Abstracts: 2023 Science Symposium

11th Biennial San Francisco Bay Area National Parks Science Symposium

San Francisco Bay Area National Parks 2023 Science and Natural Resources Symposium
November 8, 2023 | Golden Gate Club | Presidio of San Francisco

Contents:
OPENING ~ Welcome & Plenary
SESSION ~ Ways to remember: Preserving eco-memories through publishing and data stewardship
PANEL SESSION~ Lessons from the past: Amah Mutsun research and stewardship on the central California Coast
SESSION ~ Plants and parks confront wildfire, invasive species, and climate change
PANEL SESSION~ Working with communities to understand and coexist with Bay Area coyotes
SPECIAL SESSION: Lightning Talks
PANEL SESSION~ Forests: Past, present, and future - insights from the Marin Regional Forest Health Strategy
SESSION ~ Learning from birds across decades
SESSION ~ Tracking biodiversity and bringing species back to heal broken links
SESSION ~ In search of causal links and landscape-scale learnings
SESSION ~ Tied to Water
PANEL SESSION ~ Keeping a pulse on the landscape: approaches to ecological health assessment
SPECIAL SESSION~ Seed collection in restoration: Genetic considerations
POSTER SESSION

Opening

8:50-10:05 am | Ventana Room

1. Welcome
MEG WHITE, Inventory & Monitoring Division Lead, National Park Service

Speaker Bio: Meg White is the Division Lead for the Inventory & Monitoring (I&M) Division within the National Park Service’s Natural Resource Stewardship and Science Directorate (NRSS). The I&M Division is comprised of more than 300 scientists, data managers, science communicators, and administrators in 32 networks across the country gathering and analyzing scientific information through inventories, long-term monitoring science, and assessment of the status and trends of park natural resources. Prior to joining National Park Service, Meg worked for over a decade with The Nature Conservancy (TNC), providing strategic leadership and technical expertise as the Global Conservation Metrics Lead and Freshwater Director. Her technical expertise sits at the intersection of surface and groundwater hydrology, climate science, riparian ecosystems, and systems thinking. Born and raised in rural western Michigan, Meg received a B.A. focused on environmental science and policy from the University of Michigan, a Master’s in environmental science and planning from the University of California Berkeley, and a PhD in Biology, focused on freshwater ecosystems, from Arizona State University. She leverages her interdisciplinary background and expertise to shape processes and advance outcomes through science-based, strategic decision making.

2. Plenary - Cities of futures past: Examining how social-ecological legacies affect urban biodiversity
CHRISTOPHER SCHELL, Assistant Professor, UC Berkeley Department of Environmental Science, Policy, and Management ([e-mail])

Abstract: Urban ecosystems have quickly become central targets for conservation and management efforts. This is due in large part to the fact that cities are frequently co-located with biodiversity hotspots, contradicting the so-called “biological deserts fallacy”. Leveraging urban environments as conservation hubs is an unconventional yet creative approach to our looming biodiversity crisis, providing glimmers of hope for slowing and halting species losses. However, any strategies developed without legitimately incorporating societal histories, processes, and heterogeneity are destined to fail. Legacies of societal inequities and oppression profoundly shape the ecology of cities – from vegetation cover, to microclimates, to biodiversity. By interrogating those legacies, we can generate innovative and robust solutions that genuinely incorporate social-ecological processes from the ground up. In doing so, we endeavor to build more wildlife-friendly, just, and resilient spaces for human and nonhuman organisms alike. In his talk, Dr. Chris Schell will discuss how past and present structural inequities, especially economic and racial inequality, shape biological patterns from behavior to biodiversity. In doing so, he will discuss how using an environmental justice lens to urban biodiversity research is pivotal to improving wildlife management, conservation, sustainability, and resilience in a human-dominated world.

Speaker Bio: Dr. Chris Schell is an urban ecologist and Assistant Professor in the Department of Environmental Science, Policy, and Management at the University of California, Berkeley. His research combines animal behavior, physiology, and biodiversity science approaches to uncover how mammalian carnivores adapt to life in cities. In addition, his work uses an environmental justice lens to help build more just, biodiverse, and resilient cities. Dr. Schell is a National Geographic Explorer, a Grist Fixer, and a Cal Academy Research Fellow, with his work featured across PBS, NPR, The New York Times, the Atlantic, and various other outlets. Further, he has recently begun research collaborations at local parks including the Presidio of San Francisco, Golden Gate National Recreation Area, and the extended network of parks stewarded by San Francisco Recreation and Parks and East Bay Regional Parks.

SESSION | Ways to remember: Preserving eco-memories through publishing and data stewardship

10:20-10:55 am | Ventana Room

3. The value of sharing field observations, yes, even those from construction monitoring
JEFF ALVAREZ, Owner & Wildlife Biologist, The Wildlife Project ([e-mail])

Publishing the results of scientific research and observations has long been the realm of academia and “serious” researchers. However, numerous journals allow space for natural history notes, research updates, and observational reports. These can be critical to our understanding of many species, and particularly those that are declining, under-studied, or not very charismatic. Within California alone, there are approximately 11,000 field biologists working annually, with an immeasurably small number that publish papers. We found that supporting, mentoring, and assisting field biologists in the publication of smaller, natural history-oriented papers benefits the species, the species’ management, the authors and their long-term career projection, and the organizations within which they work.

4. Data never forgets: Safeguarding the digital memory of long-term monitoring
LIZZY EDSON, Data Manager, Golden Gate National Parks Conservancy ([e-mail])

Datasets are like memories. In park science, datasets are the living embodiment of a personal experience of a landscape or species for given snapshots of time, long after the observers have forgotten what they saw. Our own memories shape our lives as we grow. Likewise, the data we collect are foundational for use in analysis and synthesis from which knowledge is gained. This science-based knowledge is critical for shaping park management actions now and in the future.

However, memories are fallible, especially the further back in time one goes. How can we ensure that our datasets will be usable resources years from now? How can we preserve these memories so that anyone can use them with confidence? This presentation highlights some of the ways that the National Park Service’s Inventory and Monitoring Division is actively working to ensure that data have relevance, usability, and accuracy for decades to come, and why these practices are especially important for managing long-term monitoring datasets. I will provide the audience with recommendations they can apply to keep their own dataset “memories” alive, so that future park stewards can access and learn from them.

5. SPECIAL SESSION | Lessons from the past: Amah Mutsun research and stewardship on the central California Coast

10:55-11:55 am | Ventana Room

VALENTIN LOPEZ, Chairman of the Amah Mutsun Tribal Band ([e-mail])
KENT LIGHTFOOT, Professor of Anthropology, University of California, Berkeley ([e-mail])
RICK FLORES, Steward of the Amah Mutsun Relearning Program (AMRP) and Associate Director of UC Santa Cruz Arboretum & Botanic Garden ([e-mail])
MICHAEL GRONE, Senior State Archaeologist, Santa Cruz District of California Parks and Recreation ([e-mail])
ALEC APODACA, Environmental Archeologist, University of California, Berkeley, and Cultural Resource Manager for the Amah Mutsun Land Trust ([e-mail])

Lessons from the past help us plan for the future. This panel will discuss ongoing research on historical Indigenous stewardship practices in central coastal California, which has been a vehicle to guide Tribal revitalization efforts on lands in National Park, State Park, and Bureau of Land Management systems. Using examples from more than a decade of collaborative historical ecology of Native peoples and the environment, we will highlight the lessons learned of five themes: 1) dormant ecological knowledge and memories, 2) eco-archaeological research on Indigenous burning, 3) Indigenous knowledge in conducting restoration research, 4) marine and coastal stewardship, and 5) integrative Tribal resource surveys and cultural landscapes. In doing so, we provide a look into the diversity of evidence and approaches used to demonstrate the important role of Native stewardship practices within the context of resilient and biodiverse ecosystems.

