BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE CONVENORS FIELD TOURS POSTER ABSTRACTS MORE INFO PROGRAM SCHEDULE MAILING LIST RESEARCH PROJECTS LOCATION
BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE Policies and strategies that guide use and management of lands in the Sierra Nevada ecoregion are dependent on objective scientific information. In recent years attention to this region has increased. Correspondingly, there has been much new information collected. Efforts such as the Sierra Nevada Ecosystem Program (SNEP) illustrate both the great interest and effort that is devoted to collecting and using scientific information to support resource and land management in this region. Each year the array of decisions that affects lands and natural resources in the Sierra Nevada carry more weight; evidence the recent interest in the Sierra Nevada (National) Forest Plan Amendment. How do we, therefore, promote the development and communication of scientific findings to inform management and policy decisions? No single meeting or institution is capable of providing thorough coverage of current scientific findings and insights. It is the intent of the organizing committee to provide a sampling of current scientific work, to enable access to more detail and other sources of information, and to put these findings into a context where such information can be synthesized and interpreted for applications in land and resource management. This symposium was intended to promote the dissemination of scientific evidence to managers, policy-makers, other scientists and interested public, and, in turn, to inform policy decisions. Thus, the presentations will range from the discussion of recently gathered scientific knowledge to the integration of that knowledge into planning and management processes and tools. We support the many other efforts intended to achieve these and similar goals and acknowledge the need to coordinate all such efforts. Continuing Education Credits - Symposium participants will qualify for : 16 CEU's for those that are Certified Professionals in Range Management by the Society for Range Management. 17.5 CEU's of Society of American Foresters CFE Category 1 credits. back to top LOCATION When: Monday, October 7, 2002 (Field Trips) Tuesday-Thursday, October 8-10, 2002 (Symposium) Where: North Tahoe Conference Center Kings Beach, Lake Tahoe, CA For information on the North Tahoe Conference Center, visit their website at: http://www.northlaketahoe.net/conference.html For information regarding Transportation in the Lake Tahoe area, visit the Tahoe Guide website at: http://tahoeguide.com/tahoe/SITE/indexlisting.cfm/other/242/0/direct back to top SYMPOSIUM CONVENORS Symposium Conveners are those organizations that have taken an active role in organizing the program, logistics, and support needed to make this symposium happen. Biological Resources Research Center, University of Nevada, Reno Berkeley Natural History Museums, University of California, Berkeley Western Ecological Research Center, U.S. Geological Survey California Biodiversity Center, University of California, Berkeley Pacific Southwest Region, U.S. Forest Service Pacific Southwest Research Station, U.S. Forest Service Center for Forestry, U.C. Berkeley Pacific West Region, National Park Service Division of Agriculture and Natural Resources, University of California Information Center for the Environment, U.C. Davis Wildland Resources Center, University of California The Resources Agency, State of California National Biological Information Infrastructure Biological Resources Division U.S. Geological Survey

