Wildlife

Study Links

Animal Tracks Study Links:

http://www.naturetracking.com/

http://www.bear-tracker.com/guide.html

http://octrackers.com/

Animal Scat Study Links:

What scat can tell you about your wildlife neighbors – CSERC

Scat ID | Internet Center for Wildlife Damage Management (icwdm.org)

track_and_scat_glovebox_guide.pdf (arizona.edu)

Animal Skull Study Links:

Mammalia — identification guide — Discover Life

skullsite – Bird Skull Collection

Animal Skull Identification Guide – Waking Up Wild | Waking Up Wild

Kansas – What’s This Skull? (whatsthisskull.com)

Recommended Web-based Wildlife Study Materials for Envirothon 2023

Bighorn Sheep Resources

Envirothon Wildlife Team 2022-23

Preparation for Webinar on 3/4/23 with Paige Prentice

1. Desert Bighorn Sheep – Joshua Tree National Park (U.S. National Park Service) (nps.gov)
– Description, habitat, food, activity, life history, conservation

2. Desert Bighorn Sheep – Species Distribution Model, DRECP | Data Basin
– Desert bighorn sheep potential habitat map

3. Monitoring Efforts (ca.gov)
– Monitoring efforts, capture methods, population surveys, and waterhole sits and cameras for bighorn sheep by CDFW

4. Desert Bighorn Sheep: Connecting a Desert Landscape (U.S. National Park Service) (nps.gov)
– Article with background on sheep biology, research information, and pictures

5. Featured Scientist | Paige Prentice (ca.gov)
– Background on Paige Prentice (presenter)

– Effects of Climate Change on Population Persistence of Desert-Dwelling Mountain Sheep in California – PDF

Recommended Web-based Wildlife Study Materials for Envirothon 2022

California Ecosystems & Wildlife Videos

• Ecosystems of California YouTube Video from Prof. Erika Zavaleta
  • Entire playlist of videos: https://youtube.com/playlist?list=PLv8jVaycwd-2s1vQVwfqiyjNVrKjRfiw0
  • Recommended Segments:
    • Biodiversity (16:17): https://youtu.be/-Jq9945N7lY
    • Deserts (14:31): https://youtu.be/aMZBN6KyJBE
    • Rivers (11:02): https://youtu.be/LWOPUTBJKnc
    • Estuaries (12:12): https://youtu.be/i5qhlXvmbWE
    • Beaches (8:49): https://youtu.be/rfP91UZWfs4
    • Offshore (14:26): https://youtu.be/yK6cb14zZy4
    • Agriculture (12:15): https://youtu.be/B0UuouiHTbI
    • Forestry (22:16): https://youtu.be/BJ4GM6Bd6FM
  • Optional Segments:
    • Grasslands (11:57): https://youtu.be/gvTvQ-vVVVY
    • Oak Woodlands (14:26): https://youtu.be/2FD9VuqI5Wg
    • Animal Tracking (9:02): https://youtu.be/34ngW2klEwI

Please visit California Envirothon’s YouTube Channel

Plastic Waste in Aquatic Food Chains

• Marine Systems
  • Impacts to Birds
    • Ocean Currents Podcast May 1, 2017 Episode: “Do plastics in the ocean smell like food to ocean seabirds?” Sanctuary Radio Program 2017 | Cordell Bank National Marine Sanctuary (noaa.gov)
      • Interview with Dr. Matt Savoca, Marine Ecologist/UC Davis graduate.”If it smells like food, and looks like food, it must be food right?” New research highlights how plastics may take on the smells of typical food that seabirds like to eat. Learn more about this recent research with marine ecologist and UC Davis graduate Dr. Matt Savoca.
    • Article: Scientists Now Know Why Some Seabirds Eat So Much Plastic – The Atlantic
    • Journal Article: Savoca, M.S., Wohlfeil, M.E., Ebeler, S.E. and G.A. Nevitt. 2016. Marine plastic debris emits a keystone infochemical for olfactory foraging seabirds. Science Advances 2(11): e1600395.
  • Impacts to Fish
    • Journal Article “Plastic ingestion by marine fish is widespread and increasing” Plastic ingestion by marine fish is widespread and increasing – Savoca – 2021 – Global Change Biology – Wiley Online Library
      • Savoca, M.S., McInturf, A.G. and E.L. Hazen. 2021. Plastic ingestion by marine fish is widespread and increasing. Global Change Biology 27(10): 2188-2199.
  • Impacts to Sea Turtles
    • Article:Sea Turtles Might Be Eating Old Plastic Because It Smells Like Shrimp | Science | Smithsonian Magazine
  • Trash in the Ocean
    • Golf Balls in the Ocean Video: Why this student collected more than 50,000 golf balls out of the ocean (vice.com)

• Quantifying marine debris associated with coastal golf courses

Trash in Terrestrial Ecosystems

• Desert Ecosystems – Trash Subsidies Increase Predator Populations and Sensitive Species Impacts
  • Fact Sheet:Ravenous Ravens | The Living Desert
  • Fact Sheet: Tortoises in Trouble | The Living Desert
  • Fact Sheet:You Can Help | The Living Desert
  • Article:Ravens (U.S. National Park Service) (nps.gov)
  • Video:Tortoise in Peril:https://youtu.be/EoRGb5dQRRQ
  • Video:The Heat is On – Desert Tortoises and Survival:https://youtu.be/kimgkupAmTo

Impacts of Lead on Wildlife

• Lead Bullet Risks for Wildlife & Humans: https://www.nps.gov/pinn/learn/nature/leadinfo.htm
• Journal Article: “The persistent problem of lead poisoning in birds from ammunition and fishing tackle” https://static1.squarespace.com/static/618acc585ede3d01b735c375/t/61a15530dfd0aa6784f11eca/1637963058155/The_Persistent_Problem_of_Lead_Poisoning.pdf
• News Article: “Nearly half of bald and golden eagles in the US have chronic lead poisoning, most likely from bullet fragments” https://www.businessinsider.com/eagles-lead-poisoning-bullets-hunting-2022-2
• California Condors:
  • Lead Bullets & California Condors: https://www.ventanaws.org/condorthreats.html
  • Ventana Wildlife Society Non-Lead Ammunition Program: https://www.ventanaws.org/ammunition.html
  • Journal Article: “PATTERNS OF MORTALITY IN FREE-RANGING CALIFORNIA CONDORS (GYMNOGYPS CALIFORNIANUS)” https://static1.squarespace.com/static/618acc585ede3d01b735c375/t/61a1549edd99c63827129e4d/1637962910882/2012_rideout_patterns_of_mortality_in_cacondors.pdf
  • Journal Article: “Feather Lead Concentrations and 207Pb/206Pb Ratios Reveal Lead Exposure History of California Condors (Gymnogyps californianus)” https://static1.squarespace.com/static/618acc585ede3d01b735c375/t/61aed0052e98da3b2bab3b34/1638846470008/Condor+Lead+Levels+in+Feather.pdf

Climate Change

• News Article:Sea level rise could flood toxic sites along the Bay Area’s shore. This city has 21 facilities at risk (sfchronicle.com)
• News Article & video: Beavers offer lessons about managing water in a changing climate, whether the challenge is drought or floods (theconversation.com)