provide frameworks and criteria for the recovery of the numerous CESA-listed plants and animals, many of which have no current federal recovery plan or conservation strategy. Our first steps include creating guidelines for recovery plans to ensure consistency and prioritization of species which are most likely to benefit from a recovery plan. Recovery planning will involve collaboration with multiple partners including local, state, and federal agencies, conservation organizations, landowners, and the public. We are soliciting advice from those with recovery planning experience as CDFW begins producing these plans.

The southernmost range of the Humboldt Flying Squirrel, Glaucomys oregonensis, ends at the San Bernardino and San Jacinto Mountains, where isolated endemic populations occur. In 1933 Joseph Grinnell, UC Berkeley, documented their occurrence in both mountain ranges. Today, flying squirrels exist in healthy numbers in the San Bernardino Mountains; however, the last time they were observed in the San Jacintos was in 1994 by CDF&W biologist Kevin Brennan. Thus, my project was to affirm their absence and, if absent, investigate why they no longer occur in the San Jacinto Mountains. Two hypotheses pervade: (1) there has been a change in habitat, and (2) disease extirpated the population. My project addressed the first hypothesis. Therefore, my initial objective was to delineate optimal habitat parameters for flying squirrels within the occupies portion of their range, the San Bernardino Mountains. The second objective was to compare those parameters to the forests of the San Jacinto Mountains. A third objective was then to investigate their presence or absence in the San Jacinto Mountains. The long-term conservation goal is to restore biodiversity in the San Jacinto Mountains by maintaining viable populations of flying squirrels, a keystone species.

Gender inequity in science remains a challenge in the 21st century. Here, we analyze the gender disparity in wildlife science publications. We reviewed all research articles published in the Journal of Wildlife Management from 1999 to 2020 and collected author names, the affiliated institutions, and the study species. We classified the gender of each author using Genderize.io, and calculated the men:women ratio of first and co-authors over time. To further investigate potential geographic and institutional bias, we classified the affiliated institutions by three categories: governmental, academic, and other. We then calculated the gender ratio based on those categories and by geographic regions. Finally, we explored if there is a gender bias by taxa. In 1999, authorships were dominated by men, with the men:women ratio at 7.29 and 8.63 for first and co-authorships, respectively. The gender gap gradually narrowed until the mid-2010s when the ratio became stagnant at ~1.5 and ~3.0 for first and co-authors, respectively. Although it is encouraging to see the improvement from two decades ago, the lack of progress over the past few years raises a red flag. We recommend further studies to ascertain barriers today’s women scientists face.

Western newts (genus Taricha) include four species endemic to the West coast. There have been multiple reported die offs of populations of Taricha both in California and Washington, but it is not understood what led to this mass mortality. To better understand the reason these populations are experiencing die off events we investigated disease dynamics of populations in Point Reyes National Park (Marin County, California) and populations at Pine Lake (Washington). We also surveyed local biologists and scientists in the Bay Area to find more populations of newts exhibiting similar symptoms. With these data we built a case criteria for sick and dying newts to help other scientists identify and diagnose these mass die off events. Many amphibian species are in drastic decline from disease and loss of habitat. Being able to identify these mass mortality events and gather data on possible emerging diseases in amphibian communities is vital to conservation efforts. 

Human disturbances can negatively affect wildlife by causing stress, altering behavior, or impacting populations through changes in survival or productivity. Colonial-nesting seabirds are of particular concern due to population declines and their gregarious and conspicuous nature, which may attract human visitors. However, effects of nearby human activities, though frequently negative, could be neutral or even positive through phenomena like habituation to human activities or subsidization by human-supplied food sources. I tested for disturbance impacts by comparing reproductive success at two colonies of Western Gulls with different exposure to human activity and proximity to food subsidies. I estimated nest and fledging success and observed parental care behaviors at 110 nests from May – September 2022. Differences between colonies may indicate that Western Gulls’ reproductive success is impacted by proximity to human activity, with potential long-term implications. Preliminary results of proportionate nest success suggest that the colony with lower exposure to human activity had higher success (0.816) than the more frequently exposed colony (0.583). I will present results from logistic exposure models testing whether observed differences can be explained by colony, parental attendance, or other variables. These findings can support managers charged with the protection of marine wildlife in creating effective visitor guidelines.

Many factors govern the abundance and distribution of wild populations, and proper management requires an understanding of these characteristics at multiple scales. Studying drivers of abundance for highly mobile, widely distributed species can be logistically challenging when they use a variety of habitats spread over large areas. Black-tailed deer (Odocoileus hemionus columbianus) are found in a wide range of habitats in northern California. Their abundance at the local scale has been shown to respond to annual precipitation, hardwood cover, habitat diversity, and human population density, among others. To investigate landscape-level drivers of abundance, we combined noninvasive fecal DNA surveys with spatially explicit capture recapture (SCR) modeling to explore variation in deer abundance across 59 transects in north-coastal California during the summers of 2019 and 2020. Of the 14 environmental factors explored, elevation was the strongest predictor of abundance. These findings were used to model variation in density across the region and, in the future, will facilitate investigation of how patterns of abundance relate to gene flow within deer populations and resource use by predators.

Background

Fire-adapted forests in western North America are experiencing rapid changes to fire regimes that are outside the range of historic norms. Some habitat-specialist species have been negatively impacted by increases in large, high-severity fire, yet, the responses of many species to fire, especially at longer time scales, remain ambiguous. We studied the response of a widely-distributed species, the mountain quail (Oreortyx pictus), to wildfire across the Sierra Nevada of California, because its habitat selection patterns provided an opportunity to evaluate potentially contrasting responses among habitat specialists. 

Results

We used passive acoustic monitoring across >22,000 km2 of the Sierra Nevada and Bayesian hierarchical occupancy modeling to conduct the first study of the effects of habitat, fire severity, and time since fire (1-35 years) on the occupancy of a little understood management indicator species, the mountain quail. Mountain quail responded positively to high-severity fire and neutrally to low-moderate-severity fire. Occupancy of quail peaked 6-10 years after high-severity fire and remained high even 11-35 years after an area burned at high severity.

Conclusions

Our work demonstrates that high-severity fire is strongly and positively related to mountain quail occupancy, which was a markedly different response than previously studied species that are also of management concern in the Sierra Nevada. Taken together, our results suggest that mountain quail may actually be ‘winners’ in the face of altered fire regimes in the Sierra Nevada. Given the forecasted intensification of large, severe wildfires in many fire-adapted forests, understanding the ecology and nuanced fire responses of species beyond those that have been historically considered is an important and time-sensitive effort. The relationship between mountain quail and high-severity fire is a reminder that there will be both winners and losers as the dynamics of wildfire change in the era of climate change.

