Wildlands Conservation Science

It's getting to be that time again--save the date for the next California Islands Symposium! See you there!

Bonus, can you name the butterfly on the blooming giant coreopsis?

SAVE THE DATE! The 10th California Islands Symposium is happening November 16-20, 2020 in Ventura. Check back here for updates as the planning committee formalizes dates and schedules.
Photo: Sauces, Santa Cruz Island
Credit: Michaela Miller

Wildlands is pretty lucky to be able to work with many different conservation organizations. This June and July, we had a blast hosting the California Institute of Environmental Studies (CIES) crew out on Santa Cruz Island to perform treatments of remote invasive plant infestations for The Nature Conservancy. Conserving and protecting habitat can't be done alone - it starts with a good team.

Good times on Santa Cruz Island working with Wildlands Conservation Science on helicopter transported invasive w**d eradication. Props to and for all of their hard work & dedication.

Vernal pools are a strange and novel habitat. In periods of drought, they are seemingly simple, dry depressions in the earth but can be identified by unique flora. When rain does fall, they transform into a niche ecosystem that support a myriad of aquatic invertebrates that in turn serve as forage for wintering ducks and shorebirds.

This winter's rain provided an opportunity to search for a rare, vernal pool obligate--the federally threatened vernal pool fairy shrimp (Branchinecta lynchi). Over 90-percent of vernal pool habitat that supports this species has been lost since Europeans' settlement of California. The recent expansion of the solar industry within the Carrizo Plain has resulted in additional impacts to remaining vernal pool habitat. To mitigate this loss, the Northern Carrizo Plain Ecological Reserve was created. Wildlands is fortunate to work with California Department of Fish and Wildlife to assist with surveying for this tiny member of California's ecosystems.