Forest Ecologist, Climate & Land Use
Nicholas Hendershot is a Forest Ecologist at The Nature Conservancy in California. His research primarily centers on assessing the effects of climate change and the increasing severity of wildfires on forests and biodiversity in the Sierra Nevada. Currently, his work involves employing biodiversity modeling, remote…
Senior Scientist, Marine
Darcy is a Senior Ocean Scientist with the Nature Conservancy. She works broadly across the Oceans Program, leading efforts to advance solutions to plastic pollution in the state, address unsustainable fisheries bycatch across the Pacific, and increase the pace and scale of ocean recovery across…
Randall Preserve Ecologist , Terrestrial
In The Nature Conservancy’s California Chapter, Maria is the Ecologist for the Frank and Joan Randall Preserve in the Tehachapi Mountains. Maria holds a Ph.D. in Ecology and Evolutionary Biology from Stanford University where she studied how land use change and other anthropogenic impacts have…
Climate Resilience Scientist, Climate & Land Use
Piper is the Climate Resilience Scientist for The Nature Conservancy’s California Chapter, providing science leadership to the Climate Program. Her work focuses on integrating nature into climate resilience planning, adaptation, and mitigation. Her work occurs at the intersection of ecological and socio-economic resilience and is…
Lead River Scientist, Freshwater
As the Lead River Scientist in the California Water Program, Bronwen provides science leadership and technical expertise for a variety of projects that seek to improve river flows and water management for freshwater biodiversity throughout California. Projects include the development of statewide tools and datasets,…
Conservation Technology Associate, Technology
As the Conservation Technology Associate at the Jack and Laura Dangermond Preserve, Jinsu's work is centered around the development of research infrastructure for both the Point Conception Institute and the Preserve’s Freshwater Digital Twin. Jinsu works throughout the conservation data science pipeline, from the instrumentation…
Groundwater Scientist, Freshwater
As the Groundwater Scientist for the California Water Program, Nick provides technical and scientific leadership regarding the importance of the interconnection between surface water and groundwater resources. Nick works closely with staff and partners to inform policies, regulations, and on-the-ground projects that integrate groundwater and…
Project Director, Oceans
Tamaki Bieri is Project Director for Coral Reef Restoration in The Nature Conservancy’s California Chapter. Her work focuses on engaging innovators in finance and technology with the goal of increasing the scale at which coral restoration can be carried out. Specifically, she works with partners…
Applied Economist, MarketLab
Brad Franklin is an applied economist working in the MarketLab team of The Nature Conservancy’s California chapter. Brad uses his expertise in environmental and natural resource economics to assess the value of nature-based solutions in promoting conservation goals. His work at TNC covers a broad…
Spatial Data Analyst, Technology
As a Spatial Data Analyst, Charlotte performs spatial and data analysis for TNC California’s land, oceans, waters, and cities programs. In her first two years with TNC, Charlotte has analyzed the connection between groundwater and surface water in the Central Valley, mapped the suitability of…
Product Innovation Manager,
Sue Pollock is the Product Innovation Manager at The Nature Conservancy in California, ensuring that the organization develops conservation science products iteratively with stakeholders at the center, and a path to impact.
With an MBA in Design Strategy, Sue merges the innovation discipline with scientific…
Lead Scientist, Marine
As a Lead Scientist for The Nature Conservancy, Alex works in thematic areas of land-sea connectivity, invasive species, seabird restoration, natural climate solutions, coral reef resilience, pelagic conservation, sustainable fisheries, and the application of biotechnology-based solutions to conservation challenges. His responsibilities include advancing cutting-edge science…
Island Ecologist, Terrestrial
Lara is an ecologist on TNC’s California Islands Science Team, providing leadership and support for conservation-oriented research within the scope of the Santa Cruz Island Preserve, as well as the Channel Islands, the California Islands, and islands of the Pacific. Lara’s main areas of…
Marine Habitat Scientist, Marine
Bryan is a Marine Habitat Scientist for The Nature Conservancy’s California Division. In that role, Bryan provides leadership and scientific guidance to advance the Conservancy’s coastal conservation, restoration, and fisheries work. Along with providing science and technical leadership to the California team, Bryan spends much…
Climate Scientist, Terrestrial
Daniel is the California Climate Fellow in the Conservancy's California chapter. In this role, which is part of a trilateral partnership between the Conservancy, UCLA's Institute of the Environment and Sustainability, and the Capacity Center for Climate and Weather Extremes at the National…
Dangermond Preserve Scientist, Terrestrial
Elizabeth Hiroyasu is the Jack and Laura Dangermond Preserve Scientist where she works with interdisciplinary teams to guide research, conservation, and restoration on the Preserve. In her work on the Preserve, Elizabeth works to ensure that restoration and stewardship projects have strong scientific foundations and…
Ocean Science Associate, Marine
Vienna provides scientific leadership to the Oceans Program of The Nature Conservancy’s California Chapter using her technical background in data science, spatial analysis, and marine ecology. She leads remote sensing efforts to map and monitor kelp forest health, including state-of-the-art drone surveys of kelp canopy…
Project Director, Economics
John joined The Nature Conservancy in 2016 to accelerate the use of capital markets for conservation in California.
Prior to TNC, John built energy analytics businesses within Hewlett Packard to address electric utilities’ smart metering challenges in Europe and Asia. Earlier experience includes VC investing…
Lead Conservation Technology Manager, Technology
In The Nature Conservancy’s California Chapter, Kelly is the Lead Conservation Technology Manager at the Jack and Laura Dangermond Preserve where she oversees GIS and technology projects related to the operation, management, and research at the Preserve.
