National Park Service U.S. Department of the Interior

Natural Resource Stewardship and Science Sierra Nevada Network

DEVILS POSTPILE • SEQUOIA & KINGS CANYON • YOSEMITE Volume 5, Issue 2 Sierra Nevada Monitor December 2015 Newsletter of the Sierra Nevada Inventory & Monitoring Network Rough Fire: Impacts and Learning Opportunities

View of the Rough Fire from Park Ridge in Kings Canyon National Park, The Rough Fire typically burned with lower severity in looking toward Grant Grove and , September 11, previous prescribed burns, such as this area of Cedar Grove in 2015. Photo: Tony Caprio. Kings Canyon National Park. Photo: Tony Caprio.

In August and September, the lands as well as regionally. Smoke terrain, and weather all affect fire lightning-caused Rough Fire had a impacts and area closures affected field behavior (such as the severity, profound impact on Sequoia & Kings crew schedules and logistics for Sierra intensity, rate of spread, and size Canyon National Parks (SEKI) staff, Nevada Network monitoring projects of the fire). Trees and shrubs killed visitors, and neighboring communities. (see page 7). from effects of a four-year drought The fire burned for nearly three were common in many of the areas Wildland fire is an important natural months, and was declared 100% that burned and likely impacted fire process influencing plant and animal contained on November 6th. At behavior. 151,623 acres, the fire was the largest communities in the Sierra Nevada. For ...Continued on page 3 in the history of Fresno County, example, giant sequoia seeds need bare the largest in the state in 2015, and soil where fire has cleared pine needles, the fifteenth largest in state history. sticks, and other fuels, allowing these In This Issue tiny seeds to take root. When fire Although largely on U.S. Forest Service Arrivals/Departures...... 2 lands, the fire burned 9,285 acres in kills shade-tolerant firs and other Kings Canyon, which resulted in the understory trees, more sun reaches Seeking Clarity: First SIEN Video Features Lake Monitoring...... 4 evacuation and closure of both Cedar the forest floor, favoring the growth of Grove and Grant Grove areas. sequoia seedlings that require open, Mammals Newly Documented for sunny conditions to thrive. Devils Postpile...... 5 The fire, which was a suppression fire Drought and Tree Death...... 5 from the time it started, destroyed four The Rough Fire burned through a structures outside of the parks, and variety of terrain and vegetation, Field Project Updates...... 6 from remote, rugged areas that were twelve firefighters were injured. Rough Fire and Field Logistics...7 difficult for firefighters to access to In addition to evacuations, the fire frontcountry areas along roads and Nature Feature...... 8 had widespread smoke impacts both near developed areas. Vegetation, Sycamore within the parks and national forest

EXPERIENCE YOUR AMERICATM December 10, 2015 Sierra Nevada Data Manager Retiring in January Network Inventory Les Chow, Sierra Nevada Network & Monitoring (SIEN) Data Manager, is retiring in early January. Les served in this position for seven years, working As part of the National Park Service’s effort to “improve park management through closely with project leads to ensure greater reliance on scientific knowledge,” a data management needs are met primary role of the Inventory and Monitor- for SIEN’s monitoring projects and ing (I&M) Program is to collect, organize, providing data management guidance and make available natural resource data and to contribute to the Service’s institu- and leadership to our program. Les’s tional knowledge by facilitating the trans- background in wildlife management formation of data into information through and research in SIEN parks enabled analysis, synthesis, and modeling. him to contribute valuable subject- matter expertise and insights to Parks in the network are: César E. Chávez National Monument (CECH), Devils Postpile SIEN’s biological inventories and National Monument (DEPO), Sequoia & monitoring projects. Les was also Les Chow enjoying a wilderness trip in Kings Kings Canyon National Parks (SEKI), and always willing to help with field crew Canyon National Park. Photo: Peggy Moore. Yosemite National Park (YOSE). logistics in Yosemite, where he had Biological Technician for the Research long-term experience implementing Sierra Nevada Network Office in Yosemite National Park for research projects in remote areas. Sequoia and Kings Canyon National Parks seven years. 47050 Generals Highway Prior to taking the helm of data Three Rivers, California 93271 We will miss Les but look forward to http://science.nature.nps.gov/im/units/sien/ management for SIEN, Les was a seeing him as a volunteer supporting Research Wildlife Biologist with the wildlife inventories in SIEN parks Program Manager US Geological Survey Yosemite Field Sylvia Haultain (559) 565-3788 — doing the fieldwork that is still his Station for 15 years, and a Supervisory [email protected] passion.

