Hello Friends,
I hope you are well and that nature, unencumbered by the frenetic pace of modern life, has shown you her beauty in new ways. As one of two resident staff members at ACR’s Cypress Grove Research Center on Tomales Bay, I can report that the natural world is moving around just fine—wintering waterbirds are heading to their northern breeding areas, while the Great Egrets we are tracking are sporting some beautiful breeding plumes. Various songbirds are busy nesting, and coyotes, bobcat, and fox are on regular rotation.
A special highlight for me this spring has been the discovery of 5–10 individual California red-legged frogs (Rana draytonii) in one of the Cypress Grove ponds. This species is federally listed as threatened under the Endangered Species Act. My thanks to Patrick Kleeman, an amphibian ecologist with the U.S. Geological Survey, who surveyed for frogs with us prior to the stay-at-home order.
What a different world I would be reporting on if the community had not recognized the life-sustaining ecological value of this region nearly 60 years ago—and acted to protect it in perpetuity.
SPECIAL-EDITION ARDEID RETROSPECTIVE
Today, in recognition of our collaborative work to address some of the region’s most pressing conservation challenges, I am very pleased to bring you a special digital edition of The Ardeid, ACR’s annual journal of Conservation Science and Stewardship.
Published between 1990–2018, The Ardeid summarized current news from ACR’s science and stewardship—reporting on our preserves and serving as a record of the region’s ecology. This special edition includes a directory of all articles over its three-decade run in addition to several featured article excerpts. These articles are all available for you to read and download in a new Ardeid Collection catalog on our website.
Looking forward, you will continue to find timely, in-progress updates and in-depth scientific review published directly on our website, in our daily social media, and integrated into our bi-annual Conservation in Action bulletin.
With gratitude,
Nils Warnock
Director of Conservation Science