SESSION | Plants and parks confront wildfire, invasive species, and climate change

10:20-10:55 am | Hawthorn Room

6. Stewarding nature in a changing climate: Vulnerability and adaptation
ALISON FORRESTEL, Chief of Natural Resource Management and Science, Golden Gate National Recreation Area ([e-mail])

As climate change accelerates, park managers are facing unprecedented challenges with ecological stewardship. Given this, the Golden Gate Biosphere Network has embarked on a project to guide future natural resources stewardship in the context of climate change. As part of this effort, a collaborative group of land managers has come together to assess the climate change vulnerability of 10 ecosystems and 11 species in the San Francisco Bay region. This project also involves developing adaptation strategies to guide future stewardship actions for the species and habitats our park lands protect.

7. Documenting plant community response in the wake of the Woodward Fire
KELSEY SONGER, Botanist, San Francisco Bay Area Inventory & Monitoring Network ([e-mail])

Natural disturbances such as fire, drought, and disease have played an important role in shaping plant communities for thousands of years. Increased disturbance frequency as a result of climate change and habitat conversion will have both short- and long-term impacts on plant community dynamics. Since 2015, the San Francisco Bay Area Inventory and Monitoring Program has been monitoring plant communities throughout network parks to detect changes in community structure and composition over time. This monitoring effort will ultimately provide park managers with baseline community data and vegetation trends, but also has utility in tracking vegetation recovery following large disturbances. In 2020, the Woodward Fire burned over 4,500 acres of Point Reyes National Seashore. It swept through a variety of plant communities engulfing two monitoring plots in the Douglas-fir forest and one plot in the coastal scrub. In an effort to document native plant recovery and improve our understanding of fire succession, monitoring frequency of these plots was increased in the years following the fire. In this presentation, we will share pre- and post-burn data from the plots impacted by the Woodward Fire and discuss the effects of the fire on community structure and composition.

8. Evaluating post-invasion recovery of subalpine wet meadows in Sequoia National Park
NOAH TELLER, Ecological Restoration Coordinator, Presidio Trust ([e-mail])

Plant invasions harm natural resources, including those managed by the National Park Service. Invasive plant control is labor-intensive and can overwhelm the capacity of park managers to adequately mitigate plant invasions. Efficient goal-setting and prioritization of treatments are therefore paramount to successful invasive plant management. At Sequoia National Park, managers have observed that non-native plants dominate the herbaceous understory below 5,000-6,000 feet, but native plants tend to dominate above this elevation. As a result, they prioritize the control of invasive plant populations at high elevations where invader eradication is achievable and reinvasion or secondary invasion is unlikely. The largest of these efforts is a 15-year effort to eradicate Holcus lanatus (velvetgrass) from the Kern Canyon by manually removing all individuals each summer. I established ten vegetation monitoring plots in five pairs of invaded-treated and uninvaded-control sites in the project area to assess whether the removal of velvetgrass stimulated native plant community recovery, and whether this relationship varied with treatment intensity. I compared raw values of these data across the entire project, and response ratios within individual pairs of treatment/control sites. Additionally, I assessed community functional composition in recovering post-invasion plots versus uninvaded control plots. Across all test plots and analytical methods, the only significant factors were minor differences in the response ratio of Simpson’s Diversity to treatment intensity and overall functional composition between treated/untreated plots. These results indicate that, by and large, the removal of velvetgrass has allowed for the successful recovery of a healthy and diverse native plant community.

9. SPECIAL SESSION | Working with communities to understand and coexist with Bay Area coyotes

10:55-11:55am | Hawthorne Room

TALI CASPI, PhD Candidate in Ecology, University of California, Davis ([e-mail])
BILL MERKLE, Wildlife Ecologist, Golden Gate National Recreation Area ([e-mail])
CHRISTOPHER SCHELL, Assistant Professor, UC Berkeley Department of Environmental Science, Policy, and Management ([e-mail])
KATIE SMITH, Wildlife Biologist, Golden Gate National Recreation Area ([e-mail])
CHRISTINE WILKINSON, Conservation Scientist and Postdoctoral Researcher, UC Berkeley Department of Environmental Science, Policy, and Management and the California Academy of Sciences ([e-mail])

In metropolitan areas throughout North America, coyotes (Canis latrans) are arguably the most notorious species involved in human-wildlife conflicts. Coyotes are a highly adaptive species due to their generalist dietary and habitat preferences, as well as their relatively plastic life-history traits. Coyotes living alongside people typically experience reduced predation and less intensive lethal control compared to their rural counterparts which, alongside human actions like direct and indirect feeding, may contribute to increased levels of boldness and exploratory behavior. These behavioral and cognitive traits can exacerbate conflict scenarios with humans, which have risen over the last several decades. In the face of rising human-coyote conflict, better understanding of coyote ecology, coyote responses to anthropogenic stressors, and human-coyote interactions is needed to reduce negative interactions and improve coexistence. Partnerships and collaboration among research scientists, wildlife managers, public parks, and community members are essential for expanding the capacity for long-term data collection, prioritizing community concerns, and generating comprehensive datasets that will aid in human-coyote conflict mitigation efforts. In this session, we discuss ongoing research efforts and present findings on coyote diet and movement, human-coyote interactions, and the role of community science and government-academic partnerships in understanding and coexisting with coyotes in the Bay Area.

SPECIAL SESSION | Lightning Talks

12:55pm-1:35 pm | Ventana Room

10. The value of sweat equity to instream habitat restoration for juvenile salmonids
DARREN FONG, Aquatic Ecologist, Golden Gate National Recreation Area ([e-mail])
MICHAEL REICHMUTH, Fishery Biologist, San Francisco Bay Area Network ([e-mail])
CAROLYN SHOULDERS, Natural Resource Project Manager, Golden Gate National Recreation Area ([e-mail])

In 2019, Golden Gate National Recreation Area completed the first phase of an in-channel restoration project to benefit federally listed coho salmon (Oncorhynchus kisutch) and steelhead trout (Oncorhynchus mykiss) along Redwood Creek in Muir Woods National Monument. Restoration actions included placing large woody debris to create deep pools and small woody debris to provide shelter. In addition, rock riprap along the stream bank and bottom were removed to allow for more natural stream processes. To evaluate changes in habitat conditions for juvenile salmonids, we conducted winter habitat surveys before and after project construction and at two construction areas with differing levels of treatment and at a reference reach. These surveys mapped areas with slow moving water (<1 ft/sec), which were close to protective cover (within 3.3 ft), and where water depths were greater than 1.5 ft. Data indicate that the most heavily restored construction area showed a marked improvement in the amount of suitable winter habitat , while the least-heavily restored area showed minimal improvement.

11. Puma population health at San Francisco Bay Area’s urban edge
ALYS GRANADOS, Wildlife Ecologist, Felidae Conservation Fund ([e-mail])
ZARA MCDONALD, President, Felidae Conservation Fund ([e-mail])

Widespread landscape disturbance influences fragmentation of wildlife habitat patches. Large carnivores are especially threatened by habitat isolation, which can have important consequences for human-wildlife conflict, as well as ecosystem and public health. In California’s central coast, pumas (Puma concolor) are at risk of extinction due to isolation and the loss of genetic diversity. Increasing human encroachment around National Parks and other open spaces also contributes to conflict. Proximity to urban edge (and thus, to domestic animals and humans) affects public health as pumas can carry zoonotic diseases, including SARS-COV-2, trichinosis, and toxoplasmosis. Potential spillover to humans could have serious public health consequences, but the extent to which urban edge affects puma and human health is not well understood.

We utilize trained fecal survey dogs to non-invasively collect fecal samples (scat) from pumas in Bay Area Counties (Marin and San Mateo Counties in 2022, 2023), including on NPS land. Scat provides important insights into puma genetics, exposure to viruses, toxins, hormone levels (cortisol), and parasites, including toxoplasmosis. Toxoplasmosis is of particular interest because of its potential to alter host (i.e., feline) behavior and because of the documented risk of transmission between domestic cats and people. Lab results from 2022 samples revealed several tested positive for toxoplasmosis. Our early-stage findings contribute to our baseline knowledge of puma health in the Bay Area, and importantly, to the impacts of urban edge on large carnivore population health. This research also informs our outreach efforts, aimed at educating the public about the relationship between wildlife health and human public health.