Kelly holds a Ph.D. in Environmental Science, Policy,…
Island Resilience Strategy Lead, Oceans
As the Island Resilience Strategy Lead for The Nature Conservancy in California, Nick works in thematic areas of island conservation, invasive species, seabird restoration and threatened species. His responsibilities include advancing cutting-edge science to inform investment and actions at California, Pacific-wide and global scales, and participating on…
Software Developer, Technology
Nathaniel is a software engineer for the Nature Conservancy’s California Chapter, specializing in data visualization, map-based applications, IoT, and machine learning. He is the lead developer of Animl, a platform that allows users to integrate wireless camera traps with custom ML models for real-time inference…
Fisheries Scientist, Marine
Lyall is a Senior Fisheries Scientist with the California Oceans Program at The Nature Conservancy, and is based in San Diego at Scripps Institution of Oceanography. Lyall is an avid fisherman, diver, and outdoorsman whose passion for understanding ocean ecosystems led him to a lifelong…
Hydrologist , Freshwater
Sally currently focuses on groundwater issues, supporting the development of a statewide guidance framework for groundwater dependent ecosystems, serving as a hydrologist on the Fox Canyon Groundwater Sustainability Plans Technical Advisory Group, and furthering science research on groundwater dependent ecosystems. She manages the California Salmon…
Lead Scientist , Terrestrial
John is a Lead Scientist for The Nature Conservancy’s California Chapter. He supervises a team of four other scientists who focus on conservation of protected areas and corridors linking them into a statewide network. Much of his time is devoted to three projects: conservation and management of…
Senior Scientist, Freshwater/Stewardship
Walter is a Senior Scientist in The Nature Conservancy’s California Chapter, providing science to the Stewardship Program, the Climate and Nature-Based Solutions Team, and the Jack and Laura Dangermond Preserve. His work synthesizes our understanding of the ecological function and benefits to humans of nearshore…
Ecologist, Terrestrial
In her role with the Nature Conservancy’s California Chapter, Trish works with government agencies, research institutions, land managers and non-governmental agencies to develop and implement coordinated regional programs for the management and monitoring of plant and animal communities in southern California. She has worked extensively…
Director of Science, Climate & Land Use
Sophie leads the Climate Program’s science team in The Nature Conservancy’s California Chapter. Her research priorities are guided by an overarching question: in the face of climate change, how can we conserve, restore, and leverage California’s biodiversity to address societal goals such as clean energy…
Director, Conservation Programs & Science
As the Director of Conservation Programs & The Victor E. Shelford Director of Conservation Science, Scott leads an interdisciplinary team of conservation scientists and practitioners who design and implement cutting-edge conservation strategies across the lands and waters of California. He began his career with The Nature Conservancy…
Lead Scientist, Terrestrial
In The Nature Conservancy’s California Chapter, Scott is the Lead Scientist for the Strategic Restoration Strategy in the San Joaquin Valley, Science Lead for the Rangeland Management Team at the Jack and Laura Dangermond Preserve, TNC’s Lead for participation as a Managing Partner at the…
Director, MarketLab, Economics
Sarah leads The Nature Conservancy’s economics and finance work within the California Chapter. She supports the Land, Land Networks, Water and Oceans teams in developing innovative market-based approaches to the chapter’s conservation objectives. Sarah currently leads a team that creates new markets, utilizes economic incentives…
Lead Mapping & Design Analyst, Technology
In The Nature Conservancy’s California Chapter, Megan leads the design and development of high visibility maps, graphics, and other data visualizations for a variety of media, provides geospatial support to real estate planning, and manages core spatial data to track real estate investments. She has…
Chief Technology Officer, Technology
As Chief Technology Officer in The Nature Conservancy’s California Chapter, Matt is responsible for research, strategy, and application of technology solutions to serve the Conservancy’s mission. He has 20 years of experience in the field of geospatial technology that encompasses geographic information science, remote sensing,…
Director, Pt. Conception Institute
In The Nature Conservancy’s California Chapter, Mark provides scientific leadership and guidance by developing analytical approaches to planning, conservation strategy development and monitoring. He is currently studying the relationships between water management, compatible agriculture and conservation of the Pacific Flyway.
