Conservation Update Summer 2014

CONSERVATION UPDATE L E A D I N G T H E F I G H T AG A I N S T E X T I N C T I O N

LOOKING FOR CONDORS AND FINDING INSPIRATION Christopher Tubbs, Ph.D.

Scientist, Reproductive Physiology

There’s a rule in my family on road trips: my wife drives, I ride shotgun.

Given her propensity for car sickness and my tendency to focus more on sightseeing than paying attention to the road, this arrangement works well for us. And so it was two Octobers ago, when I found myself in the

Photo courtesy of Tim Huntington/tim@webnectar.com

passenger seat on our first trip up

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the West Coast to explore Big Sur and the Monterey Peninsula. I had two jobs on that trip. First, I was to successfully navigate to Carmel and back. My second task was a taller order: to find a free-flying, wild California condor.

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On day two of the trip, my wife, my daughter, and I shared a picnic lunch with the elephant seals of San Simeon, then took the Pacific Coast Highway (PCH) north into Big Sur. Around every bend views of rocky cliffs appeared, descending into the restless, blue-green Pacific, with each new one seeming more impressive than the last. The high marine layer subdued the colors of the landscape with a grayish tint, making it look as cool and damp as it actually felt. As we travelled the road along the coast I eagerly searched for the big birds. I’m not sure what I was expecting, but I was a little disappointed by the lack of “birdiness” that day. For 90 miles, I put my binoculars on every large, black bird, only to confirm they were turkey vultures. That afternoon we arrived in Carmel, yet I had successfully completed only half of my goals for the trip.

The following day was spent exploring Big Sur in earnest.

We hiked through redwoods, saw the famous McWay Falls, then headed down to the water at Partington Cove, where we sat on the beach and watched waves crash over the shore. It was a perfect moment, but it was also lunchtime, so we headed back to our car. By the time we started up PCH toward our picnic spot, it happened.

Since this is a family friendly publication, I can’t write

exactly what my wife said when a condor surprised us, flying 20 feet from the car. Suffice it to say her description of the bird’s size will never again lead me to confuse a turkey vulture for a condor.

With race car driver precision, she executed a U-turn and had us parked back on the side of the road in seconds. I jumped out with my camera only to miss the shot before he landed on the cliff, too far for photos but close enough to see “51” on his wing tag through the binoculars. Then, two more condors joined him and we sat in awe, happy to just watch them.

Big Sur is one of the few places where condors are

reestablished in the wild—yet they still face significant challenges from pollution. Specifically, shells of eggs laid by Big Sur females are extremely thin and prone to breakage, possibly from contaminants in the carcasses of sea lions and other marine mammals that wash up on the shore and become meals for these condors. As I watched #51 and friends, I was inspired to begin research to solve this problem.

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CONSERVATION UPDATE

COVER: California condor #550, a juvenile female, makes a low pass over sea lions on her way down to the beach at Big Sur. BELOW: Looking north along the Big Sur coast.

Christopher Tubbs, Ph.D.

Condor #470, named Fuego, perches above a colony of sea lions in search of his next meal.

Back at the Institute, I spoke with Rachel Gerrard, a

research lab technician in our division. In just over a year, she developed a condor assay, tested over a dozen contaminants present in the Big Sur food web, and identified those most likely to cause reproductive harm. Now we can use this information to ensure future condor reintroductions will be in habitats with low risk of chemical exposure.

Nearly a year to the day after our first condor sighting,

I was back in Big Sur, following a meeting at the University of California at Santa Cruz to discuss future condor research plans.

Once again, my wife spotted a condor. I knelt on the shoulder of PCH, pressed tightly against the guardrail while supporting my camera. Twenty-five feet away, #470, named Fuego, was perched on a rock high above a barking colony of sea lions. After what Christopher Tubbs, Ph.D.

seemed like an hour—but was really more like 15 minutes—he hopped off the rock, extended his huge wings, and soared out over the ocean, circling back to make a slow pass over the sea lions before disappearing over the cliff. I couldn’t ask for a more perfect conclusion to any day.

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FROM RIDGE TO REEF: COMMUNITY-BASED CONSERVATION IN BAJA CALIFORNIA STORY BY SAMANTHA YOUNG, SENIOR RESEARCH TECHNICIAN, CONSERVATION EDUCATION

ILLUSTRATIONS COURTESY OF UKO GORTER

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CONSERVATION UPDATE

Traditional gill nets can trap vaquitas.

Have you ever thought about what happens when this planet loses a species?

Sometimes it goes unnoticed by us, but it is always keenly felt throughout the ecosystems affected by that animal or plant.

We are in the midst of the Earth’s sixth and greatest extinction event. One species that is on the verge of extinction is the vaquita marina, or “calf of the ocean,” a porpoise native to Baja California’s Gulf of California. With fewer than 250 individuals in the wild population, it is the most endangered marine mammal in the world. It is also the smallest whale, and one of the most appealing, with its stylish black “eyeliner” and “lipstick.” The vaquita is also a top tier predator of smaller marine creatures, keeping their populations in check and the ecosystem in balance.

