JMIE Events

2008

• May 8: Factors Causing Climate Change in California
• May 8-10: Symposium: Research Opportunities at MNRC - NEW
• May 14: Establishment of a Delta Smelt Refugial Population: Lessons from Other Species, Challenges, and Current Status - NEW
• May 14: Delveloping Sustainable Communities: The Push/Pull of Regulation vs. Innovation - UPDATED
• May 15: Wildlife Friendly Farming; Past, Present and Future at Hedgerow Farms - NEW
• May 15: Air Quality Activism, Environmental Justice and Spaces of Exclusion in the Big Bend Region, 1995-2007 - NEW
• May 15-19: Literature, Art, and Ecology in the University of California Natural Reserves
• May 16: Good Talks -- Bad Air: The Texas Air Quality Studies, Sustainable Engineering - UPDATED
• May 17: Native Plants & Wildflowers: From the Trail to the Garden
• May 17: Full Moon Hike & Storytelling
• May 18: Ticks, Lizards, Squirrels, and Lyme Disease: Why I'm glad I live in California.
• May 18: Preserve the Reserve: Promoting Native Vegetation
• May 18: Mother Nature and the Toddlers
• May 22: A Climate for Shared Solutions, panel discussion and reception - NEW
• May 22: We said WHAT? Assembly Bill 32
• May 23: The Voyage for Cleaner Energy - UPDATED
• May 25: Goat Grass Grab
• June 5: Short-Term Climate Change Mitigation Strategies for California
• June 7: Kayak & Explore
• June 8: The Spirit of Water
• June 14-15: Overnight at A Reserve
• June 19: Long-Term (2050) Climate Change Mitigation Strategies for California
• June 21: Loop Trail: Summer Solstice at Sunrise
• June 29: Ecosystem impacts of invasive species
• July 7-11: Green Technology Entrepreneurship Academy

Climate Change 101 Series
Climate Change and its Impacts on California

Factors Causing Climate Change in California

With Deb Niemeier, Director John Muir Institute of the Environment and Professor, Civil & Environmental Engineering

A coordinated series of talks covering aspects of climate change science relevant to State policy formulation.

Sponsored by: Department of Land, Air and Water Resources, UC Davis, John Muir Institute of the Environment, UC Davis, UC Davis Air Quality Research Center, UC Institute for Research on Climate Change and its Societal Impacts.

MODIFIED ON: 1/11/2008

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Symposium: Research Opportunities at MNRC

10:00 – 10:05 AM Opening Remarks Vice Chancellor Barry Klein

10:05-10:30 Overview of MNRC James Shackelford, Special Advisor

10:30-11:00 Overview of MNRC Activities Robert Flocchini, MNRC Director

11:00-12:00 PM Tour of MNRC

12:00-1:00 Lunch

1:00-1:20 Neutron Computed Tomography of Soil Water and Plant Roots.; Jan W. Hopmans, Leanne Tumlinson, Wendy Silk and H. Liu Professor Jan Hopmans Department of Land, Air & Water Resources

1:20-1:40 Applications of Neutron Radiography and Computed Tomography in the Geosciences Professor Charles Lesher Department of Geology

1:40-2:00 Closing Remarks James Shackelford and Bob Flocchini

Sponsored by the UC Davis McClellan Nuclear Radiation Center.

MODIFIED ON: 5/5/2008

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Establishment of a Delta Smelt Refugial Population: Lessons from Other Species, Challenges, and Current Status

Bradd Baskerville-Bridges, Co-director, Fish Conservation and Culture Lab, UC Davis

Kathleen Fisch, PhD Student, Genomic Variation Laboratory, UC Davis

Philip Hedrick, Professor, School of Life Sciences, Arizona State University

Joan Lindberg, Co-director, Fish Conservation and Culture Lab, UC Davis

The Fish Conservation and Culture Laboratory (FCCL), operated by UC Davis, has developed techniques for the reproduction and culture of the delta smelt. In the past, the lab relied on wild broodstock, but this is no longer possible given the very rapid decline in the number of fish in the wild. The lab, in cooperation with others, is now in the process of establishing a refugial population based on the fish currently at the FCCL. This seminar examines some lessons from other species on whether (and how) one can preserve the genetic diversity of fish in captivity. The seminar also reviews the known biology, genetics, and early life history of the delta smelt and the challenges being faced in the establishment of the refugial population.