• Measuring the Effectiveness of Fuel Treatments in Changing Fire Behavior and Effects During Wildfires
  Jo Ann Fites-Kaufman, USDA Forest Service; Dave Sapsis, California Department of Fire and Forestry; Sue Husari, National Park Service; Larry Hood, Lassen National Forest; Bernie Bahro, USDA Forest Service Pacific Southwest Region; Christie Neill, USDA Forest Service Pacific Southwest Region; Danny C. Lee, USDA Forest Service Pacific Southwest Research Station; Bret Butler, USDA Forest Service Rocky Mountain Research Station
• Ecological Impacts of Season of Prescribed Fire in a Sierran Mixed Conifer Forest
  Eric E. Knapp, Jon E. Keeley, and Nathan L. Stephenson, US Geological Survey, Sequoia and Kings Canyon Field Station
• Preliminary Results from Hazardous Fuel Reduction at Yosemite National Park, California
  Kara J. Paintner and Monica Buhler, Yosemite National Park, Fire Management Office
• Spatial considerations in fire management: the importance of heterogeneity for maintaining diversity in a mixed-conifer forest
  Monique E. Rocca, Duke University Program in Ecology; Dean L. Urban, Duke University, Nicholas School of the Environment and Earth Sciences; Jon E. Keeley, USGS Biological Resources Division, Western Ecological Research Center
• Response to Management Strategies in Young-Growth Giant Sequoia Stands at Mountain Home State Forest
  Gary Roller and Douglas D. Piirto, PhD., Cal Poly State University
• Thermally-Driven Wind Systems and Boundary-Layer Structure in Yosemite National Park
  Craig B. Clements, Atmospheric Science Programme, University of British Columbia
• Fire and Invasive Plants in the Mixed Coniferous Forest
  Jon E. Keeley, U.S. Geological Survey, Sequoia-Kings Canyon Field Station
• Pre-Fire Fuel Manipulation Impacts on Alien Plant Invasion of Wildlands
  Jon E. Keeley and Kyle Merriam, U.S. Geological Survey, Sequoia-Kings Canyon Field Station
• Avian Response to Prescribed Burning in the Spring
  Karen Bagne, University of California, Riverside, USDA Forest Service, Sierra Nevada Research Center and Pacific Southwest Research Center; John Rotenberry, University of California, Riverside; Kathryn Purcell, USDA Forest Service, Sierra Nevada Research Center
• Improving Fire Hazard Assessment at the Urban Wildland Interface: Case Study in South Lake Tahoe, CA
  Lisa de Jong, Ph. D., USDA Forest Service, Center for Urban Forest Research
• Landscape Patterns of Pre - 20th Century Fire in the Kaweah Watershed, Sequoia and Kings Canyon National Parks
  Anthony C. Caprio, Sequoia and Kings Canyon National Parks
• Restoring Mixed-Conifer Forests with Prescribed Fire: Monitoring to Assess Fuel Reduction and Stand Structure Objectives
  MaryBeth Keifer, Jeff Manley, and Karen Webster, Sequoia and Kings Canyon National Parks
• Forest Litter Densities Under Different Dominant Tree Species: A Factor Affecting Ground Fire Spread
  Kurt M. Menning and John J. Battles, Division of Ecosystem Sciences, Dept. of Environmental Science, Policy and Management, University of California, Berkeley; Tracy L. Benning, Department of Environmental Science, University of San Francisco; Nathan L. Stephenson, Biological Resources Division, United States Geological Survey, Sequoia & Kings Canyon Field Station
• The Use of Geographic Information for Fire Management Planning in Yosemite National Park
  Jan W. van Wagtendonk, USGS Western Ecological Research Center, Yosemite Field Station; Kent A. van Wagtendonk; Joseph B. Meyer; and Kara J. Paintner
• Fire History of the Chaparral Zone in the Southern Sierra Nevada
  Jon E. Keeley and Anne Pfaff, U.S. Geological Survey, Sequoia-Kings Canyon Field Station; Pat Lineback, Kings Canyon National Parks
  