12. The Bears are Back in Town: Return of the American black bear to Marin
RACHEL TOWNSEND, Wildlife Biologist, Golden Gate National Recreation Area ([e-mail])

The American black bear (Ursus americanus) has been extirpated from Marin County for over a century. Since that time, there have been periodic bear observations, with no indication bears remained in the area. But now, a series of confirmed bear observations over the last two years indicate that bears have likely become reestablished in Marin. As large omnivores, black bears play an important role in ecosystems. The National Park Service–in partnership with other land agencies in Marin and the North Bay Bear Collaborative–will continue to monitor bears and increase efforts to collect scat for a DNA study to estimate the number of black bears in Marin and where these bears are coming from. While the return of bears is ecologically exciting, coexisting with bears in a developed landscape will be challenging. Bears have been shaped by ecosystems as they were in the past and their skills, honed by natural selection over millennia, may not serve them well in developed landscapes. Moreover, people have forgotten how to live with bears. Intentional actions taken early can go a long way in support of living peacefully with bears in our midst.

13. The Snowy Plovers of San Francisco
KATIE SMITH, Wildlife Biologist, Golden Gate National Recreation Area ([e-mail])

National Park Service staff, interns, and volunteers have been monitoring federally threatened western snowy plovers (Charadrius nivosus nivosus) overwintering on Golden Gate National Recreation Area beaches since 1994. In addition to plover specific data, we also record visitor numbers, dog observations, plover disturbances, and document all bird species observed on Crissy Beach and Ocean Beach. We collect these data with the San Francisco Bay Area Inventory & Monitoring Network to determine trends and inform management decisions to better conserve our local plover population. What have we learned? And how will we apply it? We’ll have an approachable discussion about our plovers and protocols, human/dog impacts, and management decisions.

14. Western snowy plover predator management: Past, present, and looking into the future
CARLETON EYSTER, Avian Ecologist, Point Blue Conservation Science ([e-mail])
MATT LAU, Wildlife Biologist, Point Reyes National Seashore & San Francisco Bay Area Network ([e-mail])

The western snowy plover (Charadrius nivosus nivosus) is a sensitive threatened species that faces a multitude of threats, including predators. In Point Reyes National Seashore, a suite of predators put pressure on snowy plovers, their nests and hatchlings, and common ravens are the primary culprit. Predator management is an essential aspect of plover conservation which includes a variety of methods, including direct removal of predators, ensuring garbage disposal sites are secured, educating the visiting public about Leave No Trace, and setting up nest exclosures to protect eggs. Nest exclosures have seen mixed results throughout the snowy plovers’ range; while they typically increase hatching rates, exclosures do not protect precocial, highly mobile chicks and they potentially increase risk of adult mortality because particular predators may key in on the metal exclosures. In Point Reyes National Seashore, however, they have been used with great success, significantly boosting nest survival. We present an update on the 2023 snowy plover breeding season and exclosure use in Point Reyes, examine how past predator management issues have informed the present, and explore how our data and experiences will inform future predator management in Point Reyes National Seashore.

15. Motus: An Overview
LEVI SOUZA, Senior Environmental Scientist, California Department of Fish and Wildlife ([e-mail])

This presentation will provide a brief overview of the Motus Wildlife Tracking System (Motus). Motus is a worldwide network of stationary radio telemetry receivers used to track wildlife movement. The receiver network is scalable and stations are relatively simple and inexpensive to assemble. The tags used are low cost and lightweight, permitting scientists to attach them to small-bodied birds, bats and insects—taxa whose movements are notoriously difficult to study. The collaborative nature of the system leverages the capabilities of a broad spectrum of organizations and is a model for modern wildlife research and conservation.

16. Hoary for the home team: Migratory connectivity of California's hoary bats
GABRIEL REYES, Biologist, Western Ecological Research Center, U.S. Geological Survey ([e-mail])

The hoary bat (Lasiurus cinereus) is a solitary, tree-roosting migratory bat species that is suffering high fatality rates at wind energy facilities and may be experiencing population declines. High concentrations of hoary bats have been documented in coastal regions of California during the fall, winter, and spring, suggesting that this region of California is an important wintering destination and/or migration corridor. We have conducted one year of automated telemetry data collection using the Motus network as part of a hoary bat migration ecology study. To date, we have transmittered 12 hoary bats with Lotek nanotags, including eight during the fall, two during the winter, and two during the summer. We have had subsequent Motus detections of three bats, all exhibiting vastly different detection and movement patterns. One hoary bat flew north to Washington State shortly after capture in October—a trip of over 1,000 km in 16 days. One was detected on local Motus receivers. The third was detected during spring migration, six months after capture, 520 km southeast of our capture and tagging location. We are adapting methods from bird banding mark-resight data analysis to make use of these sparse detections and develop our understanding of migratory connectivity in hoary bats.

17. Motus and dunlin
DAVID LUMPKIN, Avian Ecologist, Audubon Canyon Ranch ([e-mail])

In response to regional declines in dunlin (Calidris alpina), Audubon Canyon Ranch and a number of partner organizations have sought to better understand dunlin movement patterns and response to factors such as land management and drought. Expanding the Motus network in California has enabled more detailed and longer-distance coverage of within-winter and migratory movements.

18. SPECIAL SESSION | Forests: Past, present, and future - insights from the Marin Regional Forest Health Strategy

12:55-1:35pm | Hawthorn Room

DANIEL FRANCO, Golden Gate National Parks Conservancy, Senior Project Manager ([e-mail])
ALISON FORRESTEL, Chief of Natural Resource Management and Science, Golden Gate National Recreation Area ([e-mail])
SARAH MINNICK, Vegetation & Fire Ecologist, Marin County Parks ([e-mail])
CARL SANDERS, Natural Resources Program Manager, Marin Water ([e-mail])

The recently completed Marin Regional Forest Health Strategy provides us with an opportunity to explore key findings related to the conditions of forests in Marin County. Leveraging the Marin Countywide Fine Scale Vegetation Map and other landcover data, the Forest Health Strategy explores impacts from fire exclusion, sudden oak death and other pathogens, and past land use, and offers a glimpse into opportunities to manage forests and woodlands for climate resilience. Panel topics will include implications of forest distribution in Marin County, fire history and the impacts of fire exclusion on Marin's forests and woodlands, and disease impacts: exploring data used to map and track forest pathogen impacts. Panelists include natural resource managers from three One Tam agencies.

SESSION | Learning from birds across decades

1:40-2:25pm | Ventana Room

19. Protected areas safeguard landbird populations in central coastal California: Evidence from long-term population trends
MARK DETTLING, Avian Ecologist, Point Blue Conservation Science ([e-mail])

Many bird populations have experienced declines across North America over the past several decades. The establishment of protected areas has been used as a conservation action to maintain or help in recovery of these populations; however, the effectiveness of protected areas in safeguarding bird populations within their borders from negative impacts presented by surrounding unprotected areas has rarely been evaluated. Our study aimed to evaluate the effectiveness of protected areas in the San Francisco Bay Area of California for landbirds. We conducted point count surveys along riparian corridors in coastal Marin County in protected areas, predominantly national parks, and estimated the population growth rates for 14 species over 23 years. We compared these growth rates to North American Breeding Bird Survey growth rate estimates from the Coastal California and the Northern Pacific Rainforest Bird Conservation Regions, which comprise larger, regional populations. A safeguarding effect was detected for 9 of 14 species. Species with increasing growth rates in coastal Marin County protected areas in comparison to regionally stable or decreasing populations demonstrate the potential for protected areas to not only maintain populations despite declines outside their boundaries, but also to help them recover from current and previous losses. Continuing long-term monitoring and associated full life cycle research will help identify if and when other drivers (e.g., climate change) may weaken these safeguarding effects, or when additional conservation and management is warranted.

