The NRS
TransectUniversity of Ca l i f o r n i a Natural Reserve System Office of Research—Division of Academic Affairs
S p r i n g 2 0 0 5 • V o l. 2 3, N o. 1
A few words from the Director of the NRS
hr ee div ergent subjects — rodents, ar t, and NRS retire- m e n t s — c o n ve r g e i n t h i s Tissue of Transect. Here you will learn about hard-working kangaroo rats and u n e x p e c t e d l y e n t rep ren e u r i a l p o c k e t The last time this endangered mice, as well as the ne wly discovered Stephens’ kangaroo rat (above) appeared on the cover ofTransect songlike calls of deermice, which (11:2, Fall 1993), the NRS’s Motte communicate through high notes R i m r o c k R e s e rv e h a d j u s t b e e n beyond the hearing of most humans. designated an official k-rat study area, largely on the strength of fi e l d r e s e a r c h b y U C R i v e r s i d e Yo u w i l l a l s o l e a r n o f t h e a m a z i n g Professor Mary Price (right, with sensitivity to the natural world dem - Merriam’s k-rat). Price recently onstrated by children, whose ar tistic retired from UC’s faculty, but her field research continues. abilities ar e sho wcased in the Los Photo of Stephens’ k-rat by Mark Angeles Times through “Drawing from Chappell Nature,” a monthly feature written by Carol Felixson, Director of Education Of mice and (wo)men — retirement a n d C o m m u n i t y Ou t re a c h f o r t h e just means more time for research
Continued on page 12 s an up-and-coming UC Riverside professor in the early 1980s, Mary Price often served as “poster girl” for the Natural Reserve System. Her 5 Ultrasonic mouse-talk colleague, NRS founder Bill Mayhew, regularly took her out to meet discovered at Hastings Alandowners who were considering donating proper ty to the reserve system. 6 Young readers in L.A. “When Charlie Motte was thinking of donating the land for the Motte Reserve,” learn science through art Price modestly recalls, “Bill hauled me over there to convince him that there were energetic young faculty who would do wonder ful things, and find out all 8 Bodega algae become art sor ts of terrific information, with his proper ty. In reality, it was Bill’s passion 10 Director of Motte, Emerson, and total dedication that were most convincing, but I was happy to help.” and Box Springs retires Today Price is winding up her career at UC Riverside (UCR), having fulfilled 11 2004-05 Mathias winners Mayhew’s promise by working regularly at both the Motte Rimrock Reserve
In This Issue Continued on page 2 Transect • 23:1 Of mice and crazy the whole day just to get everything at last, the three chatted over a hot (wo)men processed before dark,” Price recalls. dinner about how great it would be to Continued from page 1 have a field station in the East Mojave. When they were finally done, the ex- in Riverside County and the Sweeney hausted researchers began looking for When Price returned to campus the Granite Mountains Desert Research a campsite. At their first site, the wind next week, she mentioned their dis- Center in San Bernardino County. Her was blowing so hard they couldn’t keep covery to Mayhew and was surprised fieldwork at these sites, as well as others, the stove lit. Noticing some large rocks to learn that he knew about the place. has produced significant contributions in the distance, they decided to seek He’d taken classes there many times, to our understanding of community a more sheltered spot. They repacked and in fact the Natural Reserve System ecology and the coexistence of species. their gear and headed out along a dirt was negotiating to buy the property road in the general direction of the as part of a much larger reserve they Price’s relationship with the Granite rocks. The road led them to the hoped- were putting together. Purchase of the Mountains is particularly strong and for sheltered spot, but with an addi- land was completed in 1985; today began in the days when various sections tional surprise: an abandoned house. the now-restored house is part of the of the reserve were still being assembled. reserve’s Norris Camp. Price’s dream of It was January 1983 when Price and “We were entranced,” says Price. “Not having a base of operations with electric- some colleagues took a memorable re- only did we have shelter from the wind, ity, running water, data connections, search trip to the area. Kevin Heinz, one but also it was a beautiful site. Our first and all the other amenities required of her graduate students, was studying thought was, ‘Can we buy this place?’” for long-term fieldwork is a reality. the elevation distribution of two species Out of the reach of wind and weather, of kangaroo rats, the Merriam’s The Company One Keeps k-rat (Dipodomys merriami) and the Panamint k-rat (Dipodomys For Price, field stations are impor- panamintinus). Heinz had set up tant not only for the facilities they transects throughout the Mojave, provide, but also for the people they where both species occur. One of attract. When researchers spend ex- his study sites was in the Granites, tended time in a single area, they be- so Mary and her husband, fellow gin to notice the