Color polymorphism and individual variation in disparate populations California red-legged frogs (Rana draytonii)
Mr. Alvarez discusses the variability in coloration among California Red-legged Frogs across different populations, highlighting examples of atypical color morphs and the factors influencing these variations. The study emphasizes the importance of recognizing these polymorphisms to avoid misidentification and mismanagement of the species.
The Beaver Effect
How nature's engineers restore wetlands, control floods and protect rivers. Colorado Springs Utilities hopes to draw beavers to the region to help with riparian restoration on Pikes Peak.
In the Wild: Madison Pelland with Westervelt Ecological Services
Madison Pelland's highlights her internship Westervelt Ecological Services, focusing on the Cache Slough Mitigation Bank and its role in enhancing ecosystem conditions in the Sacramento-San Joaquin Delta.
Zacharias Ranch Mitigation Bank Approved!
Westervelt Ecological Services (WES) has received federal approval of the Zacharias Ranch Mitigation Bank (Zacharias Ranch) in southern Sacramento County.
Sipsey Mitigation Bank Approved
Westervelt Ecological Services (WES) has received approval for the Sipsey River Mitigation Bank (SRMB) from the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (USACE) and the Alabama Department of Environmental Management (ADEM).
Westervelt Ecological Services Expands with Acquisition of American Mitigation Company
Westervelt Ecological Services is pleased to announce the acquisition of American Mitigation Company (AMC), based in South Carolina.
MITIGATION BANKING AND ECOLOGICAL RESTORATION: BALANCING NATURE AND DEVELOPMENT WITH WESTERVELT ECOLOGICAL SERVICES
Threatened Frog Spotted in Mosquito Fire Burn Scar
Almost a year has passed since the Mosquito Fire roared through the American River Canyon just outside the small northern California community of Foresthill. Steep hillsides covered in oak and pine trees, shrubs and grasses went up in flames. The fire started on September 6, 2022, and burned for 46 days, destroying homes and small businesses and blackening more than 76,000 acres of National Forest and privately-owned lands. But a recent visit to the burn area provided some hope to wildlife biologists. A small population of California red-legged frogs, a threatened species, survived the fire.
Post-fire survival of the threatened California red-legged frog
Fire in the landscape is a natural disturbance factor to which native species have evolved, particularly in the western United States (Pilliod et al. 2003; Jager et al. 2021). Large-scale wildfires can temporarily reduce thatch, directly kill wildlife, change soil chemistry, facilitate immigration and emigration, open otherwise closed habitats, redistribute vegetation communities, reduce, or eliminate some habitat types, and have other positive or negative impacts (Romme 1982; Pease et al. 1989; Pilliod et al. 2003; Smucker et al. 2005; Rochester et al. 2010).