Director of Conservation Science Nils Warnock and Avian Ecologists David Lumpkin and Scott Jennings have been shorebird trapping at Walker Creek Delta on Tomales Bay since November. So far, they have deployed 16 tracking tags on Dunlin, an Arctic breeding shorebird that migrates to and from Tomales Bay throughout their lifespan.

Since November, ACR scientists have been “listening in” to pings from these tags that are automatically recorded by our Toms Point and Cypress Grove Motus receiving towers. In the photo above by David Lumpkin, a CTT Hybrid Tag is attached by harness to a Dunlin. The hybrid tags combine battery and solar power for a lightweight tag, with the potential to last a year or more.

David also recently met near Colusa in the Central Valley with ACR...

Seven months of research may suggest how diet reflects seasonally-available food

True Wild, ACR’s research partner for the Living with Lions program, has connected with the Institute for Wildlife Studies (IWS) and since last May, employed graduate student Jake Harvey to find and record mountain lion prey cache sites. Cache sites are what researchers call “kill clusters” and refer to areas where lions drag or relocate their food. To locate the sites, we look for a grouping of GPS pings from collared lions and then head into the field—or more often, the poison oak covered hillsides—to investigate.

The preliminary data collected so far points to an interesting pattern of prey tied...

The pandemic has forced many ACR programs to ‘go virtual’ over the past year, but preserve stewardship is an in-person and on-the-land endeavor.

Understanding the need for ongoing boots-on-the-ground support and with a generous spirit, Justin Dierkhising, owner of Justin Dierkhising Construction Management Services of Petaluma and an ACR Business Partner, saw an opportunity.

In partnership with Martin Griffin Preserve staff and with a team of hardworking volunteers, Justin envisioned, designed and built two new trail bridges that cross creeks on ACR’s Martin Griffin Preserve.  The existing bridges were old and no longer safe for the many hikers, volunteers and school groups that use the structures on a trail called the Zumie Loop, which winds through a tranquil redwood...

Since 2020, we have welcomed more than 4,600 students from 56 Bay Area schools on virtual visits. These virtual visits alternate between Bouverie Preserve in Glen Ellen and Martin Griffin Preserve in Stinson Beach. (Above photo by Liz Martins). 

Students arrive at virtual visits with eager curiosity

Students from the Bridges Academy in Oakland kicked off our fall 2021 season of virtual visits with a good dose of excitement to learn about oak galls, pond life, and more from ACR education staff joining them from the field.

At Bouverie Preserve, we are helping students use their observation skills to compare similarities and differences of two trees and look for signs of animals using the trees for food and shelter. At Martin Griffin Preserve, we explore pond...