subtle factors that UCR biology professor Nickolas are crucial in understanding how Waser, offered to tag along to help a natural system functions. Price him collect data. “The Granite calls this developing one’s “natural Mountains site is a beautiful tran- history intuition.” This process is sect,” Price explains. “You have a accelerated at a field station because steady 3,000- to 4,000-foot gradi- one is surrounded by other trained ent, along an uplifted piedmont researchers who are also observing with only minor changes in the soil the system closely, though perhaps substrate, so the vegetation changes from different perspectives. Price gradually with the elevation.” has found that a colleague’s casual observation can sometimes cast her Because the days were short and own research focus in a new light. cold, the fieldwork was extremely hectic. The trio had to set and clear “Field stations allow information their traps, take soil samples, and about a place to accumulate,” Price conduct vegetation transects at adds, “so researchers can build on five different elevations in as short a base of knowledge and don’t have a time as possible. The wind was Back in 1975, Mary Price was already a scientist to start from square one. In a sense, howling. “We were running like seriously interested in kangaroo rats. Photo knowledge begets knowledge.” courtesy of Mary Price U niversity of C a l i f o r n i a 2 Transect • 23:1 Soon after the University if each participating species is had established the Granite specially adapted to use a spe- Mountains Reserve — now cific microhabitat for locating designated the Sweeney Granite food and avoiding predators. Mountains Desert Research In this case, Price reasoned, Center — Price and Waser the larger, quicker kangaroo began spending as much time rats might be better at avoiding as possible there. “Nick and I predators in the open space, were trying to do behavioral while the pocket mice might observations,” Price explains. be more efficient at finding “So during vacations or sab- seeds in the richer, coarser baticals, we’d head out there soils found underneath shrubs. to do the fieldwork. We colo- This gawky, 28-day-old juvenile kangaroo rat is just nized the little rock house that learning how to harvest seeds. (The hind feet grow For resource partitioning to lead Philippe and Cindy [Philippe first!) It belongs to one of the largest-bodied k-rat to coexistence, however, each Cohen and Cindy Stead, who species, Dipodomys deserti, which has a much wider species must be better than the range than that of the endangered Stephens’ k-rat managed the reserve from 1986 (D. stephensi). Photo courtesy of Mary Price others at using some part of the to 1993] had used as a storage partitioned resource. This dif- shed. We more or less mouse-proofed To uncover the secrets of this coexis- ference in performance, called a “trade- the place so people could stay.” tence, Price decided to study two very off,” is what prevents one species from different heteromyids: the medium- usurping all of the available resources. Over the years, Price’s long stays at the sized, bipedal kangaroo rats and the research station have given her deeper tiny, quadrupedal pocket mice. Her To determine the trade-offs between understanding of the natural systems of hypothesis was that coexistence between kangaroo rats and pocket mice, Price that reserve, as well as some surprising, the two species was based on “resource brought her subjects into her lab and new insights into the lifestyles of the ani- partitioning,” a strategy employed by exposed them to different feeding and mals that make this desert their home. many other animals. Resource parti- predator-avoidance conditions. But she tioning is the behavior of coexisting couldn’t find any trade-offs. When she Competition versus Coexistence species using different parts of a single, tested their abilities to avoid predators shared resource. It leads to coexistence in open spaces versus under shrubs, all Much of Price’s research focuses on the species were found to be much safer heteromyidae, a family of small to me- under shrubs. When she tested their dium-sized rodents that includes such abilities to harvest seeds in different diverse species as kangaroo rats and types of soils, the kangaroo rats were pocket mice. Price had become interested always faster at harvesting seeds. So in the coexistence of multiple species of why didn’t the larger, behaviorally heteromyids while doing her graduate dominant kangaroo rats simply drive work at the University of Arizona. Be- out the pocket mice? Why did they cause all such species share the same food live mostly in the riskiest open spaces? source — seeds — logic would seem to dictate that one species, or perhaps one Price agonized over this problem, rack- body type, should prove superior and ing her brain to consider every factor. out-compete the other species. Instead, She studied soil samples with the idea diverse heteromyids coexist. When How to hold your k-rat. This that each species might prefer certain researchers put traps out in the desert, specimen had stuffed