Hello all, my name is Mireya Bejarano and this summer I’ve been completing my internship with the Ventura Fish and Wildlife office (VFWO). I’ve been able to accomplish so much during my time with the VFWO. I conducted literature reviews and worked with USFWS biologists to write species profiles, 4 of which have already been uploaded to the VFWO website. These include the Indian Knob mountainbalm, Ventura marsh milk-vetch, Ohlone tiger beetle, and the Nipomo Mesa lupine. As well as assisting with the writing and updating of more technical species documents used for biological opinions during consultations. In addition to writing, I got to work with BeachCOMBERS data. Prior to this internship, I had never used Microsoft Access, but thanks to this internship I learned and became well acquainted with MS Access. I also got a chance to improve my R skills by developing a new workflow for updating the BeachCOMBERS database.

Aside from my core duties of species writings and working with the BeachCOMBERs data, I was also able to improve on my oral communication skills when I presented the BeachCOMBERs program with the other HAF intern during a presentation given at CSU Channel Islands. Explaining what the program is, the methods of data collection as well as why citizen science programs like BeachCOMBERs is so important. Through this internship I was able to take an online course on planning for climate change, where I learned how to implement climate information into conservation and management plans. I got to learn about scenario planning and conducting vulnerability assessments. I’m glad I took this course as I know I will definitely use the tools I learned as California continues to get hotter and drier.

My favorite aspect of this internship was all the field opportunities I was able to attend. I got to see many different species out in the wild. I saw Gaviota tarplant, California Condors, Tidewater goby, and Southern Sea otters, all of which are either endangered or threatened. I learned about these species and how they became endangered in my conservation classes in college but seeing them out in the wild was a different experience. Seeing the Tidewater goby flicking in the water, the California Condors soaring overhead and seeing a mother sea otter with her pup made me thankful of the people who have dedicated their careers to ensure that these species continue to exist. And thankful that through this internship I was able to meet and work with those people who have dedicated their careers to conserving and protecting these species. Meeting with others who share the same passion for wildlife has cemented my desire to continue working within wildlife conservation. I had a really great internship experience, and I am very thankful to the Mano project and the Ventura Fish and Wildlife Office.

Agency: U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service

Program: US Fish & Wildlife Service

Location: Ventura Fish and Wildlife Office

Hello again! It’s been about two months since I began my internship with the Ventura Fish and Wildlife office, and I thought for this month’s blog post, I would share a little about a trip I took to San Luis Obispo to do some BeachCOMBERS surveys.

The Coastal Ocean Mammal and Bird Education and Research Surveys or BeachCOMBERS is a citizen science program that is conducted monthly and is used to document the mortality of marine birds and mammals on California beaches. This data helps gather information on the causes of mortality of beached birds and mammals and provides baseline data on the number of wildlife mortalities on beaches. Earlier in August, I assisted in a BeachCOMBERS survey with one of the BeachCOMBERS volunteers, who is also a biologist for CDFW.

I learned a lot during this survey, specifically when it comes to identifying the dead birds that wash up on the beach. I learned that northern fulmars, a part of the tube-nosed family, have a very distinctive bill tip and a very distinctive musky smell (which to me smells like very old library books). I also learned that common murres have a distinctive keel that is longer than it is wide and has black wings tipped with white. After I was taught what to look for in identifying these dead birds, I could identify some birds without much assistance, which made me quite happy. Along with dead northern fulmars and common murres, we also found a deceased brown pelican, sooty shearwater, and California sea lion. The BeachCOMBERS protocol includes tying twine around the flippers of every deceased mammal we come across to know if the animal had been counted in the previous month. So, when we came across the California sea lion, I put on some gloves and tied twine around the flipper of the rotting, stinky carcass. It was interesting to inspect, yet just a bit gross. 