*Co-sponsored by CALFED and CABA (UC Davis Center for Aquatic Biology and Aquaculture)

MODIFIED ON: 5/5/2008

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Climate Change Solutions and Implementation
2008 Seminar Series

Delveloping Sustainable Communities: The Push/Pull of Regulation vs. Innovation

With Judi Schweitzer, Schweitzer + Associates, Inc

Judi G. Schweitzer founded Schweitzer + Associates, Inc., which offers multidisciplinary consulting teams to help clients navigate the dynamic and often confusing world of sustainable development. The firm develops solutions for master developers, builders and homeowners to create the greatest value for its clients, resulting in the highest saving/return and most sustainable business solutions. Judi teaches USC’s Sustainable Real Estate Development Course as a graduate and adjunct professor in their Master of Real Estate Development program. She is a member of the State Building Standards Commission, Green Building Code Advisory Committee, the Urban Land Institute Development Council and the US Green Building Council. Her publications include “Developing Sustainable Planned Communities,” Urban Land Institute, (best seller 2007) and “Making Green Pay,” Urban Land Magazine, 2006.

MODIFIED ON: 5/8/2008

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CreekSpeak: A Putah Creek Watershed May-October 2008 Seminar Series

Wildlife Friendly Farming; Past, Present and Future at Hedgerow Farms

With John Anderson of Hedgerow Farms

Join us for the kick-off to 6 months of CreekSpeak! John Anderson of Hedgerow Farms will share his knowledge of native grasses and give a talk highlighting the work of Hedgerow Farms over the past 25 years. Learn about sustainable agriculture, wildlife friendly farming, and what you can do for habitat in your backyard. Chris Rose, Putah Creek Council Chair, Audubon CA Restorationist, and former Hedgerow Farms employee says, "John Anderson has been and continues to be at the forefront, the innovator, for native grassland restoration in California. John has been the inspiration in the grassland movement for the last 10 years."

CreekSpeak takes place the third Thursday of each month from May to October, 2008. Upcoming talks will include the Putah Creek Nest Box Trail, linking native species with human activity, and many others.

The talks are sponsored by the Putah Creek Council, City of Winters, Putah Creek Discovery Corridor Cooperative, and UC Davis John Muir Institute of the Environment.

MODIFIED ON: 5/5/2008

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Environmental Justice Project Presents

Air Quality Activism, Environmental Justice and Spaces of Exclusion in the Big Bend Region, 1995-2007

With Francisco Dóñez, Energy and Resources Group, University of California, Berkeley

This project examines the emergence of regional air quality activism in rural west Texas as a case of intersecting landscape protection and environmental justice imperatives. Environmental activism within the Big Bend region was spurred by the phenomenon of visible haze in Big Bend National Park. Activists first became active in 1996, taking haze pollution--and its impacts on the region’s spectacular landscape and tourist economy--as their founding issue. In subsequent years, local residents organized to around several additional air pollution-related issues, including the siting of a new rock crushing plant and a proposed NAFTA highway corridor passing through the region. To deal with these perceived threats, activists adopted a Not-In-My-Backyard (NIMBY) strategy, directed to excluding air pollution sources and impacts from the scenic Big Bend.

However, there are also hints of an environmental justice argument in these regional efforts. Specifically, some community organizers contend that the Big Bend region is home to a significant and growing population of people--many of them retirees--with preexisting respiratory problems, who relocated to the region precisely because of its relatively pristine air quality. They argue that because of this vulnerable population, the region’s air quality should be held to a higher standard. This argument echoes environmental justice arguments on the coping ability of vulnerable populations, though Big Bend activists do not use that term to describe their efforts.

These vulnerability claims are strictly delimited in spatial terms, excluding nearby communities that are less invested in “environmental” protection, but that also have potential EJ constituencies. Nevertheless, these claims point toward possible fruitful engagements on air pollution between local, landscape-oriented environmental activism and broader environmental and social movements.