its cheek soil textures with different amounts pouches with seedbait from the they often capture four or five different trap in which it was caught. Upon of organic materials. She took soil heteromyids, as well as an assortment of release, it rushed to cache the seed samples, thinking that maybe the other small rodents and ground squirrels. harvest. Photo (and hand) courtesy secret was in the clumping of seeds, of Mary Price Continued on page 4 N a t u r a l R e s e r v e S y s t e m 3 Transect • 23:1 Of mice and (wo)men servation, but now that we understood different than what she had become ac- Continued from page 3 that seed production in a given year customed to in the United States. And limits the population, we knew this not long ago, she completed an intensive or their numbers, or their size, or explained the major population fluxes Spanish-language course in preparation their spatial distribution. But nothing we’d seen between wet, seed-inten- for doing more fieldwork in Mexico. seemed to reveal the required trade-offs. sive years and dry, seed-scarce years.” She’s also working on a book proposal Price’s aha! moment came while she was Following this breakthrough, Price that focuses on the role of “place-based” reviewing her data. As part of her field looked at the desert ecology differ- research in developing a general under- experiments, she had decided, for the ently. She now began to observe who standing of larger ecological processes. first time, to calibrate her measurement was gathering the newly fallen seeds “It’s interesting that ecologists haven’t of the “seed bank” (seeds in the soil) by and tried to determine what they were really started to talk about how they recording “seed rain” (seeds falling on doing with them. Even when she put gain understanding and how they know the surface). What she found amazed out trays filled with seeds, no matter it’s useful or accurate,” she explains. her. Even during “seed pulses,” when how rich, all of the seeds disappeared “Ecologists tend to do focused work the plants were producing and dropping overnight. The animals were removing on one system for many years. So, many more seeds than the animals could many more seeds than they could eat. how can you make much progress, eat, very few of the falling seeds were given that there are billions of places finding their way into the seed bank. This discovery led her to uncover a out there and relatively few ecologists? time-honored, universal mechanism How do you gain a general understand- Price began taking a closer look at seed for coexistence — theft. As she noted ing that’s useful beyond that one tiny rain. In an article co-written by Price in a recent presentation: “Suddenly we place on earth where you happened and UCR undergraduate Jamie Joyner realized there are two phases to the com- to study? There’s a paradox there, so and published in Ecology in 1987, the petition: a scramble to harvest newly we’re asking ecologists to talk about it.” investigators summarized the results produced seeds, followed by a much of a 19-month study conducted in the longer period during which the animals Despite these larger philosophical Granite Cove section of the Sweeney use previously cached seeds. While thoughts, Price has no regrets about Granite Mountains Reserve. In that the kangaroo rats are more efficient in spending much of her career conduct- paper, they conclusively established that the first phase, collecting and caching ing place-based research. “I do this input from the seed rain did not accu- seeds, the pocket mice are experts at because I like it,” she muses. “There’s mulate in the soil. Even though the seed locating and stealing the seeds once something I find very personally satisfy- rain averaged 262 seeds per square meter they’re cached by the larger animals.” ing about thinking about how nature is each day during the study period, the put together, and trying to figure out seed bank actually declined by a daily The Future a strategy that will force nature to tell average of 114 seeds per square meter. me something. That I find fascinating. Price retired from the University in My career choice has given me the free- So what was happening to all those order to spend more time publishing dom to do things I like to do.” — JB seeds? As Price recalls: “I suddenly papers based on the mountains of data realized that all of that seed was being she has accumulated over the years. “It’s Editor’s note: Mary V. Price is Profes- sequestered, snatched up by granivores a much better use of time,” she says sor Emerita of Biology at University of and stored. We were all wrong about with a laugh, “than sitting in meetings.” California, Riverside, an adjunct pro- the resources these animals were us- Though she will no longer be at the fessor in the School of Natural Resources ing. They were not using the seed University, she won’t stop conducting at the University of Arizona, Tucson, bank; they were using the seed rain. field research. In fact, she seems to be and affiliated with the Rocky Moun- Changing that perspective opened up widening her horizons for future work. tain Biological Laboratory, Crested a lot of possibilities we hadn’t thought A recent trip to Australia’s “Red Center” Butte, CO. She can be contacted about before. It was an accidental ob- amazed her because the deserts were so by email at:
