The fate of California’s wildlife in a changing climate
Rising temperatures have forced many California wildlife species to migrate upslope to cooler climes and have pushed others northward. Many populations in desert habitats seem stressed to the limit. Yet new research shows a different fate for many of California’s bird species. From valley floors to mountain peaks, and from the California Coast Range to the high Sierra, most species appear to be adapting to rising temperatures by breeding earlier.
So what is the fate of California wildlife, and how much has really changed? UC Berkeley biologists have just completed a wide-ranging, 13-year, boots-on-the-ground assessment of wildlife diversity, distribution, population size, habits and habitats throughout the entire state, from Death Valley and Mount Whitney to Yosemite and Mount Lassen.
The research is really a “resurvey,” since it scours the same vast and varied landscapes as a legendary wildlife survey led a century ago by Berkeley zoologist Joseph Grinnell, founder of UC Berkeley’s Museum of Vertebrate Zoology. His team traveled by Model T and mule to every corner of the state in an intensive 40-year field research effort that is considered one of the world’s most extensive wildlife studies.
Steven Beissinger, a professor of conservation biology at Berkeley and director of the Grinnell Resurvey, will talk about the history of the Grinnell survey and how the modern resurvey is allowing researchers to measure a century of change, sort through the range of ecological impacts and start to provide tentative forecasts — both dire and surprisingly hopeful — about the future of wildlife in a changing California.
WHEN: Monday, July 16, 2018
6 p.m. - mixer
7 p.m. - dinner
8 p.m.- talk by Steve Beissinger
WHERE: Drake’s Dealership, 2325 Broadway (at 23rd St.), a popular restaurant and beer garden in Oakland. The restaurant is located about four blocks from the 19th St./Oakland BART station.
Enjoy unlimited New Haven–style wood-fired pizza (for vegetarians and carnivores), gourmet salad and dessert. A top selection of fresh brews and other libations are available for purchase.
Cost: $21 members, $16 students, $35 non-members