Prior to joining the Conservancy,…
Lead Forest Scientist, Climate & Land Use
Dr. Kristen Wilson is the Lead Forest Scientist of The Nature Conservancy in California. She leads a small science team that researches how to protect, restore, and adapt forests to wildfire and climate change. Kristen’s recent work includes developing a framework of resilience to speed…
Director of Data Science, Technology
In The Nature Conservancy’s California Chapter, Kirk applies drones, big data, and other emerging technologies to address pressing environmental challenges in California. Kirk's recent work includes a project to estimate natural flows in rivers using machine learning , a web-app to monitor groundwater dependent ecosystems…
Systems Architect, Technology
In The Nature Conservancy’s California Chapter, Katie applies geospatial technologies to address dynamic water management and other conservation issues. Additionally she manages the development of mobile and web-based tools to improve information access for decision makers. She has nearly 20 years of experience in geographic…
Director of Science, Freshwater
Julie Zimmerman is the Director of Science for the Water Program in The Nature Conservancy’s California Chapter. Julie leads the water science team to provide the innovative and sound science that is crucial to design and implement the projects and policies necessary to secure a…
Director of Science, Marine
Jono is the Director of Ocean Science for The Nature Conservancy’s California Chapter. His team works across disciplines to solve the world’s most pressing ocean conservation challenges, including: restoration and recovery of key habitats and species, fisheries science and management, mitigation of ocean and land-based…
California Islands Ecologist, Terrestrial
John works on the California Islands for The Nature Conservancy’s California Chapter. He has worked on the islands for over 15 years, and has 20 years of experience in land management that includes: threat and recovery prioritization and planning, habitat restoration, invasive species eradication and…
Senior Scientist, Freshwater
Jennifer is engaged in work to protect and restore stream flows, and address other key limiting factors for salmonid recovery in California. Jennifer has managed and participated in numerous habitat restoration and monitoring projects on the North Coast of California. Her experience includes riverine restoration…
Director of Science, Terrestrial
Jeanette leads TNC’s land science team in The Nature Conservancy’s California Chapter. The team focuses on developing and fostering a science enterprise to operate a climate-resilient, system of protected areas that maximizes retention of biodiversity and ecosystem services, produces replicable models of best practice in…
Applied Scientist, Freshwater
In The Nature Conservancy’s California Chapter, Greg provides science guidance and leadership to direct engagements in the state’s Great Central Valley. Current areas of focus include advancing waterbird conservation through compatible agriculture, and restoring riparian and riverine ecosystems through floodplain restoration. His research focuses on…
Software Engineer, Technology
In The Nature Conservancy’s California Chapter, Falk serves as a full stack developer supporting the Science and Conservation teams by building data solutions and web-based monitoring applications. He works with very diverse data such as remote sensing products, imagery from fishery monitoring cameras, environmental sensors…
Forest Ecologist, Terrestrial
In The Nature Conservancy’s California Program, Edward is leading efforts to increase the quality and scale of ecological restoration of forests in the Sierra Nevada Mountains. He brings analytical skills, vegetation modeling, people skills, and pragmatic experience in prescribed burning and forest management to the…
Lead Scientist, Climate & Land Use
Carrie is a Lead Scientist in the Climate and Land programs and focuses on conservation planning and climate change resilience planning. She develops innovative approaches to spatial planning to guide policy and conservation outcomes. Carrie also leads statewide assessments on biodiversity, climate vulnerability, resilience, and…
Associate Director, Conservation Programs & Science
In her role as Associate Director of Conservation Programs and Science in the California Chapter, Brynn helps advance conservation and science strategies needed to address some of the biggest conservation challenges. She coordinates and helps align the work of conservation, science and geodesign staff advancing place-based…
Spatial Data Scientist, Technology
Brian is a Spatial Data Scientist for The Nature Conservancy’s California Program. During his 12 years at the Conservancy, Brian has interpreted data and developed visual tools to help solve California’s most pressing environmental challenges including the impact of development of renewable in the Mojave/Sonoran…
Principe, Z., J.B. MacKenzie, B. Cohen, J.M. Randall, W. Tippets, T. Smith, S.A. Morrison
Coastal southern California has long been the focus of regional conservation planning efforts. Decades ago – and prior to today’s heightened awareness of the magnitude of the likely impacts climate change – reserve designs were established with the intent of protecting the region’s very diverse…
Joshua H. Viers, John N. Williams, Kimberly A. Nicholas, Olga Barbosa, Inge Kotzé, Liz Spence, Leanne B. Webb, Adina Merenlender, Mark Reynolds
As an essential component of food security, agricultural landscapes must play a role in conservation efforts because they occupy large areas of land, are adjacent to critical habitat, and both depend on and provide ecosystem services. Winegrapes are a high-value specialty crop that can both…
Luke Caldwell, Victoria J. Bakker, T. Scott Sillett, Michelle A. Desrosiers, Scott A. Morrison, Lisa M. Angeloni
The Island Scrub-Jay is the only island restricted bird species in the continental U.S. This study presents findings of a comprehensive breeding ecology study, aimed at elucidating demographic parameters and natural history information needed for conservation management.
Butterfield, H.S., D. Cameron, E. Brand, M. Webb, E. Forsburg, M. Kramer, E. O’Donoghue, L. Crane
The Western San Joaquin Valley Least Conflict Solar Energy Assessment characterizes the land use constraints and opportunities associated with siting solar energy facilities in the Western San Joaquin Valley (WSJV). Because the San Joaquin Valley currently has no official process to develop a conservation and…
Butterfield, H.S., D. Cameron, E. Brand, M. Webb, E. Forsburg, M. Kramer, E. O’Donoghue, L. Crane
A Conservancy analysis of the western Mojave Desert identified where human activities had degraded the conservation value of lands making them potentially low impact locations for development of solar facilities. In this assessment authors applied that same approach in the Western San Joaquin Valley—an area with…
The Southwestern California Climate Report provides 50-year climate scenarios and plant species distribution forecasts to help inform conservation priorities in southwestern California. Spatial data of mid-21st century habitat suitability (refugia, stress, expansion) for 106 native plant species are available here.