Climate and Landscape Change over Time Posters

• Extreme Variability in Tree-ring Chronologies from Different Physical Settings
  Andrew G. Bunn, Lindsey A. Waggoner, and Lisa J. Graumlich, Montana State University
• The Sierra Nevada Global Change Research Program
  Nathan L. Stephenson and Jon E. Keeley, USGS Western Ecological Research Center, Sequoia and Kings Canyon Field Station; Jan W. van Wagtendonk, USGS Western Ecological Research Center, Yosemite Field Station; Dean L. Urban, Duke University; Thomas W. Swetnam, University of Arizona; Lisa J. Graumlich, Montana State University
• Climate Change and the Bay-Delta Watershed: An Animated Poster
  Noah Knowles, Dan Cayan; Mike Dettinger, Scripps Institution of Oceanography/USGS
• Climate Change as an Ecosystem Architect: Examples from High-Elevation Pine Forests
  Constance Millar, Diane Delany, and Robert Westfall, USDA Forest Service, PSW Research Station; John King, Lone Pine Research
• Sagebrush Expansion in Meadows of the Kern Plateau, Southern Sierra Nevada
  Heather Swartz, Univ. of California Berkeley; Eric Berlow, Univ. of California White Mountain Research Station; Carla D'Antonio, USDA-ARS, Reno, Nevada and Univ. of California, Berkeley
• The Thermodynamics of Snowpack at Gin Flat, Yosemite National Park, Winter and Spring 2002
  Michael D. Dettinger, US Geological Survey, Scripps Institution of Oceanography; Frank Gehrke, California Cooperative Snow Surveys, California Department of Water Resources
• Snow, Topography, and the Diurnal Cycle in Streamflow
  Jessica Lundquist, Scripps Institution of Oceanography, University of California, San Diego; Michael Dettinger, United States Geological Survey; Daniel Cayan, Scripps Institution of Oceanography, University of California, San Diego and United States Geological Survey; Noah Knowles, Scripps Institution of Oceanography, University of California, San Diego
• The Historic Variability of Vegetation in Glass Creek Meadow, Inyo National Forest, California, and its Role in Resource Management Planning
  Wallace Woolfenden, Mountain Heritage Associates
• Effects of Altered Summer Precipitation on Sierra Nevada Shrubs
  Michael E. Loik, Department of Environmental Studies, University of California, Santa Cruz
• High Temperature Tolerance for Purshia tridentata Exposed to Increased Summer Precipitation Across an Elevation Gradient
  Gitane L. Royce, Desert Research Institute, University of Nevada; Michael E. Loik, Department of Environmental Studies, University of California, Santa Cruz
• Climate, Snow, Water, and Chemistry Observations in Yosemite National Park: A monitoring network for environmental change
  Dan Cayan and Jessica Lundquist, UCSD - SIO; Mike Dettinger, USGS; Dave Clow, USGS; Frank Gehrke, California Cooperative Snow Surveys; Steve Hager, David Peterson, and Richard Smith, USGS; Mark Butler, Yosemite National Park
• Climate and Wildfire in California and the Western U.S.
  Anthony Westerling, Alexander Gershunov, Daniel Cayan, Michael Dettinger, and Tim Barnett, Scripps Institution of Oceanography; Thomas Swetnam, Laboratory of Tree-Ring Research, University of Arizona
• The Southern Sierra Repeat Photography Project: Vegetation Changes Over the Past 125 Years
  Monica M. Bueno, Nathan Stephenson, Jon E. Keeley, and Anne Pfaff, United States Geological Survey, Western Ecological Research Center, Sequoia-Kings Canyon Field Station
  

Forest Ecosystems Posters

• Soil Moisture and Tree Seedling Distributions in a Mature Mixed-Conifer Forest
  Andrew Gray, PNW Research Station; Harold Zald, PNW Research Station; Malcolm North, Sierra Nevada Research Center
  