A 2021 press release from the USFWS proposes twenty-three species for delisting from the Endangered Species Act due to extinction. The list includes species of birds, freshwater mussels, fish, a bat, and a single plant. This poster will discuss conservation documents related to species within California and Nevada, look at current legislation (Recovering America’s Wildlife Act), and a checklist of action items for conservation success.

Brought to you by Randi McCormick and the planning committee. 

Barn owl plumage is as diverse as the habitats they occupy. Breast color varies continuously from a dark, pheomelanin-based reddish-brown to nearly pure white. In addition, the number and size of eumelanin breast spots vary from heavily spotted to no spots at all. Plumage color and spottiness have a strong genetic component, are not inherited independent of each other, and signal different qualities of owls. Individuals of a single population can vary widely, and both sexes can display the same range of possible extents. The strength of these dimorphisms has been found to vary by region and latitude. One of our research goals was to explore and quantify barn owl plumage polymorphism in the winegrape-growing region of Napa Valley, CA, where agricultural producers have installed hundreds of nest boxes to facilitate rodent pest control. We developed standardized field methods to photograph barn owls captured at nest boxes and later processed the images using MATLAB script. Our results support previously identified patterns in sex, breast coloration, and plumage spottiness found in other regions. Specifically, females were on average darker and spottier, expressed as larger black spots, compared to males.

Carnivores are increasingly establishing in urban environments where they were previously absent. Cities are novel ecosystems with greater heterogeneity in habitat and food availability and different prey assemblages compared to nonurban areas. Coyotes (Canis latrans) recolonized and established a breeding population in San Francisco in the early 2000s. In this study, we used non-invasive sampling and fecal DNA metabarcoding to quantify the diet composition of coyote scats collected from several green spaces throughout San Francisco. We found that urban coyotes consumed a variety of animals and plants and that most scats contained evidence of anthropogenic foods. Pocket gophers (Thomomys bottae), raccoons (Procyon lotor), berries (Rubus spp.), and cherry plums (Prunus spp.) were the most frequently consumed natural diet items. Domestic chicken (Gallus gallus), pig (Sus scrofa), and soybean (Glycine max) were the most consumed anthropogenic diet items. Future work will investigate the physiological consequences of variation in diet by linking measurements of fecal hormone metabolites in these scats (glucocorticoids and thyroid hormones) to their dietary profiles.

Widespread human water extractions and diversions have led managers to implement novel water conservation strategies, including the reuse of treated municipal wastewater. Wastewater treatment plants were born out of the need to protect water quality and prevent sewage from contaminating waterways. However, this resource has been utilized for numerous human (e.g., irrigation, drinking water, groundwater recharge) and conservation (e.g., stream and river recharge) needs in water scarce regions. To better understand the role treated municipal wastewater might play in helping society meet conservation objectives, we identified the intersection of wastewater treatment plant locations and occurrences of threatened and endangered (T&E) species in California and compared the permitted contribution of effluent to baseflow quantities of the receiving waterbody to assess the degree to which changes in effluent could affect instream waterbodies. We found a positive correlation between the presence of treatment plants and T&E species in California watersheds—a quarter of species have 100% of their range in watersheds with at least one treatment plant. One-third of the watersheds in our analysis can receive most of their cumulative watershed baseflow from effluent and are characterized by dense urbanization or agriculture. Our analysis demonstrates that the fates of these two resources—T&E species and effluent—are ultimately interconnected in ways that are important for water policy, suggesting that species conservation goals should be considered when making decisions about effluent allocations and reuse.

Extinction rates have been increasing over the past century, a trend that is likely to continue with the increasing prevalence of threats such as climate change and invasive species. Unfortunately, Hawai'i has earned the moniker of “extinction capital of the world,” with 586 species listed as either threatened or endangered according to state and international listings. Collaborative efforts that integrate multiple knowledge systems, communities and approaches are critical to recovering endangered species, yet conservation efforts are often siloed among taxonomic groups, ecosystems, and land owners, limiting potential for collaboration and increased efficiency in resource allocation when addressing threats that impact multiple taxonomic groups. I hypothesize that potential synergies and collaborative solutions exist across taxonomic groups to better inform proactive conservation management. To achieve this, I will utilize the IUCN Red List data regarding imperiled species in Hawai'i to: (1) evaluate threats and potential solutions across taxonomic groups; (2) discern whether recovery actions explicitly address the threat of climate change; (3) explore the incorporation of Indigenous knowledge and values within existing or proposed conservation action. Expected outcomes will allow resource managers to improve allocation of limited resources to achieve 'āina momona (thriving and abundant landscapes and communities).

Wildfires continue to threaten California and have recently become more frequent and intense. As a response, federal agencies such as the U.S. Forest Service (USFS) treat the perimeter of wildfires with fire retardant (FR) in attempt to control the fire. Previous studies have focused on the effects of FR on individual species, but few have examined the effects on plant and invertebrate communities within an ecosystem. We investigated the effects of increasing concentrations of FR on invertebrate and plant abundance and biodiversity in California vernal pool mesocosms. Three fire-retardant concentrations (Control, Diluted, Undiluted) were applied in four replicates of each treatment at the California State University, Sacramento Arboretum. Mesocosms were lined with vernal pool soil that contained common vernal pool plant seeds and invertebrate eggs. California vernal pools are imperiled ecosystems that support dozens of threatened and endangered species. Mesocosms were filled from March to May 2022, and sampling of organisms and water quality occurred every two weeks. Water quality measurements included pH, turbidity, conductivity, chlorophyll a, nitrates, and phosphates. Fire retardant was found to have effects on vernal pool water quality, biodiversity, and community composition. Chlorophyll-a, conductivity, and turbidity increased with FR addition. Total species richness decreased and abundance increased with FR addition.

Snake Fungal Disease (SFD, ophidiomycosis), caused by the fungus Ophidiomyces ophidiicola, has emerged as a threat to the health of snake populations worldwide. For the first time in 2019, the California Department of Fish and Wildlife (CDFW) confirmed the presence of clinically significant SFD in a free-ranging California kingsnake (Lampropeltis californiae) from Amador County admitted for wildlife rehabilitation and in an invasive Florida banded watersnake (Nerodia fasciata pictiventris) found during targeted removal efforts in Sacramento County. These detections demonstrated the need for additional surveillance to characterize the distribution and prevalence of SFD and O. ophidiicola across snake populations in California. From July 2021 through June 2022, we surveyed free-ranging snake populations and snakes submitted for wildlife rehabilitation from 25 counties and collected swab samples from 243 captured snakes to test for the presence of O. ophidiicola DNA using qPCR. To date we have confirmed the presence of O. ophidiicola DNA from another free-ranging California kingsnake admitted for wildlife rehabilitation in Marin County in April 2022. Our results indicate that O. ophidiicola is present and infecting free-ranging snakes in disjunct areas of California, affirming the need to establish and maintain long-term systems for surveillance, education, and disease prevention.