Francisco Dóñez is a doctoral candidate in the Energy and Resources Group, UC Berkeley. He also works on the Air Division staff at the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, Region 9, in San Francisco.

MODIFIED ON: 5/8/2008

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Literature, Art, and Ecology in the University of California Natural Reserves

With Virginia Boucher and David Robertson

Not for Credit

Course Description:
Place: California’s golden rolling hills above the fog, California’s fog-shrouded redwood groves inhabited by the ghosts of Robinson Jeffers’ characters, over four thousand vertical feet of plant diversity, with the possibility of California’s own condors sailing overhead in a clear blue sky.

Those who live in the Davis area will ride University vans to the Big Creek Reserve, leaving Davis at noon on Thursday, May 15, and arriving late afternoon. Those who do not live in the Davis area will have the option of coming to Davis to join one of the vans or providing their own transportation to Big Creek. We will leave Big Creek at noon on Sunday, May 19.

Literature: participants will read a modest amount of material about the Big Sur area, including Robinson Jeffers’ poem “Roan Stallion.” This material will be discussed during the weekend.

Art: participants will engage in an art project that will include writing and photography. Participants will have the opportunity to read some of their work and to show some of their photographs using a digital projector. For this reason a digital camera will be useful, but not mandatory.

Ecology: Participants will go on two outings. On Friday we will walk an interpretative trail that is about three miles round trip and gains and loses about 1000 feet. On Saturday we will drive up to the 4000 foot level in the coastal mountains to an area frequented by California Condors. Plant identification, plant communities, local geology and other scientific subjects will be a part of the course agenda.

MODIFIED ON: 4/14/2008

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Good Talks -- Bad Air: The Texas Air Quality Studies, Sustainable Engineering

With David Allen, Ph.D., University of Texas, Austin, AEESP Distinguished Lecturer

Professor David Allen, Director of the Center for Energy and Environmental Resources at the University of Texas at Austin, was lead investigator for the largest air quality field studies ever undertaken in Texas. At 10 am on May 16 he will present an overview of “Texas Air Quality Studies” and the policy implications of highly reactive compounds that contribute to ozone, and the emission cap and trade program. At 4 pm Dr. Allen will talk about sustainable engineering as a model for modern engineering education. Both presentations will be in room 3001 of the Plant and Environmental Sciences building.

MODIFIED ON: 5/5/2008

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UC Davis Natural Reserve System
Stebbins Cold Canyon Reserve Nature Outings
Spring/Summer 2008

Native Plants & Wildflowers: From the Trail to the Garden

With Guide: Ryan Deering

Many of the native plants and wildflowers of Stebbins Cold Canyon can also grow beautifully in home gardens and landscapes. Join Ryan Deering, former plant propagation specialist for the UC Davis Arboretum, on a stroll through the canyon as he highlights the familiar and unusual plants of the reserve with a special emphasis on their potential use in your garden.

Stebbins Cold Canyon Reserve Nature Outings explore the beauty and natural history of the reserve. Through these experiences, participants deepen their understanding of - and develop a relationship with - the natural world. Most outings are interactive and experiential in nature, allowing participants the freedom to explore and interpret for themselves. In addition to Stebbins Cold Canyon, outings will take place at Lake Solano, Bobcat Ranch, the Cahill Property, and the Sagehen Creek Field Station. Look at Nature’s Theater for Kid’s Events! Where characters engage children in a story that highlights age-appropriate environmental issues.

MODIFIED ON: 2/22/2008

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UC Davis Natural Reserve System
Stebbins Cold Canyon Reserve Nature Outings
Spring/Summer 2008

Full Moon Hike & Storytelling

With Guide: The Group

If you like to tell stories - or if you just like to listen - this outing is for you. This is your chance to hike the canyon and see it in a different light - under the FULL MOON. The hike is approx. 2 ½ miles RT. Bring a story!