Klausmeyer, K, D. Cameron, S. Morrison
This study evaluated the existing network of conservation lands in California to determine the extent to which it includes landscape features that may be especially important for biodiversity conservation in the context of climate change. The authors found that past conservation action has created an…
Gennet, S., J. Howard, J. Langholz, K. Andrews, M.D. Reynolds, S.A. Morrison
This paper discusses the 2006 outbreak of toxic foodborne E. coli and its impact on wildlife. The authors explain how farming practices for food safety that target wildlife can damage ecosystems but may not actually improve the safety of the food supply and how high…
Gleason M, Feller EM, Merrifield M, Copps S, Fujita R, Bell M, Rienecke S, Cook C
On the Central Coast of California, The Nature Conservancy, Environmental Defense Fund, local fishers and local, state, and federal authorities worked collaboratively to protect large areas of the seafloor from bottom trawling for groundfish while addressing economic impacts of trawl closures. This paper aims to…
Jeanette Howard, Kirk Klausmeyer, Kurt Fesenmyer
Californians face profound decisions regarding the management of their state’s increasingly limited water supply. Critical for decision-making is information about the plants and animals that also rely on California’s freshwater resources to survive. This report includes an atlas of the freshwater biodiversity patterns in California,…
Darci Palmquist, Mary Gleason, Matt Merrifield
This webmap is a product of The Nature Conservancy’s 2013 Western San Joaquin Valley (WSJV) Least Conflict Solar Energy Assessment which characterizes the land use and conservation constraints and opportunities associated with siting solar energy facilities in the WSJV in California. This approach identified areas with high…
Emily Saarman, Mary Gleason, John Ugoretz, Satie Airamé, Mark Carr, Evan Fox, Adam Frimodig, Tom Mason, Jason Vasques
This paper explores four key conditions that supported the successful integration of science into the Marine Protected Area network planning effort in California. The redesigned statewide network of MPAs generally reflects the successful integration of science and science-based MPA design guidelines into a public policy…
Mary Gleason, Evan Fox, Susan Ashcraft, Jason Vasques, Elizabeth Whiteman, Paulo Serpa, Emily Saarman, Meg Caldwell, Adam Frimodig, Melissa Miller-Henson, John Kirlin, Becky Ota, Elizabeth Pope, Mike Weber, Ken Wiseman
This paper reviews the design of a network of marine protected areas (MPAs) in state waters as mandated by the Marine Life Protection Act (MLPA). A public–private partnership (the MLPA Initiative) completed four regional public MPA planning processes characterized by robust stakeholder contributions and the…
Evan Fox, Melissa Miller-Henson, John Ugoretz, Mike Weber, Mary Gleason, John Kirlin, Meg Caldwell, Sonke Mastrup
In California, after two unsuccessful attempts, statewide planning of a network of marine protected areas (MPA) was achieved through the California Marine Life Protection Act (MLPA) Initiative. This paper discusses, and highlights the importance of, six enabling conditions in this planning effort. These conditions enabled the…
John Kirlin, Meg Caldwell, Mary Gleason, Mike Weber, John Ugoretz, Evan Fox, Melissa Miller-Henson
This paper reviews how recommendations developed through the Marine Life Protection Act (MLPA) Initiative supported regulatory decisions by the California Fish and Game Commission to greatly expand the network of marine protected areas. The network includes 124 Marine Protected Areas (MPAs), covering 16% of state…
Evan Fox, Sean Hastings, Melissa Miller-Henson, Dominique Monie, John Ugoretz, Adam Frimodig, Craig Shuman, Brian Owens, Rebecca Garwood, Darci Connor, Paulo Serpa, Mary Gleason
This paper explores the strategies used to address policy issues that arose in marine protected area (MPA) planning process in California. The authors provide examples from six specific topic areas—fisheries management, water quality, military use areas, marine bird and mammal protection, dredging and maintenance, and tribal…
Matthew S. Merrifield, Will McClintock, Chad Burt, Evan Fox, Paulo Serpa, Charles Steinback, Mary Gleason
This paper reviews the creation and use of MarineMap, a spatial decision support system that enabled stakeholder participation in designing marine protected areas (MPAs). The authors highlight why it was a necessary component of the planning process for California's Marine Life Protection Act (MLPA) Initiative.
Evan Foxa, Eric Poncelet, Darci Connor, Jason Vasques, John Ugoretz, Scott McCreary, Dominique Monié, Michael Harty, Mary Gleason
This paper examines how differences in regional characteristics and lessons learned influenced three important elements of the stakeholder process of California's Marine Life Protected Area (MLPA) Initiative including convening the stakeholders, managing stakeholder engagement, and integrating input from managing state agencies. It provides a case…
Golet G.H., J. Hunt, D. Koenig
Floodplains often are managed both for agriculture and as habitat for native species. On the Sacramento River, farmers have expressed concern that natural areas may be sources of pests to adjoining farmlands, generating opposition to riparian restoration. This study examined this question by studying small…
Kate Labrum, Dwayne Oberhoff
In 2011, the west coast groundfish fishery transitioned into a catch share fishery, or Individual Fishing Quota management system. Under this type of management system, the annual total allowable catch is divided into shares, or quota, and allocated to individual fishermen. This report describes a…
James Lindholm, Mary Gleason, Donna Kline, Larissa Clary, Steve Rienecke, Michael Bell
This report summarizes the results of a multi-year study (June 2009 to December 2012) to assess the impacts of bottom trawling on seafloor habitats and associated biological communities. This project used small foot-rope trawl gear in an experimental study conducted in unconsolidated, soft-sediment habitat on…
HR Sofaer, TS Sillett, SI Peluc, SA Morrison, CK Ghalambor
Island archipelagos can provide useful opportunities for comparative studies in ecology. In this paper, for example, breeding ecology of a songbird was studied on two of the California Channel Islands, which share many environmental attributes but differ in ways that elicit different behavioral responses in…
Matt Merrifield, Megan Webb, Katie Andrews
Since 2007, The Nature Conservancy has pioneered a first-of-its-kind fishery reform approach that aligns communities, the fishing industry, and conservation interests to drive strategic changes in fishery management and harvest practices. We have provided science and planning expertise and applied technology to increase efficiency and…
TS Sillett, RB Chandler, JA Royle, M Kéry, SA Morrison
The Island Scrub-Jay occurs only on 250 km2 Santa Cruz Island. This study combined an intensive, short-term field survey with novel statistical modeling to generate estimates of population abundance, and to characterize its habitat and distribution across its global range.