Data Manager Les Chow (209) 379-3268 [email protected] New Pacific West Region I&M Ecologist Program Manager Jonny Nesmith (559) 565-3765 [email protected] Lisa Garrett returned to the Pacific West Region (PWR) Physical Scientist in July 2015 as the new PWR Andi Heard (559) 565-3786 Inventory & Monitoring (I&M) [email protected] Program Manager. In this role, Lisa supervises most of the PWR Administrative Assistant Network Program Managers Jenny Matsumoto (559) 565-3787 (such as SIEN’s Sylvia Haultain) [email protected] and facilitates collaboration Science Communication Specialist among PWR networks as well Linda Mutch (559) 565-3174 as integration with the national [email protected] Inventory & Monitoring Division in Ft. Collins, CO and Lisa Garrett in a pack raft and personal flotation device, Please distribute this newsletter to other programs in the region. participating in SIEN’s lake monitoring field training in any person or group who is interested. Lisa served as the Southeast Yosemite National Park in July. Photo: Megan Mason. Contact Editor Linda Mutch to be added to the mailing list. Region I&M Program Manager We are pleased to have Lisa back in the PWR, from 2012-2015, and prior to and appreciate the experience and leadership that was the Program Manager skills she brings. (2003-2012) and the Inventory Coordinator (2000-2003) for Lisa made her first visit to the Sierra Nevada the Upper Columbia Basin Network in late July, meeting SIEN staff in Network. Yosemite National Park for our lake monitoring field training.

Pygmy Nuthatch. Photo: Gary Lindquist.

2 Sierra Nevada Monitor newsletter Rough Fire continued from page 1 Research done in large wilderness to act as a fuel break. Previous Burns Influence and other protected areas in the Both the 2013 that Fire Behavior and Effects Rocky Mountains has demonstrated affected Yosemite National Park that previous wildland fires limit the Park staff in Sierra Nevada national and surrounding national forest spread of subsequent fires in all four parks have used prescribed burns (or lands, and the Rough Fire are large- areas studied (Parks et al. 2015). This fires lit by fire management staff under scale events that offer opportunities research found: carefully planned conditions) since to evaluate the effects of previous the late 1960s to re-introduce fire to 1) Wildland fire acts as a fuel break and management actions (prescribed mixed-conifer forests where fire has is a barrier to subsequent fire spread; burning, managed lightning fires, historically played a vital role. this effect is strongest immediately after thinning, logging) on the pattern a fire and diminishes with time. of subsequent fire spread and fire Although quantitative studies have not severity. Site-specific information yet been done on the varied ecological 2) The ability of a fire to act as a fuel about the effectiveness of different effects of the Rough Fire, photographs break varies geographically, lasting 6 management activities in limiting and observations by SEKI Fire years in the warmest/driest study area the severity and size of future fires Ecologist Tony Caprio indicate that and 14-18 years in the cooler/wetter would be helpful to those planning some of the previously prescribed study areas. prescribed burns or thinning burned areas show lower severity 3) Extreme fire-conducive weather operations in national parks or impacts on vegetation than areas that diminishes the ability of the previous fire forests. have not had recent fires. Pre- and Post-Rough Fire Images: Prescribed Burn Area (left pair) and Unburned Area (right pair) - All photos by Tony Caprio

Pre-Rough Fire image: Northwest area of Grant Grove in Kings Canyon National Park that had been prescribed burned twice, most recently in 2005.

