John Muir National Historic Site

The Natural Resource Management team at John Muir National Historic Site has been working with The Wildlife Project to conduct a survey of the threatened Alameda whipsnake. Their goal is to help determine the occurrence and relative abundance of the snakes within the park. Survey efforts thus far show that there are surprisingly large populations of Alameda whipsnakes on Mt. Wanda.

The Natural Resource Management team at John Muir National Historic Site is continuing its multi-year effort surveying for populations of the Alameda whipsnake, which occurs within the park on Mt. Wanda. Also known as a striped-racer, the Alameda whipsnake has been a federally listed species since 1997.

This spring, the natural resource management team at John Muir National Historic Site continued their multi-year effort to monitor resident populations of the federally threatened Alameda whipsnake. Due to COVID-19 and shelter-in-place orders, they delayed their trapping efforts between 14-21 days and may have captured fewer whipsnakes as a result. Still, the team still encountered a familiar capture pattern.

Bats are economically and ecologically important animals, providing ecosystem services such as pollination and predation of insects. In general, bat populations are believed to be declining. Researchers used acoustic sampling to inventory bat populations at Eugene O'Neill National Historic Site, John Muir National Historic Site, and Point Reyes National Seashore. All of these parks are on the wildland-urban interface.

As part of national efforts to inventory vertebrates and vascular plants and conduct long-term monitoring of critical natural resources, the National Park Service conducted bird surveys at Mt. Wanda of John Muir National Historic Site. The goal was to develop a comprehensive list of birds present at the park, especially during the peak breeding season, to help inform park management activities.

This July, the Invasive Species Early Detection team mapped invasive plants at John Muir National Historic Site and at Rancho Corral de Tierra and the Presidio of San Francisco in Golden Gate National Recreation Area. Yellow star thistle, Algerian sea lavendar, and Oppositeleaf Russian thistle emerged as noteworthy early detections. Meanwhile, the Plant Community Monitoring team surveyed freshwater marsh plots and shine a spotlight on the ecological benefits of poison oak.

Meet GIS Intern Shea Nolan, get a peek at post-field season indoor botany, and test your invasive species ID skills in this fall-winter issue. Also catch invasive species profiles of two grassland troublemakers, <em>Bromus tectorum</em> and <em>Rytidosperma penicillatum</em>, and a native species profile on the charming redwood forest floor groundcover <em>Oxalis oregana</em>.

First in a series of three "In Focus" articles that share insights into the near-universal and far-reaching effects of soils on the ecology, management, and enjoyment of our national parks.