JongminYoon, T. Scott Sillett, Scott A.Morrison, Cameron K. Ghalambora
When members of a single species display very different behavioral patterns it can present a helpful model for ecological study. This paper examines two breeding populations of a songbird species: one population is mostly sedentary and breeds on the Channel Islands of California; the other…
Tim Bean, Bob Stafford, Laura Prugh, Scott Butterfield, Justin Brashares
This paper compares the efficacy of different monitoring methods for estimating distribution, abundance, and population growth of the endangered giant kangaroo rat to determine the best practices for monitoring. Expert rapid assessment of sites performed nearly as well as trapping in determining range extent, while…
Cameron, D., S. Parker, B. Cohen, J. Randall, B. Christian, J. Moore, L. Crane, S. A. Morrison
Industrial-scale renewable energy generation facilities can have sizable footprints and therefore significant impact on the conservation values of a landscape. This assessment focused on a region experiencing intense development pressure, the western Mojave Desert, to highlight how facilities could be sited to have lower impact…
Cameron, D.R., B.S. Cohen, S.A. Morrison
California, like many regions in the world, needs to plan for emissions reductions and domestic clean energy. Ideally, that would be done in a way that is strategic, not reactionary. Through science-based landscape planning for conservation and energy, the trade-offs between energy development and habitat…
M. Rebecca Shaw, Kirk Klausmeyer, D. Richard Cameron, Jason MacKenzie, Patrick Roehrdanz
Species will move around the landscape as the climate changes, presenting challenges for traditional conservation strategies like land acquisition. This paper models the cost and total land area that needs to be protected by 2100 to track the changing distribution of 11 focal species of…
Small preserves are difficult to manage, but they can be important for rare plant protection. The article outlines the management challenges faced by small preserves, provides a case study from The San Bernardino Mountains of southern California, and suggests strategies and management recommendations for rare…
Jennifer Carah, Jason Pelletier
A two-page summary of salmon restoration efforts at the Garcia River Forest on the North Cost of California focusing on the reintroduction of wood in streams as a strategy.
Kirk Klausmeyer, Katie Fitzgerald
Key to protecting drinking water for all Californians is understanding the sources and health of the thier watersheds. This study maps California's surface drinking water sources, the watersheds that supply water to those sources, and the land protection status of those watershed lands. It includes…
Almost 9 million acres of California are at risk from flooding. These flood zones cover 16% of the state’s urban and suburban development, and 36% of the state’s land dedicated to cultivated crops. As the climate changes, flooding is likely to be more frequent and…
The Nature Conservancy, Jennifer Carah
Salmon and trout thrive in streams with cool water, low levels of sand and silt, and deep, shaded pools. Intensive forest management in California over the last 150 years led to the removal of these streamside trees, eliminating the cover that salmon depend upon. Restoration…
Parker, S.S., E.W. Seabloom, J.P. Schimel
Understanding how plant invasions occur is vitally important for land managers and conservationists working to enhance biodiversity in California grasslands. While much of the research on this topic has focused on the shifting mosaic of plant species aboveground, this study highlights how understanding the differences…
Halpern, B.S., Diamond, J., Gaines, S., Gelcich, S., Gleason, M., Jennings, S., Lester, S., Mace, A., McCook, L., McLeod, K., Napoli, N., Rawson, K., Rice, J., Rosenberg, A., Ruckelshaus, M., Saier, B., Sandifer, P., Sholtz, A., Zivian, A.
This paper informs emerging efforts to implement coastal and marine spatial planning (CMSP) in the United States, Europe and elsewhere around the world. In order to identify priority needs for significantly advancing CMSP, the authors—expertsexperts in the science, policy and practice of CMSP—developed recommendations for…
Scott A. Morrison, T. Scott Sillett, Cameron K. Ghalambor, John W. Fitzpatrick, David M. Graber, Victoria J. Bakker, Reed Bowman, Charles T. Collins, Paul W. Collins, Kathleen Semple Delaney, Daniel F. Doak, Walter D. Koenig, Lyndal Laughrin, Alan A. Lieberman, John M. Marzluff, Mark D. Reynolds, J. Michael Scott, Jerre Ann Stallcup, Winston Vickers, Walter M. Boyce
This paper discusses conservation of the Island Scrub-Jay in the context of novel threats posed by climate change. The authors discuss management actions that could reduce extinction risk—including vaccination, captive propagation, biosecurity measures, and establishing a second free-living population on a neighboring island—and present a…
Shaw, M.R., L. Pendleton, D.R. Cameron, B. Morris, D. Bachelet, K. Klausmeyer, J. MacKenzie, D.R. Conklin, G.N. Bratman, J. Lenihan, E. Haunreiter, C. Daly, P.R. Roehrdanz
As the climate warms, changes in ecosystems will impact human communities and livelihoods. This paper, together with a California Energy Commission Scenarios Report of the same name, explores the broad impacts of climate change on ecosystem services and California’s economy. These publications help direct land…
Jordan Golinkoff, Mark Hanus, Jennifer Carah
The voluntary carbon market is a new and growing market that is increasingly important to consider in managing forestland. Monitoring, reporting, and verifying carbon stocks and fluxes at a project level is the single largest direct cost of a forest carbon offset project. There are…
Invasive species can have profound effects on island ecosystems. So, too, can their removal. And interactions among species can both help and hinder the attainment of restoration goals. This paper provides a 30 year retrospective review of the multiple eradications that have occurred on Santa…
Walter M. Boyce, Winston Vickers, Scott A. Morrison, Scott Sillett, Luke Caldwell, Sarah S. Wheeler, Christopher M. Barker, Robert Cummings, William K. Reisen
As West Nile virus invaded the mainland southern California coast in 2003 there were widespread die-offs of certain species of bird. Corvids (e.g., jays, ravens, crows) were especially susceptible. Concerns about the potential impact on Island Scrub-Jays – which are restricted to Santa Cruz Island,…
Sarah S. Wheeler, Stanley Langevin, Leslie Woods, Brian D. Carroll, Winston Vickers, Scott A. Morrison, Gwong-Jen J. Chang, William K. Reisen, Walter M. Boyce
Concerns about the spread of West Nile virus in North America and the high mortality it causes in corvids have led managers to consider vaccination as a strategy to proactively protect free-ranging Island Scrub-Jays. But, are available vaccines effective? This study tested the efficacy of…
Jeanette Howard, Kirk Klausmeyer, Sally Liu
This report analyzed Chinook, coho salmon, and steelhead trout population and habitat data across California to identify a portfolio of places called the SalmonScape. SalmonScape identifies areas in California with the greatest potential for habitat restoration and protection, and where wild salmon also have the best…
Megan Webb, Jeanette Howard , Kirk Klausmeyer, Sally Liu
The Conservancy's SalmonScape is an analysis and map that analyzed and ranked the watersheds that support or contribute to salmon habitat in California based on where conservation efforts would have the best return-on-investment. The analysis helped coordinate and direct salmon conservation efforts across the state.
