| How have California wildlife and vegetation been affected by multi-year drought conditions? What habitats are used by wildlife, and how is wildlife distribution and abundance affected by habitat conditions? To address these questions, the California Department of Fish and Wildlife (CDFW) implemented a large-scale biodiversity assessment in collaboration with Humboldt State University (HSU), U.C. Berkeley, and numerous partners throughout the Great Valley and Mojave Desert ecoregions. Tremendous coordination was required to implement this Terrestrial Species Stressor Monitoring Project, including extensive outreach efforts seeking diverse public and private landowner participation, particularly in the Central Valley. In 2016 and 2017, CDFW and HSU researchers collected field data using a variety of biological survey methods (including automated acoustic recorders, camera traps, avian point counts, and vegetation assessments) to detect terrestrial wildlife and describe varying habitat types at over 600 sites throughout the two ecoregions. These data were used to describe distribution and habitat associations for avian species across the Central Valley landscape. The results of this analysis can be used not only in the context of drought impacts, but also for evaluating baseline conditions and establishing effective resource assessment and management strategies throughout California. |