20. Decadal trends of waterbirds on Tomales Bay – 1989-2021
NILS WARNOCK, Director of Conservation Science, Audubon Canyon Ranch ([e-mail])

Audubon Canyon Ranch has monitored wintering waterbirds and shorebirds on Tomales Bay in Marin County since 1989. In 30 years, we counted 1,215,821 shorebirds of 31 species. During the study (1989-2019), abundance of all shorebird species combined declined 66%, with the most rapid decline in the first ten years of monitoring. Dunlin and western sandpiper (Calidris alpina and Calidris mauri) accounted for the greatest losses in total numbers. We also estimated long-term changes in abundance of wintering waterbirds from 1992-2022. We accounted for two dominant physical forces on primary productivity in the bay that we hypothesized would drive shorter term variation in waterbird abundance: the Northern California Multivariate Oceanic and Climatic Index and winter freshwater inflow to Tomales Bay. Average total waterbird numbers (excluding gulls and shorebirds) decreased 13%. Of the 29 waterbird taxa for which we estimated trends, 13 declined across our study period, and the most concerning declines were for surf scoter (Melanitta perspicillata), brant (Branta bernicla), ruddy duck (Oxyura jamaicensis), American coot (Fulica americana), western grebe (Aechmophorus occidentalis), and Clark’s grebe (Aechmophorus clarkii). We will discuss potential reasons for these declines.

21. Alcatraz seabirds in a changing world
MAGGIE LEE POST, Alcatraz Marine Ecologist, Farallon Institute ([e-mail])
LIDIA D’AMICO, Alcatraz Biologist, Golden Gate National Recreation Area ([e-mail])
BILL MERKLE, Wildlife Ecologist, Golden Gate National Recreation Area ([e-mail])
JULIE THAYER, Principal Scientist, Farallon Institute

Given its current name by Spanish settlers describing the “goofy birds” once inhabiting its shores, Alcatraz Island, under management by the National Park Service, again supports an extensive multi-species seabird colony. We have monitored this colony since the early 1990’s when Brandt’s cormorants (Urile pencillatus) were first observed, and have a robust dataset on overall seabird colony growth and reproductive success through differing climate conditions. Compared to the offshore colonies of Southeast Farallon Island, Brandt’s cormorant, western gull (Larus occidentalis), and pigeon guillemot (Cepphus columba) colonies on Alcatraz have consistently exhibited greater reproductive success. Population growth rates have also been very high. We hypothesize that local prey resources are the primary underlying mechanism for these observations, promoting resilience in the face of climate change. Among these successes, however, are stories of decline—two seabird species, pelagic cormorants (U. pelagicus) and California gulls (L. californicus), have disappeared from Alcatraz in recent years. These two species have been negatively affected by increased human presence and out-competition from other seabird species. We have used stories of both success and failure on Alcatraz Island to inform management decisions and to focus outreach. Examples include seabird nest enhancements and efforts to minimize visitor and staff access during the breeding season. NPS maintains varied outreach initiatives, and Farallon Institute supported an education intern in the summer of 2023 to integrate our scientific findings into an updated outreach program implemented at Alcatraz and beyond.

22. The last stable northern spotted owl population: What we’ve learned from long-term monitoring
TAYLOR ELLIS, Wildlife Technician, Point Reyes National Seashore ([e-mail])

Marin County is the southernmost extent of the range of the northern spotted owl (Strix occidentalis caurina). In severe decline over most of its range, the spotted owl population in Marin has remained stable over 25 years of monitoring. I will discuss what we have learned from this San Francisco Bay Area Network long-term monitoring program, and what steps are being taken to protect remaining spotted owl populations as new challenges arise.

SESSION | Tracking biodiversity and bringing species back to heal broken links

1:40-2:25pm | Hawthorne Room

23. Presidio environmental health
LEWIS STRINGER, Associate Director of Natural Resources, Presidio Trust ([e-mail])

The Presidio Environmental Health Report 2020-2022 is a self-assessment of the Presidio Trust’s progress in increasing biodiversity in the Presidio national park site. It tracks five key metrics including native plant cover, threatened and endangered species population estimates, invasive species, biodiversity, and water quality. This presentation will present the methods and results of the report with an eye toward communicating them to stakeholders and the public at large.

24. Bringing back the butterflies: Re-weaving the web of life
STUART B. WEISS, Chief Scientist, Creekside Science ([e-mail])

Hundreds of acres of degraded lands in the Presidio have been restored to native plant cover as dunes, scrub, and grassland. The establishment of native plants is only the first step in ecological restoration – building a functioning food web requires that herbivorous insects be added to the mix. In this presentation, I will cover the basics and history of reintroduction of three butterfly species. The variable checkerspot (Euphydryas chalcedona), whose larvae feed on California bee plant and sticky monkeyflower in coastal scrub, rapidly spread throughout the Presidio following two years of translocating larvae from San Bruno Mountain. The California ringlet (Coenonympha californica), whose larvae feed on annual and perennial grasses has established in Inspiration Point grasslands after two years of translocating adult butterflies from the Main Headlands. Plans to introduce the silvery blue butterfly (Glaucopsyche lygdamus)—an ecological substitute for the extinct Xerces blue into restored dune habitat containing stands of deerweed— are well underway with a target of releasing adult butterflies from Monterey Bay, Big Sur, and Santa Cruz Mountains in spring 2024. Commonalities and differences between these projects shed light on the issues confronted with building up a new web of life in restored vegetation communities.

25. Reversing extinction: Seeking an ‘ecological stand-in’ for the extinct Xerces blue butterfly
DURRELL D. KAPAN, Senior Research Fellow, California Academy of Sciences ([e-mail])
ALIZEE GAMBER, Student Intern, Department of Biology, University of San Francisco
ATHENA H. LAM, Director of the Center of Comparative Genomics, California Academy of Sciences
CHRISTOPHER C. GRINTER, Collection Manager, California Academy of Sciences
DAVID J. BETTMAN, Curatorial Assistant, California Academy of Sciences
ELORA H. LÓPEZ-NANDAM, Research Scientist, California Academy of Sciences
JIM B. HENDERSON, Research Associate, California Academy of Sciences
MATTHEW W. VAN DAM, Research Scientist, California Academy of Sciences

Natural history collections provide an essential window into the past. As critical “proof of life”, especially for extinct species, museums contain the memory of biodiversity found and biodiversity lost. Case-in-point, the Xerces blue butterfly (Glaucopsyche xerces) was one of the first invertebrates to go extinct in North America due to a loss of dune habitat and host plants in San Francisco’s westernmost “outer lands.” Last detected between 1941-43, the Xerces blue is now only found in museums including the collection at the California Academy of Sciences. Our collaborative group is tapping into this curated memory bank to seek an eco-evolutionary surrogate for the extinct Xerces blue for reintroduction into the Presidio of San Francisco’s restored dune habitats. We have uncovered both ecological and genomic data from historical museum collections which reveal how Xerces compares to its close relatives, including the silvery blue butterfly (Glaucopsyche lygdamus). Genomic analysis of these taxa based on museum DNA combined with historical data and advances in ecological niche modeling help direct our team to locate source populations of silvery blues with the highest chance of successful reintroduction to newly restored dune habitats at the Presidio. Transplanting silvery blue butterflies into Xerces' former range will not only help bring back lost ecological functions, but also restoring an “eco-evolutionary surrogate” for Xerces is an opportunity to evoke its memory and spark our collective agency to revive extinct ecosystem functions critical to regenerating nature.