There wasn’t just deceased wildlife on the beach, but many different types of live ones. There was various species of gulls and other shorebirds, some were resting on the beach, some searching for food, taking advantage of the low tide. A highlight for me was the western snowy plovers on the beach; I was able to catch a glimpse of a snowy plover chick, which was so adorably tiny. I also caught a glimpse of a harbor seal in the ocean. There were many turkey vultures on the beach who were enjoying the deceased California sea lion. After surveying the beach, we stopped at Morro Bay, hoping to see some sea otters. I was especially hoping to see a sea otter as I had never seen them in the wild before. So, I was pleased to see a raft of otters, most of whom were napping. My favorite scene was a mother otter foraging in the water while her baby floated nearby.

I enjoyed heading to San Luis Obispo to conduct BeachCOMBERs surveys. It was very informative, I learned a lot about identifying deceased wildlife, and I enjoyed seeing the different and diverse wildlife of coastal California. It has made me look forward to more field trips in my internship.

Agency: U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service

Program: US Fish & Wildlife Service

Location: Ventura Fish and Wildlife Office

Hello all! My name is Mireya, and I've been a biologist intern at the Ventura US Fish & Wildlife field office for about a month now. So far, one of my favorite aspects of this job has been the various field opportunities I've been fortunate enough to join. For my first blog post, I thought I would share a little about one field trip that coincidentally occurred during Latino Conservation Week!

This field experience was located in Piru Creek in Fillmore, CA, and the reason behind it was to look for viable habitat for the Arroyo toad. Arroyo toad is federally listed as endangered and as an amphibian requires water to reproduce. So, we were looking for any pools of water that didn't look like it would dry out any time soon. We hiked into the Los Padres National Forest, and we didn’t have much luck finding creeks with water; most of them were bone dry. A genuine reminder of climate change and droughts' effects on our native wildlife.

After not finding much viable Arroyo toad habitat, we hiked further into Los Padres to where there was an active California condor nest. Located in a crevice on the side of a mountain was a condor nest, and I could peer into a spotting scope and see the nesting cavity. And while the chick was out of view and the parents were elsewhere, knowing just how close condors were to becoming extinct, it was still awe-inspiring to know that somewhere in that cavity was a condor chick out in the wild.

We ended the field experience in a creek that was still full of water and very beautiful. I enjoyed watching multiple dragonflies flitting across the water. Unfortunately, the creek was home to various bullfrogs and crayfish, both invasive and voracious predators who will prey upon Arroyo toads. The presence of these invasive species meant we were unlikely to see Arroyo toads in the creek.

I believe this field experience stood out to me because I witnessed firsthand the real effects of climate change and invasive species on our local wildlife. I learned about these things as a student, but seeing them firsthand was very powerful. There was a silver lining, as one of the biologists explained that Arroyo toads are used to dynamic water systems; however, the invasives are not and require permanent standing water. So one positive is that the invasives won't be able to survive drought conditions. While weakened, it would be the time to strike and hopefully eliminate the invasives from the area, allowing Arroyo toads and other native species to live in Piru Creek without competing or being predated upon by invasive species. I hope to witness that one day and travel back to Piru Creek and, this time, find it full of native species. 

Agency: U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service

Program: US Fish & Wildlife Service

Location: Ventura Fish and Wildlife Office

Mireya Bejarano graduated from the University of California, Davis with a B.S. in Wildlife, Fish, and Conservation Biology. During her time at Davis, she gained valuable experience as a research assistant for two different campus research centers. At the Road Ecology Center, she assisted in research related to wildlife connectivity and wildlife-vehicle collisions and additionally assisted in research related to community led restoration projects while working at the Center for Community and Citizen Science. Through these experiences, she gained skills with data collection, data analysis, literature reviews, and strengthened her writing and animal identification skills. More recently, she just spent 3 months in Nevada, working as a field technician assisting with research related to the Greater Sage Grouse and their courtship displays. She hopes to use her education and past skills and experiences to help conserve native wildlife. During her free time she enjoys reading, playing video games and building lego sets.