U niversity of C a l i f o r n i a 4 Transect • 23:1
Promiscuous songster, More about mice Peromyscus boylii. Photo by Matina Kalcounis-Rüppell n late December 2004, Mark Stromberg, director of the Hast- So they decided to return to Hast- ings Natural History Reserva- ings. Kalcounis-Rüppell knew the tionI in Monterey County, contacted mouse populations there intimately, the NRS Systemwide Office with and the woodlands are much qui- exciting news. It had just been discov- eter than those on the East Coast ered at the reserve that adult deermice because there are fewer insects. communicate with ultrasonic sounds. The reserve’s riparian areas are also mostly located at the bottom Stromberg and the entire reserve staff were riding the eu- of steep canyons, so there is much less wind, an- phoria that accompanies a new discovery. The researchers other source of interference at ultrasonic frequencies. responsible — Matina Kalcounis-Rüppell from the University of North Carolina at Greensboro, and Maarten Vonhof of For the trip, the two researchers begged and borrowed Western Michigan University — had placed bat detectors more than 20 bat detectors from colleagues across the on the ground in an established reserve plot, then astounded country — no small contribution, as each detector costs everyone by playing back the initial recordings from their about $1,500. They spent their first few evenings captur- first two nights of work. Stromberg described the event: “We ing and tagging local mice in the same 10 x 10-meter heard the most amazing, strong, loud songs in ultrasound. grids Kalcounis-Rüppell had used for her graduate work. Nothing like this has ever been heard before in our forests. Together, Kalcounis-Rüppell, her graduate student Jackie As [resident researcher] Walt Koenig joked, it was as if we Metheny, and Vonhof set up 300 traps, updated data on had groups of howler monkeys around and never knew.” last year’s mice, and ear-tagged this year’s resident mice.
Kalcounis-Rüppell discovered early in her career that she is After confirming the location of the mice, the researchers able to hear the lower frequencies of ultrasound. “Probably acoustically wired a 30 x 40-meter portion of the grids with many people can,” she observes, “they just don’t know it.” 22 bat detectors. As Kalcounis-Rüppell recounts: “Right She goes on to describe the ability: “Hoary bats echolocate away, we started recording all of these interesting sounds at about 25 kilohertz. Humans, on average, can hear up to that the mice were producing. They’re all in the ultrasonic 16 kilohertz, but some people can hear up to 20. I could range, but we’re not sure what the function of the calls is. be listening to the lower frequency bats on the bat detector So we’ve shown that they’re producing ultrasonic calls, that [which renders high-frequency sound audible to humans], there are several different call-types, and that both species then turn it off and still hear the echolocation signals.” (P. californicus and P. boylii) are making the calls. That’s important because there are four main hypotheses for Kalcounis-Rüppell had conducted much of her why they’re making these sounds: mating, defending ter- graduate and postdoctoral work at Hastings, study- ritories, communicating within families, and as an alarm.” ing differences between populations of monogamous mice (Peromyscus californicus) and promiscuous mice Kalcounis-Rüppell’s long history of work at Hastings and (Peromyscus boylii) that share the same habitat of nar- familiarity with its mouse populations will be important row riparian oak woodlands along the reserve’s creeks. in the next phase of their work. She says: “It’s good to have While working with the mice, she often suspected she these two species, because one is territorial and the other was hearing ultrasonic sounds. But she was never sure. isn’t. So if there’s a territorial function, we can use those differences to test our hypotheses. If the sounds are for She tried to test her suspicion in the North Carolina maintaining a bond with a mate, you would expect to hear woods. She and Vonhof set out a small array of bat de- more from the monogamous species than the promiscuous tectors, but couldn’t hear mouse vocalizations because one. It’s a really good model for asking those questions.” the insects were making so much ultrasonic noise. —JB
N a t u r a l R e s e r v e S y s t e m 5 Transect • 23:1 Young readers explore the art of nature