26. Restoring quail to the Presidio: Roadmap and challenges
PHOEBE PARKER-SHAMES, Wildlife Ecologist, Presidio Trust ([e-mail])
KELLY IKNAYAN, Environmental Scientist, The San Francisco Estuary Institute ([e-mail])
LEWIS STRINGER, Associate Director of Natural Resources, Presidio Trust ([e-mail])

The California quail (Callipepla californica) was once abundant in the Presidio and widespread throughout San Francisco. However, the development of the city and loss of habitat slowly isolated populations over time. Now, the Presidio is working with the San Francisco Estuary Institute to restore California quail to the Presidio as a natural benefit to both people and place. Here, we will describe the planned reintroduction and proposed research monitoring, along with the current viability assessments and expected challenges. We will share a roadmap detailing how the Presidio plans to proceed with the reintroduction, including goals, timeline, numbers needed, monitoring approach, anticipated sources of mortality, public engagement process, and long-term challenges. Finally, we will summarize the broad goal of connecting urban California quail populations across the Bay Area for long-term viability.

SESSION | In search of causal links and landscape-scale learnings

2:40-3:15 pm | Ventana Room

27. Teaming up with the Californian CESU to tease out cause and effect in long-term National Park Service monitoring data: Tidewater gobies, harbor seals, and Pinnacles’ prairie falcons
BEN BECKER, Science Advisor and Research Coordinator, National Park Service ([e-mail])
THUY-TIEN BUI, Former Science Communication Intern, CA-CESU, UC Berkeley ([e-mail]),
CEECEE CHEN, Data Science Intern, CA-CESU, UC Berkeley ([e-mail]),
SARAH CODDE, Marine Ecologist, Point Reyes National Seashore & San Francisco Bay Area Network ([e-mail])
GAVIN EMMONS, Pinnacles National Park & San Francisco Bay Area Network ([e-mail]),
DARREN FONG, Golden Gate National Recreation Area ([e-mail])
SILAS GIFFORD, Data Science Assistant, CA-CESU, UC Berkeley ([e-mail]),
NOOR WAHLE, Data Science Intern, CA-CESU, UC Berkeley ([e-mail]), and
SARAH WAKAMIYA, Data Manager, National Park Service Inventory & Monitoring Networks ([e-mail])

Cooperative Ecosystem Studies Units (CESUs) connect National Park Service (NPS) scientists and scholars with the non-federal research community (e.g., universities, NGOs, museums) to collaboratively conduct the scholarship, technical assistance, and education needed for park management. The goals of the program are fourfold: 1) train students in ecological science, analytical techniques and NPS management issues, 2) increase capacity to understand and use NPS data for management, 3) foster long-term partnerships between NPS and our CESU partners, and 4) introduce students and NPS staff to causal inference when performing statistical analyses. Here, we discuss preliminary results from three projects addressing NPS research needs. Each is being conducted by UC Berkeley students via the CESU: Endangered tidewater goby population drivers in Rodeo Lagoon, Golden Gate National Recreation Area; Prairie falcon population occupancy in Pinnacles National Park; and developing an automated aerial image count method for seals at Point Reyes National Seashore.

28. Mammals on the Marin landscape: Lessons from the Marin Wildlife Watch
BILL MERKLE, Wildlife Ecologist, Golden Gate National Recreation Area ([e-mail])
LIZZY EDSON, Data Manager, Golden Gate National Parks Conservancy ([e-mail])
RACHEL TOWNSEND, Wildlife Biologist, Golden Gate National Recreation Area ([e-mail])
SUE TOWNSEND, Wildlife Ecologist ([e-mail])

As we approach the ten-year anniversary of the Marin Wildlife Watch in 2024, we share lessons that mammals have taught us about the Marin landscape. Wildlife cameras are useful tools for monitoring mammals, which are typically difficult to observe. We established camera arrays on 0.5-km grids in the Lagunitas and Redwood Creek watersheds in Marin County. Native species richness was relatively high with 17 species detected, and five non-native mammals were detected. We recently added long-tailed weasels (Mustela frenata) and American black bears (Ursus americanus) to our list of native species detected. We also added the non-native eastern gray squirrel, which we were not previously aware was present in Marin forests. Black-tailed deer had the highest detection rate, followed by western gray squirrels, raccoons, and then gray foxes. We detected all the rare native species that we expected—American black bear, western spotted skunk, long-tailed weasel, American badger, and mountain lion—with ringtails remaining undetected. Their status in the Mt. Tamalpais area is unknown. Species-specific and group occupancy estimates appear to be stable and high for focal groups. Meso-carnivores tend to be represented at all our camera locations, with occupancy estimates generally above 0.5 for coyotes, bobcats, and gray fox. The Wildlife Picture Index, a measure of biodiversity, showed some potential seasonal declines from 2014-2017 in our northern array of cameras, warranting some caution and need for further assessment in the area. Overall, the mammal community appears to be in good condition and relatively stable.

29. Talons, beak, and feathers: Migratory raptors as ecological indicators
RYAN BOURBOUR, Environmental Scientist, California Department of Fish and Wildlife ([e-mail])
TERESA ELY, Banding Program Manager, Golden Gate Raptor Observatory ([e-mail])
ALLEN FISH, Director, Golden Gate Raptor Observatory ([e-mail])
ELISHA HULL, Associate Adjunct Professor, University of California, Davis ([e-mail])
BREANNA MARTINICO, PhD Candidate in Ecology, University of California, Davis ([e-mail])

Birds of prey, also known as raptors, are critical components of our ecosystems, yet monitoring raptor populations at large geographic scales is a logistical challenge. At raptor migration monitoring sites, birds of prey can be studied in large numbers as they travel along migration corridors and funnel through geographic bottlenecks. Through long-term monitoring, scientists can study migratory raptor populations that are representative of diverse species, ecosystems, and regions. For 40 years, the Golden Gate Raptor Observatory, a cooperative program of the Golden Gate National Parks Conservancy and the National Park Service, has been monitoring raptors of the Pacific Flyway through systematic counts and banding efforts. This long-term program has provided unique opportunities to collect samples from secretive top predators to reveal information about population health, anthropogenic stressors, and more recently migration diet. To learn more about migration diet, we pioneered a sampling protocol based on the use of swabs to reveal recently consumed prey items using an eDNA metabarcoding approach. In this talk, we highlight how raptor migration monitoring sites and long-term datasets can play critical roles in investigating ecological conditions and environmental health at a broad geographic scale.

SESSION | Tied to Water

2:40-3:15pm | Hawthorne Room

30. Influence of hydrologic gradients on stream biodiversity at Pinnacles National Park
TRAVIS M. APGAR, Evolutionary Ecologist, UC Berkeley Department of Environmental Science, Policy, and Management ([e-mail])
MICHAEL BOGAN, Assistant Professor, School of Natural Resources and the Environment, The University of Arizona
STEPHANIE CARLSON, Professor, UC Berkeley Department of Environmental Science, Policy, and Management
SHANG GAO, Assistant Professor, School of Natural Resources and the Environment, The University of Arizona
BRIAN A. GILL, Postdoctoral Research Associate, School of Natural Resources and the Environment, The University of Arizona
DAVE HERBST, Research Biologist, Marine Science Institute, UC Santa Barbara
ROSE MOHAMMADI, PhD Candidate, UC Berkeley Department of Environmental Science, Policy, and Management
ALBERT RUHI, Assistant Professor, UC Berkeley Department of Environmental Science, Policy, and Management

Pinnacles National Park harbors unique geological features, such as talus caves which, when combined with its Mediterranean climate, create a highly biodiverse patchwork of wet and dry stream habitat. In river ecology, streamflow variation is considered a “master variable,” as it strongly controls ecosystem structure and community composition. The intermittent nature of most of the stream network at Pinnacles affords us a unique opportunity to disentangle the effects of hydrologic variation (dry vs. wet), network position (headwater vs. mainstem), and dominant life history traits on aquatic macroinvertebrate community composition. Here, we repeatedly sampled 16 stream sites in Chalone Creek and its tributaries over a period of seven years (2015-2022) that encompassed strong fluctuations in hydroclimate. We then coupled these stream invertebrate data with hydrologic model outputs to examine whether changes in biodiversity over space and time were driven by long-term hydrologic variation. We found that three of our sampling locations within the stream network are perennial (flowing year-round), while the rest range in intermittency (flowing ~20-90% of the year). This heterogeneity influenced variation in invertebrate richness and composition throughout the network, with the most unique habitats being found at the bookends of the hydrologic gradient– ephemeral and perennial sites. These habitat types are home to rare and endemic taxa such as Baumanella alameda, an ephemeral specialist stonefly. As global climate change is expected to increase flow intermittency in California, our research may help inform monitoring and conservation efforts at Pinnacles National Park.