The left image (pre-Rough Fire) shows an area in the northwest portion of Grant Grove that had not been prescribed burned. The right image is a repeat photo of the same area after the Rough Fire had burned it. Note the higher burn severity compared to the prescribed burn pair of images to the left: All the overstory trees appear to be killed by the fire, or severely scorched. Monitoring changes in natural resources and processes over time and research projects designed to answer specific questions are particularly valuable on public lands where managers strive to better understand the effects of fire, climate, and other agents of change, to manage natural resources in ways that mitigate effects of unwanted change, and to interpret what they learn to a variety of public audiences. Post-Rough Fire image: Repeat photo of image above. Note that while small trees and shrubs were Reference cited: burned by the Rough Fire, most of the overstory Parks, S.A., L.M. Holsinger, C. Miller, and C.R. Nelson. 2015. Wildland fire as a self-regulating mechanism: the trees remain intact. role of previous burns and weather in limiting fire progression. Ecological Applications 25(6): 1478-1492.

National Park Service 3 First Sierra Nevada Network Video Completed

How many scientists and and implications for policy, videographers does it take to name management, and individual a new video? Quite a few, we found choices that can make a difference out, as we went through numerous iterations of titles for our program’s • How we do the work first video, finally settling on: • Why the work is important to the people doing it Seeking Clarity: Tracking Change in Mountain Lakes Through working with Eliza on this video project, we learned Fortunately, we had a talented, making a video requires pre- patient, and accommodating planning for objectives, audience, videographer, Eliza Goode, who Watch Video: https://youtu.be/0WDQI4gZmyI. graciously welcomed our input and software, and equipment; making extra time during field work for always put people at ease who were in of us, and that makes them very special. front of the camera being interviewed. It’s incredibly gratifying to really feel filming; ensuring enough time for Whether editing video for hours at her that ownership, and stewardship, of editing and reviewing cuts of the video; computer in our Sequoia National Park such spectacular natural wonders. And and ensuring accessibility requirements office, or backpacking to remote lakes because the scientists who I filmed are (such as closed captioning and audio to shoot footage of our field crews, Eliza so charming and passionate about these description) can be met. None of was a joy to work with and taught us a places, I knew that viewers of the video these steps are trivial and they require lot about what it takes to make a video! would relate to them and care about the specific expertise and sufficient time and funding. Eliza was hired as a Geoscientist-in- parks, too. When they spoke from the the-Parks/Geocorps intern through a heart in their interviews, I was deeply program supported by the Geological moved. Society of America (GSA) and the As Eliza conveys, the field crew National Park Service. She recently members who participated in this graduated with a Master of Fine Arts video were critical to its success. The in Science and Natural History Film- four women who worked on our lake making from Montana State University, crews embraced the concept of the thus joined us with strong videography video and willingly participated in skills and an interest in making videos interviews, even after long days of field about national parks. work. They clearly loved their work As Eliza expressed in a report to GSA at and spoke articulately about why it is the end of her internship: important to them and to the parks. We thank Talia Chorover, Roxanne Kessler, It’s my conviction that even a short video Megan Mason, and Brina Mocsny about lake science can, and should, evoke for their roles in this project, and for a personal connection to the place it is helping ensure Eliza could film the field Yosemite lake crew members Brina Mocsny about. The national parks belong to all work and get their perspectives. and Megan Mason, with Eliza Goode. Photo: Our intent for the video was Andi Heard. See page 6 for photo of SEKI lake crew members. to provide an overview of our lake monitoring project by We hope to be able to do additional addressing the following: videos on our monitoring projects, as video provides a medium for sharing • Why lakes are important to the not just the scientific and parks and region management purposes for this work, but also the personal experience of • Stressors that impact lakes, monitoring national park resources with emphasis on air quality and the love for the places and the issues work that keeps so many returning season after season. • What we monitor about the lakes The video is also available at our website: http://science.nature.nps.gov/im/units/ Videographer Eliza Goode films Sierra Nevada Network • Importance of understanding sien/. Physical Scientist Andi Heard in Sequoia National Park. how the lakes may be changing Photo: Amy Brown. —Linda Mutch and Andi Heard

