JRBP('O'O) July 2024 Newsletter
July 2024
Link to 2023-2024 JRBP ('O'O) Newsletters.
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ANNOUNCEMENTS
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Hiring a new Program Manager!
Jasper Ridge Biological Preserve ('Ootchamin 'Ooyakma) is seeking a program manager who, is efficient at multitasking, has excellent people skills, is self-motivated, works well independently, is familiar with Stanford procedures and protocols, strong administrative skills, appreciates open space and natural lands and builds and nurtures community in outdoor learning spaces. The program manager will support the Executive Director in JRBP duties and Faculty Director in Biology Department duties. Deadline: Friday August 2, 2024.
SMCMVCD 2024 Spraying
The San Mateo County Mosquito and Vector Control District will be doing their annual spraying to control mosquito larvae on Searsville reservoir, wetlands and marshes here at Jasper Ridge Biological Preserve ('Ootchamin 'Ooyakma) on the following dates weather permitting. Please avoid walking on the trails around Searsville reservoir on these dates: August 7th - 7am to 5pm, September 5th and 6th - 7am to 5pm, and October 3rd - 7am to 5pm. For more information please visit: https://www.smcmvcd.org/calendar
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RESEARCH
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Congratulations A.W. Mellon awardees who received grants for student research!
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Katie Huy, a PhD student in Prof. Scott Fendorf’s lab, has been investigating the impacts of prescribed fire on microbially-mediated biogeochemical cycling. Katie will use grant funding to characterize the effect of pile burns on microbial community structure and composition and investigate the fate of ash-derived carbon and nitrogen, with support for an undergraduate field assistant.
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Chrysanthe Frangos, an undergraduate researcher working with Assoc. Dean and Prof. Rodolfo Dirzo, will use grant funding to purchase trail cameras and other field equipment for her study on the impact of granivorous small mammals on acorn distribution under coyote brush, Baccharis pilularis, nurse plants.
New Research
Maya Xu, an undergraduate researcher working with Assoc. Dean and Prof. Rodolfo Dirzo is investigating golden eagle diets of a breeding pair and their young at Jasper Ridge, focusing on heavy metal and stable isotope concentrations in their diet. These data will be compared with samples from California peregrine falcons on campus, and ultimately evaluated in a broader context across populations around the world.
Ao Yu, a rising second year PhD student in Prof. Giulio De Leo’s lab, is exploring the effect of plastic on aquatic snail (Bulinus spp.) abundance and potential interactive effects between molluscicides and microplastics. You might see plastic bottles accumulate periphyton growth, a.k.a snail food, as they hang strung between rope at the Searsville dam.
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EDUCATION
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Summer Educational Tours
Our summer educational tours are in full swing, with several cohorts from summer research programs visiting Jasper Ridge Biological Preserve (‘Ootchamin ‘Ooyakma) for walking tours, lunch, and meeting our staff. Stanford’s Mentoring Undergraduates in Interdisciplinary Research (MUIR) Program visited in early July. This was the first visit to Jasper Ridge for many of the MUIR students and their coordinator, and they left in awe of all we have to offer.
New BIO/ESYS 105 Cohort Projects in our Alumni Directory: Check out our Ecology and Natural History of Jasper Ridge Alumni Directory to see our latest Class of 2024 students featured! For those students who agreed to have their project shared with our community, their final slideshows are now linked. We are still working with a couple students on formatting and sharing their projects with a wider audience. Stay tuned for updates in late summer when these are ready to share. We welcome updates, changes, and past projects from our alumni at any time. Please reach out to Katie Glover kcglover@stanford.edu with projects. You can always share updates with your contact information, sharing permissions, and “where you are now” at our Alumni Update form.
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STEWARDSHIP
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Read more about our Year 2 students of the JRBP Stewardship Intern Program!
Meet John Lowndes (docent class of 2024!) and Nick Rodriguez, our 2024 JRBP Stewardship Intern program students! They have been working this summer in various projects, from collecting data from the fuel reduction monitoring plots and supporting the development of a new JRBP invasive species management and Sheena Sidhu. Meet John and Nick in our new blog.
Science-based stewardship starting at JRBP
We continue working in partnership with LBRE and following the maintenance of JRBP ('O'O) towards a comprehensive vegetation and risk management plan. One of these actions include the annual grazing on the Boething/Ansel area. Other upcoming stewardship work includes building a new fire break around the west side of the Sun Field Station, connecting the fuel break along Westridge by removing a dense patch of poison oak, and trimming and maintaining the vegetation around the SLAC towers and power lines.
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GRACIAS! THANK YOU!
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Thanks to our docents that helped lead tours in June of 2024: Emily Kim, Mary Ann Allan, Susan Walz, Diego Perez, Sonoo Israni, AJ Naddaff, Jerry Hearn, Sue Schmitt, Sally Jackon, Andy Huynh, Marty Freeland, and Bill Gomez
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PICTURE OF THE MONTH
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Nick Rodriguez (left) and John Lowndes (right) in the field with stewardship scientist and mentor Sheena Sidhu (middle). Click here to learn more about the Stewardship Intern Program at Jasper Ridge Biological Preserve ('Ootchamin 'Ooyakma).