31. Eco-memories of extreme precipitation: Leveraging lake sediments from Point Reyes National Seashore, California, to understand 2,500 years of hydrology
CLARKE KNIGHT, Research Geographer, Geology, Minerals, Energy, and Geophysics Science Center, U.S. Geological Survey ([e-mail])

Last winter, California experienced 31 atmospheric river (AR) storms, resulting in an extraordinary snowpack, replenished reservoirs, and an end to drought conditions across the state. Despite these benefits, ARs can also generate significant natural hazards like flooding and landslides. Climate models predict increasing extreme precipitation and runoff due to heightened winter AR storm activity in California; however, the data underpinning these models are temporally limited. Lake sediments can preserve “eco-memories” of past intense rainfall, potentially over millennia. In this study, we link AR-related extreme precipitation from the last century to a natural archive of lake sediments with the goal of reconstructing 2,500 years of extreme hydrology. Our site – Wildcat Lake, Point Reyes National Seashore – is in the latitudinal zone which experiences the highest frequency landfall for modern ARs in California. We present a preliminary analysis of geochemical and physical properties data. Findings suggest a geochemical fingerprint reflecting extreme surface runoff to the lake through increased element concentrations (high Ti, Si/Al, K, Rb) in the lake sediments. These signals of extreme runoff coincided with years characterized by intense and long-lasting ARs. For example, there were 22 years since 1948 AD with extreme ARs and all 22 can be correlated to sedimentary layers. However, these results provide a conservative picture of AR detection because years with less intense ARs did not produce a sedimentary signal. Nonetheless, our dataset provides rare insight into past hydrology and context for flood hazard projections that are aided by historical datasets.

32. The Point Reyes Mountain Beaver (Aplodontia rufa phaea): History, current status, future prospect
ALAN SHABEL, Continuing Lecturer, UC Berkeley Department of Integrative Biology ([e-mail])

The mountain beaver (Aplodontia rufa) is the only extant species of a family (Aplodontiidae) that was once widespread across western North America. The current range of Aplodontia rufa extends from British Columbia to California, including two isolated subspecies on the northern California coast at Point Arena and Point Reyes. The Point Reyes mountain beaver (Aplodobtia rufa phaea) is known today only from Point Reyes National Seashore (PRNS), and a field survey is underway to establish the distribution of its population and the environmental correlates of its activity. Aplodontia is fossorial, typically constructing its burrows under dense vegetation, and it is active primarily at night. Aplodontia lacks the loop of Henle in its kidneys and cannot concentrate its urine; as a result, it tends to occupy cool, humid habitats on north-facing slopes where it can avoid desiccation and access preferred food items such as western swordfern (Polystichum munitum). Networks of Aplodontia burrows have been found in suitable habitat throughout the surveyed area of PRNS, and one location that was documented as a hotspot of mountain beaver activity over one century ago remains densely occupied today. Mountain beaver burrows provide habitat and shelter for a diverse small mammal community including Point Reyes jumping mice (Zapus trinotatus orarius). For this reason, Aplodontia probably should be categorized as a keystone species in addition to that of an ecosystem engineer. The fossil record indicates that the range of Aplodontia has contracted in northern California since the last Ice Age, and future climate changes that include warming, disruption to fog cycles, and increased wildfire severity are expected to negatively impact habitat availability for Aplodontia in Point Reyes.

33. SPECIAL SESSION | Keeping a pulse on the landscape: approaches to ecological health assessment

3:15-4:15pm | Ventana Room

LIZZY EDSON, Natural Resources Data Coordinator, Golden Gate National Recreation Area ([e-mail])
JENA HICKEY, Inventory & Monitoring Network Program Manager, National Park Service ([e-mail])
JANET KLEIN, Senior Director of Volunteers and Internships, Golden Gate National Parks Conservancy ([e-mail])
BILL MERKLE, Wildlife Ecologist, Golden Gate National Recreation Area ([e-mail])
YOLANDA MOLETTE, Director of Conservation & Community Science, Parks Conservancy ([e-mail])
LEWIS STRINGER, Associate Director of Natural Resources, Presidio Trust ([e-mail])

We know the value of long-term monitoring for keeping a pulse on landscapes, for detecting change, and for learning about the plants and wildlife in our care and how they can be best conserved. Three ways we conduct such ecological assessments on Bay Area public lands are through the 1) National Park Service's Inventory & Monitoring (I&M) Program, which tracks the status and health of park ecosystems service-wide, 2) One Tam's Peak Health program, centered on the ecosystems of Mt. Tamalpais and the first-of-its-kind effort to measure the health of a whole mountain, and 3) Presidio Environmental Health, a self-assessment of the Presidio Trust’s progress to increase biodiversity in the Presidio of San Francisco.
This panel conversation will discuss the concept and value of ecological health assessments and will provide an overview of these three programs. We’ll explore their purpose, impact, successes, challenges, similarities and differences through candid conversation about how these programs approach long-term monitoring on a landscape scale.. If you’re curious about the decisions that go into tracking ecosystems over time, how various types of data can be rolled up into a bigger picture, opportunities and challenges of different monitoring approaches, or in designing your own ecological assessment, this discussion is for you.

34. SPECIAL SESSION | Swiping Right on Seeds: an Interactive Talk on Ecological Variables to Consider when Seed Collecting for Restoration

3:15-4:15pm | Hawthorne Room

MARTINE GLAROS, Seed Ecologist, Golden Gate National Parks Conservancy ([e-mail])

In the restoration world, ethical seed collection means honoring the genetic diversity and ecotypes that evolved so intricately over time. The genetics of a plant population affect survival in the face of environmental challenges, such as disease, herbivory, or climate change. It’s not just plant survivorship that matters; a growing body of research shows that the genetic make-up of a single plant population can affect the diversity of other species in the ecosystem, including insects and microbes. With all this in mind,those who do seed collection and habitat restoration have a big responsibility. Taking genetic material out of a population (via seed collection), and bringing genetic material into a population (via outplanting plants that were grown from seed), can create risk of inbreeding and/or outbreeding depression.

When plant populations are more genetically diverse and/or less specialized, it’s safer to assume they have some resilience when it comes to both taking away and bringing in genetic material. When populations are less diverse, and/or exist as special ecotypes, seed collectors must exercise more caution to prevent inbreeding or outbreeding depression. But how can we know the genetics of a population without time-consuming, highly expensive genetic tests? This audience-interactive presentation shows how observable variables such as population size, distance between populations, seed dispersal mechanisms, and hybridization capacity can indicate which plant populations may be vulnerable to genetic depression.

POSTERS & DEMONSTRATIONS

4:15-5:15pm | Ventana Room

35. Assessing and enhancing monarch butterfly habitat in Marin County
NICOLETTE MICHEL, One Tam Community Science Fellow, Golden Gate National Parks Conservancy ([e-mail])
NICOLE PARRA, One Tam Community Science Intern, Golden Gate National Parks Conservancy ([e-mail])
LISETTE ARELLANO, One Tam Community Science Senior Program Manager, Golden Gate National Parks Conservancy ([e-mail])
MIA MONROE, Park Ranger and Marin Community Liaison, Golden Gate National Recreation Area ([e-mail])

The monarch butterfly (Danaus plexippus plexippus) is well known for its aposematic coloration and long seasonal migration. Western monarchs (subpopulation west of the Rocky Mountains) have experienced a dramatic decline of 99% since the 1980s (Pelton et al. 2019). In 2022, they were included on the IUCN Red List of Threatened Species as endangered, thoughhowever this classification does not provide legal or regulatory protection. In 2020, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service identified the monarchis species as a federal candidate for listing and California Department of Fish and Wildlife included the speciesmonarch butterfly on their Terrestrial and Vernal Pool Invertebrates of Conservation Priority list.