4 Sierra Nevada Monitor newsletter Documenting Mammals in Devils Postpile National Monument To effectively manage wildlife and In the ten days of sampling, Jim and plan for future changes such as Les: climate change impacts, it is critical to know what animals live in a park and • Documented the presence what their habitat needs are. of four species that were Last August, Devils Postpile NM expected to occur but had not (DEPO) Superintendent Deanna been confirmed with voucher Dulen initiated an inventory to specimens: meadow jumping fill in information gaps about the mouse (Zapus princeps), montane monument’s mammals. Retired UC vole (Microtus montanus), Berkeley Museum of Vertebrate bushy-tailed woodrat, (Neotoma Zoology Curator Jim Patton and cinerea), and the least weasel Jim Patton holds a least weasel captured in the Sierra Nevada Network (SIEN) Data (Mustela frenata) Devils Postpile mammal inventory. Photo: Carol Patton. Manager Les Chow conducted the mammal inventory. • Added one species to the an opportunity to look closely at monument’s list of mammals: plants. Peggy saw a grass species on a California, or Beechey, ground gravel bar she did not recognize and squirrel (Otospermophilus identified it as Alopecurus aequalis beecheyi) (common names shortawn foxtail or orange foxtail). This species of • Documented ten additional grass is newly documented for the species already noted as present monument and is also a new species on the monument’s mammal list for Madera County. from previous inventory efforts The team plans to expand the U. S. Geological Survey Ecologist mammal survey to other habitats and Peggy Moore, DEPO Ecologist locations within Devils Postpile for Belding ground squirrels are commonly seen Monica Buhler, and Carol Patton also Spring and Fall 2016. in Soda Springs Meadow in Devils Postpile and assisted with the inventory. While was a focal species to better document in this this was a mammal survey, it was also inventory. Photo: Katie LaBarbera. Drought and Beetles Increase Tree Death in Sierra Nevada By late August, U.S. Forest conifer plots located in Sequoia Service aerial surveys estimated NP, Research Ecologists Adrian that 18 million trees had died in Das and Nate Stephenson report Sierra Nevada national forests tree death rates of 12.8 and 19.2 and parks. A combination of percent compared to average drought, pine beetles, and annual rates of 1.6 and 2.2 wildfires have killed a record percent for the previous 22 years number of trees. of monitoring. Higher elevation forest plots have not shown In Sequoia and Yosemite unusually elevated mortality national parks, the USGS rates. Sequoia-Kings Canyon Field Station monitors tree growth, To better understand temporal View of dead conifers from Beetle Rock, Sequoia National death, and birth rates in a and spatial patterns of forest Park. Photo: Nate Stephenson, USGS Sequoia-Kings Canyon network of 30 plots across an response to drought, USGS Field Station. elevation gradient from lower scientists are sampling three mixed conifer to subalpine plots more frequently during the of the parks’ mixed conifer forests. Calibrating forests. field season (once per month remote-sensing data with plot-level ground data instead once per season) and are will help them determine what portion of these This year, in two low-elevation working with university partners landscapes are experiencing high levels of tree (5,000 ft) ponderosa pine-mixed to collect remote-sensing data mortality.

National Park Service 5 Updates from the Field

Lakes our SEKI-based crew, also had a The lakes crews completed the successful season sampling lakes project’s eighth field season throughout SEKI. this year. Crews sampled The crews had to overcome water chemistry, recorded logistical challenges due to smoke lake temperature profiles, and and area closures from the Rough conducted shoreline amphibian Fire and an unfortunate knee strain surveys at 23 lakes throughout toward the end of the season. Sequoia & Kings Canyon and Thanks to the crew’s strength and Yosemite national parks. flexibility, and the help of David Contact: Andi Heard Brina Mocsny (crew lead) and Soderberg, who came from the Megan Mason, our Yosemite- Forest crew to assist on the last trip, based crew, had a fantastic season they stayed on track and completed sampling all the Yosemite sites, plus sampling. Crews implemented Roxanne Kessler (left) and Talia Chorover filter water traveled south to sample three lakes water safety standards tested in samples at Spring Lake, Sequoia National Park. NPS photo. in Kings Canyon. Roxanne Kessler 2014 and will continue to seek and (crew lead) and Talia Chorover, test new procedures. Contact: Andi Heard