With increased urbanization, wildlife are challenged to adapt to human-dominated environments. Urban greenspace size and proximity to other greenspace, have been found to positively influence wildlife communities. For humans, access and greenspace availability have shown to improve health. Benefits are furthered for some by the ‘Luxury Effect’ where wealthy neighborhoods have higher rates of biodiversity. Here I will identify and quantify greenspace metrics to determine relationships with wildlife diversity and how socioeconomic factors influence greenspace and access to wildlife. Twenty-five camera traps are set along a transect from Diamond Bar to the San Gabriel Mountains to document wildlife. Greenspace metrics and socioeconomic variables will be analyzed using 3 m unsupervised land cover classification and 2020 U.S. Census data. I expect greenspace that is larger, complex, and in less urbanized areas to have higher species richness and areas with higher socioeconomic status to have higher species richness supporting the ‘Luxury Effect’. Twelve of the 25 sites, have eleven species documented. Data analysis is ongoing for socioeconomic variables. Recognizing significant greenspace metrics that positively affect wildlife can aid city planners and urban ecologists to develop or modify greenspace that improves biodiversity and access to the outdoors and wildlife for everyone.

Plastic pollution is a pervasive contaminant of concern worldwide. To understand the fate of plastic pollution in arid landscapes, I am investigating how low-density polyethylene plastic degrades compared to naturally occurring leaves from Plantanus acerifolia (London planetree) in terrestrial and freshwater habitats. I investigated 1) if leaf and plastic degradation rates differ, and if this pattern is consistent across habitats, and 2) how leaf and plastic materials impact macroinvertebrate communities. A traditional leaf pack experiment was conducted with three treatments; natural leaves, plastics, and a mix of both materials. Leaf packs were anchored in a grassland and ephemeral pond in February 2021 (n = 55 treatment habitat-1) and subsets were harvested every 1-3 months for one year (n = 3-6 leaf packs treatment-1 habitat-1). Results indicated that plastic degraded 115 × faster in the grassland compared to the pond, while natural leaves degraded 1.7 × faster in the pond compared to the grassland. Macroinvertebrates did not preferentially colonize certain leaf pack treatments, suggesting that plastic could serve as an alternative habitat resource for macroinvertebrates. This study provides insight into how varying environmental conditions can impact plastic degradation in the environment, advancing knowledge on the fate of plastics in arid habitats.

Bumble bees (genus Bombus) are essential pollinators with broad ecological importance. There are over 250 bumble bee species worldwide, primarily found in temperate and alpine ecosystems. Unfortunately, over the last two decades, declines have been observed in multiple species. Despite all the conservation efforts being done to help bumble bees of North America, little is known about the current abundance, genetic structure, and diversity of threatened populations.

To help fill these gaps, since the year 2019, we have surveyed over 254 California sites for the presence of one endangered (B. crotchii), three vulnerable (B. sonorus, B. californicus, B. caliginosus), and two stable (B. vosnesenskii, B. melanopygus) species. Bombus crotchii is likely to be placed on the California Endangered Species List, and the vulnerable species appear to be declining significantly. B. vosnesenskii and B. melanopygus are some of the most abundant species in California and will serve as a point of comparison for declining species. This extensive work aims to generate genetic maps to compare potential levels of genetic erosion among species, allowing us to consider how historically restricted versus widespread species patterns might affect genetic change within bees, which will contribute to current and future conservation actions.

Roosevelt elk (Cervus canadensis roosevelti) in northern California utilize a wide range of habitat types, resulting in variability in the success of population monitoring techniques. Within the North Coast Elk Management Unit, Roosevelt elk are found across a mixture of public and privately owned lands. For frequently visible elk along the Highway 101 corridor, road surveys and free-range darting have proven to be successful strategies for population monitoring. While these techniques are effective, non-invasive sampling techniques such as fecal DNA analysis and remote cameras are growing in popularity due to their success with highly mobile species such as elk. In this study, two estimates of abundance utilizing a spatial capture-recapture analysis and a time-to-event model will be compared for an elk population in Maple Creek, California. With expanding populations and increased human-wildlife conflict, an accurate estimate of abundance provides important information for effective management.

Assessments of bat activity from acoustic recordings of calls and call sequences lack consistency in collection and interpretation. Making cross study comparisons, especially legacy studies, unreliable. This study seeks to provide evidence for standardizing this process and develop transformation equations to correct the differences among sampling methods. To compare the different acoustic methods, we use thermography to establish a reference standard of actual bat activity within the sample area. The sample area encompasses the effective volume from the acoustic detectors. Two infrared cameras with overlapping fields of view monitored this sample area during audio recordings. This sample area was divided into stations every ten meters along 5 transects every 22.5 degrees in order to create a control set of data with prerecorded bat calls that allowed us to test the effects of each survey’s conditions on known sonograms. Counts determined from thermography will then be compared to experimental groups made from the original recordings, divided by different definitions of a bat pass. The results of this study will determine the validity of the definition of a bat pass provided by the protocol from the North American Bat monitoring program (NABat).

In July 2021, the Dixie Fire ignited ultimately growing to become California’s largest single incident wildfire on record. By the time the fire was declared contained in late October 2021, the Dixie Fire had impacted over 960,000 acres of Northern California. The wildfire resulted in significant patches of stand replacing fire, particularly in the Lake Almanor Basin and surrounding vicinity of Lassen Volcanic National Park. Prior to the Dixie Fire, 6 consecutive years of camera surveys had been conducted on the Collins Almanor Forest, a privately owned and managed industrial forest in the Lake Almanor Basin, to assess the presence of mesocarnivores. The focus of this project was to document the expansion of a recently reintroduced population of fisher from neighboring timberlands. Immediately following the Dixie Fire, we continued camera surveys within and adjacent to the Dixie Fire footprint to assess potential fisher presence and the presence of other carnivores. Camera stations were stratified by fire severity, which was determined using RAVG canopy cover data along with on-site ground evaluations and were baited using chicken leg and gusto. Fisher were detected within the burn footprint at 4 camera stations, utilizing primarily unburnt islands. Camera surveys will continue during Winter 2022.

