Earth's Keepers: An Update from the Field

A red-tailed hawk (Burteo jamaicensis) perched on the roof of a house in a suburban neighborhood.

A weekly walkthrough of what has been going on and a look at what is coming up!

“Preserve and cherish the pale blue dot, the only home we’ve ever known.” —Carl Sagan

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Human Encroachment

Progress or Disruption?

The human population is on the rise and it isn't stopping at the borders of our natural landscape. People are also looking to escape the more crowded streets of the city to settle in solitude in remote areas at an increasing rate. This comes with consequences that are causing humans and wildlife to come into conflict more and more as time moves forward. The image above of the hawk on the rooftop was taken in my backyard. Living in a suburban area doesn't mean you will escape these conflicts. Animals like the hawk, coyote, deer and even the mountain lion are trying to cope with us taking up more of their home by searching more intensively to find food, shelter and water. All of these things are typically readily available when humans move into the area, making them ideal places to search for survival. Our trash cans with food scraps and other forms of waste are an attractant of smaller wildlife in the area. As a result of smaller prey species being attracted to areas of human development means that the predators that hunt them will be coming for their meal as well. More conflicts with wildlife is dangerous for all involved. Leading to injury and even sometimes death to either party. Pets can also fall victim to wildlife. Letting your small dog go outside alone at night before bed may just lead to that hawk hanging out in your tree to take the pet and live another day. Definitely a tragedy that could have been avoided and one that needs to place the blame on those responsible; humans. We are, after all, the ones that decided to move into the wildlife's territory and make a home for ourselves instead. Along with this is the fact that the animals are not doing anything maliciously, they are merely just trying to survive.

 

So how do we move forward? How do we, as humans, cope with these increased conflicts with our wild neighbors? The answer lies in science. To better understand what is happening, why, and how can we prevent it without causing adverse changes to the populations of local species comes with better understanding the individual animals. I aim to tackle this in the mountain lion project. I want to better understand the mountain lions found on the fringes and often caught in the hustle of modern society.

Mountain Lions Near Developed Areas

Palomar Mountain State Park

 As the project progresses even further, there have been some intriguing questions come about as I watch the movements of mountain lions here in southern California. Firstly, it is no surprise that these large felids are wandering through areas that have been developed by humans, especially when looking at an area like Palomar Mountain State Park. The natural landscape offers the suitable habitat needed for the survival mountain lions. However, there are islands of development fragmenting the landscape here. Mostly being the recreational areas developed by humans, these are being used by mountain lions. Specifically at Palomar, I have documented the large cats utilizing trail systems to navigate the landscape during nocturnal periods. This primarily for ease of travel through the denser vegetation of the area, making it easier to get to hunting grounds. They also follow their prey almost unbiasedly through their territories. This makes them coming in contact with these rural developments more likely.

Cuyamaca Rancho State Park

I started looking at this area a couple of months ago to add to the research project. Since then I have found some pretty amazing things in the movements of mountain lions through the are. There have been two distinct track sites documented and both were leading directly toward the campground and were not located that far away from it (less than 1/2 mile). This sparked my curiosity as to what class of mountain lions are most likely to be in these areas and be active around these sites of human activity. Moving forward, I want to get distinct sex and age data from the mountain lions and start compiling the data to see if there are any trends in class and type of land use. Overall, this information would be extremely valuable to further understanding the population dynamics of the mountain lion as we continue to live alongside them.

Intensively Watching the Area

Sit Spots and Wildlife

 Part of the process of identifying site specific information to further the project is the use of sit spots. Sitting, waiting, patience is the key to success. This is a great way to watch zones of areas and document the different species that are in the area and how they use that specific habitat. Focusing mainly the mountain lion and their primary prey the mule deer, I get to see the way that all animals are traveling through the area and a rough estimation of the population size in the area. This is very useful for determining where I am most likely to find the mountain lions in that particular area.

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Growing Project Goals 

All of the information I am able to obtain and document through field work is all very important and has lead to the growth of this mountain lion project substantially. I was looking at some mountain lion tracks at Cuyamaca Rancho State Park when I had an interesting thought. We know that these large cats hold their own territories and that age and sex class plays a big role in which lions get to hold what area as their own. What if we could quantify which classes of lions are using what types of landscapes? I want to look at varying landscape types in their proximity to human development and the social classes of mountain lions that corresponds the most to each one. I'm hoping to discern how a population of mountain lions conform to dynamics that shape their disposition on the landscape.

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As the week moves forward, get outside and enjoy this beautiful world alongside me. The biggest goals of this project is to inspire people to get outdoors and enjoy more nature. This week I hope you find a quiet place to sit beside a trail and watch the wildlife as you relax.

Sessions at JABCECC

Sessions at the Judith A. Bassett Canid Education and Conservation Center are able to be booked year round! Keep an eye out for special deals on mini sessions coming up for fall and the upcoming holiday season.

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Supporting Local Art and Small Business

There is a lot of time, effort and expense that goes into creating images and working towards conservation goals that protect the wild places we visit. It would be an honor to have my work displayed in your home as a way to keep doing this work!

Forged by the Sea
 

Once completely underwater, the unique rock structures in Sedona and surrounding areas was formed by millions of years of ocean sediments and erosion. This …

 
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Lucan - Acrylic Print
 

Lucan is a gentle giant with a sweet smile! The grey wolf rescue at JABCECC loves to show emotion and connect with the humans he intereacts with, reminding us …

 
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