Klausmeyer, K. R., M. R. Shaw, J.B. MacKenzie, D.R.Cameron
This analysis provides an approach for distilling complex climate and landscape data into actions land managers can take to help plants and animals adapt to a changing climate. Based on historical data, climate projections and landscape attributes like topography, coastal proximity and habitat fragmentation that…
SA Morrison, KR Faulkner, LA Vermeer, L Lozier, MR Shaw
Eradication programs are complex undertakings that require comprehensive multidisciplinary planning and nimble adaptive implementation. This paper discusses the preparation that went into the most intensive feral pig eradication program to date, and highlights how that preparation enabled to project to proceed uninterrupted, despite numerous anticipated…
A Saunders, JP Parkes, A Aguirre-Munoz, SA Morrison
Tremendous advances over recent decades in eradication of invasive species on islands raise the question whether there are now opportunities to further increase the pace and scale of that work. This paper highlights the increased return on investment that could come via conservationists, scientists, managers,…
Cameron, D., K. Klausmeyer, J. Mackenzie, G. Low, L. Provencher
Climate change will impact plants and animals across the state, and conservationists are often unaware of the best way to address this threat. While much of the land in the Northern Sierra is public and protected from development, it is still at risk to changes…
Kirk Klausmeyer, Dan Olstein, Terri Schulz, Robin Cox, Sasha Gennet, Jason MacKenzie
While the literature and guidance on traditional conservation planning methods is extensive, there are few case studies on methods for incorporating climate change into conservation planning efforts. This report outlines the methods the Conservancy used to develop strategies to help species adapt in the Mount…
Mary Gleason, Sarah Newkirk, Matt Merrifield, Jeanette Howard, Robin Cox, Megan Webb, Jennifer Koepcke, Brian Stranko, Bethany Taylor, Mike Beck, Roger Fuller, Dick VanderSchaaf, Jena Carter
While significant progress has been made over the past few decades in improving estuarine water quality, restoring wetland habitats, and incorporating estuarine habitats into managed areas, estuarine conservation efforts along the U.S. West Coast—including Washington, Oregon, and California—have generally proceeded on a bay-by-bay basis, with…
G.H. Golet, T. Gardali, J.W. Hunt, D.A. Koenig, N.M. Williams
Most assessments of ecological restoration success track a single type of species over a single season. This study explores the limitations of such studies by examining how birds, rodents, bees and beetles responded to restoration along the Sacramento River for up to five years. The authors…
Stralberg, D., D. Cameron, M. Reynolds, C. Hickey, K. Klausmeyer, S. Busby, L. Stenzel, W. Shuford, G. Page
This analysis provides the first comprehensive overview of the specific habitats used by 42 different migratory waterbird species throughout California. The authors reveal important gaps in protection for wintering habitat for shorebirds and waterfowl and highlight the importance of agricultural lands in migratory bird conservation. They advocate…
Soils harbor an estimated 1.6 million species. An estimated 1% of the earth’s topsoil is lost each year and in the U.S. over 500 rare soil types are classified as endangered. The biodiversity of soils underpins crucial ecosystem services which support the plants and animals typically targeted…
This map and a series of others in the Conservancy's 2010 Mojave Desert Ecoregional Assessment have played a guiding role in siting—and mitigating the impacts of—renewable energy development throughout the Mojave Desert. The Assessment helped shape the Desert Renewable Energy Conservation Plan. Completed and signed in 2016, the…
John M. Randall, Sophie S. Parker, James Moore, Brian Cohen, Laura Crane, Bill Christian, Dick Cameron, Jason B. Mackenzie, Kirk Klausmeyer, Scott Morrison
Regional conservation planning is critical to inform land and resource use decisions. The Mojave Desert Ecoregional Assessment represents an important advance in such planning, because of how its output characterized not just areas of high conservation value, but how conservation values distributed and graded across…
Susan Antenen , Dick Cameron, EJ Remson, Jason MacKenzie, Jim Gaither, Sophie Parker, Zach Principe, with Southern Sierra Partnership
This collaborative conservation assessment, characterizes the biodiversity, ecosystem services, ownerships, and land uses in the Southern Sierra and Tehachapi Mountains, and assesses threats to conservation values. The authors examine how a changing climate will impact or interact with these threats, forecast long-term responses in the landscape, and…
This dataset is a product of the Mojave Desert Ecoregional Assessment and characterizes the distribution of biodiversity conservation values and land disturbance to help inform regional land-use and conservation investment. The data were grouped into four categories of conservation value: Ecologically Core, Ecologically Intact,…
CL Burdett, KR Crooks, DM Theobald, KR Wilson, EE Boydston, LM Lyren, RN Fisher, TW Vickers, SA Morrison, WM Boyce
Long-term studies of animal movement can generate data that allow for robust modeling of habitat use by the species. This study characterizes and maps the distribution of habitat for mountain lions in coastal southern California, and combines those data with models of projected urban growth…
Conservationists around the world work in systems and on problems that often have clear analogues to the efforts of others. This essay highlights the importance of collaborating and sharing lessons learned as a means to make conservation not only more effective but also more efficient.