The Clinton Keith Road wildlife overcrossing was created during expansion of Clinton Keith Rd., Murrieta, CA, to facilitate safe movement of the endangered Quino checkerspot butterfly (Euphydryas editha quino; QCB) across the roadway and was completed in the fall of 2018. Concurrently, the Clinton Keith Rd. bridge was constructed over nearby Warm Springs Creek creating a wildlife undercrossing. The Western Riverside County Habitat Conservation Plan’s Biological Monitoring Program has monitored these crossings since August 2019. Our objectives were to record presence of QCB and document vegetation composition of the overcrossing, and to determine wildlife use of both crossings. We conducted QCB surveys, performed a vegetation assessment, and monitored wildlife and QCB use with trail cameras. QCB was not detected. However, six Lepidopteran species known to co-occur with QCB were observed. Thirty-one plant species, 68% native and 32% non-native, were identified. Lagomorphs and coyote (Canis latrans) accounted for the majority of observations using the overcrossing. Coyote and bobcat (Lynx rufus) had the highest rate of observations using the undercrossing. Through monitoring we determined that wildlife are utilizing these crossings to maintain movement across the landscape. We suggest continued monitoring of these crossings to enhance knowledge of wildlife use and QCB presence.

Recent large-scale wildfires in the Pacific Northwest have highlighted the need for research to understand its influence on forest biodiversity. Forest pollinator communities are understudied, with particular and growing interest in Bombus species due to their potential candidacy under state and federal laws that regulate threatened and endangered species. Although small-scale fires may benefit pollinator communities by creating openings in the forest canopy and associated floral abundance, large-scale and high intensity fires may not result in greater richness and diversity of plants. Also, insects may be unable to recolonize fast enough to take advantage of increases in floral abundance. To better understand the relationship between forest pollinators and wildfires, we sampled 169 forest stands affected by five large fires over the first two years post-burn. We evaluate changes in flowering plant communities and Bombus species richness and diversity through repeated flowering plant surveys paired with passive bee collection using blue vane traps and hand-netting. Early observations suggest plant communities changed dramatically between 1 and 2 years post burn, and Bombus were trapped in much lower numbers in 2022 compared to 2021. This work can help inform how forest pollinator communities respond following wildfires and subsequent forest regeneration.

This project/presentation looks at the biological and hydrological resources in City of Lake Elsinore in Riverside County, California to identify areas suitable for mitigation banking of potential jurisdictional waters and California Gnatcatcher (CAGN) habitats. GIS has been used in this project to analyze publicly available data in order to narrow down candidate areas that are suitable for mitigation banking. The results of this project include a stream network going through riparian vegetation in specific areas which were then mapped as candidate areas for wetland/stream mitigation banking. The other result produced by this project includes multiple locations with high percentage of CAGN friendly land cover/vegetation that also have gentle to moderate slopes suitable for CAGN habitat mitigation banking. These results can help developers and investors in the area to complete their projects by acquiring and investing into these suitable areas and converting them into mitigation banks. It also provides the audience/reader with a step-by-step GIS analysis footprint to identify suitable banking areas in any given study area.

Bank swallows (Riparia riparia) are a colonial species of swallow that build nests by burrowing into eroding banks associated with streams, rivers, coastal bluffs, and lakeshores. Their populations have declined worldwide, primarily due to bank stabilization activities. Declines observed on the Sacramento River in the 1970s and 80s prompted a statewide survey in 1987 and led to the listing of bank swallows as state-threatened in 1989. In 2021, the California Department of Fish and Wildlife (CDFW) launched an effort to attain updated information about the current status and distribution of bank swallows by repeating the statewide survey. With the help of approximately 15 staff and 55 volunteers, CDFW surveyed 2,166 miles of habitat in 2021 and 184 miles in 2022. One hundred and sixty active bank swallow colonies and 72 inactive colonies were located during the survey. Of the 160 active colonies, 106 occurred in areas that were surveyed in 1987. The number of colonies declined from 126 in 1987 to 106 in 2021, and the number of burrows declined from 45,045 in 1987 to 31,829 in 2021. The decline of California’s bank swallow population highlights the need for continued habitat conservation, future surveys, and further investigation into the decline.

Endemic to California’s arid Central Valley, endangered Blunt-nosed Leopard Lizards (Gambelia sila) have adapted to xeric conditions, but like many desert lizards, remain at-risk to extinction due to climate change. Understanding how G. sila maintains water balance through cutaneous evaporative water loss (CEWL) can help inform endangered reptile conservation strategies in warmer, drier environments. We hypothesized that seasonal changes in climate drives water loss across the skin, and thus hydration for G. sila. To study the lizards’ osmoregulation, we measured CEWL and plasma osmolality of the same induviduals throughout the field season and found great variability in lizard hydration. CEWL, while low, represents a major route of water loss for G. sila, and the large amount of time they spend in comparatively humid rodent burrows may help prevent water loss. As the effects of climate change intensify, megadroughts may increase hydric pressure on G. sila and other sensitive species, so it will be important to identify which habitat features supply the most water—making them integral to survival.

Larger structural size is typically viewed as a positive individual trait assumed to benefit survival chances and overall fitness. For territorial species, increased structural size relative to conspecifics could aid with obtaining a territory, finding a mate, and territorial defense. We explore this dynamic in a hemispheric migrant, Swainson's hawk (Buteo swainsoni), which exhibits strong breeding and natal philopatry. Previous research from the Butte Valley breeding population has shown that average natal dispersal was 9 km in the mid-1990s, and has remained constant, despite the population doubling. From 2009 to 2018, over 800 individual Swainson’s hawks were marked as nestlings; of those, 111 (55 females, 56 males) were later observed breeding within the boundaries of our long-term study area. From previous work we know nestlings that are recruited into the local population are structurally larger than those never resighted. . We also know that females will disperse farther than males. Given these population observations, we hypothesize that nestling structural size influences natal dispersal distance, age of recruitment, and quality of territory obtained. We predict that relatively smaller recruits will have larger natal dispersal distances, recruit at older ages, and be relegated to less productive territories.

As the number of endangered and threatened species in California increases, conservation of habitat on private land becomes more crucial than ever. Safe Harbor Agreements (SHA) and Voluntary Local Programs (VLP) represent two voluntary, regulatory pathways encouraging landowners to manage their lands for the benefit of threatened, endangered, candidate, declining, or vulnerable species. Incidental take of covered species during activities detailed in the SHA or VLP is not prohibited by the California Endangered Species Act (CESA). We discuss advantages, limitations and key differences between these regulatory pathways and suggest creative ways in which they could be used in the future to safeguard California’s vulnerable species. We also discuss how these pathways could enhance habitat for insects, such as the western bumble bee which have recently become candidates for listing under CESA.