Stebbins Cold Canyon Reserve Nature Outings explore the beauty and natural history of the reserve. Through these experiences, participants deepen their understanding of - and develop a relationship with - the natural world. Most outings are interactive and experiential in nature, allowing participants the freedom to explore and interpret for themselves. In addition to Stebbins Cold Canyon, outings will take place at Lake Solano, Bobcat Ranch, the Cahill Property, and the Sagehen Creek Field Station. Look at Nature’s Theater for Kid’s Events! Where characters engage children in a story that highlights age-appropriate environmental issues.

MODIFIED ON: 2/22/2008

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Special Events at the McLaughlin Reserve
2008 Presentations/Lectures/Hikes

Ticks, Lizards, Squirrels, and Lyme Disease: Why I'm glad I live in California.

With Dr. Dan Salkeld, University of California, Berkeley

Most people who spend time outdoors are familiar with the potential hazard of Lyme Disease. Lyme disease is caused by a bacteria that can be carried by ticks and transferred to humans if an infected tick feeds on a person. In northern California, Lyme disease can be transmitted by the western black-legged tick (Ixodes pacificus), which feeds on a wide variety of animals such as mice, woodrats, squirrels, lizards, and deer, and occasionally (to our disgust) on humans. On the east coast, where mice, chipmunks and shrews all carry the bacteria and infect ticks, human rates of infection by Lyme disease are high. However in California, human rates of infections are much lower. This may be because various hosts that ticks feed on have different roles in the disease dynamics: some hosts are good 'reservoirs' of the disease, whereas other species, like the western fence lizard (common bluebelly), destroy the disease. Understanding the ecology of the hosts and disease is an important part of understanding why it's much better to be living in California, compared to New England!

Dan Salkeld, a postdoctoral researcher at UC Berkeley, is part of a team studying the dynamics of Lyme disease in northern California. Join us for Dan's lecture, followed by a short field excursion to continue talking about ticks and Dan's field work.

MODIFIED ON: 3/6/2008

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UC Davis Natural Reserve System
Stebbins Cold Canyon Reserve Nature Outings
Spring/Summer 2008

Preserve the Reserve: Promoting Native Vegetation

With Guides: The Reserve Land Stewards

It’s amazing what a group of people can do in a short amount of time!. The Preserve the Reserve group gathers a few times a year to help restore the natural communities of the reserve. On this outing, we’ll assist native vegetation by removing invasive weeds like Italian and Yellow Starthistle.

Stebbins Cold Canyon Reserve Nature Outings explore the beauty and natural history of the reserve. Through these experiences, participants deepen their understanding of - and develop a relationship with - the natural world. Most outings are interactive and experiential in nature, allowing participants the freedom to explore and interpret for themselves. In addition to Stebbins Cold Canyon, outings will take place at Lake Solano, Bobcat Ranch, the Cahill Property, and the Sagehen Creek Field Station. Look at Nature’s Theater for Kid’s Events! Where characters engage children in a story that highlights age-appropriate environmental issues.

MODIFIED ON: 2/22/2008

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Nature's Theater
Interactive Adventures in Nature

Mother Nature and the Toddlers

For ages: 1-4

Kids! Do you want to help the Birdman remember how to be a bird? Or perhaps you would like to re-name plants with Mother Nature? Or maybe you would like to join the Animal Circle Club? This is your chance!

Nature’s Theater is an opportunity for you to become part of a story and learn from characters like Mother Nature, Planthead, Summer, and the Fool.

Each outing is an opportunity to get outside, play and learn a little bit more about the secrets of nature. By the way, I’ve spoken to Mother Nature, and she’s excited to share her secrets with you.

Parents! Nature’s Theater is an innovative approach to helping children develop a healthy relationship with the natural world. Children are invited to explore the canyon with different characters, including: Mother Nature, Trashman, Winter, the Spirit of Water and more. These characters engage the children in a story that highlights age-appropriate environmental issues.