Jeanette Howard, Matt Merrifield
In 2014 the California legislature passed a three-bill package (SB 1168, AB 1739, and SB 1319) of groundwater reform legislation that was the most significant update of California water policy in several decades. The legislation provides authorities and guidance for local agencies to develop sustainable…
Reed Tollefson, Alison Sheehey, Brian Cohen, Sophie Parker, E.J. Remson, Zach Principe, Tom Maloney, Michael White
This Conservation Action Plan identifies targets, threats, and actions to achieve conservation success in the face of climate change in the Tehachapi Mountains. The Tehachapis lie at the convergence of four ecoregions in California and constitute an important landscape linkage between the Sierra Nevada Mountains…
John P. Parkes, David S.L.Ramsey, Norman Macdonald, Kelvin Walker, Sean McKnight, Brian S.Cohen, Scott A. Morrison
This paper describes the approach, planning, and field implementation of an intensive effort to eradicate a population of feral pigs from an island. Key elements of the project included comprehensive data collection of all field effort and outcomes, and comprehensive use of helicopters in nearly…
Mary Gleason, Scott McCreary, Melissa Miller-Henson, John Ugoretz, Evan Fox, Matt Merrifield, Will McClintock, Paulo Serpa, Kathryn Hoffman
This paper describes the planning process for California's Marine Life Protection Act (MLPA) in north central California. The process represents a case study in the design of a regional component of a statewide network of marine protected areas (MPAs) for improved ecosystem protection. The authors…
Howard, J, C. Revenga
Worldwide, freshwater species and habitats are, on average, more imperiled than their terrestrial or marine counterparts. Despite concerns over the health of the world’s freshwater species and systems, there have been few attempts to systematically describe patterns of freshwater biodiversity. Without robust biodiversity data, conservationists…
Mary Gleason, Chuck Cook, Michael Bell, Erika Feller
This editorial highlights the polarization and lack of innovation in U.S. fisheries management, using the West Coast groundfish fishery as an example. The authores focus on the need for new models of collaboration among NGOs, fishermen, and regulators in order to create a brighter future for our…
Oberbauer, T., L. Luna Mendoza, N. Citlali Oliveres, L. Barbosa Deveze, I. Granillo Duarten, S.A. Morrison
Guadalupe Island in Mexico is undergoing a dramatic ecological recovery following the eradication of feral goats. Unfortunately, that eradication came too late for some species and ecosystems, and almost too late for others. The precariousness of some of its extant biota is illustrated by its…
Kathryn M. Langin, T. Scott Sillett, Jongmin Yoon, Helen R. Sofaer, Scott A. Morrison, Cameron K. Ghalambor
Island archipelagos can provide useful opportunities for comparative studies in ecology. For example, breeding ecology of a songbird was studied on two of the California Channel Islands, which share many environmental attributes, such as general vegetation types, but differ in other ways, such as intra-…
E.C. Underwood, J.H. Viers, K.R. Klausmeyer, R.L. Cox, M. R. Shaw
The mediterranean biome is one of the rarest terrestrial ecosystem types on Earth, restricted to only 2% of the world’s land surface. Encompassing portions of southern Australia, central Chile, South Africa’s Cape Region, the Mediterranean Basin, and California and Baja California, the biome is renowned…
Victoria J. Bakker, Daniel F. Doak, Gary W. Roemer, David K. Garcelon, Timothy J. Coonan, Scott A. Morrison, Colleen Lynch, Katherine Ralls, Rebecca Shaw
Population models can be a critical tool in managing recovery of endangered species. This paper presents an analysis that became the foundation of recovery planning and tracking for the endangered island fox. By combining data from research and long-term monitoring efforts across the six islands…
Erik Nelson, Guillermo Mendoza, James Regetz, Stephen Polasky, Heather Tallis, D. Richard Cameron, Kai MA Chan, Gretchen C. Daily, Joshua Goldstein, Peter M. Kareiva, Eric Lonsdorf, Robin Naidoo, Taylor H. Ricketts, M. Rebecca Shaw
Humans benefit from the goods and services provided by natural ecosystems like water filtration, carbon storage, and recreational opportunities to name a few. Assigning economic value to these "ecosystem services" would allow planners to assess the true costs and benefits of different development and land…
Underwood, E.C., K.R. Klausmeyer, R.L. Cox, S.M. Busby, S.A. Morrison, M.R.Shaw
Mediterranean habitats are among the rarest on Earth. Characterized by warm dry summers and cool wet winters, they are restricted to only 2% of the Earth’s land surface–portions of southern Australia, Chile, South Africa, California and Baja California, and the Mediterranean Basin. Though small, these…
DSL Ramsey, J Parkes, SA Morrison
Populations at very low abundance can be very difficult to detect. Consequently, one of the biggest challenges of eradication projects is determining whether an inability to detect the species at the presumed end of a project means that it has been completely removed. A helpful…
Scott Morrison, Walter Boyce
Critical for biodiversity conservation is the retention of ecological connectivity in the landscape, so that wildlife—and the natural processes that sustain wildlife—can move around. Ideally, that cohesion would be protected by conserving landscape-scale linkages—large swaths of relatively intact habitat joining core reserve lands. Where linkages…
Caroline Christian , Lawrence Saslaw, H. Scott Butterfield
To better understand the ecological role of cattle grazing in managing Carrizo Plain National Monument, we initiated a long-term study in 1997 designed to evaluate the effects of cattle grazing on native plant communities and giant kangaroo rats. Contrary to grazing studies conducted elsewhere in…
Golet G.H., T. Gardali, C. Howell, J. Hunt, R. Luster, B. Rainey, M. Roberts, H. Swagerty, N. Williams