arol Felixson, who directs Felixson’s column, “Drawing from cookies shaped like desert cottontails, Education and Community Nature,” runs the first Sunday of each origami hummingbirds, pointillist Outreach for the NRS’s Stunt month as lead article on the “Kids’ raccoons, and face masks designed RanchC Santa Monica Mountains Re- Reading Room” page. In each issue, to transform the wearer into a coy- serve and UCLA’s Mildred E. Mathias Felixson tells a natural history story ote. Each project is accompanied by Botanical Garden, is always seeking related to an animal or a plant found instructions geared to young read- ways to promote the extensive K-12 at the Stunt Ranch Reserve or in the ers, so they can try it themselves. education programs at both sites. So Mathias Botanical Garden, while also she decided to write a children’s art providing instructions for an art proj- When Felixson began studying “Kids’ and science column for her local paper. ect. The articles are illustrated with Reading Room” to see what sort of art created by children and accompa- articles they printed, the first thing she Nothing too unusual about that nied by photos of the young artists. noticed was a weekday feature called strategy — until you consider that “The California Classroom, A Learning Felixson’s “local paper” is the Los The range of natural history subjects Link to… .” The pieces were usually Angeles Times, which reaches three and art projects is broad: a great written by staff from local museums, million people every day of the week. horned owl collaged in feathers, sugar science centers, and botanical gardens, How art and nature are brought together
hough Carol Felixson’s “Drawing from Nature” Felixson is constantly searching for new artists. “Initially, articles appear simple and straightforward, I simply went to people I knew who had children,” she each involves a tremendous amount of work. recalls. “Now, people often contact me, and I’ve also T gotten to know a number of art teachers who work Once she selects a topic and an art technique, Felixson with kids who are really fine artists.” Her efforts go builds a research folder for both herself and the art- beyond trying to find kids who can do art. She also ist. Her research includes interesting facts and images strives to balance the artists’ genders, ethnicities, and about the subject, as well as concepts she thinks will neighborhoods. She has especially enjoyed the times capture the attention of young readers. “I usually ac- when two siblings work cooperatively on a project. cumulate about ten pages of research on a subject,” she explains, “but I only have 150 words for the natural For Felixson, the most gratifying moment comes when history story, so I have to pull the readers in quickly. she finally meets the child and sees the project for the first Sometimes it’s something really weird, like the stink- time. “It’s amazing,” she says. “No matter what I might bug putting its head down, sticking its butt in the air, imagine when I come up with the idea, the children and putting out a foul odor. Kids really liked that.” always, without exception, surpass my wildest imagina- tion. Sometimes they add things I hadn’t thought of, With the story underway, Felixson sends her research or they do the work with a creative flair in their choice to the artist, usually via the parents, in an email, along of colors or how they use the materials. They’ve been with suggestions of different Web sites where they can see particularly good at giving the animals personalities.” additional images and learn more about the subject. She provides directions that take them step-by-step through At that first face-to-face meeting, Felixson takes the art technique, explaining what materials they’ll need, photographs of the artist with his or her finished what they have to do, and what she’s looking for. She project and at work on a similar project. She also is also careful to let the parents know that, while they borrows the art in order to create a digital scan that should supervise their children’s efforts in a project, this meets the paper’s production requirements. — JB isn’t something for them to take over and do themselves.
U niversity of C a l i f o r n i a 6 Transect • 23:1
Carol Felixson regards as co-creators the children who produce the art that accompanies her regular column, “Drawing from Nature”: “The column wouldn’t be what it is without them.” She also hopes her work encourages teachers to look at science in new ways: “For science teachers, getting at a science subject through an art project is a way to reach kids who are just not interested in the academic approach, but who love the art. So, as they do the art project, they’re learning about the animal and its natural history.” Some of Felixson’s young contributors and their art are shown above (left to right): Julia Schwartz, age 12, with her pastel rendering of poison oak; Danielle Sork, age 8, and her coyote mask; Romie Drori, age 5, and her collage depicting an alligator lizard on forest litter; Jackson Crites, age 6, and his painting of an acorn woodpecker. Photos by Carol Felixson
