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California State University, Stanislaus Endangered Species Recovery Program

News

  • New video documenting endangered species in the San Joaquin Valley and the Carrizo Plain

    Hidden in Plain View:
    Wildlife of the San Joaquin Valley & the Carrizo Plain




  • New book co-edited by Brian Cypher of ESRP
    Urban Carnivores: Ecology, Conflict, and Conservation


    book cover

    Edited by Stanley D. Gehrt, Seth P. D. Riley, and Brian L. Cypher

    With over half of the world’s human population now living in cities, human-carnivore interaction in urban areas is a growing area of concern and research for wildlife managers, conservationists, urban planners, and the public at large. This volume brings together leading international carnivore researchers to explore the unique biological and ecological issues associated with mammalian carnivores in urban landscapes.

    Carnivores in urban areas are fascinating from an ecological standpoint. They elicit great passions-positive and negative-among humans and present difficult challenges for wildlife conservationists and managers. The first section of the book discusses the field of urban ecology and the many potential roles of carnivores in urban ecosystems, details the general behavior and ecology of this group of mammals, and addresses the human side of potential conflicts between people and carnivores in cities. The second section provides species accounts of the most common urban carnivores, including raccoons, coyotes, foxes, skunks, and mountain lions. A separate chapter examines the very specialized place of domesticated cats and dogs. The last section compares how various carnivore species fare in cities, looks at the utility of existing conservation and conflict management efforts, and suggests directions for further research and future management initiatives.

    This thorough examination of the conflicts and complications surrounding urban wildlife is the first to focus specifically on carnivores. It includes an extensive bibliography and is an essential reference for wildlife biologists, mammalogists, and urban planners.

    A 25% off discount is available using this order form




  • Recently added publications




  • In Memoriam

    The biologists and support staff of the CSU Stanislaus, Endangered Species Recovery Program would like to extend sincere condolences to the families, friends, and colleagues of Clu Cotter, Kevin O'Connor, Tom Stolberg, and Mike Donovan. We are deeply shocked by the helicopter accident in Madera Co. yesterday that took the lives of these fine wildlife professionals. This tragedy is an enormous loss to their families, friends, and the California Department of Fish and Game, and a terrible blow to natural resources and wildlife management in California.

    The Western Section of The Wildlife Society has kindly placed biographical summaries for our deceased colleagues on its web site.

    Patrick Kelly
    Professor of Zoology & Coordinator
    Endangered Species Recovery Program
    California State University, Stanislaus
    6 January, 2009

    Condolences & Donations

    Anyone wishing to send condolence cards or letters to the victims' families, should specify the family's name on the envelope and send them to:

    c/o Condolences for Crash Victims
    California Dept. of Fish & Game
    1234 E. Shaw Ave., Fresno, CA 93710

    Anyone wishing to send a donation, can make a check out to the State Biologists' Memorial Fund and send it to:

    State Biologists' Memorial Fund
    c/o California Association of State Scientists
    455 Capitol Mall, Suite 500
    Sacramento, CA 95814



  • Recently added publications




  • Dr. Patrick Kelly receives U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service Recovery Champion Award for riparian brush rabbit conservation

    U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service 2008 Recovery Champions, Region 8

    Dr. Patrick Kelly
    California State University, Stanislaus
    Riparian brush rabbit

    Dr. Patrick Kelly is a Recovery Champion for his work in conserving riparian brush rabbits. His leadership in recovering this species is particularly notable in that after the 1997 Central Valley floods there was concern that riparian brush rabbits no longer existed. Dr. Kelly has been applauded for his “watchful eye, passionate commitment, scrupulous focus and leadership.” His work has included capturing animals for a propagation program, health-checking the young, radio-collaring and tagging, releasing into the wild, and then monitoring the rabbits for survival, healthy reproduction, and habitat use. Dr. Kelly has introduced riparian brush rabbits onto the San Joaquin National Wildlife Refuge and adjacent private land. He has saved the riparian brush rabbit from the brink of extinction and transported it to the road to recovery.




  • CSU Stanislaus scientists honored for kit fox scent dog research work

    A research project on the endangered San Joaquin kit fox conducted by a group of California State University, Stanislaus scientists and collaborators at the Smithsonian Institution has been recognized with a prestigious award by the Southwestern Association of Naturalists for their paper Relative abundance of endangered San Joaquin kit foxes (Vulpes macrotis mutica) based on scat-detection dog surveys.

    Photo of Deborah Smith with Rio, a dog specially trained for scat detection
    Deborah Smith with Rio, a dog specially trained for scat detection.

    The Arkansas-based conservation organization awarded the 2007 George Miksch Sutton Award in Conservation Research to a seven-member scientific team that included Dr. Patrick Kelly, CSU Stanislaus Professor of Zoology and Coordinator of the University's Endangered Species Recovery Program (ESRP); Dr. Dan Williams, retired CSU Stanislaus Professor of Zoology and founder and former coordinator of the ESRP; and Dr. Brian Cypher, ESRP Associate Director and Research Ecologist who directs the University program's Bakersfield office. The project was led by Dr. Deborah Smith of Hughson, a founding partner of the non-profit Working Dogs for Conservation Foundation, toward completion of her Ph.D. at the University of Washington. Dr. Katherine Ralls and Dr. Jesus Maldonado of the Smithsonian Institution and Howard Clark Jr., formerly a wildlife biologist with ESRP, were also actively involved in the research.

    Full copy of press release




  • Return of the Rabbits, ESRP featured cover story in California State University, Stanislaus Magazine.

    Cover of Stanislaus Magazine Adobe Acrobat Reader

About the Program

The Endangered Species Recovery Program is a cooperative research program on biodiversity conservation in central California, administered by California State University, Stanislaus.

The program was established in August 1992 at the request and with the support of the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service and the Bureau of Reclamation, under the direction of Dr. Dan Williams at CSU Stanislaus. Over the past decade, ESRP has grown into a cooperative research program working with local, State, and Federal agencies, non-governmental organizations, corporations, and private land owners.

ESRP is composed of about 18 biologists, students, and support staff, several research associates, and numerous collaborators in government and universities worldwide whose combined expertise and contributions are integral to the recovery of threatened and endangered species in Central California. ESRP biologists are based in Fresno, Turlock, Bakersfield, and the Bay Area.

Mission Statement

The Endangered Species Recovery Program's mission is to facilitate endangered species recovery and resolve conservation conflicts through scientifically based recovery planning and implementation.

Narrative

The central elements in the recovery of endangered and threatened species are: identifying the biological processes critical to achieving self-sustaining populations of jeopardized species and their ecosystems; developing sound species recovery and natural community management prescriptions; and identifying the social interests and entities that must be reconciled and work together in implementing recovery strategies. Such a recovery process necessarily implies the integration of all planning and implementation actions within a broadly inclusive public-private partnership to achieve a product that is environmentally sound, economically feasible, and socially equitable.

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