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100 years of national parks, 100 years of climate change data
A century ago, UC Berkeley zoologist Joseph Grinnell crisscrossed California to document the habitats and vertebrate animals he found across the state. He and his team sampled animals for the University's collections, photographed their study areas, and recorded the relative abundance and types of landscapes they encountered. Now scientists are revisiting these exact locales (including places like the NRS's James San Jacinto Mountains Reserve) to see how wildlife has fared. Their findings reveal just how much a century of development and climate change have altered conditions in California's remaining natural areas. Read more >>
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Underpasses for animals
The nation's most dangerous animal isn't a snake, a bear, a shark, or a spider. Rather, deer—those spindly-legged, mild-mannered vegetarians—kill more Americans than any other animal when hit by cars. Now CalTrans is partnering with U.S. Forest Service and the NRS's Sagehen Creek Field Station to keep wildlife and cars from crossing paths. Learn how animal underpasses built under Highway 89 near Truckee are informing the new field of road ecology in a piece by ABC 7 News / Bay Area. Watch video >>
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Stewards of nature
To commemorate the centennial of the National Park Service, UC Santa Barbara takes an in-depth look at its seven UC Natural Reserves.
Part I: Valentine Eastern Sierra Reserve. Hosting several resident researchers and some 30 visiting university classes annually, VESR also welcomes the public to lectures and to participate in citizen science initiatives. Its Outdoor Education Program connects thousands of local schoolchildren to the nature around them each year. Read more and watch videos >>
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Snowy plover orphans returned to the wild
Western snowy plovers are on the ropes due to disturbances and destruction of their beachside nesting sites. A longtime sanctuary for this tiny shorebird has been the NRS's Coal Oil Point Reserve in Santa Barbara. Now chicks orphaned or abandoned on the reserve beach are being raised at the Santa Barbara Zoo for later release in the wild. Read more >>
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U.S., Mexico name sister parks
When President Obama met with President Enrique Peña Nieto of Mexico this past summer, they built bridges connecting several of their spectacular national parks. Parque Nacional Cumbres de Monterrey, located in northeastern Mexico, became a sister park to Yosemite National Park. Both are mountainous and experience visitor recreation impacts, wildland fires, conflicts between wildlife and people, and forest health problems. Parque Nacional Bahia de Loreto, a marine park in the Gulf of California, and Channel Islands National Park were named sister parks too. They share populations of marine mammals, birds, and fish; the partnership should aid cross-border ecosystem management. The NRS will encourage research in both partnerships via its Yosemite Field Station and Santa Cruz Island Reserve. Sister reserve designations are in the works. Read more >>
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