United States Forest Service Grant: Over the coming year Dr. Sam Sweet, Curator of Herpetology, will be conducting a status review for 75 species of amphibians and reptiles that are candidates for designation as Regionally Sensitive Species on U.S. Forest Service lands throughout California. The goal of this USFS-sponsored project is to revise and expand the current list of sensitive species to better reflect recent research on genetic fragmentation, systematics and population trends in California species, to assess vulnerability of habitats to both natural and anthropogenic disturbances, and to identify land management practices that may place species at risk on National Forest lands. Effects on sensitive species must be considered in many National Forest actions, and the revised list is intended to help guide land management decisions across the 20 million acres of National Forest lands in California.
Vandenberg Air Force Base Grant: Steve Rothstein and Mark Holmgren recently received renewal of their grant to study riparian bird species on Vandenberg Air Force Base. This will allow them to collect quantitative data on the distribution and abundance of riparian bird species and will result in an extensive and uniquely valuable dataset from eight different years since these studies began in 1996. Besides assessing riparian habitat use by birds of special interest, the 12-year time series will allow Steve and Mark to determine ongoing trends in the abundances of numerous bird species.
Conservation Book Gift: This spring the Cheadle Center Library was one of 851 museums, libraries, and archives selected to receive the IMLS Connecting to Collections Bookshelf, funded by the Institute for Museum and Library Services and the American Association of State and Local History. We received 15 books and three DVDs on collections care and preservation, ranging in topics from disaster preparedness, housekeeping, legal issues of acquiring objects, to culturally specific conservation issues. This set of books represents a valuable core collection that will assist CCBER curatorial staff in managing collections according to best practices, in communicating the value of CCBER’s collections to stakeholders on campus and in our community, and in helping to preserve them for generations to come. They will also be crucial for staff members who will be participating this year in the Museum Assessment Program, a year-long self study of collection care practices and procedures. |
