Ecosystems Archives - Urban Edge Wildlife

Category: Ecosystems

Summertime Brings Changes to the Canyon Wildlife

July 27, 2021

Three trail cameras continue to film wildlife and human activity in an undeveloped 88-acre canyon. This canyon is ideal for observing wildlife responses to changes—it’s surrounded on all sides by businesses, roads and homes. For more than three years the cams have recorded how the suburban canyon wildlife reacts to the pressures of urbanization and […]

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A Snapshot of Wildlife in the Canyon: Fall of 2020

December 22, 2020

My favorite canyon is only 90 acres in size; it’s surrounded by buildings, roads and all the trappings of urbanization. Despite its tiny size and suburban location, it is rich with many species of wild animals and native plants—it is a complex, working eco-system where all the players are interconnected. Three trail cameras faithfully document […]

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Events

Comparing Behaviors: Gray Foxes and Felines

The Fox Guy (Bill Leikam) and the Cat Coach (Marilyn Krieger, CCBC), team up on Saturday, December 17^th at 1:00 at the Don Edwards San Francisco Bay National Wildlife Refuge to discuss similarities and differences in behaviors of two very different predators: gray foxes and felines (domestic and wild cats).

About Bill: Bill, author of Road to Fox Hollow, and President and co-founder of the Urban Wildlife Research Project is known internationally for his work with wildlife. His work focuses on studying the behavior of the gray fox and on restoring local habitat thus making the environment a healthy place for all wildlife to live.

About Marilyn: Marilyn, author of Naughty No More is an internationally known certified cat behavior consultant who in addition to solving cat behavior challenges studies and writes about how urbanization is changing the behaviors of local pumas and bobcats.

The Don Edwards San Francisco Bay National Wildlife Refuge is located at 2 Marshlands Rd, Fremont, CA (Meet at the visitor center on Marshlands Rd, off Thornton Ave.)

News

Marilyn Krieger found her calling in protecting cats, wild or domestic

January 20, 2022. An article about my wildlife and domestic cat work.

Study Shows Human Activity Impacts Bobcat Behavior

August 25, 2022. A Northern Michigan University-led research project focusing on bobcats found evidence that human activity can exert a greater impact than environmental factors on carnivore predator-prey interactions, daily activity patterns and movement.

Canadian researchers seek paths for animals to migrate in response to climate change

July 19, 2022. "Over the long period of time," Jonathan Cole, who is completing a PhD on wildlife connectivity in this region at Concordia University says, "you'll start to get major extinctions, because the species will not be able to go to where they need to go to thrive in the right environmental conditions."

Honey, I shrunk the wild! Why human-wildlife conflicts are seeing a big jump

June 28, 2022. Although this article is mainly focused on India, the message it conveys is global. As wild habitats shrink, it has drawn wildlife closer to negative interactions with human habitations.

Paving the way for mountain lion safety under Highway 17

April 29, 2022. The Laurel Grade Highway 17 undercrossing will be just over 13 feet high and will run about 85 feet underneath four lanes of Highway 17.

No, mountain lions won’t drop dead if California builds duplexes. But some towns are in their habitat

March 8, 2022. Whatever you may think of state housing policies, one thing is true: Woodside is indeed mountain lion habitat, and treating that habitat responsibly is critical to the survival of this species.

Construction begins on $12 million mountain lion crossing on Highway 17 in Santa Cruz Mountains

February 19, 2022. In a unique effort being watched by biologists around the state, crews on Wednesday began construction on a $12 million project to build an underpass for mountain lions and other wildlife under the four lanes of Highway 17 at Laurel Curve.

Top cat: why the puma is a leading influencer in the animal kingdom

January 18th, 2022. Now, a new study has reported the web of life these elusive cats support, showing how they are connected to more than 485 other species.

Woodside freezes SB 9 projects, citing an exemption for mountain lion habitats

February 02, 2022. On Jan. 25, the town put an indefinite hold on all housing projects under Senate Bill 9, California's new split-lot law, in Woodside, according to Town Manager Kevin Bryant.

Researchers find concerns for animals tied to same habitats

January 11, 2022. "Animals that have strong site fidelity are having a tough time adjusting to the novel landscapes that are showing up around them as a result of humans," says Jerod Merkle, an assistant professor at the University of Wyoming and the co-lead author of the paper

The Secrets of Changing Your Cat's Behavior

January 10, 2022. I have the honor of kicking off Dr. Karen Becker's Cat Extravaganza week with a podcast and an article about cat behavior.

Signs Of Inbreeding Among Southern California Mountain Lions Raise Extinction Fears

January 08, 2022. LOS ANGELES (CBSLA)— Scientists tracking two local mountain lion populations, one in the Santa Monica Mountains and another in the Santa Anas, have identified the first reproductive signs of inbreeding among these groups, which are cut off from breeding options by busy freeways.