Predator abundance and activity in an ecosystem can indicate the overall ecological health of an area. To my knowledge the habitat suitability of the Big Chico Creek Ecological Reserve hasn’t been assessed for mammalian predators. These analyses are among the first to identify suitability for the target species gray fox (Urocyon cinereoargenteus), black bear (Ursus americanus), bobcat (Lynx rufus), and mountain lion (Puma concolor). At the Big Chico Creek Ecological Reserve (BCCER), several projects have helped document the presence and distribution of these mammalian predators, including camera trapping as part of the Adopt-an-Acre Program, unpublished graduate work by Karina Haddad, and a scat survey I designed and conducted with a group of students as part of a field ecology course. One limit of these projects has been accessibility based on established trails and access roads. As a result, much of the available habitat in the reserve has not been surveyed, leaving many areas without distribution estimates. I conducted an expert-informed habitat suitability analysis for the aforementioned target species. My results indicated that the reserve contains the most suitable habitat for fox and bear species, and less suitable habitat for bobcat and mountain lion species.

Habitat disturbance is an essential process, but climate change has amplified drought and fire severity, posing a threat to species that rely on closed canopy forests, like the California spotted owl (SPOW). While increased disturbance regimes pose a direct threat to older forest specialists, loss of canopy cover may benefit species with more general habitat associations and increase interspecific interactions. Great horned owls (GHOW) partially overlap in range with spotted owls in the Sierras, though they are known to occupy mixed and semi-open forest stands and are more tolerant to disturbance. Here, we leveraged a Sierra-wide acoustic monitoring project, automated acoustic detections, and single-species occupancy models to assess how SPOW interact with GHOW given changing habitat conditions. SPOW were more likely to occupy a site with more closed canopy forest. However, SPOW occupancy was not affected by GHOW presence, nor was there an interaction between prevalence of closed canopy forest and GHOW presence on SPOW occupancy. Indeed, this study demonstrates how bioacoustic monitoring can support previously established relationships. Additionally, bioacoustic monitoring can effectively survey species and novel interactions at a regional scale in a rapidly changing ecosystem.

The San Joaquin antelope squirrel (Ammospermophilus nelsoni, "SJAS") is a burrowing rodent endemic to the San Joaquin desert, listed as threatened under the California Endangered Species Act. Antelope squirrels are known to retreat to their burrows during the hottest parts of the day in summer as a thermoregulatory mechanism, but little is known regarding the specifics of this approach in this species. From July to September, 2021, we conducted a pilot project using thermally sensitive VHF radio collars to answer three questions: (1) What causes SJAS to emerge in the morning (temperature, sunlight, or both); (2) how much total time do SJAS spend above ground daily, and is this time related to temperature; and (3) what temperatures cause SJAS to descend back into their burrows during the day? We developed a novel approach to classify squirrels as above- or below-ground based on collar temperature and used this classification to answer this question for two squirrels. For the time period of the study (i.e., mid- to late-summer), antelope squirrels emerged from their burrows on average within 15 minutes of sunrise, regardless of temperature. We found that for every 1 F increase in maximum daily temperature, squirrels spent approximately 8-10 fewer minutes aboveground. Finally, squirrels retreated to their burrows when daily temperatures reached approximately 89-91F. Our results were consistent with previous qualitative observations of antelope squirrel behavior, as well as with a previous estimate of their critical upper maximum temperature. Future studies would benefit from light loggers rather than temperature sensitive collars to better time emergence and retreat, as well as a larger number of squirrels across a broader time period.

The Western Riverside County Multiple Species Habitat Conservation Plan (Plan), developed through the Natural Community Conservation Planning (NCCP) Act, is one of the largest conservation plans in the nation, and encompasses approximately 1.26 million acres. The Plan provides protection for 146 species, of which 33 are state and/or federally threatened or endangered. The California Department of Fish and Wildlife's NCCP program provides a balance between regional protection and conservation of plants, animals, and their habitats, while allowing for compatible economic development. The Plan creates a defined structure for conservation on a landscape scale to conserve core habitat and support wildlife connectivity through key movement corridors and habitat linkages within Western Riverside County. The California Department of Fish and Wildlife and partnering wildlife agency, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, provide the necessary support, direction, and guidance to streamline the permitting process to Natural Community Conservation Plan participants. This poster provides an overview of critical wildlife linkages and lessons learned on the challenges in assembling linkages in area under intense development pressure. The TWS -Western Section conference is held in the heart of the Plan; this poster provides an opportunity to create of awareness of this surrounding large landscape planning effort.

The coastal or Humboldt marten (Martes caurina humboldtensis) is a genetically distinct subspecies of the Pacific Marten that historically occurred throughout the coastal forests of Oregon and California. The known distribution of the Humboldt marten today is limited to four small and isolated populations that together encompass <10% of the historical range. Low abundance and long-term isolation raise the possibility that inbreeding depression threatens population viability in addition to more deterministic threats such as habitat loss and predation. To investigate the extent of inbreeding, we sequenced whole genomes of Humboldt martens from the smallest and most isolated population center in central coastal Oregon. We compared whole-genome heterozygosity, degree of genetic differentiation, and individual levels of inbreeding based on runs of homozygosity to marten genomes from the larger, more continuous population in the Cascades. These preliminary findings offer insight into the historical demographic trajectory of the Humboldt Marten and the likelihood that anthropogenic fragmentation has resulted in reduced fitness.

The San Joaquin kit fox (SJKF; Vulpes macrotis mutica) is a federally endangered species. Today, fewer than 5,000 individuals are thought to occur across their range, and the contemporary metapopulation is distributed across three core regions and several smaller satellite populations. While anthropogenic habitat loss is believed to be the fundamental cause of the historical decline of the SJKF, localized disease outbreaks today proximately threaten remaining populations both demographically and genetically. For example, in the last decade, sarcoptic mange has caused significant declines in a formerly abundant urban SJKF population in Bakersfield. As part of a broader range-wide genomic study, we present data comparing the genetic diversity of SJKF in Bakersfield before and after the mange outbreak. We used reduced-representation genomic sequencing to compare population structure, landscape connectivity, and local genetic diversity of historical SJKF individuals sampled prior to the mange outbreak (n = 57) as well as of individuals sampled from the contemporary population (n = 95), focusing on both urban (n = 54) and exurban (n = 98) regions.

