April 2026 Newsletter

In the News 

Video on Stanford's sustainability course turning campus into a classroom. Jasper Ridge is part of the Stanford course Living Laboratory for Sustainability. The course, offered in collaboration with the Doerr School of Sustainability, immerses students in the university’s real-world energy, water, waste, land management, and food systems. Watch the video

History and New Chapter for the GGBN: Joining Forces with TOGETHER Bay Area. Jasper Ridge and Stanford recount the Golden Gate Biosphere Network’s evolution from its 1980s UNESCO-designated roots to a new partnership with TOGETHER Bay Area to advance climate resilience and social equity Read the full blog

Long-Term Plots, Lasting Friendships: Revisiting Jasper Ridge’s Serpentine Grasslands. Inspired by an April field visit, this blog connects Hobbs and Mooney’s classic gopher-disturbance study to today’s long-term serpentine grassland research at Jasper Ridge and why protecting the preserve matters. Read the full blog

Research Grants and Awards

• Morgenthaler-Chiariello Grants for Research, Apply!
• A.W. Mellon Grants for Student Research, Apply!
• Jasper Ridge Environmental Education Scholar Award, Apply!
• More resources available in our resources for early career scientists webpage

Save the Dates

• Tuesday, May 5, 2026. Community Lecture with Prof. Dustin Mulvaney, San Jose State University
• May 4-5, 2026. Indigenous Stewardship for Sustainability Conference
• May 8-10, 2026. Stanford Powwow
• Wednesday, May 20, 2026. Community Lecture with Sec. Wade Crowfoot, California Natural Resources Agency
• Thursday, June 4, 2026. Graduation Ceremony and Summer Picnic!

Visit the Research Projects page to continue learning about the research projects at Jasper Ridge. 

New Student Research Award Winners!

• Congratulations to Allie Skalnik on receiving an A.W. Mellon grant for student research! Allie, an undergraduate in Earth Systems and Data Science advised by Prof. Rodolfo Dirzo, will use the funding for lab analyses on bobcat scat to test for anticoagulant rodenticides that increase susceptibility to mange.
• Congratulations to Ethan VanValkenburg. His research on experimenting restoration methods on serpentine grasslands has been awarded four research grants: TNC Oren Pollak Memorial Student Research Grant for Grassland Science, CNPS Student Research Grants, Helen Sharsmith Award, CNGA California Grassland Research Awards for Student Scholarship (GRASS) and the CNGA John Anderson Memorial Scholarship.
• Congratulations to Caillin Allen! Caillin has been awarded the SEEDS Undergraduate Travel Award to present her research during the 2026 ESA Annual Meeting. SEEDS Travel Awards are a competitive opportunity, and it is an impressive achievement to be selected to receive this award. Learn more about Caillin

New Research

• Meixi Lin, postdoctoral researcher with Asst. Prof. Moi Exposito-Alonso (UC Berkeley), is developing novel genetic diversity metrics for rapid biodiversity assessments. With Oakmead Herbarium support, Meixi sampled plants from the serpentine grassland and will sample from GCE plots later this month.

New Publications

• Priority effects drive fungal and nematode emergence from insect larvae
  • Amaury Payelleville, Magdalena Warren, Chloe Golde, Devyn Sasai, Benny Pan, Patrick Cleary, Arizbel Gomez, Rubina Shrestha, Jean-Claude Ogier, Sophie Gaudriault, Christine Jacobs-Wagner, Tadashi Fukami (In Press), Priority effects drive fungal and nematode emergence from insect larvae, FEMS Microbiology Ecology, 2026, fiag036, https://doi.org/10.1093/femsec/fiag036 (see graphical abstract below)

• The Jasper Ridge Jerusalem cricket, a discovery among 105 new species
  • Weissman DB, Weissman DW, Vandergast AG, Ueshima N, Warchałowska-Śliwa E, & Song H (2026) Massive radiation in Ammopelmatus Jerusalem crickets (Orthoptera: Stenopelmatoidea: Stenopelmatinae): Phylogenomics, revision, and biology of 105 new species from the United States and Mexico. Zootaxa, 5776(1), 1-775.
• First Record of Dark-Sided Flycatcher, a SOAR network effort!
  • Freeland, M. B. H., E.Meier, P.Lynch, et al. 2026. “First Record of Dark-Sided Flycatcher (Muscicapa sibirica) for Temperate North America: Intercontinental Vagrancy and Migratory Misorientation.” Ecology and Evolution16, no. 4: e73445. https://doi.org/10.1002/ece3.73445.

Interested in georeferencing? The Oakmead Herbarium is looking for help!

• Volunteers Toni Corelli, Catherine Magill, and Dawn Neisser are working with Adriana Hernández to georeference hundreds of specimens among the 5300+ collection. Interested in helping? Contact Adriana Hernández. 

New Classes and Education Programs 

Winter Quarter 2026 brought exciting educational developments, including a new course led by Faculty Director Tad Fukami, "Traditional Ecological Knowledge for Land Stewardship." Students visited Jasper Ridge weekly throughout the quarter for field-based learning on topics including cultural burning practices, and created a podcast album documenting their experiences. 

Educational partnerships expanded this winter

The Menlo School Catalyst Program visited for the first time, participating in walking tours and a conservation technology presentation. Thanks to our NSF SOAR network a new educational relationship was built: Nearly 100 Santa Clara University students visited Jasper Ridge and engaged in hands-on field science through lichen, bird, and plant data collection exercises.

Visit our education webpage to learn more about classes offered at Jasper Ridge. 

Upcoming Events 

• Community Lecture: Tuesday, May 5, 2026, 3:30–5:00 PM Join us for a conversation with Professor Dustin Mulvaney, Professor of Environmental Studies at San José State University. Prof. Mulvaney will discuss the history of post-colonial fire and stewardship in the Santa Cruz Mountains.
• Community Lecture: Wednesday, May 20, 2026, 3:30–5:00 PM Join us for a conversation with Secretary Wade Crowfoot from California's Natural Resources Agency, where he leads efforts to conserve California's environment and natural resources.
• Graduation Ceremony and Summer Picnic: Thursday, June 4, 2026, 4:00–6:30 PM Celebrate the next class of docents at our annual Graduation Ceremony and Summer Picnic.
• Visit our free and open to the public community lectures and events page.

Welcome Zander Opperman, 2026 Stewardship Intern!

As the preserve adapts to changing fire conditions in the Bay Area and California, Zander will play a key role in updating Jasper Ridge's wildfire resilience management plan. His work will help ensure the preserve is prepared while protecting its valuable research sites, native ecosystems, and biodiversity. Learn more about Zander

Updated Wildfire Risk Management Webpage

Read our updated wildfire risk management webpage to keep you informed about the ongoing strategy and our commitment to reducing wildfire risk through science-based treatments, application of artificial intelligence technology, two-eyed seeing collaborative stewardship, and routine fuel maintenance. Visit our updated webpage

Invasive Plant Species Management

The Oakmead Herbarium crew continues valiant efforts to eradicate the French broom population in the California fescue habitat between trails 4 and 5.