In 2016, the Natural History Museum of Los Angeles County and the California Academy of Sciences founded the City Nature Challenge. The annual, four-day event at the end of April is described as a “global bioblitz” to help document and identify plant and wildlife biodiversity in urban areas around the world. What originally began as a competition between Los Angeles and San Francisco, has now grown to over 600 participating cities and counties around the world. For the 2024 City Nature Challenge, participants recorded over 2 million observations of more than 65,000 species globally.

In 2023, Forest Service staff in the Pacific Southwest Region created their own annual event out of the City Nature Challenge. With the help of local partners, research economist Dr. José Sánchez with the Pacific Southwest Research Station and Urban and Community Forestry Program Specialist Michelle Carr with Region 5 State and Private Forestry, began taking local students to the San Dimas Experimental Forest during the City Nature Challenge. Located in Los Angeles County, just outside of Los Angeles, the San Dimas Experimental Forest is designated as a long-term research forest. Because of ongoing, long-term hydrology and fire ecology studies, the San Dimas is normally closed to the public. However, by collaborating with local partners, Dr. Sánchez and Carr saw an opportunity to better understand how people connect and understand nature by using the San Dimas Experimental Forest lands.

The 2024 City Nature Challenges comes on the heels of the launch of the “Nature Connects Us Campaign,” an effort by the Forest Service to strengthen the connection of people to national forests and grasslands. To that end, the pair have led a small group of students and staff on interpretive hikes into the San Dimas Experimental Forest as part of the City Nature Challenge for the past two years. With support and staff from groups such as Nature for All, the Duarte Area Resource Team (D.A.R.T), the Natural History Museum of Los Angeles County, and the Angeles National Forest, the group takes pictures and identifies local plants and wildlife in San Dimas. Along with learning about and experiencing nature, the interpretive hike helps students learn about Forest Service jobs and opportunities through our partners. For Dr. Sánchez, Carr, and partners, these events provide an opportunity to learn about the public’s perceptions of nature, recreation, and California national forests. As the research station and the San Dimas Experimental Forest look toward the future, Dr. Sánchez and Carr envision partners and locals as a key part of that process.

Around the Station

National Congressional Staff Tour

At the end of April, Pacific Southwest Research Station staff visited Missoula, MT for a national congressional staff committee tour. This was an opportunity for Forest Service R&D to showcase the breadth of work in our portfolio. Dr. Angela White spoke about post-fire revegetation and Dr. Eric Knapp presented on long-running fuel treatments.

Webinars, Events, and Information

Safeguarding Hawaii’s ʻŌhiʻa Trees Through The ʻŌhiʻa Disease Resistance Program and the Myrtle Rust Monitoring Network

Hawai'i Department of Land and Natural Resources 

Thursday May 30, 10:00 a.m. HST (1:00 p.m. Pacific Time)

Marc Hughes, FS Pacific Southwest Research Station

Register Here (External Link)

Forestry and Fuel Profiles Webinar

University of California Agriculture and Natural Resources

Wednesday July 17, 12:00–12:45 p.m. Pacific Time

Don Radcliffe, University of Washington; Eric Knapp, FS Pacific Southwest Research Station

Register Here (External Link)

Get Interactive with National Forest Trends in CA

The USDA Forest Service Pacific Southwest Region (Region 5) is publishing its first interactive website on social, economic and ecological trends for national forests in California. The site is packed with data dashboards, interactive maps, descriptive trend summaries, tables and figures.

Contact: Stephanie Coppeto (stephanie.coppeto@usda.gov)

Click Here for the Interactive Website

USDA Seeks Members for Federal Advisory Committee for Urban Agriculture and Innovative Production

The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) is seeking nominations for four positions on the Federal Advisory Committee for Urban Agriculture and Innovative Production. USDA will accept nominations from May 7, 2024, to July 7, 2024.

Click Here for More Information

Station News

Avian Ambassadors and Tribal Perspectives: A Bird’s Eye View of Prescribed Fire

Birds are our melodic neighbors. They soar above skyscrapers in New York City and nest in coast redwoods in Northern California. Their familiar site and distinctive calls have made bird watching a national pastime. But our avian companions are declining . . .

Read More

External Media

Research showcases Indigenous stewardship's role in forest ecosystem resilience

Oregon State University researchers have teamed with the Karuk Tribe to create a novel computer simulation model that showcases Indigenous fire stewardship's role in forest ecosystem health . . .

Read more: Oregon State University (External Link)

Urban Forestry: From Redlining to Green Lining

Urban areas are known for their blend of cultures, food, entertainment and rich histories, but not necessarily their greenspaces. That’s changing as communities across the country rethink urban planning and what a greener, cooler cityscape might mean for residents.

Read more: USFS National Site 

More PSW News

Publication Highlight

More PSW Publications via Treesearch

Fact and Trivia Corner

There are at least 63 native species of yellow-faced bees, or nalo meli maoli, in Hawai`i. Like all bees, they survive solely on nectar and pollen throughout their lives. How do nalo meli maoli carry pollen from flowers back to their nests?

Scroll to the very bottom for the answers.

1. In pollen baskets (corbicula) on their back legs
2. On specialized hairs (scopa) on their abdomen
3. They pack it into balls and throw it
4. In a stomach (crop) compartment to regurgitate later

Pacific Southwest Research Station

The Pacific Southwest Research Station (PSW) was founded in 1926 as a part of the Research and Development branch of U.S. Forest Service. Since its inception, PSW has expanded to serve California, Hawai'i, and the US-affiliated Pacific Islands. PSW develops and delivers science-based information, technologies, and applications to help people make informed decisions about natural resource management, conservation, and environmental protection.

Trivia Answer

4) In a stomach (crop) compartment to regurgitate later