Through a grant from the Wildlife Conservation Board, the One Tam collaborative is assessing monarch breeding and overwintering habitats for enhancement to support this species as it migrates from inland to coastal areas of Marin County. Breeding and overwintering enhancement sites were selected on public lands in Marin County bBased on findingsthe results from the One Tam Milkweed Monitors community science project, historical records, and consultant evaluations of overwintering sites evaluations., breeding and overwintering enhancement sites were selected on public lands in Marin County.

At selected breeding sites, we investigated monarch breeding activity and phenologypatches of native milkweed over two years to understand where enhancements would be successful, and observed monarch breeding activity and milkweed phenology. Restoration actions at selected study patchesThis willould include actions such as collecting native milkweed seeds from these patches tto enhance and expand selected historic milkweed populations, as well as planting native nectar plants that adult butterflies need. Data was collected from Mount Burdell, (Novato, CA) and on Marin Water land using the IntegratedIntergrated Monarch Monitoring Program protocol.

36. Comparison of eelgrass population origin and genomic variation using 3RAD
KEEZEAN PAGUIO, Cell and Molecular Biology, Estuary and Ocean Science Center, San Francisco State University ([e-mail])
TAYLOR PANTIGA, M.S. Candidate in Interdisciplinary Marine and Estuarine Sciences, Biology Department, Estuary and Ocean Science Center, San Francisco State University ([e-mail])
ANNIE CHU, M.S. Student in Interdisciplinary Marine and Estuarine Sciences, Estuary and Ocean Science Center, San Francisco State University ([e-mail])
C SARAH COHEN, Biology Department, Estuary and Ocean Science Center, San Francisco State University ([e-mail])

Eelgrass (Zostera marina) is a coastal foundation species which provides environmental benefits such as blue carbon storage and wave attenuation. When planning conservation efforts, it is important to promote connectivity between estuarine and coastal eelgrass populations, particularly between the urbanized San Francisco Bay estuary and nearby coastal sites within the Point Reyes National Seashore (PRNS). We used genome-wide triple restriction-enzyme associated DNA (3RAD) sequencing to compare eelgrass samples from central California within San Francisco Bay (three sites), outside the bay in PRNS (two sites), and two outlier locations in Washington state. We extracted DNA using a liquid nitrogen and CTAB protocol, then quantified and evaluated the quality of the DNA using gel electrophoresis and a Qubit. Next, the samples were normalized via DNA precipitation to a concentration of 20ng/uL. Finally, we performed the 3RAD protocol to create individual libraries to be sequenced. This was done in a genetics workshop, RADCamp2023, at Columbia University, New York, where participants did additional benchwork as well as bioinformatic analysis of RAD data. This process selectively sequenced the genomes of our samples and we compared genetic diversity across sites. We found that samples from beds which were farther apart showed greater genetic differentiation. While results illustrated regional distinctions, individual sites within a region showed genetic mixing. We infer this is because genetic distance increases with geographic distance due to limited gene flow.

37. Eelgrass wasting disease at a successful restoration site
KAZ DAVILA, Marine Biology Student, Estuary and Ocean Science Center, San Francisco State University ([e-mail])
SARILA YOUNG, M.S. Candidate in Interdisciplinary Marine and Estuarine Sciences, Biology Department, Estuary and Ocean Science Center, San Francisco State University ([e-mail])
C SARAH COHEN, Principal Investigator, Biology Department, Estuary and Ocean Science Center, San Francisco State University ([e-mail])

Eelgrass (Zostera marina) provides important ecosystem services such as filtering pathogens, serving as a carbon sink, and providing habitat for fisheries species. Labyrinthula zosterae (Laby), seagrass wasting disease, spreads via blade-to-blade contact. Laby produces dark lesions on blades, negatively affecting eelgrass photosynthesis and its spread worldwide has resulted in large eelgrass die-offs historically. A National Park Service (NPS) successful passive eelgrass restoration project in Drakes Estero, Point Reyes National Seashore (PRNS) removed abandoned debris that interfered with eelgrass populations. Following debris removal, beds have passively regrown, though in a limited way in areas that required greater excavation (Major Debris). Local research has indicated higher levels of Laby in denser beds at Drakes Estero in comparison of PRNS and San Francisco Bay sites. Here, we focused on the amount of Laby lesions at Drakes Estero restoration sites, comparing major debris and control transects. Gathering data on regrowth and presence of lesion damage from the NPS successful project could benefit future Z. marina repopulation efforts. Here, subtidal blades were assessed for lesion coverage using photographs and image analysis. We predicted that Z. marina beds from the Control transects would have more wasting disease as there is greater chance of blade-to-blade contact due to a higher bed density. In this case, managing density during restorations could be an important strategy for disease control.

38. Seasonal differences in behavior between Leptasterias spp. in extreme intertidal habitats
CASSANDRA VANIOTIS, M.S. Candidate in Integrative Biology, Estuary and Ocean Science Center, San Francisco State University ([e-mail])
ROGER BLAND, Physics Department, Estuary and Ocean Science Center, San Francisco State University
([e-mail])
C SARAH COHEN, Biology Department, Estuary and Ocean Science Center, San Francisco State University ([e-mail])

Leptasterias sea stars inhabit the rocky intertidal, an environment defined by physical stress in a constrained area where animals must adapt to periods of arid and submerged conditions. Physical stress such as temperature, sea level, and wave force are exacerbated by climate change through the increasing frequency and intensity of summer heat waves and winter storms. Sea star behavior may be a measure of intertidal predator/prey response to increasing physical stress. Additionally, detection of Leptasterias in Central California has declined with the onset of sea star wasting disease. Leptasterias spp. are limited dispersers which increases their potential for local adaptation and habitat partitioning. Behavioral variation in Leptasterias collected in extreme intertidal zones suggest a potential tradeoff between tenacity to hold on in wave-exposed areas and agility to chase down prey in wave-protected areas. Previous studies conducted primarily during summer months found L. pusilla more commonly in wave-exposed areas and L. aequalis in wave-protected areas. I measured behaviors in winter months to compare to summer with the hypothesis that increased winter storm activity would displace stars and reduce behavioral variation. Across both habitats, faster righting (the ability to turn over to normal position) is seen in the summer season. There is less variation in attachment between seasons than there is in righting response, possibly suggesting wave-protected stars are not effectively displaced to wave-exposed habitats.

39. Comparison of seagrass wasting disease intensity in north-central California
TAYLOR PANTIGA, M.S. Candidate in Interdisciplinary Marine and Estuarine Sciences, Biology Department, Estuary and Ocean Science Center, San Francisco State University ([e-mail])
KAI ATKINSON, former STAR Teacher Researcher, Department of Secondary Education, San Francisco State University
ELORA CHATAIN, Biology Department, Estuary and Ocean Science Center, San Francisco State University
C SARAH COHEN, Biology Department, Estuary and Ocean Science Center, San Francisco State University ([e-mail])

Global seagrass populations have been declining at a rate of 110 km2 per year since 1980 (Waycott et al. 2009). This includes local populations of eelgrass (Zostera marina) along North America’s west coast. The loss of eelgrass beds can be attributed to both human and environmental impacts. One environmental impact threatening eelgrass is Labyrinthula zosterae, a net-slime mold that causes seagrass wasting disease (SWD). SWD is currently present at low levels in north-central California, but longer droughts due to climate change may lead to increased water temperatures and higher salinity in California’s bays and estuaries. Elevated temperature and salinity are favorable conditions for L. zosterae. This could cause die-offs in local eelgrass beds that protect our shores and provide habitat for economically important species. In this study, we collected eelgrass blades at three tidal heights from three sites in San Francisco Bay and three sites in Point Reyes National Seashore. Using ImageJ, we measured the percent lesion coverage on eelgrass blades collected from each site to compare disease levels between sites during the summer of 2021 and 2022. We expected to see more disease in intertidal beds in urbanized San Francisco Bay compared to protected beds in Point Reyes National Seashore. Instead, we found higher levels of disease at sites within Point Reyes National Seashore, specifically at Drakes Estero. Understanding the current state of seagrass wasting disease in north-central California is valuable knowledge for managing eelgrass beds to limit the impacts of the disease.