• Edge Effects in Mixed Conifer Group Selection Openings: Tree Height Response to Resource Gradients
  Robert York, University of California, Berkeley; Robert Heald, Blodgett Forest Research Station, UC Center for Forestry
• Soil Nutrient Pools and Fluxes within a Mixed-Conifer Forest: Implications for Ecological Restoration
  Heather E. Erickson, Universidad Metropolitana, San Juan, Puerto Rico; Dale Johnson, University of Nevada, Reno, Nevada; Patricia Soto, Universidad Metropolitana, San Juan, Puerto Rico; Carolyn Hunsaker, USFS, Pacific Southwest Research Station
• Mapping Sierra Nevada Vegetation Structure with Radar, Lidar, and Multispectral Fusion of Remote Sensors
  Jo Ann Fites-Kaufman, USDA Forest Service; Carolyn Hunsaker, USDA Forest Service, Pacific Southwest Research Station; Peter Hyde, University of Maryland; Ralph Dubaya, University of Maryland; Leland Pierce, University of Michigan; Wayne Walker, University of Michigan; Birgit Peterson, University of Maryland; Bryan Blair, University of Maryland; Holly Hyde, USDA Forest Service; Michelle Hofton, University of Maryland
• Hydrologic Characterization and Implications of Forest Soil Disturbance at a Plot Scale: A Case Study in the California Sierra Nevada Mixed Conifer Zone
  Lucas W. Paz, Ph.D.
• Throughfall Deposition of Nitrogen in the Sierra Nevada as Determined by Ion Exchange Resin Columns
  Mark Fenn, Pacific Southwest Research Station, USDA Forest Service
• California Land Cover Mapping And Monitoring: Creating and Maintaining Systematic and Accurate Land Cover Maps
  Chris S. Fischer, California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection; Mark Rosenberg, California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection; Lisa M. Levien and Brian D. Schwind, U.S.D.A. Forest Service
• The Response of Cheatgrass (Bromus tectorum L.) and Native Flora to Ecological Manipulations in the Yellow Pine-Mixed Conifer Forest
  Thomas W. McGinnis and Jon E. Keeley, U.S. Geological Survey, Biological Resources Discipline, Western Ecological Research Center, Sequoia-Kings Canyon National Park; Matt Brooks, U.S. Geological Survey, Biological Resources Discipline, Western Ecological Research Center, Las Vegas Field Station; Jayne Belnap, U.S. Geological Survey, Biological Resources Discipline, Forest and Rangeland Ecosystem Science Center
• Tree Growth and Death in the Sierra Nevada
  Nathan L. Stephenson and Phillip J. van Mantgem, USGS Western Ecological Research Center, Sequoia and Kings Canyon Field Station; Peggy E. Moore, USGS, Western Ecological Research Center, Yosemite Field Station
• Continuous Forest Inventory in California: New Design Provides Rich and Timely Data for a Variety of Applications
  Karen Waddell and Sally Campbell, Pacific Northwest Research Station
• A Contrast in Vital Rates: Life Table Projections for Abies concolor and Pinus lambertiana in a Sierran Mixed Conifer Forest
  John J. Battles and Frieder G. Schurr, Ecosystem Sciences Division, University of California Berkeley and UC Center for Forestry
• Characterizing Light Regime of Different Mature Forest Stand Structures
  Rolf Gersonde and Kevin L. O'Hara, ESPM-Forest Science Division, University of California, Berkeley
• Reconstruction of Historical Vegetation Distributions in the Sierra Nevada Using Government Land Office Survey Records
  Holly Hyde and Jo Ann Fites-Kaufman, USDA Forest Service, Adaptive Management Services Enterprise Team, Tahoe National Forest; Michael Barbour, University of California at Davis; Dave Weixelman, USDA Forest Service, Adaptive Management Services Enterprise Team, Tahoe National Forest
• Edge Effects of Group Selection Harvest on an Old Growth Forest in the Sierra Nevada
  Zachary E. Kayler, Lucas B. Fortini, and John J. Battles, University of California, Berkeley, Department of Environmental Science, Policy and Management
• A Comparison of Ectomycorrhizal Response to Group Selection Cutting on Two Mixed Conifer Species, Pseudotsuga menziesii and Pinus ponderosa
  Anna L. Levin, John J. Battles, and Thomas D. Bruns, Ecosystem Sciences Division, University of California Berkeley
• Growth of conifers planted under a shelterwood
  Robert C. Heald and Jennifer K. Prentiss,Center for Forestry, University of California, Berkeley
• Sequoia Pruning Timing Study
  Robert C. Heald and Wm. David Rambeau, Center for Forestry, University of California, Berkeley
• Mixed Conifer Plantation Growth
  Robert C. Heald and Nadia Hamey, Center for Forestry, University of California, Berkeley
• Effects of Planting Density on Early Growth of Giant Sequoia (Sequoidenderon giganteum)
  Robert C. Heald, Center for Forestry, University of California, Berkeley
• The Kings River Project: Small Stream Ecosystem Variability and Response to Fire
  Carolyn Hunsaker and Sean Eagan, USDA Forest Service, Pacific Southwest Research Station
• Seed Fall and Seedling Recruitment in Mixed Conifer Forests of the Sierra Nevada
  Jon E. Keeley and Philip van Mantgem, U.S. Geological Survey, Sequoia-Kings Canyon Field Station
• The Effects of Logging and Prescribed Fire on Fecundity and Seed Dispersal of Sierran Conifers
  Ruth Ann Kern, Department of Biology, California State University, Fresno
• Differences in Stand Structure and Pattern Of Sierra and Pacific Northwest Old-Growth Forests
  Malcolm North, Department of Environmental Horticulture, University of California, Davis; Jiquan Chen, Landscape Ecology and Ecosystem Science, Bowman-Oddy Lab, University of Toledo, Ohio; Brian Oakley, College of Forest Resources, University of Washington, Seattle
• Influence of Light and Soil Moisture on Sierra Mixed-Conifer Understory Community
  Malcolm North, Sierra Nevada Research Center; Brian Oakley, College of Forest Resources, University of Washington, Seattle; Rob Figener, Department of Environmental Horticulture, University of California, Davis; Andrew Gray, Forest Inventory and Monitoring, PNW Research; Michael Barbour, Department of Environmental Horticulture, University of California, Davis
• The Effects of Fire on Soil Nitrogen and Frankia Associated with Patches of the Actinorhizal Shrub Ceanothus cordulatus
  Brian B. Oakley, University of Washington, College of Forest Resources; Malcolm P. North, Sierra Nevada Research Center, Department of Environmental Horticulture, University of California, Davis; Brian P. Hedlund, University of Washington, Department of Microbiology; James T. Staley, University of Washington, Department of Microbiology; Jerry F. Franklin, University of Washington, College of Forest Resources
• Fire and Fuels Management, Landscape Dynamics, and Fish and Wildlife Resources: An Integrated Research Plan on the Plumas and Lassen National Forests
  Peter Stine, John Keane, and Malcolm North, USDA Forest Service, PSW Research Station, Davis; Scott Stephens, Department of Environmental Science, Policy, and Management, U.C. Berkeley; Doug Kelt and Dirk Van Vuren, Department of Wildlife, Fish, and Conservation Biology, U.C. Davis; Michael Johnson, John Muir Institute for the Environment, U.C. Davis; Geoff Geupel and Mary Chase, Point Reyes Bird Observatory
• The Kings River Project: Historic Stand Structures, Forest Processes, and Vegetation Manipulation
  Carolyn Ballard and Ramiro Rojas, USDA Forest Service, Sierra National Forest
  The Kings River Project: Overview
  Carolyn T. Hunsaker, USDA Forest Service, Pacific Southwest Research Station; Nancy Fleenor, USDA Forest Service, Sierra National Forest
  
