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| Nature
Notes Archives: Critters
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With
Recovery Efforts Underway, Danger still exists for the frogs But now the bad news: while efforts to restore habitat in some lakes and streams is meeting with great success, a new disease is emerging which threatens those tenuous gains. The Chytrid fungus is wiping out populations throughout the Sierra and not much is known about how it's killing frogs. |
The
Mountain Yellow-legged Frog is Recovering in Sequoia and Kings Canyon
National Parks |
Partners
in Protection |
Winter
Wildlife in Tuolumne Meadows |
Using
bat assemblages as a measure of ecosystem health Quick: how many species of bats in Yosemite? What's the second largest order of mammals in North America? Why do we know so little about them? Bats are a critical part of the Sierra ecosystem and, because they eat insects, also play a vital role in indicating the health of an ecosystem. |
New
Threat to Mountain Yellow-legged Frogs? Work continues to find the causes for the precipitous decline of the Sierra's Mountain Yellow-legged frog. Recent work suggests that, in addition to introduced non-native fish, a fungus may be also be a serious threat. Once more intrepid biologists wade through icy mountain lakes and streams in search of answers. |
Preservation
of a Healthy Black Bear Population in the Sierra Nevada Mountain
Range through Interagency Cooperation Keeping one step ahead of bears intent on getting your food is a job now being carried out cooperatively by several Sierra land management agencies. Their goal is to get bears out foraging for roots and grubs, rather than your backpack or ice chest. The guiding principle of the Sierra Interagency Black Bear Group is to never underestimate an animal you can teach to ride a bicycle... |
An
Analysis of Human Pathogens Found in Horse/Mule Manure Along
the John Muir Trail in Kings Canyon and Sequoia and Yosemite
National Parks Each year, thousands of horses and mules leave tons of manure along Sierra trails. What are the potential health risks to people drinking from Sierra streams? The answers are encouraging for both horse owners and backcountry hikers. |
Persistence
of pikas in two low-elevation national monuments in the western
United States Mountain
Lion and Human Interactions in Yosemite National Park A dramatic rise in puma sightings and apparent changes in puma behavior raise concerns about increased risks to visitor safety in Yosemite National Park. How much time are pumas spending in developed areas and what are they doing while they are there? Update (11/03): Park biologists had to euthanize two Mountain lions in Yosemite Valley because of possible danger to visitors. The lions were hunting raccoons — attracted by food left by campers — in heavily used areas. Full Story. |
The
Naming of Beetle Rock at Giant Forest, Sequoia National Park:
How the Rock got a Name, The World Discovered an Insect, and
An Enthusiastic Amateur Entomologist Started a Career Meet, at long last, the Beetle of Beetle Rock: a naturalist launches a nationwide search for the elusive Trachykele opulenta Fall, 1906, that gave Sequoia Park's Beetle Rock its name. |
| Do
trails fragment meadows more than we think? A bug's view. The authors investigate the effects of hiking trails on insects and other invertebrate populations in Sierran meadows. Become acquainted with this diverse — but almost unknown — community beneath the grasses. |
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Good News For Sierra
Sheep |
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Following
the Frogs For over a million years, generations of mountain yellow-legged frogs have sunned themselves on the shores of Sierran lakes. In the last 20 years, their population has been crashing. Biologists have now visited almost 8000 lakes, including all lakes of Yosemite and Sequoia-Kings Canyon National Parks, to establish a definitive survey of their numbers and range. |
| Sierra
Nevada Bighorn Sheep: a Brief History by John Wehausen, PhD President, Sierra Nevada Bighorn Sheep Foundation “Were granite to come to life, it would undoubtedly look like a bighorn sheep, so perfectly do they blend into that habitat” writes Dr. Wehausen of the endangered Sierra bighorn sheep. Numbering no more than 100 individuals only a few years ago, the scattered and isolated bands may be inching back from extinction. Update 1/23/03: See Current Events. |
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Giardia
Lamblia and
Giardiasis Is Giardia
lamblia really the scourge of hikers in the Sierra backcountry?
Test question: statistically, which would help more in prevention
of giardiasis, a water filter or soap? |
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Search
for Rare Furbearers Leads CSERC Staff into Remote Corners of
the Forest |
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A
Summer Spent Saving Frogs: Based on recent research in the Sierra, restoring the habitat of the endangered mountain yellow-legged frog has become critical to their survival. Biologist Ryan Peek describes his summer spent fishin'. |
Searching
for Slender Salamanders: Always the sign of a good job: getting paid to be a kid. Come with John as he searches for the elusive and cuddly Batrachoseps. |
| The
Mountain Yellow-Legged Frog: Can They be Saved? Vance Vredenburg, Ph.D Museum of Vertebrate Zoology, Department of Integrative Biology, University of California, Berkeley Recently proposed for endangered species listing, the Mountain Yellow-legged frog has been rapidly disappearing from high country lakes and streams. Researchers find a culprit. |
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