and focused on a current exhibit or authors and educators for her column, Felixson came up with the concept of topic of special interest. Each usually and she was impressed by the unusual a monthly column that would include included a photograph from the insti- submission. She ran that first article in both a nature lesson and an art lesson tution or a professional illustration. April 2001 and encouraged Felixson — all conveyed in less than 300 words! to write more. In the months that fol- Thus was born “Drawing from Nature.” Felixson decided she, too, would lowed, Felixson became an intermittent write a “learning link.” Rather than columnist for the section, writing pieces Beginning in July 2003, the column submit the usual institutional photo as she found time and asking friends became a regular in the Sunday “Kids’ or professional illustration, however, if their children would like to provide Reading Room.” Walker chose the she would have a child illustrate her illustrations. “I didn’t give the kids any Sunday edition so that the feature could story. The first article she submitted direction about what art technique they run in color and present the children’s focused on the banana plants in the should use,” Felixson recalls. “I just beautiful illustrations to best advantage. Mathias Botanical Garden and was said, ‘Here’s a subject — go for it.’” “We usually feature fiction on Sunday,” illustrated by a friend’s daughter, Da- she adds, “so Carol’s nature lesson is vita Paul, who was then 10 years old. Walker saw major potential in Felixson’s a great once-a-month change.” — JB early submissions. She said, “This “I called the piece ‘Hands with Yellow [approach] was so unique and the il- For more information, contact: Fingers,’” Felixson says. “And Davita’s lustrations were so endearing, I invited Carol Felixson art added so much. I’d asked her to do her to come down to the Times for Director of Education and any kind of illustration of a banana lunch, and I asked her if she’d ever Community Outreach tree, but she went way beyond what thought about writing stories that teach UCLA Botanical Gardens/ I had imagined — she put herself kids how to do scientific drawing.” Stunt Ranch Reserve in there and a little monkey, too.” Box 951786, 23-126 WH Though the idea was new to Felixson, Los Angeles, CA 90095-1786 Mary Ellen Walker, editor of “Kids’ she’d always liked having children go Phone: 310-206-3887 Reading Room” at the L.A. Times, out into nature to draw what they ob- Email: [email protected] works with dozens of freelance children’s served. Talking together, Walker and
N a t u r a l R e s e r v e S y s t e m 7 Transect • 23:1 Museum scientist finds artistic medium in marine algae
very year in late summer and early fall, ocean currents Here’s a look at the Connors process: and waves dislodge marine algae from undersea rocks Stage 1: Peter and sweep them ashore. Peter Connors, long-time C o n n o r s h a s Emanager of the Bodega Marine Reserve in Sonoma County, learned that the best specimens observed this phenomenon for years and became intrigued of algae must be by the different types of drift algae he found on the beach. collected as soon as possible after A self-described “museum sort of person,” Connors set out they wash ashore — otherwise, they to collect and identify as many algal species as possible. He deteriorate. The discovered this was a daunting task — the Bodega coast best collecting alone is home to over 220 different types. To help himself seasons are late summer and early fall. learn all the names, he created flash cards, each with a dried Photo by Rico Tinsman alga sample on the front and its species name on the back.
Connors soon built up a binder full of flash cards. And as his understanding of algae increased, he became intrigued by their beauty. “They’re spectacular in the water,” he observes, “mov- ing back and forth with the currents and reflecting light. But after they wash up on the beach, within days they turn into dry, crusty little pieces of nothing. So the challenge is to get them on a piece of paper so people will appreciate their beauty.” S t a g e 2 : I n t h e l a b o r a t o r y, t h e specimens are floated Over the last three or four years, Connors has become very in a tray of seawater adept at capturing the algae’s natural grace. He has compiled to rinse off sand an impressive collection of prints; he donates or sells his particles and small animals. work to raise money for the Organization of Biological Field Stations, local community groups, and the Bodega Marine Laboratory’s Eva Mulder Memorial Student Support Fund.
Connors keeps framed examples of some of his fa- Stage 3: Only the best vorite specimens. “I enjoy showing people groups specimens are selected of images,” he notes, “because it really gives them a for pressing. Lacy species, sense of the huge variety of species in this area.” — JB such as those shown at right, are arranged while floating in water. Species For more information, contact: with broad blades, such Peter Connors as the one shown below, Manager are laid out directly on Bodega Marine Reserve paper. P. O. Box 247 Bodega Bay, CA 94923 Phone: 707-875-2020 Email: [email protected]
Editor’s Note: Peter Connors will retire from his position as manager of the Bodega Marine Reserve in June 2005. U niversity of C a l i f o r n i a 8 Transect • 23:1 Stage 4: Once Connors has an arrangement he likes, he carefully slides a sheet of mounting paper into the tray and under the specimen — then pulls it from the water.