Batrachochytrium dendrobatidis (Bd) is the deadly fungal pathogen that causes chytridiomycosis in amphibians.This disease attacks the skin and inhibits amphibians’ ability to respirate and osmoregulate, leading to death. It is thought to be the leading cause of population declines and extinctions of amphibians around the world. Amphibians have differing life histories. Some species hatch in waterways and metamorphose into terrestrial adults, who then return to waterways to breed, while other species remain terrestrial their entire lives. These differing life histories may be affecting the assemblage of their skin and gut microbiome - both of which have been shown to influence an animals chances of becoming infected with Bd, and its chances of survival if it does become infected. In this study microbiome swabs have been taken of both the skin and cloacas of Ensatina eschscholtzii (25 terrestrial individuals ), Taricha torosa (27 individuals, 20 aquatic, 7 terrestrial), Taricha granulosa (27 individuals, 8 aquatic, 19 terrestrial), Rana boylii (15 aquatic individuals), and Lithobates catesbeianus (15 aquatic individuals). All animals will also be swabbed to test for Bd. The resulting microbiome assemblages will be analyzed to compare individuals of the same species, individuals of different species with similar life histories, and individuals of different species with different life histories. The similarities and differences of these assemblages can then be used to determine if there are any links between these in individuals and populations that are suffering from Bd, and used to help determine what factors may help amphibians survive this pandemic.

The Pacific Coast population of the Western Snowy Plover (Charadrius alexandrinus nivosus) is a federally Threatened species and is a California Species of Special Concern. Knowledge about their nest site selection requirements is important to this species’ management in the San Francisco Bay area. We measured the percentage of sand, percentage of crushed oyster shells, number of shells, and total shell surface area for 56 nests of Western Snowy Plover at the California Least Tern colony at Hayward, California, over a 14-year period (2008-2021). Using pairwise t-tests, we compared these measurements to those obtained from 56 randomly chosen non-nest sites. Results indicate that plovers select nest sites with a greater percentage of crushed oyster shell substrate, more oyster shells, and a greater surface area of shells than paired random sites. The contrast in the shell-related nest metrics (i.e., the difference between the nest site and the paired site) showed significant, positive relationships with both hatching success and number of fledglings using linear regression analysis. These results, supporting federal species recovery, suggest that the Western Snowy Plover may improve their nesting success through oyster shell enhancement, which may provide more camouflage for the eggs and chicks than locations with fewer shells.

The Bald Eagle (Haliaeetus leucocephalus) is an Endangered Species Act success story. Illegal shooting, habitat loss, and the pesticide DDT once threatened our national icon with extinction. Fortunately, the Bald Eagle population has recovered due to numerous management efforts, and members of the public can now view these birds in their natural habitats while learning about conservation. Specifically, within East Bay Regional Parks, established bald eagle nests have been protected at Lake Chabot, Lake Del Valle, and Ardenwood Historic Farm. Since 2012, sites have been monitored by staff and trained volunteers, and interpretive programs have offered public education about bald eagles and their conservation. Analysis of the data collected between 2012 and 2022 provides an overview of their nesting trends and impact of human disturbance. The long-term breeding success of the Bald Eagles, occurring within the urban-interfacing East Bay Regional Park District, has averaged 1.27 fledglings per nesting pair.

“Tern Town”, located along the eastern side of the San Francisco Bay, provides island nesting habitat for three special status species. Since 2015, and for a total of six breeding seasons, the endangered California Least Tern (Sternula antillarum browni), the threatened Western Snowy Plover (Charadrius alexandrinus nivosus) and species of special concern the Black Skimmer (Rynchops niger) have nested successfully, in association with American Avocet (Recurvirostra americana) and Black-necked Stilt (Himantopus mexicanus). On June 6, 2022 the Black Oystercatcher (Haematopus bachmani) which is uncommon within its range and is typically limited to the rocky intertidal established a nest, on the island. Black Oystercatchers have been documented nesting near gulls and terns (Sterna spp.) and are known to use their bills to jab at other species chicks that wander into their territory. We witnessed no such incident, and this is the first documented occurrence of oystercatchers successfully nesting and fledgling young with California Least Terns. Diet trend data showed the oystercatchers forage on, in decreasing order of abundance: Japanese Little-necked Clam, Ribbed Mussel, and Bent-nose Clam, Limpets. This site-specific information on breeding Black Oystercatchers supports recovery plan tasks that are consistent with managing habitat for near California Least Tern, Western Snowy Plover and Black Skimmer.

The Sierra Nevada red fox (SNRF), Vulpes vulpes necator, is a high elevation subspecies that historically occurred throughout the Sierra Nevada and Cascade mountains of California and Oregon. Recently, the distinct population segment in the Sierra Nevada was listed as Endangered under the U. S. Endangered Species Act due to low population numbers and low genetic diversity. Despite this recent listing, little is known about basic SNRF ecology, including diet and its overlap with other mesocarnivores in their community. To help fill these gaps, we used DNA extracted from 924 mesocarnivore scats collected from the Sonora Pass region to better characterize the diets of sympatric SNRFs, coyotes, bobcats, and martens. We used metabarcoding whereby we performed multiplex PCR to amplify plant and vertebrate taxa from food items using primers from chloroplast (trnL) and mitochondrial (12SV5) regions, respectively. We analyzed data to assess what prey were likely of greatest importance to SNRFs during different seasons and used Pianka's niche overlap index to quantify diet overlap among SNRFs, coyotes, martens, and bobcats. Our results on key prey species, diet diversity, seasonal differences in diet, and dietary overlap with potential competitors will provide basic ecological understanding fundamental to recovery planning.

The endangered red wolf (Canis rufus) exists today in captive breeding facilities and a small re-introduced population in North Carolina, USA. The remnant eastern wolf (Canis lycaon) is largely restricted to a single population in Algonquin Provincial Park, Canada. The historical ranges of these two taxa were broadly contiguous, suggesting that they could reflect a single ancestral species. Evaluating this hypothesis based on modern genomes is difficult due to 20th century introgression of coyote (Canis latrans) ancestry and a strong bottleneck associated with the founding of the captive red wolf population. Therefore, to assess the genomic ancestry of these eastern forest wolves, we sequenced whole genomes of museum specimens from wolves collected from their historical ranges during 1872–1941, before the eastward expansion of coyotes.. PCAs, clustering assignments, and D-statistics indicated that red wolves historically exhibited lower levels of coyote ancestry and higher genetic affinities with historical and modern eastern wolves than their contemporary counterparts. These preliminary results suggest a need for re-examination of red and eastern wolf relationships, as eastern wolves could harbor an underutilized source of genetic diversity for red wolf conservation and visa versa.

