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Eastern Merced County NCCP/HCP Science Advisors
The science advisors will include experts on locally occurring species and natural communities (for example, birds, mammals, reptiles, amphibians, vernal pool crustaceans, vernal pool plants, grasslands); important ecological processes and the physical environment (for example, water flow, soils, natural and anthropogenic disturbance regimes, landscape ecology); quantitative modeling; reserve design; monitoring; agricultural science; and resource management. In addition, the science advisors may call upon other experts to supplement their knowledge as needed.
The science advisors’ tasks and meetings will be coordinated by a professional facilitator, who will strive to ensure the independence and objectivity of the scientists, in order to maintain the integrity of their advice and of the eventual conservation program. The facilitator will be the formal point of contact for the advisors, will convene and manage their meetings, and will ensure timeliness of their products.
The scientists who have agreed to participate as advisors include (in alphabetical order):
Dr. Ronald Amundson, Professor, Division of Ecosystem Sciences, University of California, Berkeley. Dr. Amundson studies the role of soils in geochemical cycles, and the manner in which soils record environmental conditions. His research also focuses on using soils to understand natural processes and how humans modify nitrogen and carbon cycles in California soils. He is an expert on paleosols, including the fossil soils underlying the Merced vernal pool region.
Dr. Michael Barbour, Professor, Department of Environmental Horticulture, University of California, Davis. Dr. Barbour is a plant ecologist with broad expertise in the ecology of California native plant communities, including those of vernal pools in the Central Valley. He has been instrumental in developing standards for vegetation sampling and classification, and has co-authored textbooks for the study of introductory plant biology, plant ecology, vegetation of California, and vegetation of North America. He has served on many scientific advisory and review panels.
Dr. Robert Bugg, Assistant to the Director, UC Sustainable Agriculture Research and Education Program (UC SAREP), University of California, Davis. Dr. Bugg studies methods for enhancing biological pest control, cover cropping, restoration ecology, earthworm biology, nitrogen dynamics, and pollination biology. He has conducted studies with field crops, vegetables, vineyards, and orchards, as well as in agricultural field borders. Dr. Bugg also co-founded the prize-winning and internationally acclaimed Biologically Integrated Orchard Systems (BIOS) Program, which takes an integrated, whole farming system approach to voluntary agrichemical reduction. He has served with BIOS Management Teams in Merced, San Joaquin, Solano, Stanislaus, and Yolo counties.
Dr. Brian Cypher, Research Ecologist, California State University-Stanislaus, Endangered Species Recovery Program, Fresno, CA.
Dr. Cypher specializes in mammal-habitat relationships of the San Joaquin Valley, with a focus on rare and endangered species. He is an expert on the ecology and demography of endangered San Joaquin kit foxes in urban environments, and he has investigated the abundance, distribution, ecology of and conservation strategies for kit foxes, endangered giant kangaroo rats, endangered blunt-nosed leopard lizards, and several listed and candidate plant species.
Dr. Richard Grosberg, Professor, Section of Evolution and Ecology, and Chair, Center for Population Biology, University of California, Davis.
Dr. Grosberg is an evolutionary biologist focusing on the ecology and behavior of invertebrates, including vernal pool crustaceans. He is an expert on invertebrate population genetic structure in natural communities and is interested in advancing an understanding of the origins and maintenance of biological diversity. Dr. Grosberg heads the UCD Center for Population Biology, which has as one of its goals the improvement of environmental, public health, and agricultural programs and policies.
Mr. Toby Hanes, Owner and Senior Hydrologist, HydroScience, Vacaville, California. Mr. Hanes has an MS in hydrology from the University of Arizona and is a certified professional hydrologist and soil erosion and sediment control specialist. His studies have focused on the hydrology of wetlands, including in California’s vernal pool ecosystems, ecological restoration, wetlands creation, watershed management, channel and riparian area dynamics, nonpoint pollution control, water quality, and water resource assessment. He is experienced with hydrologic and watershed modeling methods, and has published on the hydrology and water relationships of vernal pools in Central California.
Mr. Robert Hansen, Biology Department, College of the Sequoias; Owner and Principal Biologist, Hansen’s Biological Consulting; Vice President, Sierra Los Tulares Land Trust. Mr. Hansen is a leading local expert on San Joaquin Valley native species, particularly birds and their habitats. He has conducted over 100 wildlife surveys in seven San Joaquin Valley counties and has led hundreds of tours and field trips in the area. He has experience as a land manager of valley oak woodland, vernal pools, grassland, freshwater marsh, riparian forest, and desert scrub habitats in Tulare and Kern Counties, and has participated in a number of HCPs.
Dr. Reed Noss, Professor, Department of Biology, University of Central Florida, Orlando, Florida; President and Chief Scientist, Conservation Science, Inc., Chuluota, Florida. Dr. Noss is an international consultant and lecturer in conservation biology, with special expertise in landscape ecology, land use planning, ecosystem management, and reserve design. He also is leading a new conservation biology graduate program at the University of Central Florida. He has a particular interest in translating the principles of conservation biology to policy and management, and was first author of an influential book entitled The Science of Conservation Planning. Dr. Noss has served as a member and as lead scientist on numerous scientific advisory committees, including those for several other NCCPs/HCPs. Dr. Noss is expected to be the lead scientist for the Merced science advisors.
Dr. Bruce Pavlik, Professor, Mills College, Oakland. Dr. Pavlik is an expert on the ecology, physiology, and conservation of rare and endangered plants, including those native to vernal pool communities in California. His research focuses on developing scientific approaches to restoring plant populations and ecosystems. He has written extensively on ecological characteristics of rare plants, and on approaches, techniques, and measures of success for plant population restoration and recovery. Among his many publications, Dr. Pavlik authored the fifth edition of the Inventory of Rare and Endangered Vascular Plants of California.
Dr. Kevin Rice, Professor, Department of Agronomy and Range Science and Center for Population Biology; Chair, Ecology Graduate Group, University of California, Davis. Dr. Rice is an expert on native California grasslands and foothill woodland ecosystems, and factors promoting the invasion of exotic species. His research spans multiple spatial scales and addresses restoration and management strategies in rangeland environments. He has contributed to symposia on sustaining rangeland ecosystems and to publications such as Agriculture, Ecosystems, and Environment.
Dr. Bradley Shaffer, Professor, Section of Evolution and Ecology, University of California, Davis. Dr. Shaffer is an expert on the ecology, evolution, genetics, and management of amphibians and reptiles, most particularly tiger salamanders and freshwater turtles. He has written extensively about possible causes of declining amphibian populations in California and elsewhere, and he currently serves on two species recovery teams. He has prior experience providing information for habitat conservation planning at the county level.
Dr. Billy Weir, University of California Cooperative Extension (UCCE), University of California Division of Agriculture and Natural Resources.
Dr. Weir recently retired after 36 years in Merced County as UCCE field crops farm advisor. In addition to local agricultural outreach and education, he has conducted extensive experimental research on field and vegetable crop production, pest management, and soils irrigation at the Field Research Laboratory in Merced County. Dr. Weir has received numerous awards for excellence in research in agronomy and crop science. His studies have resulted in innovative changes in agricultural practices worldwide.
General Approach
Questions for Science Advisors
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General Approach for Integrating Science into the Eastern Merced County NCCP/HCP
Initial Questions for Science Advisors and Request for Additional Questions from Stakeholder Groups