Wetlands Corie and Carl Last summer was the second field completed the second season for the wetlands ecological half of the season, after integrity monitoring project, and Roxanne and Talia the first year installing plots in changed roles to be Yosemite National Park (YOSE). the Sequoia & Kings The project monitors wetland Canyon National Parks plant communities, groundwater (SEKI) Lakes crew. levels, and macroinvertebrates, and targets two types of wetlands: wet The crew installed meadows and fens. The Wetlands and sampled six sites protocol, submitted in 2014, was in SEKI, four sites in approved with minor revisions and YOSE, and re-read a final version is expected to be six plots; including a published in 2016. previously installed index site at Devils For the first half of the season, the Postpile National crew included: Corie Cann (crew Monument. Corie Cann measures depth to water at lead), Carl Schwarz, Roxanne a wetlands plot, Sequoia National Park. Kessler, and Talia Chorover. Contact: Jonny Nesmith NPS photo. Roxanne Kessler and Carl Schwarz collect wetland plot data. NPS photo.

High-elevation Forests additional help from Liz Bartholomew, ten plots in YOSE and scouted five new Last summer was the fourth season Douglas Cox, and Sarah Hendrickson. sites for 2016. Notably, crew members of sampling for the high-elevation The forest crew experienced several found the non-native pathogen white white pine monitoring protocol. This challenges in 2015, including the pine blister rust for the first time in year involved a combination of new Rough Fire, crew injuries, and mid- whitebark pine within our monitoring plot installations, as well as the first season changes in crew staffing. plots in SEKI. re-measure of plots that had been Despite these setbacks, the crew was The forest crew also collaborated with installed during the first year of the able to install six new whitebark plots U.S. Geological Survey and University project in 2011. and three new foxtail plots in Sequoia of California-Berkeley ecologists to Crew members for the season were: & Kings Canyon (SEKI), and two new re-survey white pine blister rust plots Sarah Hoff (lead), Sean Auclair, Vlad whitebark plots in Yosemite. The crew in SEKI. Kovalenko, and David Soderberg, with also re-visited seven plots in SEKI and Contact: Jonny Nesmith

6 Sierra Nevada Monitor newsletter Field Updates continued Rivers Birds We received the second round of peer-review comments As part of a planned rotation cycle, SIEN bird monitoring on the protocol this fiscal year. SIEN is addressing peer- took a one-year hiatus in 2015 from field work and will review comments and will resubmit the protocol in 2016. resume in 2016. This fall, The Institute for Bird Populations In the meantime, SIEN has been working with park staff to (the cooperating group who leads this project), has implement the protocol at the three SIEN-supported gages: produced and submitted a draft synthesis report from the Middle Fork of the San Joaquin in Devils Postpile (DEPO), first four years of monitoring. The report is currently under Tuolumne River at Tioga Bridge (YOSE), and Lyell Fork of review and will be finalized this winter. the Tuolumne below Maclure (YOSE). DEPO staff collected Contact: Sylvia Haultain streamflow measurements on the San Joaquin River through the summer and will continue monthly measurements SIEN Physical Scientist Andi through February when USGS takes over to capture late Heard and Devils Postpile winter and spring runoff flows. Yosemite staff conducted Student Conservation field monitoring at the Tioga Bridge and Lyell Fork stations Association interns take river from May through September and are incorporating SIEN discharge measurements in the protocols into their field work and data management Middle Fork of the San Joaquin procedures. River. NPS photo. Contact: Andi Heard