Studies that assess the success of riparian restoration projects seldom focus on wildlife. More often, vegetation is studied, with the assumption that animal populations will recover once adequate habitats are established. Authors of this paper present an exception: findings of a suite of studies that…
Dan Laffoley, Alan T. White, Stacey Kilarski, Mary Gleason, Scott Smith, Ghislaine Llewellyn , Jon Day , Annie Hillary, Victoria Wedell, Daphine Pee
With government, agency and organizational partners, Conservancy scientists helped publish an IUCN guidebook to inspire conservation investment in global marine protection and provide a case study from the Marine Life Protection Act in California. It provides essential information to better understand the role of marine…
Eradication of invasive non-native species is often necessary to protect island ecosystems. Eradication efforts can nonetheless be risky investments. How they are planned and implemented can greatly reduce the risk of failure. Santa Cruz Island provides an interesting case study in eradication, because a variety…
Scott A. Morrison, Norman Macdonald, Kelvin Walker, Lynn Lozier, M Rebecca Shaw
One of the greatest challenges in pest eradication is knowing when it has been achieved. This paper discusses why that is challenging, and why it is so important to consider how that challenge will be met before any eradication effort is initiated. For many vertebrates,…
M.D. White , J.A. Stallcup, K. Comer, M.A. Vargas, J.M. Beltran Abaunza, F. Ochoa, S.A. Morrison
The California South Coast Ecoregion, a global biodiversity hotspot, is bisected by the US-Mexico border. Development near the border, ranging from urban sprawl to border security infrastructure, threatens to sever the ecological cohesion of the ecoregion, to the detriment of conservation – and ecosystem services…
Scott A. Morrison, Mark D. Reynolds
Protecting, restoring, and enhancing habitat connectivity in already fragmented landscapes poses many challenges for conservationists. This essay discusses the importance of considering implementation feasibility when developing connectivity conservation priorities and plans. In Connectivity Conservation edited by Kevin R. Crooks and M Sanjayan.
Gardali T. , A.L. Holmes, S.L. Small, N. Nur, G.R. Geupel, G.H. Golet
Restoration efforts on the Sacramento River are focusing on revegetating the land with native plants and restoring natural river processes in an attempt to recover wildlife populations. To evaluate the success of these efforts, surveys were conducted of landbirds on revegetated and remnant riparian plots.…
Golet G.H., M.D. Roberts , E.W. Larsen, R.A. Luster, R. Unger, G. Werner, G.G. White.
River restoration projects have the potential to influence many of the services that rivers provide to people, yet rarely is this studied in a comprehensive manner. This paper reports on a set of coordinated studies that were conducted to evaluate the effects of alternative restoration…
United Nations Environment Programme, chapters co-authored by Scott Morrison
For the International Year of Deserts and Desertification, 2006, a team of environmental and social scientists assembled to assess the state of the world’s deserts. This report is the product of that effort, which includes chapters co-authored by Conservancy scientist Scott Morrison on Natural history…
Mary G. Gleason, Matt S. Merrifield, Chuck Cook, Audrey L. Davenport, Rebecca Shaw
This study is the first marine gap analysis for California. It quantifies what is protected and what is not and highlights conservation needs and opportunities. Less than 5% of marine habitats are within no-take or limited-take marine protected areas (MPAs) that afford a high level…
Mary Gleason, Matt Merrifield, Chuck Cook, Miguel Hall
The Conservancy's science and planning staff in California prepared this assessment of the most important areas for conservation of marine biodiversity in the Northern California Marine Ecoregion–one of four major divisions of the California Current System–that extends from Oregon south to Point Conception and covers 11 million hectares (42,493…
Marty, Jaymee T.
Livestock grazing in the American West often conjures up images of cattle degrading riparian areas or spreading weeds throughout desert rangeland. But cattle grazing does not always or necessarily harm biodiversity. In areas where native herbivores have been eliminated, livestock grazing may replicate ecological disturbance…
Scott A. Morrison, Douglas T. Bolger, T. Scott Sillett
Fragmentation-sensitive species – those that tend to disappear when their habitat is fragmented – pose particular challenges for conservation, in part because fragmentation ushers in such a wide array of ecological changes. This study focuses on one such species, examining whether its annual survivorship is…
Mary Gleason, Matt Merrifield, Craig Mayer, Michelle McCutchan, Chuck Cook
The Conservancy's science and planning staff in California prepared this assessment of the most important areas for conservation of marine biodiversity in the Southern California Marine Ecoregion—one of four major divisions of the California Current. The California Current is recognized as a globally significant region…
Scott A. Morrison, Douglas T. Bolger
Reproductive success of many species in arid environments can be sensitive to rainfall patterns: rainfall events can produce a boom of primary productivity that fuels an ecological response from the “bottom-up.” This study describes the reproductive success of a songbird in a semi-arid region over…
Scott A. Morrison, Douglas T. Bolger
Fragmentation-sensitive species – those that tend to disappear when their habitat is fragmented – pose particular challenges for conservation, in part because fragmentation ushers in such a wide array of ecological changes. This study focuses on one such species, examining whether reproductive success is different…
Douglas T. Bolger, Andrew V. Suarez, Kevin R. Crooks, Scott A. Morrison, Ted J. Case
Habitat fragmentation ushers in a wide array of ecological changes, and understanding the drivers and impacts of those changes is critical for conservation management. This study examines an often overlooked suite of taxa – arthropods – and describes patterns of abundance and diversity across a…