Connors removes a damaged portion of an alga. Because the piece will not be used for scientific identification, Stage 5: Connors presses each specimen he feels free to trim off until completely dry. During pressing, damaged areas and duplicate the alga is protected by a cloth sheet branches. and sandwiched between layers of paper felt and corrugated cardboard, which allows air to circulate around it. Specimens are stacked on edge in a drying chamber warmed by light bulbs.
Stage 6: Connors examines the finished prints. Completed works are labeled and signed. Only one in 12 specimens makes it to this final stage.
Finished artworks: framed specimens grace the conference room at the Bodega Marine Laboratory. Photos by Jerry Booth
Editor’s Note: Peter Connors’s first one-man show is being planned for public exhibition later this summer at the University of California’s Lawrence Hall of Science in Berkeley, CA. For calendar info on his algae-as-art, visit:
ack in 1986, when Barbara Trespassing was a problem on the reserve Motte’s help included providing the Carlson became director of in the early days, and Mayhew had en- reserve’s first facilities. When Carlson the Motte Rimrock Reserve, couraged his students to kick out any mentioned she needed a small building sheB especially enjoyed the peaceful strangers they encountered. One day to store equipment and serve as an of- spring evenings at the Riverside County as Carlson was working on her research fice, the Mottes donated a house on the reserve. From a high point at Motte, plot, she noticed a man with his dog reserve where their secretary had been she could look out over the sparsely strolling along one of the dirt roads. living. Carlson scraped together $1,650 populated Perris Valley and watch Carlson confronted him, but as she ap- to renovate and furnish the place. “I’m hawks migrating overhead. Nowadays proached, the man beat her to the punch. probably known around campus as a the hawks still migrate over Perris in “Who are you?” he demanded. “And real scrounger,” she admits, “because I’m the spring, but the valley floor is inun- what are you doing here?” Surprised, always asking people to keep us in mind dated with houses and shopping malls, Carlson told him she was a UC Riverside when they have equipment or furniture and the roar of traffic from the nearby student doing research. The man seemed they’re going to get rid of. When they freeway makes contemplation difficult. satisfied, but Carlson wasn’t. “And who were replacing lab desks on campus, I are you?” she countered. His response was able to get quite a few of them for Carlson, who also managed the NRS’s settled the issue: “I’m Charlie Motte.” our lab. And both the collections trailer Emerson Oaks and Box Springs re- [from the National Parks Service] and serves, retired in December 2004. This inauspicious first encounter was the researcher’s trailer [from the Haz- During her career, she saw a lot of the beginning of a long, productive ardous Waste group on campus] were changes in the area, especially at Motte relationship between the reserve’s donor given to us for the cost of hauling.” Reserve. Hired by NRS pioneer Bill and its future director. “Charlie used Mayhew because he “liked her quali- to walk the reserve every morning,” Carlson’s diligent work to expand the ties,” Carlson recalls her first job was Carlson recalls, “and we’d stop and facilities at Motte helped assure a steady to “drop by campus, pick up several talk. He was very interested in what flow of researchers and classes. The rolls of barbed wire and fencing tools, was happening on the reserve and reserve also hosted a number of NRS and fix the fences.” She adds, with helped us out a tremendous amount. systemwide events, including the 2002 her customary dry wit, “That’s about Both Charlie and his wife, Ottie, have Mathias Symposium, which featured all the facilities we had back then.” been incredibly generous. It’s been graduate students from throughout the great working with both of them.” UC system, and the 2003 NRS Manage- By the time she became the ment Workshop, attend- reserve’s director, Carlson ed by over forty people. was already familiar with the landscape. As a student, As for the future, Carlson she had worked with May- notes that the new director hew to establish a research will have to focus a lot of grid at the reserve, so peo- attention on the Emerson ple could always identify Oaks Reserve. “The facili- where they were working. ties at Emerson Oaks were She had also carried out really coming along,” she a number of studies on explains. “Mrs. Emerson the area during her un- had done many things dergraduate and graduate to help us, and we had