MODIFIED ON: 2/22/2008

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Climate Change Solutions and Implementation
2008 Seminar Series

A Climate for Shared Solutions, panel discussion and reception

With Ruth Coleman, Anthony Eggert, Bob Epstein, Jackie Pfannenstiel and Lance Pierce

Can professors, policymakers, and the private sector agree to agree on the common ground for climate change solutions? The concluding event of the John Muir Institute’s Climate Change Solutions Speaker Series is the panel discussion, “A Climate for Shared Solutions.” Mary Nichols, Chairman of the California Air Resources Board, opened the series with vivid descriptions of changes that a warming climate has already brought to the landscape. From January through May, representatives from water, transportation, fuels, agriculture and energy — public and private — have been serving up their weekly slice of the carbon pie chart. The series concludes with a panel of representatives that is charged with clearing the detail debris to find the “climate change commons.” This lively discussion will engage the climate-wary audience with an approach that some will find refreshingly uncommon.

Moderator, Deb Niemeier, Director, John Muir Institute of the Environment

Panelists

* Ruth Coleman, Director, California Dept of Parks and Recreation, Sacramento
* Anthony Eggert, Science and Technology Advisor, Air Resources Board, Sacramento
* Bob Epstein, Founder, Environmental Entrepreneurs, San Francisco
* Jackie Pfannenstiel, Commissioner, California Energy Commission, Sacramento
* Ann Notthoff, Director, CA Center for Advocacy, Natural Resources Defense Council

MODIFIED ON: 5/5/2008

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Climate Change 101 Series
Climate Change and its Impacts on California

We said WHAT? Assembly Bill 32

With Chuck Shulock

A coordinated series of talks covering aspects of climate change science relevant to State policy formulation.

Sponsored by: Department of Land, Air and Water Resources, UC Davis, John Muir Institute of the Environment, UC Davis, UC Davis Air Quality Research Center, UC Institute for Research on Climate Change and its Societal Impacts.

MODIFIED ON: 1/11/2008

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The Voyage for Cleaner Energy

With Robert Swan, Officer of the Order of the British Empire, Artic Explorer, Clean Energy Advocate

Robert Swan, OBE (Officer of the Order of the British Empire) will be wrapping up his west coast ‘sailing voyage’ at UC Davis to promote his five-year worldwide adventure dedicated to solving global climate change. “The Voyage for Cleaner Energy” is a lecture series and sailing expedition that began April 8th in San Francisco. After completing visits on the west coast, he will take the Panama Canal to the eastern seaboard, through the St. Lawrence Seaway, to the Mississippi River and New Orleans. He will then depart for three years of sailing Europe and the Far East. Swan’s vessel harnesses wind with sails made from recycled plastic bottles and other eco-features.

Swan made his mark as a polar explorer who traversed the South Pole unassisted in 1986 and the North Pole in 1989, becoming the first person to walk to both poles. In 2010, he will attempt to become first to cross Antarctica on foot, a sequential journey for which he has completed all but 300 miles.

As UN Education Goodwill Ambassador for Youth, and Special Envoy to the Director General of UNESCO, Swan is inviting highly motivated students to join the crew along several segments of his voyage along the California coast. Next year he will lead students on an annual two-week expedition to Antarctica’s King George Island. Students on his earliest expeditions removed and recycled 1500 tons of accumulated waste from the island’s beaches. Swan later founded E-Base on the island, an education center powered by alternative energy. The 2009 expedition will learn leadership, teambuilding, climate change and renewable energy. For student applications and a sailing schedule for seven west coast segments contact Cora Monce, Office of Research, cmonce@ucdavis.edu. http://voyage.2041.com has a complete calendar of campus visits and presentations.

MODIFIED ON: 5/6/2008

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Special Events at the McLaughlin Reserve
2008 Presentations/Lectures/Hikes

Goat Grass Grab

Serpentine areas in California provide some of the few remaining examples of truly native California grasslands. Over most of California, our native grassland species have been replaced by invasive annual grasses from Europe and Asia. Most of these invasive species are unable to tolerate the harsh soil conditions on serpentine, and so serpentine meadows have become a refuge for our native grassland flora. Barbed goat grass is a noxious weed from the Mediterranean and Asia that shows unusual tolerance to serpentine and it is rapidly invading serpentine meadows and other grasslands throughout California. Our mission during the goat grass grab will be to comb some of the best native serpentine meadows at the McLaughlin Reserve, and selectively remove goatgrass before it has a chance to spread. Bring work gloves. Lunch will be provided, and we will cook a group dinner at the reserve field station at the end of the day.

