WERC Highlights -- February 2002

Coastal Horned Lizards and Argentine Ants: USGS research zoologist Robert N. Fisher of the Western Ecological Research Center and colleagues at the University of California at San Diego recently published papers researching factors that determine the presence and abundance of the coastal horned lizard, which is in severe decline in southern California. They found that the invasive exotic Argentine ant, which is unpalatable to the lizards and is replacing native ants the lizard does eat, is an important factor in the lizard’s decline. News coverage on the lizard’s plight include AP, Reuters, MSNBC, and Scientific American online, with stories expected next week in the New York Times, Los Angeles Times, and the Washington Post. (Robert N. Fisher, San Diego, CA, 858-637-6882)

Could This Invasive Species Pose a Health Risk? The Chinese mitten crab, first reported in southern San Francisco Bay in 1992, now occurs in large numbers in California, where it is consumed by both humans and wildlife. Mitten crabs may spend several years of their early life in streams that drain into the southern end of San Francisco Bay, such as the Guadalupe River. Mercury from former quicksilver mining operations leaches into creeks in the Guadalupe drainage, entering the food chain as methylmercury. Scavenged animal remains such as fish, and sediments incidentally ingested, may be sources of mercury contamination for the bottom-feeding mitten crabs. Stored in their body tissues, the mercury would be passed on to their predators. This summer, Cliff Hui will sample the mitten crabs of the Guadalupe River and five neighboring creeks to determine the levels of mercury in the crabs and how mercury-laden mitten crabs may be distributed among the creeks. The health threat from mercury to people and to the ecosystem will be evaluated. Results of this study will be made available to human health agencies and resource managers. (Cliff Hui, Davis, CA, 530-752-6420)

Monitoring Southern California Wildlife: USGS research ecologist Robert N. Fisher of the Western Ecological Research Center is an invited speaker at Bridging Borders: Partnerships Beyond Our Boundaries and Within, this year’s California Parks Conference. Fisher’s presentation, titled “Multi-Agency Monitoring of Coastal Sage Scrub Dependant Animals,” will be at 8 a.m., Wed., March 6 in the Cultural and Natural Resource Management session. The highly developed and urbanized area of coastal southern California is host to one of the richest reptile and amphibian faunas in the United States and includes several species with state and federal protected status. Fisher leads a multi-agency team conducting an intensive study of the ecology of herptile communities in the region. The conference is sponsored by the California State Park Rangers Association and the Park Rangers Association of California and will be held at the Handlery Hotel and Resort in San Diego, Calif., March 4-7, 2002. (Robert N. Fisher, San Diego, CA (Robert N. Fisher, San Diego, CA, 858-637-6882)

Planning for Coastal Horned Lizards: Severe declines of coastal horned lizards in rapidly urbanizing southern California have made them a candidate for both state and federal protection. Managers and planners need information on their habitat use, abundance, and distribution for local and regional planning. In a recent study published in the February issue of Conservation Biology, USGS research zoologist Robert N. Fisher of the Western Ecological Research Center and colleagues at the University of California at San Diego investigated factors that determine the presence and abundance of the coastal horned lizard. They found that the lizards need native ants for food and chaparral plant communities with sandy substrate for unimpeded escape from predators. Additionally, they found that factors varied over relatively small spaces, as little as hundreds of meters. This suggests that habitat-based methods used for estimating abundance of species regionally (e.g., gap analysis), may be inadequate at picking up local-scale factors that determine this species’ abundance in fragmented habitats. (Robert N. Fisher, San Diego, CA, 858-637-6882)

Habitat Needs of Giant Garter Snakes: USGS research wildlife biologist Glenn Wylie of the Western Ecological Research Center was interviewed for a story about the giant garter snake, which is endemic to California’s Central Valley and federally protected as a threatened species. The story appeared in the Sacramento Bee and Corpus Christi Caller-Times. (Glenn Wylie, Dixon, CA, 707-678-0682 x616)

Aleutian Kelp Forest Decline: In a news brief, Science Now reported on a presentation at the annual meeting of the Association for the Advancement of Science by USGS research ecologist Jim Estes of the Western Ecological Research Center on the possible link between past whaling and the decline of western Alaska kelp forests. (Jim Estes, Santa Cruz, CA, 831-459-2820)

Understanding Fire Ecology in the Mojave Desert: Nonnative grasses have become increasingly dominant in the Mojave Desert since the 1970s, and wildfires have increased in frequency and size, especially where wildlands and urban areas meet. Carpets of invasive grasses fuel wildfires, and where invasive grasses mingle with native blackbrush scrub (one of the most flammable native plants in the Mojave Desert), large fires can occur, potentially threatening communities that border the desert wilds. A new USGS study will begin this spring to determine whether low-intensity prescribed fire, applied during spring or during summer, or the application of chemicals will be better at controlling invasive plant species in the Mojave Desert. Scientists will also compare fire behavior in blackbrush and alien annual grasslands, to determine if the native shrub community or the invasive annual grass community poses a greater fire hazard. (Matt Brooks, Las Vegas, NV, 702-914-2206 x225)

Burning News: Matt Brooks was interviewed by the Palm Springs Daily Sun for a story about USGS experiments at Joshua Tree National Park and two other Mojave Desert sites where scientists will compare the effectiveness of low-intensity fire and chemicals in controlling invasive plant species. (Matt Brooks, Las Vegas, NV, 702-914-2206 x225)

A Gem of a Show for Kids: The 48th Tucson Gem and Mineral Show, Feb. 14-17, provides an educational backdrop for school groups visiting the annual show, renowned as the largest international event of its kind. On Feb. 14 and 15, school children and their teachers will find hands-on activities at the USGS booth in the Tucson Convention Center. Friday morning (Feb. 15) is reserved for elementary school groups, when more than 3,000 children will have the opportunity to experience an interdisciplinary primer for their visit to the gem and mineral exhibits. At the USGS booth, kids will be able to see how water can be contaminated by common human activities; take a rock identification test and discover what minerals are part of their daily lives; learn how to find their own neighborhood on a USGS topographic map; and learn about a present-day "fossil" -- the desert tortoise. (Karen Bolm, 520-670-5544, Gail Cordy, 520-670-6671 x223; Gloria Maender, 520-670-5596; Tucson, AZ)

Joint Fire Science Program: A briefing Feb. 13 for the House and Senate Appropriation Committee staffers will provide information on the FY01 activities of the Joint Fire Science Program (JFSP), and those planned for FY02. Areas of scientific investigation include fire and fuels issues in unroaded areas, woodland fuels treatments and effects, cumulative effects of multiple treatments and locations, remote sensing, regional haze, fire-climate and weather, aids for decision making, and fire in non-forested ecosystems. One of the products completed by JFSP in FY01 to be presented to the Appropriation Committee will be the proceedings of a workshop on the role of fire relating to the control and spread of invasive species. The proceedings include three articles written by several USGS scientists who participated in the workshop. The JFSP is a partnership of six federal land management and research agencies (USDA Forest Service, Bureau of Indian Affairs, Bureau of Land Management, National Park Service, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, and USGS). JFSP was initiated in FY1998 by Congress to provide scientific information and tools for managers and specialists to address fuels inventory and mapping, assessing the effectiveness of fuels treatments, scheduling of fuel treatments, and monitoring and evaluation. Since its inception in 1998, 119 projects, workshops, and related activities have been undertaken. (Stan Coloff, 703-648-4083, Reston, VA)