years. Her master’s thesis Barbara Carlson (far right) at the Motte Rimrock Reserve, restored the cabin so we focused on breeding birds with (from far left to right) reserve steward Joseph could have a staff person in burned and unburned Messin, faculty manager John Rotenberry, and systemwide living on-site. But then portions of the reserve. associate director Chen Yin Noah. Photo by Alex Glazer the Eagle fire last spring U niversity of C a l i f o r n i a 10 Transect • 23:1 destroyed the cabin, and the heavy rains this winter completely filled the pond and home site with silt. The roads are Current Mathias grant winners total 20 almost impassable. It’s going to take some really hard work to restore it.” ecently annnounced were the recipients of the 2004-05 Mildred E. Mathias Graduate Student Research Grants. A total of 20 Carlson will be sorely missed at the students from eight UC campuses were selected for research work Motte Rimrock, Emerson Oaks, and Rthat will be conducted on 13 different NRS reserves. Since its inception in Box Springs reserves. John Rotenberry, 1988, the program has provided over 250 grants totaling nearly $400,000. faculty manager of these sites and The following is a list of this year’s awardees, by UC campus, and the NRS campus NRS director at UCR, praised reserves they will be using: her, saying: “As the only director the From UC Berkeley: • Susana Peluc Motte and Emerson reserves have ever • Rebecca Anderson (Santa Cruz Island Reserve) known, she has had an indelible influ- (Santa Cruz Island Reserve) ence in shaping their configuration…. • Theresa Chuang From UC San Diego: Everything about the Motte [Reserve] (Sagehen Creek Field Station) • Serena Moseman bears her stamp — and will into the • Maria Goodrich (Kendall-Frost Mission Bay foreseeable future. She has been a su- (Angelo Coast Range Reserve) Marsh Reserve) perb guide to its past development and is the principal architect of its current From UC Davis: From UC Santa Barbara: trajectory. All of this, I might add, under • Erin Espeland • Donald Burnette the increasing pressure of surrounding (McLaughlin Natural Reserve) (Coal Oil Point Natural Reserve) suburban development. Because of its • Brooke Jacobs • Jeff Howarth location, the Motte has always been a (McLaughlin Natural Reserve) (Santa Cruz Island Reserve) bit under siege, and I don’t think Bill • Adrianna Muir • Robin Pelc Mayhew could have picked a better (Bodega Marine Reserve) (Kenneth S. Norris Rancho person to protect it…. She’s looked out • Louie Yang Marino Reserve, Bodega Marine for the reserve’s interests, sometimes (Sagehen Creek Field Station) Reserve, Landels-Hill Big Creek fiercely so, but always with respect for Reserve) our surrounding neighbors as well.” From UC Irvine: • Grant Yip • Adrian Rocha (Santa Cruz Island Reserve) Though Carlson is retired, she will (San Joaquin Freshwater Marsh • Mackenzie Zippay continue her long-term hummingbird Reserve) (Kenneth S. Norris Rancho research. One of a handful of master Marino, Coal Oil Point Natu- hummingbird banders in the country, From UC Los Angeles: ral Reserve, Santa Cruz Island she will continue to serve as California • Rachel Kennison Reserve) coordinator for the Hummingbird (Carpinteria Salt Marsh Reserve) Monitoring Network, a group that tracks • Benjamin Rossi From UC Santa Cruz: hummingbird populations throughout (McLaughlin Natural Reserve) • Krikor Andonian the western United States. Carlson and (Hastings Natural History her friend, Ruth Yoder, also plan to do a From UC Riverside: Reservation) lot of traveling in the Southwest. “We re- • Lori Hargrove • Elise Ferree ally enjoy the Ruby Lake National Wild- (Boyd Deep Canyon Desert (Sagehen Creek Field Station) life Refuge in Nevada,” Barbara notes. Research Center) “It’s a broad, flat valley at about 6,000 feet For more information about the Mildred E. Mathias Graduate Student with a huge marsh, so it’s filled with mi- Research Grants (including the research topics that will be investigated by grating ducks and other birds. Those are these Mathias winners), go to: the kinds of places I want to see more of.”
reserves administered through UC Recycled paper printed Riverside: Motte Rimrock Reserve, with soy-based inks Emerson Oaks Reserve, and Box Springs Reserve. Peter Connors will also be retiring soon; he has been at Bodega for 34 years, of which he has spent 19 years managing the reserve.
NRS managers and stewards shoulder the greatest burdens of the reserve system. Consequently, the retirement Art by Susan Gee Rumsey
1986 Nonprofit Org. Natural Reserve System U.S. Postage University of California PAID University of 1111 Franklin Street, 6th Floor California Oakland, CA 94607-5200