MODIFIED ON: 3/6/2008

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Climate Change 101 Series
Climate Change and its Impacts on California

Short-Term Climate Change Mitigation Strategies for California

With Bryan Jenkins (Department of Biological and Agricultural Engineering at UC Davis)

A coordinated series of talks covering aspects of climate change science relevant to State policy formulation.

Sponsored by: Department of Land, Air and Water Resources, UC Davis, John Muir Institute of the Environment, UC Davis, UC Davis Air Quality Research Center, UC Institute for Research on Climate Change and its Societal Impacts.

MODIFIED ON: 1/11/2008

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UC Davis Natural Reserve System
Stebbins Cold Canyon Reserve Nature Outings
Spring/Summer 2008

Kayak & Explore

With Guides: Jeff Falyn & Chris Alford

Explore Lake Solano by gliding low across its waters. This is a wonderful opportunity to step off the land and experience the habitats of the region from a different perspective. Kayak instructors will familiarize you with basic paddle strokes and boat control. No experience necessary. All equipment and gear has been provided by UCD Outdoor Adventures. Bring a lunch.

Stebbins Cold Canyon Reserve Nature Outings explore the beauty and natural history of the reserve. Through these experiences, participants deepen their understanding of - and develop a relationship with - the natural world. Most outings are interactive and experiential in nature, allowing participants the freedom to explore and interpret for themselves. In addition to Stebbins Cold Canyon, outings will take place at Lake Solano, Bobcat Ranch, the Cahill Property, and the Sagehen Creek Field Station. Look at Nature’s Theater for Kid’s Events! Where characters engage children in a story that highlights age-appropriate environmental issues.

MODIFIED ON: 2/22/2008

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Nature's Theater
Interactive Adventures in Nature

The Spirit of Water

For ages: 6-10

Kids! Do you want to help the Birdman remember how to be a bird? Or perhaps you would like to re-name plants with Mother Nature? Or maybe you would like to join the Animal Circle Club? This is your chance!

Nature’s Theater is an opportunity for you to become part of a story and learn from characters like Mother Nature, Planthead, Summer, and the Fool.

Each outing is an opportunity to get outside, play and learn a little bit more about the secrets of nature. By the way, I’ve spoken to Mother Nature, and she’s excited to share her secrets with you.

Parents! Nature’s Theater is an innovative approach to helping children develop a healthy relationship with the natural world. Children are invited to explore the canyon with different characters, including: Mother Nature, Trashman, Winter, the Spirit of Water and more. These characters engage the children in a story that highlights age-appropriate environmental issues.

MODIFIED ON: 2/22/2008

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UC Davis Natural Reserve System
Stebbins Cold Canyon Reserve Nature Outings
Spring/Summer 2008

Overnight at A Reserve

Beyond Stebbins Cold Canyon, there are 34 Reserves in UC’s Natural Reserve System; most require special permission to access. This is an opportunity to visit Sagehen Creek Field Station, a spectacular area of high-altitude wetlands and forests near Truckee in the Sierra Nevada. There will be an introduction to the Reserve, a natural history presentation, a discussion of healthy forests, and hiking. Participants are responsible for all travel and food.

Stebbins Cold Canyon Reserve Nature Outings explore the beauty and natural history of the reserve. Through these experiences, participants deepen their understanding of - and develop a relationship with - the natural world. Most outings are interactive and experiential in nature, allowing participants the freedom to explore and interpret for themselves. In addition to Stebbins Cold Canyon, outings will take place at Lake Solano, Bobcat Ranch, the Cahill Property, and the Sagehen Creek Field Station. Look at Nature’s Theater for Kid’s Events! Where characters engage children in a story that highlights age-appropriate environmental issues.

MODIFIED ON: 2/22/2008

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Climate Change 101 Series
Climate Change and its Impacts on California

Long-Term (2050) Climate Change Mitigation Strategies for California

With TBD

A coordinated series of talks covering aspects of climate change science relevant to State policy formulation.