• Inventory and Risk Assessment of Aspen on the Eagle Lake Ranger District, Lassen National Forest
  Bobette E. Jones and Tom H. Rickman, Eagle Lake Ranger District, Lassen National Forest
• Modeling Ozone Uptake in Ponderosa Pine Throughout the Sierra Nevada
  Jeanne A. Panek, Laurent Misson, and Allen H. Goldstein, University of California, Berkeley

Aquatic Systems/Watersheds Posters

• Evaporation from Lake Tahoe, California
  Gayle L. Dana, Desert Research Institute; James C. Trask, University of California, Davis; David McGraw, Desert Research Institute
• Wildfire Burn Patterns and Riparian Vegetation Response along Two Northern Sierra Nevada Creeks
  Leda N. Kobziar and Joe R. McBride, University of California, Berkeley
• In-Situ Overland Flow Collection System For Sierran Watersheds
  C. Denton, W.W. Miller, and D.W. Johnson, University of Nevada; P.S.J. Verburg and G.L. Dana, Desert Research Institute
• How Channel and Floodplain Geometry Affect Peak Flows in High Mountain Meadows, Sierra Nevada Mountains, California
  Craig Oehrli, USDA Forest Service
  
• High Natural Rates of Nutrient Loading to a Montane Reservoir (Crowley Lake, CA)
  D.R. Dawson, K.N. Rose, R. Jellison, and J.M. Melack, University of California, Santa Barbara
• Correlating Biological Indicators of Stress in Sierra Nevadan Lakes with Ecological Disturbance
  J. Scott McClain and Aaron Roberts, Center for Environmental Toxicology and Statistics, Miami University; Brant Allen, Tahoe Research Center, University of California, Davis; James T. Oris, Center for Environmental Toxicology and Statistics, Miami University
• The Effects of Prescribed Burning on Stream and Riparian Ecosystems
  Leah A. Rogers, Vincent H. Resh, and Scott L. Stephens, Department of Environmental Science, Policy and Management, University of California, Berkeley
• Monitoring Changes in Channel Morphology to Evaluate Management Actions Concerning the Merced River in Yosemite Valley
  C. Marie Denn
• Using Ecosystem Types as Predictors of Variation in the Effects of Riparian Zones on Water Quality
  Amy G. Merrill, Ph.D.
• Automated Hourly Measurements of Concentrations of Nitrate plus Nitrite and Dissolved Silica at Happy Isles Bridge, Yosemite National Park
  Stephen W. Hager, Richard E. Smith and David H. Peterson, U.S. Geological Survey
• High-Resolution River Chemistry in the Sierra Nevada
  David H. Peterson, U.S. Geological Survey; R.E. Smith, S.W. Hager, M.D. Dettinger, D.R. Cayan, J.S. DiLeo, and N. K. Huber
• Magnitude and Interannual Variability of Sediment Production from Forest Roads in the Sierra Nevada, California
  Drew Coe and Lee H. MacDonald, Department of Earth Resources, Colorado State University
• Developing a Spatially-Explicit Model to Predict Changes in Runoff and Sediment Yields in the Central Sierra Nevada
  Lee H. MacDonald, Sandra E. Litschert, and Drew B. Coe, Department of Forest, Range, and Watershed Stewardship, Colorado State University
• Geology and Landslides in Latour Demonstration State Forest
  John P. Schlosser, California Geological Survey; William R. Short, California Geological Survey; Michael A.Wopat, California Geological Survey
  