We know teachers and their students are immensely creative in finding conservation solutions: they are often motivators within their community. That’s why we now work with Mexican teachers on a curriculum titled From the Ridge to the Reef in San Felipe, Baja California, which also includes California condors, bighorn sheep, and giant cardon cacti. Teachers use a learning approach enabling students to engage family and friends to find a possible solution to a conservation problem, then present the idea to their community.

Antonella Wilby

Antonella Wilby

In the Gulf of California, fisheries are extremely important to the local and international economy: the U.S. is the most important market for Mexican seafood. If shrimp fishing continues as it is, we may lose a species that we love so much and on which a large part of Mexico’s economy depends. So how do we reconcile the stability of the local economy and international demand with its negative effects on the ecosystem? How can we persuade the fishing industry to choose the alternative vaquita-safe net that is now available?

Samantha (third from left) with a school group in San Felipe.

But we need your help! Many of our day-to-day actions can have a positive environmental impact, such as purchasing shrimp caught in vaquita-safe nets. Each of us can help species on the brink of extinction. With only a few hundred of these beautiful, mysterious, and ecologically important porpoises remaining in the wild, urgent action is needed now. Culturally conscious, grass roots, community-based conservation—whether local or international—is one way we’re making a stand to protect vulnerable species.

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MEET A CONSERVATION RESEARCHER

rachel gerrard

Rachel Gerrard has gravitated to zoos ever since her high school days in Arkansas. When her grandmother treated her to a trip as a graduation gift, Rachel chose the San Diego Zoo. While attending Missouri State University and majoring in biology, Rachel worked as an assistant zoo keeper at Dickerson Park Zoo. “I was always interested in zoos and the work they do,” she said. Her work there, paired with reproductive physiology courses at college, sparked her interest in conservation research, specifically in reproductive physiology. Many scientists in that field start out wanting to be veterinarians, and Rachel was no exception. In high school, she worked at a veterinary clinic, and the owner, Niki Lungsford, D.V.M., remains one of her most inspirational influences. “She was in charge and ran every aspect of the veterinary business,” said Rachel. “She was a positive, good mentor for me.”

Daring to dream big, Rachel later landed a summer fellow position doing research in the Reproductive Physiology lab at the Institute and then earned her master’s degree in animal science this year. “I wanted to work with animals at first, but now I love working with hormones!”

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CONSERVATION UPDATE

Photo courtesy of Samantha Young

Research Lab Technician, Reproductive Physiology

By Karyl Carmignani, Staff Writer, Publications Department

Samantha Young SENIOR Research Technician, Conservation Education

By Karyl Carmignani, Staff Writer, Publications Department For almost three years Samantha Young has worked for the Conservation Education Division. “It’s the perfect job for me,” Sam said. “I could not have dreamed up a better job that combines research, working with people, and teaching about the things I love: life science and conservation.” Her work in Peru with communities that live adjacent to Andean bear habitat has broadened her worldview: “It is a rich culture with so much biodiversity and wildlife,” she said.

At Los Angeles Valley Community College, Sam was drawn to biology. Transferring to the University of California at San Diego as a biological anthropology major, she says that “my interest in evolution, human origins, and different cultures was piqued.” Next, Sam worked at the Safari Park, where she realized she wanted to work with people and teach in a research setting. Going to San Diego State University for her master’s degree in evolutionary biology was an incredible learning environment: “It was focused on master’s students and had the mentorship and resources that made it an invaluable experience.” Sam planned to become a biology professor, but then she heard about the summer student fellowship program at the Institute. Happily, she was hired at the end of the fellowship. “My co-workers are brilliant, fun, and hardworking people—it’s a pleasure to work with them,” she said.

CONSERVATION RESEARCH GIFTS & GRANTS A gift in memory of Florence “Sis” H. Andrews will provide needed equipment for the Paul Harter Veterinary Medical Center. The Annenberg Foundation continued their multiyear commitment to enable students from Los Angeles County to participate in hands-on science lessons in the Conservation Education Lab as well as for general operating funds for the Institute for Conservation Research. An anonymous donor made multiple donations to support conservation programs for mountain yellow-legged frogs and golden eagles as well as to purchase needed equipment for the Reproductive Physiology lab. An anonymous donor made a gift to support Conservation Education outreach programs in Asia. A grant from the Arcus Foundation will help to conserve biodiversity in Nigeria and in Cameroon’s Ebo Forest. Richard and Sarah Aten made a donation to purchase bioacoustic monitoring equipment in support of cheetah conservation studies. A grant from The Bailey Wildlife Foundation advances efforts in California condor conservation research and wind energy impact mitigation.

A grant from the S. D. Bechtel Foundation will allow San Francisco Bay area teachers to participate in Summer Teacher Workshops in Conservation Science. The Beckman Coulter Foundation will bring students from Fullerton High School to the Conservation Education Lab for hands-on science modules.