Sponsored by: Department of Land, Air and Water Resources, UC Davis, John Muir Institute of the Environment, UC Davis, UC Davis Air Quality Research Center, UC Institute for Research on Climate Change and its Societal Impacts.

MODIFIED ON: 1/11/2008

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UC Davis Natural Reserve System
Stebbins Cold Canyon Reserve Nature Outings
Spring/Summer 2008

Loop Trail: Summer Solstice at Sunrise

With Guides: Mike McGraw (Lead Interpretive Park Ranger, Lake Berryessa) & Jeff Falyn

Hike the loop trail as the sun climbs into the sky after the shortest night of the year. This early morning hike is a celebration of change, e.g. getting out of bed to see the sun rise. The loop trail is 5 miles of ups and downs with a 1200’ elevation gain. Many steps are interspersed with breathtaking views. Bring: sturdy shoes, at least a liter of water, sunscreen and a snack.

Stebbins Cold Canyon Reserve Nature Outings explore the beauty and natural history of the reserve. Through these experiences, participants deepen their understanding of - and develop a relationship with - the natural world. Most outings are interactive and experiential in nature, allowing participants the freedom to explore and interpret for themselves. In addition to Stebbins Cold Canyon, outings will take place at Lake Solano, Bobcat Ranch, the Cahill Property, and the Sagehen Creek Field Station. Look at Nature’s Theater for Kid’s Events! Where characters engage children in a story that highlights age-appropriate environmental issues.

MODIFIED ON: 2/22/2008

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Special Events at the McLaughlin Reserve
2008 Presentations/Lectures/Hikes

Ecosystem impacts of invasive species

With Dr. Rebecca Drenovsky, John Carroll University

California is known for its spectacular native plant diversity. However, pressure from non-native plant species is changing California’s landscapes. Areas previously rich in native California flora now are dominated by non-native plants. Even sites with extreme characteristics, such as the unique serpentine soils of the McLaughlin Reserve, have been invaded by non-native plants. Although their most obvious impact is their effect on plant community composition, invasive species have the potential to alter multiple factors in an ecosystem. At the McLaughlin Reserve, serpentine grasslands have been invaded by goatgrass. Following invasion, not only have aboveground plant communities changed, but the belowground soil microbial communities have changed, as well. Soil microbial communities play multiple ecosystem roles, and a change in their composition potentially could alter ecosystem function. Do changes in aboveground and below ground communities alter ecosystem function? Understanding how invasive species change ecosystems is necessary if we are to assess the ecological, economic, and societal impacts of these non-native species.

Rebecca Drenovsky is Assistant Professor of Biology at John Carroll University. Her interest in altered ecosystem functions with goat grass invasions was piqued while she was a post-doctoral researcher at the University of California, Davis; helping a colleague with an experiment in an invaded meadow at McLaughlin started her wondering about related questions, and a new research direction was born. Please join us as Rebecca talks about some of her research at the McLaughlin Reserve, followed by a field excursion to witness the ferocity of goat grass firsthand.

MODIFIED ON: 3/6/2008

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Green Technology Entrepreneurship Academy

The Green Technology Entrepreneurship Academy will be held from July 7-11, 2008 at the Tahoe Center for Environmental Sciences in Incline Village, Nevada. The Academy provides doctoral students, post-docs, and research faculty in science and engineering with the knowledge and skills that will enable them to move their research on sustainable technologies out of the laboratory and into the marketplace. The Center is currently accepting applications for this exclusive event. All accepted students will receive scholarships to cover the program's tuition and lodging.

The Founding Sponsor of this year's Academy is the Kauffman Foundation, which strives to encourage entrepreneurship and innovation. Additional sponsors include the Superfund Basic Research Program, Pacific Gas & Electric Company, the Nevada Institute for Renewable Energy Commercialization, Prequent Inc., and the Sierra Angels. Visit the Web site at http://entrepreneurship.ucdavis.edu/green/ for more information.

MODIFIED ON: 2/4/2008

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Last updated: August 10, 2006

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