CBI staff are leading a large team of mammal experts in preparing a comprehensive review of the conservation status of all mammal species, subspecies, and distinct population segments in California. The team has developed and applied a systematic scoring procedure to rank mammal species, subspecies, or distinct population segments for their relative degree of conservation concern within California. They compiled all available locality data and other pertinent information concerning the status and distribution of nominee taxa, and are preparing species accounts and geographic range maps for each taxon that made the final list. The result will be used to update Department of Fish and Game’s official list of sensitive taxa and will be published in book and web formats.
Click here to access the Mammal Species of Special Concern (MSSC) website
Photo credit: Steve Montgomery
CBI staff verified a new population of the endangered Stephens’ kangaroo rat in the Santa Maria Valley, San Diego County, California, by trapping and reconnaissance surveys and performed numerous adaptive management and monitoring tasks to help sustain this isolated population. Tasks included:
- Mapping the density and extent of population
- Performing GIS habitat modeling to predict other potential habitat in the region
- Providing tissue samples for genetic analyses, which demostrated that the population is unique and highly inbred
- Preparing a Biological Assessment for the expansion of the Ramona Airport in the heart of the population and a Habitat Management Plan to sustain the population via adaptive management and monitoring
- Preparing and implementing a translocation program to salvage kangaroo rats prior to construction of an expanded airport runway through the heart of the population, house them in captivity, release them to improved habitat areas, and monitor success of the translocated population and the overall population in the area for several years