Treesearch

People value proximity and easy access to protected areas in urban landscapes, including state and regional parks, wildlife refuges, and open space preserves. The popularity of outdoor recreation activities such as hiking and birdwatching has more than doubled in the past 20 years, and surveys indicate that proximity to natural areas is an important factor determining where residents choose to live in California. However, the consequences of widespread recreational use in oak woodlands are largely unknown. The objectives of our study were to assess the spatial variability of recreational...

Water quality was investigated in the vicinity of Cuesta Ridge Vineyard, San Luis Obispo County, where drainages carry water from chaparral, oak woodland, and a new vineyard. Three drainages were instrumented with gauges above and below the vineyard for stage height and turbidity to assess the effectiveness of water quality protection measures at the Cuesta Ridge Vineyard. Water samples were taken during storm events and analyzed for pH, EC, nitrogen, phosphorus, and sediment concentrations. Erratic flow conditions may have made it difficult to identify differences above and below the...

This paper begins with a survey of contemporary California Indian utilization of acorns for food, including an examination of: (1) familial, community and cultural contexts in which acorn is shared and eaten; (2) new and old acorn processing techniques in use today and the foods that result; (3) the symbolic context of the foods in terms of ecological and social relationships that connect people to place, each other, cultural heritage and sacred time; and (4) ancestral burning and pruning techniques used to manage oaks and other species. Next comes a detailed summary of contemporary uses...

Prescribed fire is a common method used to produce desired ecological effects in chaparral by mimicking the natural role of fire. Since prescribed fires are usually conducted in moderate fuel and weather conditions, models that accurately predict fire behavior and effects under these scenarios are important for management. In this study, explosive audio devices and steel stakes were used to record the location of the flaming front during seven prescribed fires in mature, chamise (Adenostoma fasciculatum) dominated chaparral in northern California. Intervals between detonations measured the...

Acre for acre, oak woodlands provide habitats for a greater range of wildlife species than grasslands and irrigated agricultural lands. Oak woodlands also are highly valued as open space around residential development. The rich habitat diversity and the physical attractiveness drives residential interest in living in or adjacent to oak woodlands as well as preservation interest in maintaining oak woodlands without an overlay of residential land uses. Numerous state and local regulations are being implemented to balance these competing goals. California’s growing metropolitan population...

West Nile virus has undergone an unprecedented rate of infection in North America, sweeping from New York to California in four years. It attacked an exceptionally broad range of hosts/vectors over a broad geographic area. In 2004, the California Department of Health Services received approximately 98,000 reports of dead birds, representing tens of millions of birds killed by West Nile virus in California. The rates of dead bird reports in California Hardwood Rangelands varied from 54 ± 11 birds/km¹7; in the upper Sacramento River Valley to 3.7 ± 0.8 birds/km2 in the southern coastal...

Cuticular hydrocarbons (CHC) and soldier defense secretions (SDS) were characterized for collections of Reticulitermes from six counties (Los Angeles, Orange, Riverside, San Bernardino, San Diego, and Santa Barbara) in southern California. Collection sites included the type locality for R. hesperus, Lake Arrowhead (formerly known as Little Bear Lake) in the San Bernardino Mountains. In southern California, there are two CHC phenotypes, SC-A and SC-B, which are easily distinguished by the presence or absence of 5-methyl pentacosane, 5-methyl heptacosane, 5,17-dimethyl pentacosane, and...

Leisure travel and visitation to natural areas and constraints to undertaking these activities are important concerns for recreation resource managers and tourism businesses. Surveys were administered to Los Angeles, Barcelona, Glasgow, and Morelia, Mexico, residents to ascertain leisure travel and undeveloped natural area visitation levels and constraints. A comparison of these cities with abundant nearby natural resources shows significant differences in leisure travel and natural area visitation levels. Differences were attributable to respondent demographic disparities and importance...

Health benefits of physical activity are well recognized and documented, yet obesity rates remain high in the United States, particularly among Hispanics/Latinos. As our population becomes more urban and ethnically diverse, a greater understanding of specific populations may help agencies better address issues related to obesity and sedentary lifestyles. This study examined use of urban-proximate outdoor recreation sites for physical activity as well as differences in use, experience use history, and body mass index between Hispanics/Latinos of all races, and non-Hispanic/Latino Whites....

The purpose of the study was to identify factors that influence the career choice behaviors among students who were members of Minorities in Agriculture, Natural Resources and Related Sciences (MANRRS) National Society. A secondary purpose was to identify perceptions and attitudes among students that chose careers in agriculture and natural resources. The MANRRS students in the study indicated their mother and persons employed in the field as the individuals who most influenced their choice of a career. Students’ personal concern for the environment was an additional factor that influenced...