As genomic technologies have advanced over the past decade, so too has the versatility of DNA-based noninvasive methods for monitoring of wildlife populations. The Mammalian Ecology and Conservation Unit (MECU) has partnered with state, federal, tribal, NGO, and other academic entities to develop and apply both conventional and noninvasive genetic tools for a broad range of wildlife species. I review noninvasive applications in particular, showcasing examples arising from our partnerships over the past decade. I describe the use of emerging genomic tools to develop sensitive, high-resolution fecal DNA assays to identify species, sex, and individuals of many species of carnivore, ungulate, rodent, primate, and reptile. Along with new sampling designs, these tools have supported statewide and regional abundance estimation studies and monitoring programs targeting game and nongame wildlife species, and have enabled species distribution modeling, estimation of occupancy, and monitoring of abundance, reproduction, longevity, genetic health, and hybridization affecting several endangered species, as well as wildlife responses to wildfire. Metabarcoding technologies opened up opportunities to simultaneously study diet and survey broadly for rare prey or plant species, pathogens, and parasites. The increasing pressure on wildlife managers to meet demands of climate change warrants expanded use of noninvasive genetic tools.

Anthropogenic habitat fragmentation reduces gene flow, often resulting in small, isolated populations with decreased genetic diversity. These impacts can make populations more susceptible to extinction through environmental and genetic stochasticity. The San Joaquin kit fox (Vulpes macrotis mutica; SJKF) is endemic to California and is currently listed as federally endangered. The desert kit fox (Vulpes macrotis ssp.; DKF) occurs throughout most arid regions of the western United States and contains multiple recognized subspecies. Little is known about the status of DKF but SJKF numbers are known to have declined from historical levels. Gene flow between SJKF and DKF has not been investigated. Using 18 nuclear microsatellite loci, we conducted a preliminary investigation of these questions. We identified lower heterozygosity and allelic richness in SJKF (n = 34; He = 0.54 ± SE = 0.05) than DKF (n = 31; He = 0.64 ± 0.06). We observed high genetic distance between the SJKF and DKF (FST = 0.15). Admixture analyses provided no significant evidence of contemporary gene flow between SJKF and DKF. Future research using Mojave samples from closer to the San Joaquin Valley and higher-resolution genomic markers will enable more definitive conclusions.

A major way the intersection between people and wildlife may emerge is through ectoparasites, specifically ticks, and their potential spread from urban wildlife to people and their pets. This project explores the dynamics of potential risks for tick exposure, and related conflicts with urban wildlife along a gradient of urbanization in Southern California. Camera traps are used to document the presence and abundance of urban wildlife species and assess their potential as tick hosts. A drag cloth is used to detect the presence and abundance of ticks, including their species and life stages. Finally, a survey of pet owners will be deployed to gauge knowledge and perceptions surrounding outdoor recreation, urban wildlife, and ticks. This information will be synthesized into a model depicting the estimated abundance of ticks and potential urban wildlife host species at each sampling site to understand the potential risk for tickborne disease transmission along the urbanization gradient. Preliminary data has been collected, and final results will allow targeted outreach and education to minimize risks to human, veterinary, and wildlife health within and around urban greenspaces.

Fire is a natural disturbance in California ecosystems and under normal conditions is beneficial to maintaining these systems. Over the last few decades, fires have become more frequent, more intense, and larger, due to climate change and human activities. I investigated the potential impacts to suitable habitat (CDFW models) for several common and at-risk species in California during fires over the last 30 years. At the state scale, a linear regression between 1991 and 2020 of annual burning of suitable habitat for mule deer, bobcat, black bear, ringtail, and porcupine indicated that annual impact increased significantly from 0.2% to 1.5%, 0.2% to 1%, 0.26% to 2.5%, 0.2% to 1.2%, and 0.2% to 2%, respectively. This masks that in 2020, impacts ranged from 4.5 to 6% of suitable habitat. At the scale of the San Diego County Multi-Species Conservation Plan, there was no significant change in annual rates of burning for Mountain Lion and American Badger habitat, but in individual years, the impact was as high as 33% (2007). These results suggest that mammal conservation planning at state and municipal scales include fire impacts as a potential source of loss and that fire planning include habitat protection as an important activity.

The California Department of Fish and Wildlife's State Wildlife Action Plan (SWAP) Program is conducting a collaborative expert, partner, and stakeholder engagement process to update the California SWAP for 2025. This includes a series of at least 28 working sessions through 2024 to incorporate new information and lessons learned since 2015, using the Open Standards for the Practice of Conservation. Input received thus far (and shared here) via the working sessions includes details regarding how SWAP 2015 has been implemented by the Department and its partners, plus scoping recommendations for 2025, such as the inclusion of new conservation targets and gaps that need to be addressed, plus updated pressures and strategies. Engagement of external tribal representatives, scientists, restoration practitioners, the public, and other stakeholders will largely commence in 2023, in order to hear from as many relevant perspectives as possible. During FY 23/24, the SWAP Program will pilot the downscaling of SWAP 2015 strategies yet-to-be implemented, for the 2025 Update, and start drafting the 2025 Update. The draft 2025 Update will then go through an administrative review, followed by public review in spring 2025, before the final version is submitted to the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service by September 2025.

Recent analyses indicate that hoary bats (Lasiurus cinereus) may be at risk of significant population decline due to fatalities from collisions with wind turbines (Friedenberg & Frick 2021; Rodhouse 2015). However, uncertainty around hoary bat population estimates and wind energy buildout scenarios complicates the development of adaptive management targets. Here, we offer a method for calculating a fatality threshold based on the best available science. This scalable approach uses a nationwide annual fatality target and current wind energy buildout to allocate hoary bat fatalities across wind energy facilities based on their size, producing a per-megawatt fatality rate that might maintain a stable hoary bat population. We relied upon the expert-derived population size estimates and growth rates reported in Friedenberg and Frick (2021), estimated in the absence of mortality related to wind turbines. Finally, we calculated the percent reduction in fatalities needed to meet this threshold at two facilities beginning to implement adaptive management in the Altamont Pass Wind Resource Area. As wind energy scales up in California and elsewhere, continued research and creative solutions will be needed to effectively mitigate the potential adverse impacts of wind turbines on bat populations.