A STEM education program on spatial ecology will be made possible through a grant from the Broadcom Foundation. The Butcher Fund gave a grant in support of endangered species field conservation through the Applied Animal Ecology Division. A gift made by Lisa and Frank Chapman will provide scholarships for the Summer Teacher Workshops in Conservation Science. Gifts from Carolyn and Robert Condon will support education programs and research at Cocha Cashu Biological Station in the Amazon as well as Andean bear conservation in Peru. A grant from the Conservation, Food and Health Foundation will fund a study of plant and animal interactions in Peru’s forests. A gift from Georgia Griffiths and Colleen Kendall supported the California Condor Reintroduction Program in Baja California, Mexico. A grant from the County Supervisor’s Office of Dave Roberts will provide Conservation Education Lab students with the use of digital field notebooks. The International Iguana Foundation gave a grant for Anegada iguana translocations and genetic studies.

The Llagas Foundation gave a grant to make possible an Avian Incubation Workshop through the Reproductive Physiology Division. A grant to study loss of vertebrate species in tropical forests was awarded by the National Geographic Society.

A grant from the Otay Mesa Grassland Mitigation Fund at the San Diego Foundation will make possible a burrowing owl spatial ecology pilot study. The Harriet E. Pfleger Foundation gave a grant to elephant conservation through the Behavioral Ecology Division. A gift made by the Slaughter family will provide scholarships for the Summer Teacher Workshops in Conservation Science. A grant from the Don and Marie Van Ness Fund at the San Diego Foundation will help supplement the Bud Heller Conservation Fellowship. A gift made in honor of Penny Wilson, a longtime educator, will provide scholarships for Summer Teacher Workshops in Conservation Science.

Tim Huntington/tim@webnectar.com

The Institute for Conservation Research is grateful to the following for their investments in endangered species conservation:

California condors Fuego and Amigo flying near Big Sur cliffs.

TECHNOLOGY WITH A CONSERVATION PURPOSE Now we have technology that helps our research team use computers to pinpoint where animals like condors and giant pandas roam. The Ellen Browning Scripps Foundation Spatial Ecology Lab at the Arnold and Mabel Beckman Center for Conservation Research houses high-powered computer workstations as well as GPS and GIS devices that advance conservation of California condors and other endangered species in their wild habitats. A generous grant from the Scripps Foundation will expand our capabilities in aerial remote tracking, spatial modeling, and data analysis to bring new insights into animal behaviors and movements in difficult terrain.

SHARING A PASSION FOR EDUCATION Cocha Cashu Biological Station in Peru has been called a naturalist’s dream, drawing scientists from around the world to the Peruvian Amazon. One couple’s goal to empower student conservationists at the local level has led to a wonderful gift: the Carolyn and Robert Condon Tropical Ecology Studies Scholarships. “We only hope and trust that the students will find their efforts rewarded with life-changing experiences that will spur them to a lifelong dedication to their country, its irreplaceable resources, and the good they are doing for all mankind. It is so exciting for us to have our little part in this grand plan.”

– Carolyn and Bob Condon, Virginia

boats to bring Our team relies on small the team named so , shu Ca cha Co them to Carolina.

La or, one in Carolyn’s hon

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ZOOLOGICAL SOCIETY OF SAN DIEGO Development Department Post Office Box 120551 San Diego, California 92112

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CONSERVATION UPDATE EDITOR

Members of the Reproductive Physiology, Applied Animal Ecology, and Conservation Education divisions traveled to India to visit the Wildlife SOS sloth bear rescue facility in preparation for a new research and education collaboration.

Staff from the Wildlife Disease Labs began investigating an alarmingly high rate of malformations and disease in amphibians inhabiting the Archipelago of Fernando de Noronha, a UNESCO World Heritage Site in Brazil.

In collaboration with the Charles Darwin Foundation and Galápagos National Park, we successfully established a captivepropagation facility at the Charles Darwin Research Station to aid in the recovery of the critically endangered mangrove finch.

Mary Sekulovich SPECIAL THANKS TO CONSERVATION UPDATE CONTRIBUTORS

In a ceremony attended by the village population and leaders from Douala, who have promised to work for the conservation of biodiversity in Cameroon’s Ebo Forest, we have launched our third “Clubs des Amis des Gorilles,” or Friends of Gorillas Clubs.

Banked cells from the Frozen Zoo® are being used to sequence the genomes of four blackfooted ferrets in an effort to restore valuable genetic variation to the wild population.

Allison Alberts, Ph.D. Maggie Aleksic Karyl Carmignani Rachel Gerrard Georgeanne Irvine Judy Kinsell James Sheppard, Ph.D. Christopher Tubbs, Ph.D. Samantha Young GRAPHIC DESIGN

Kara Bigelman Eganhouse PHOTOGRAPHS/ ILLUSTRATIONS

Ken Bohn, SDZG Photographer Uko Gorter Tim Huntington Christopher Tubbs, Ph.D. Samantha Young Antonella Wilby

Our Applied Plant Ecology team initiated experiments to determine how species richness, functional traits, and soil amendments affect restoration outcomes for 10 native coastal sage scrub species at Lake Hodges, San Diego County.

For more information about San Diego Zoo Global’s worldwide conservation efforts and how you can help, please call us at 760-747-8702, option 2, ext. 5762.

© 2014 Zoological Society of San Diego.

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