40. Aftermath of severe winter storms on a colonial tunicate invading the rocky intertidal of CA
ANNIE CHU, M.S. Student in Interdisciplinary Marine and Estuarine Sciences, Estuary and Ocean Science Center, San Francisco State University ([e-mail])
TYLER SOBERANIS, B.S. Computer Science/Math, Memorial University of Newfoundland
EMILY CHAPMAN, Biology/Biochemistry Student, Estuary and Ocean Science Center, San Francisco State University
C SARAH COHEN, Biology Department, Estuary and Ocean Science Center, San Francisco State University ([e-mail])

The San Francisco Bay is affected by many invasive species, but less than a handful have ranges extending to the relatively untouched outer coast of California. Didemnum vexillum (Dvex) is a yellowish, highly invasive colonial tunicate, an invertebrate that has spread to fouling communities worldwide. Dvex is abundant at Point Bonita, a national park site at the mouth of the Golden Gate, demonstrating the spread of invasive species to the outer coast from more common bay and fouling community sites. After back-to-back atmospheric rivers deposited heavy rainfall across the span of five months during winter 2022-2023, Dvex at Point Bonita was significantly reduced; remaining colonies were thin, patchy, and heavily regressed. Similar Dvex population loss after heavy rainfall has been observed on the Irish east coast. These results suggest that salinity stress and mechanical removal of colonies on rolling boulders due to high wave energy had severe impacts on population abundance at Point Bonita. Data collected across survey trips before and after heavy winter storms revealed the extent to which they affected Dvex abundance at Point Bonita, documenting the gradual resurgence of Dvex populations during summer 2023. Several management strategies have been discussed, and spot treatments showed promise. As Dvex continues to spread along the outer coast from this crucial site, intertidal and subtidal ecosystems will be smothered by this highly invasive species. Understanding how increasing storms interact with invasive species at sites like these will help with shaping management plans.

41. Searching for hidden jewels: The quest to survey the distribution and habitat of the elusive “Pinnacles jewelflower”
AMELIA RYAN, Vegetation Ecologist, Pinnacles National Park ([e-mail])
LUIS OROZCO-SANCHEZ, UC Berkeley Student, ([e-mail])
N. IVALÚ CACHO, Senior Researcher, Department of Botany, Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México

Though identified nearly 20 years ago as a probable new species, the “Pinnacles Jewelflower” has languished as “undescribed” and very little is known about it. At last, this extremely rare endemic plant species is in the process of being described. With new genetic analysis complete, the Pinnacles National Park partnered with UC Berkeley to study the habitat and distribution of the species within the park. The extra wet winter and spring caused much higher-than-average germination and coupled with an unusually adventurous and tenacious intern, we had an unprecedented opportunity to understand its distribution and habitat. This new information will allow us to complete its description, protect its habitat even on years when the plant has low germination, and better plan for a changing climate—critical to ensuring that this rarity is preserved.

42. Giants live here: Sparking curiosity and action for California giant salamander conservation through community science and art
LISETTE ARELLANO, , One Tam Community Science Senior Program Manager, Golden Gate National Parks Conservancy ([e-mail])
BRIA BOOSE, Biology Master’s Student, San Francisco State University ([e-mail])
ANGEL MEZA, Biology Student, Cty College of San Francisco ([e-mail])

The California giant salamander (Dicamptodon ensatus) is a charismatic and iconic species that lives in Mt. Tam’s streams and forests. Known for its protruding eyes, marbled skin, and appetite for banana slugs, at between roughly 7 to 12 inches long, it is among the largest terrestrial salamanders on the planet. The species is found only from Santa Cruz to Sonoma Counties, and is notably absent from the San Francisco peninsula, East Bay, and Petaluma Gap. Additionally, recent evidence suggests that the Marin, Santa Cruz, and Sonoma County populations are genetically distinct from one another. Although not federally listed, several organizations consider the salamander a species of concern, underscoring the need for further monitoring and protection.

Though a large portion of its suitable forested habitat is found in Marin County in the One Tam area of focus, limited data precluded the inclusion of this species in One Tam's 2016 Measuring the Health of a Mountain report. Though much remains to be learned about this species, in this poster we describe new tools that present some potentially exciting future directions for conservation of this species on Mt. Tamalpais:

• Advances in availability of contemporary crowdsourced data (e.g., iNaturalist) and historical data. We successfully deployed a community science campaign to create a fine-scale map of salamander occurrence, collect demographic data, and identify potential causes of salamander mortality.
• A pilot education and outreach effort to help increase our baseline understanding of this species’ distribution and promote salamander-friendly behaviors and amphibian disease surveillance. We demonstrate the use of 3D printed models to spark curiosity and inquiry about salamanders.

43. Can we now hindcast the coastal morphology of Drakes Estero back to 1579?
PHILIP B. WILLIAMS, Former President & Hydrologist, Philip Williams and Associates ([e-mail])

In 1579 the English sea captain Francis Drake careened his ship the Golden Hind in Drakes Estero. In 1595 the Spanish Manila galleon San Agustin was shipwrecked off Limantour Beach. Interaction between the English and Spanish with the Coast Miwok provided the first written documentation of their vibrant culture before near extinction by Spanish mission colonization 200 years later. These early accounts also described flora, fauna and geography of the area. While the general location of the European encampment has been identified, and the Estero is now recognized as a Federal and State Historic Site, an important question remains. How different would the Estero’s landscape have been in the late 16th century from what we see now? Recent research on forecasting shoreline evolution in response to climate change might now be used to hindcast the historic geomorphology in this dynamic coastal environment. A historic reconstruction of the landscape could inform our understanding of the historic ecology as well as historic locations. It would need to incorporate new findings on drivers such as sea level rise, tsunamis, earthquakes, cliff erosion, barrier beach transgression, as well as anthropogenic influences such as watershed erosion and exotic dune grasses. Drakes Estero is an excellent place to attempt such an effort because it is unique. It is the only intact publicly protected, large-scale meso-tidal estuary on the Pacific North American coast; and since Point Reyes National Seashore’s implementation of its restoration program, its tidally influenced habitat is largely unmodified by human activities.

44. Hoary for the home team: Migratory connectivity of California's hoary bats
GABRIEL REYES, Biologist, Western Ecological Research Center, U.S. Geological Survey ([e-mail])

The hoary bat (Lasiurus cinereus) is a solitary, tree-roosting migratory bat species that is suffering high fatality rates at wind energy facilities and may be experiencing population declines. High concentrations of hoary bats have been documented in coastal regions of California during the fall, winter, and spring, suggesting that this region of California is an important wintering destination and/or migration corridor. We have conducted one year of automated telemetry data collection using the Motus network as part of a hoary bat migration ecology study. To date, we have transmittered 12 hoary bats with Lotek nanotags, including eight during the fall, two during the winter, and two during the summer. We have had subsequent Motus detections of three bats, all exhibiting vastly different detection and movement patterns. One hoary bat flew north to Washington State shortly after capture in October—a trip of over 1,000 km in 16 days. One was detected on local Motus receivers. The third was detected during spring migration, six months after capture, 520 km southeast of our capture and tagging location. We are adapting methods from bird banding mark-resight data analysis to make use of these sparse detections and develop our understanding of migratory connectivity in hoary bats.