This project will utilize acoustic data collected for the California Department of Fish and Wildlife Bats and WNS project, which installed 8 acoustic stations in Plumas and Tehama counties in the spring of 2021. Three months after station installation, the Dixie Fire started. The Dixie Fire was the largest recorded wildfire in California to date and burned 374,000 hectares- 209,000 hectares of which are classified as high severity fire. Over the course of the wildfire’s spread, it encompassed three acoustic stations, came within 1 mile of four stations, and within 3 miles of one station. The objective of this study is to improve the understanding of how wildfires impact Northern California’s bat communities by analyzing acoustic data collected before, during, and after the fire. I predict that the 15 species of bat that have been detected thus far in the study region will vary in their responses to the disturbance caused by the wildfire, and that species detection will vary before, during, and after the fire. I aim to make assessments by individual species and foraging niche. I will also inspect how bat presence varies based on fire intensity, and how that presence changes as the landscape recovers over time.

The Los Angeles pocket mouse (Perognathus longimembris brevinasus; LAPM), is a California Species of Special Concern and Covered Species under the Western Riverside County Multiple Species Habitat Conservation Plan (MSHCP). This plan has specific objectives to determine LAPM occupancy, suitable habitat, and distribution. The MSHCP’s Biological Monitoring Program conducted a three-year live trapping effort in four Core Areas from 2020-2022. We collected habitat data by conducting point-intercept surveys and calculated percent cover for habitat variables on each trapping grid. Seven out of 63 grids were occupied for all three years. On the grids occupied all three years, versus those that were never occupied, there was more Lepidospartum squamatum (12% vs. 3%) and bare ground (61% vs. 12%), and less Eriogonum sp. (1% vs. 6%) and litter (20% vs. 67%). These results suggest that Lepidospartum squamatum and bare ground are important habitat features for the presence of LAPM. In 2023, we will continue to contribute to our knowledge of suitable habitat by collecting habitat data in Core Areas where suitable LAPM habitat appears to be present but where LAPM have not been detected in previous surveys.

Hawaiʻi is well known as the extinction capital of the world. Isolated in the middle of the Pacific Ocean led to great endemism on this archipelago for Hawaiian birds. Unfortunately 95 of 142 endemic Hawaiian birds are now extinct. This poster will cover challenges to the most imperiled remainder, and give an overview of both threats and recovery actions being implemented for each of these avian species. Species covered will include the ʻAkikiki, ʻAkekeʻe, Puaiohi, Oʻahu ʻElepaio, ʻĀkohekohe, Kiwikiu, ʻĀkiapōlō'au, Alawī, Hawaiʻi ʻĀkepa, ʻIo, ʻAlalā, Palila and ʻIʻiwi.

We compared corvid density at campgrounds versus control plots at Big Basin Redwoods State Park to gauge the effectiveness of corvid management in campgrounds. Steller’s Jays (Cyanocitta stelleri) and Common Ravens (Corvus corax) are predators of the federally threatened and state endangered Marbled Murrelet (Brachyramphus marmoratus). Most remaining murrelet nesting habitat at Big Basin occurs within campgrounds or within 1 km of campgrounds. Historically, campgrounds provide human food and other resources which attract corvids and contribute to corvid population growth. To address this, California State Parks installed wildlife-proof trash receptacles and initiated a visitor compliance and education program dubbed the “Crumb Clean Campaign”, beginning in 2005. Raven density did not change significantly between 2003 – 2017 in campgrounds nor in control plots. Jay density did not change in control plots but did decrease 87% in campgrounds. The large decrease in jay density at small spatial scales in campgrounds contrasted with only slightly decreasing trends at larger spatial scales based on regional abundance estimates. We hypothesized that management efforts were effective at the campground scale for reducing jay density but not raven density due to the differences in range size between these two species.

Bumble bees (genus Bombus) are a charismatic, widespread group of bees that are economically and ecologically important due to their contribution to pollination of wild and crop plants. Habitat loss, pesticide use, and climate change have negatively impacted many bumble bee species. While some species appear to have stable populations, the IUCN considers 25 percent of North American bumble bee species as threatened or endangered. There are 25 bumble bee species known from California. Six species are identified as Species of Greatest Conservation Need (SGCN) by the California Department of Fish and Wildlife, and four of those are currently candidates for listing under the California Endangered Species Act (CESA). The California Bumble Bee Atlas (Atlas) is a community science initiative established to systematically, non-lethally survey bumble bees throughout California to help quantify their persistence and abundance. Launched in 2022, the Atlas trained over 200 volunteers and held 11 field training events throughout the state. Atlas volunteers documented almost 3700 bumble bee observations of 22 species, including four of the six SGCN species. In 2023, Atlas collaborators will continue to conduct surveys and analyze bumble bee distributions across the state, efforts which will aid the targeted conservation of these important pollinators.

Hazing has been advocated as a non-lethal solution to human-predator conflicts, but the efficacy of hazing is not well documented, especially in mountain lions. We used data on 76 mountain lions captured and equipped with radio collars, 34 that were hazed with dogs and 42 that were not hazed (control), to determine if hazing with dogs has potential for deterring mountain lions from returning to sites of conflict. Distance from the capture site was similar for hazed and control mountain lions through 45 days following release, except for a slightly greater distance for hazed lines shortly after release.  Almost all mountain lions (94-98%) returned to within 6 km of the capture site during the 45 days following release, and most (77-88%) returned to within 1 km, with no significant difference between hazed and control mountain lions. Therefore, aside from a modest short-term effect, we did not find evidence that hazing with dogs in association with a capture event is an effective method for displacing mountain lions from a conflict location.

Prescribed grazing management can have myriad effects on wildlife, with low to moderate grazing being associated with an increased abundance of some, but not all, grassland birds. Specifically, the abundance of grasshopper sparrows (Ammodramus savannarum) and savannah sparrows (Passerculus sandwichensis) have been shown to be positively associated with both grazed grasslands and grasslands with a higher percentage of native plant cover. However, relatively little work has occurred on these species in California grasslands. Moreover, measures of abundance provide an incomplete assessment of habitat quality for birds. Physiological and morphological measurements can help indicate environmental stress to individual birds, which can then help reveal more information about habitat quality. To examine the effect of native plant abundance on grassland bird stress, we sampled 70 individuals of each sparrow species on 6 California Coastal Prairie rangelands. We took morphological measurements to estimate body condition and took blood samples for heterophil:lymphocyte (H:L) ratios. In order to quantify the amount of native plant cover in a sparrow’s territory, we conducted vegetation surveys using the line-point transect method. We used generalized linear mixed models to assess the relationship between avian physiological markers and native perennial plants, and implications for rangeland management are discussed.