Rough Fire Challenges Field Logistics

During August and September, the Rough Fire presented a radio. After discussing several options, we decided the several challenges for our field crews, both due to smoky safest plan was for the crew to pack up immediately and conditions and area closures (see p. 1-3 for Rough Fire hike to the Cedar Grove trailhead, where I would pick background). It required our staff to continually monitor them up. and communicate smoke conditions to crews in the The fire moved faster than anticipated, resulting in SEKI field and for the project managers and crew leads to quickly deciding to close the road that night instead of have several alternative field itineraries ready to go for the following day. Luckily, the crew and I reached the subsequent trips. Even with the utmost preparation in trailhead just in time to join the last convoy as the last choosing routes and schedules most likely to avoid the car leaving Cedar Grove…with five minutes to spare. We smoke, the crews experienced smoky conditions and had were relieved to be heading home, but were also excited to constantly adjust their itineraries. to witness the Rough fire at sunset on the convoy out. The SEKI Lakes crew was the most intimately affected Fortunately, working in a network of parks allowed the by the Rough fire. They were forced to evacuate from crews to shift field work to Yosemite (YOSE) when the Sphinx Lake in Kings Canyon a day early when the threat smoke became too hazardous in SEKI for field work of the fire jumping Highway 180 was expected to close to continue safely. Of course, moving field work to the road within a day. As the logistics technician, I was in close communication with the crew and was able to YOSE with very little notice had its own set of logistical contact them using a satellite communication device and challenges: quickly planning new routes, adjusting schedules to include travel, arranging places to stay before and after the trip, and purchasing and packing all new food and gear rather than using caches previously packed into the SEKI ranger stations by mules. Despite the “roughness” of the Rough fire, the crews were successful in completing a remarkable amount of field work this season because of their diligence in planning alternative routes and schedules, their willingness to adjust their pace as needed, and their remarkable flexibility and positivity. We were very lucky to have them. Rough Fire creates smoky sunset during evacuation from Cedar —Amy Brown Grove. Photo by Roxanne Kessler.

National Park Service 7 NATURE FEATURE California Sycamore (Platanus racemosa) “I will learn fifteen types of wind and know the weight of tomorrow’s rain by the rustle of the sycamores.” —Claire Keegan attractive patchwork of white, tawny For those who wander along Sierra beige, pinkish gray, and pale brown, Nevada foothills rivers and streams, with older bark becoming darker and California sycamores calm the senses peeling away. with their dappled shade, whispering The large lobed leaves may be over leaves, mottled white stems against nine inches wide and have three blue sky, and sweet leafy smells. or five pointed lobes. New leaves are a bright translucent green and Distribution and Habitat somewhat woolly. A suite of fungi known as Anthracnose live in California sycamore is native to the vascular system of California California and Baja California, where sycamores, and during cool, wet it grows in riparian areas, canyons, springs can cause young leaves to floodplains, at springs and seeps, and drop. Flowers grow in ball-like along streams and rivers. clusters, and the fruits they produce In California, its distribution occurs fall apart in the winter releasing along the coast from the southern wind-dispersed seeds. Winter-deciduous California sycamores lose Coast Ranges southward through the their autumn gold to orange leaves in the Conservation Status and late fall and winter. Transverse and Peninsular Ranges. Threats riparian habitats are conserved are California sycamore is the especially important for species like dominant species in the the California sycamore and other globally and state endangered associated plants and animals. sycamore-alluvial woodland habitat. Threats to this species include loss of riparian areas to agriculture, urbanization, and dams. In the Central Valley, less than 10% of the original riparian cover remains. The rich, alluvial soils of the floodplains are ideal agricultural land. California sycamore is commonly seen along southern Grazing of stock in riparian Sierra Nevada foothill rivers and streams, such as the areas results in the removal of Middle Fork of the Kaweah in Sequoia National Park. palatable plants, eating and Red female flowers of California sycamore. trampling of seedlings, invasion Photo: Bill Noble (billnoble.wordpress.com). To the interior, it occurs along the of non-palatable weed species, and Who Else Likes Sycamores? southwestern side of the Sierra the degradation of stream banks. Many small birds, such as Nevada and along the Sacramento The construction of dams and and San Joaquin rivers of the Central goldfinches, feed on the fruit, hawks reservoirs have altered the levels nest in the large leafy canopies, and Valley, where it grows along the of many streams and inundated main tributaries up into the Sierran several mammals eat the trees’ twigs valleys once occupied by riparian and bark. foothills. communities. The California sycamore is widely Description Associated with urbanization are planted horticulturally as a landscape This large tree can grow to over efforts to control flooding: Removal tree in public landscapes and private 100 feet in height with a trunk of riparian vegetation to speed gardens. New appreciation for how diameter of up to three feet. The the movement of floodwaters, it shades sun in summer and lets sun trunk generally divides into two dredging, channelization, and through in winter has led to its use in or more large trunks splitting into enclosing the stream in concrete. green architecture and sustainable many branches. The bark is an design. Areas such as national parks where EXPERIENCE YOUR AMERICATM National Park Service 8