Using trail cameras to hunt wildlife in Arizona is banned as of New Year's Day

December 30, 2021. Hunters in Arizona will no longer be allowed to use remote cameras to help track wildlife as of Saturday when a ban on their use takes effect.

Carnivores may adjust schedule to avoid each other, researchers find (time and space sharing)

October 22, 2021. HIROSHIMA UNIVERSITY— Just as humans may leave their home five minutes early to avoid a talkative neighbor or depart work late to avoid a rude coworker, carnivorous mammals may go out of their way to avoid other species. But they're not trying to navigate awkward social interactions; rather, they are negotiating space and resources for survival.

Climate change affects animal behavior

October 19, 2021. According to a study pertaining to more than a hundred animal species, environmental change brought about by humans has the greatest impact on the animals' activity in exploring their environment.

23 Species From 19 States Lost to Extinction

September 29, 2021. WASHINGTON— The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service proposed today to remove 22 animals and a plant from the endangered species list because of extinction. They join the list of 650 U.S. species that have likely been lost to extinction.

According to another source: "And it's a sobering reminder that extinction is a consequence of human-caused environmental change," Fahey told the newspaper.

Cities are making mammals bigger

August 16, 2021. While climate change is causing some animals to shrink, a new study shows urbanization is causing many mammal species to grow both bigger and longer, possibly because of readily available food in places packed with people.

Mountain lions moved less, downsized territory during LA’s pandemic shutdown

August 6, 2021. Study counters popular belief that carnivores roam wild in absence of humans

Don’t hike so close to me: How the presence of humans can disturb wildlife up to half a mile away

July 20, 2021. The presence of humans, or even the existence of the trails they hike on, can have detrimental effects on wildlife.

New method lets researchers rapidly monitor snow leopard stress levels in the wild

July 7, 2021. Biologists can now analyze snow leopard stress hormones in the field--without stressing the animal.

California is betting $61 million that new highway crossings will keep wildlife safe

July 6, 2021. Large animals cause 20 crashes a day on California highways. Experts say special bridges and tunnels can prevent them and protect endangered species.

Oakland Zoo animals receive experimental COVID-19 vaccine

July 4, 2021. OAKLAND, Calif. — The Oakland Zoo became the first of its kind to protect its tigers, bears and other animals against COVID-19 using an experimental vaccine uniquely formulated for animals, video released by the zoo on Friday showed.

Tracking data show how the quiet of pandemic-era lockdowns allowed pumas to venture closer to urban areas

June 24, 2021. Researchers were able to clearly connect declining levels of human mobility during regional shelter-in-place orders with pumas' increased willingness to utilize more urban habitat areas.

Mercury in the fog is poisoning Santa Cruz mountain lions, study finds

December 01, 2019. SANTA CRUZ, Calif. —The Central Coast's marine fog is bringing more than cool temperatures. A new study shows there is mercury in the fog that is linked to elevated levels of mercury in mountain lions.

Cities are becoming a living lab for species evolution

October 22, 2019. Scientists have found that urban animals are not just adapting their behaviors, but changing at a genetic level compared to their country cousins.

Whole genome sequencing could help save pumas from inbreeding

October, 18, 2019. The first complete genetic sequences of individual mountain lions point the way to better conservation strategies for saving threatened populations of the wild animals.

California becomes first state to ban fur trapping after Gov. Newsom signs law

September 04, 2019. Way to go California! The Wildlife Protection Act of 2019, signed into law by Gov. Gavin Newsom on Wednesday, prohibits commercial or recreational trapping on both public and private lands.

Wildlife Experts: Neurological Damage Confirmed in Florida Panther, Bobcat

August 20, 2019. Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission is asking for the public’s help in documenting a disorder its experts have found in some Florida panthers and bobcats.

State Endangered Species Protection Sought for Mountain Lions in Southern California, Central Coast

June 25, 2019. The Center for Biological Diversity and Mountain Lion Foundation formally petitioned the California Fish and Game Commission today to protect mountain lions under the California Endangered Species Act.

One million species face extinction, U.N. report says. And humans will suffer as a result.

May 06, 2019. Up to 1 million plant and animal species are on the verge of extinction, with alarming implications for human survival, according to a United Nations report released Monday.

How wildlife bridges over highways make animals—and people—safer

April 16, 2019. Bridges for bears and tunnels for tortoises have significantly reduced the number of wildlife-car collisions worldwide.

Companion Animal Psychology—pet people to follow in 2019

January 16, 2019. I’m honored that Companion Animal Psychology included me in their list of pet people to follow in 2019.

Rat Poison Found in 85 Percent of Tested Mountain Lions, Bobcats, Fishers.
Poisonings Prompt California to Reassess Super-toxic Rodenticides

SACRAMENTO, Calif.— A new state analysis has documented super-toxic rat poisons in more than 85 percent of tested mountain lions, bobcats and protected Pacific fishers, prompting state regulators to open a new evaluation of whether to further restrict or ban the powerful toxins. Check out the analysis and press release for more details.