Biodiversity Posters

• Potential Impacts of Sudden Oak Death in the Sierra
  Doug McCreary, UC Sierra Foothill Research and Extension Center
• When Life Ain't so Sweet: The Decline of Sugar Pine (Pinus lambertiana Doug.) in the Sierra Nevada
  Phillip J. van Mantgem and Nathan L. Stephenson, USGS Western Ecological Research Center
• Amphibian Disease Dynamics in a Fragmented Landscape
  Cheryl Briggs, University of California, Berkeley; Lara Rachowicz, Vance Vredenburg, John Taylor, John Parker, Craig Moritz, Martha Hoopes, and Rob Bingham, University of California, Berkeley; Roland Knapp, Marine Science Institute, University of California, Santa Barbara
• Ecology of an Arboreal Forage Lichen in Sierra Nevada Red Fir and Mixed-conifer Forest
  Tom Rambo, University of California, Davis
• Meadow Fragmentation in Yosemite National Park as Indicated by Invertebrate Distributions
  Jeff G. Holmquist and Jutta Schmidt-Gengenbach, White Mountain Research Station and Sierra Nevada Aquatic Research Lab
• Pattern and Scale of Large Tree Distributions in the Sierra Nevada: Implications for Inventory, Monitoring and Management
  Jo Ann Fites-Kaufman, USDA Forest Service; Dave Weixelman, USDA Forest Service; Rand Knight, University of Washington; Jerry Franklin, University of Washington
• Fisher Population Monitoring in the Kings River Adaptive Management Area
  Mark J. Jordan, University of California, Berkeley; Amie K. Mazzoni and Dr. Kathryn L. Purcell, USDA Forest Service, Forestry Sciences Laboratory; Dr. Reginald H. Barrett and Dr. Per J. Palsbøll, University of California, Berkeley; Dr. Brian B. Boroski, H.T. Harvey & Associates
• The Importance of Riparian Habitat to Northern Flying Squirrels at the Teakettle Experimental Forest
  Marc D. Meyer and Douglas A. Kelt, University of California, Davis; Malcolm North, Sierra Nevada Research Center, University of California, Davis, and Pacific Southwest Research Station
• Research Natural Areas in the Sierra Nevada Bioregion: Contribution to Biodiversity Conservation and Opportunities for Research
  Constance Millar, USDA Forest Service, PSW Research Station; Hugh Safford, USDA Forest Service, PSW Region
• California Spotted Owl Demographics in the Southern Sierra Nevada - 1990-2001
  Thomas E. Munton, George N. Steger, and William F. Laudenslayer, Jr., USDA Forest Service, PSW Research Station
• Willow Flycatcher Meadow Habitat Parameters in the Sierra Nevada Bioregion
  Rosemary A. Stefani, Sierra Nevada Research Center, USDA Forest Service, PSW Research Station
• Predator Abundance and Habitat Relationships in the Central Sierra
  Andrew Hatch, Central Sierra Environmental Resource Center
• Finding Core and Corridor Wildland Areas in the Sierra Nevada/Modoc Plateau Using GIS
  Evan Girvetz and Fraser Shilling, University of California, Davis
• Avian Biodiversity in the Sierra Nevada over an Elevational Gradient
  Kathryn L. Purcell and Douglas A. Drynan, USDA Forest Service, Pacific Southwest Research Station
• Snow-tracking Martes americana in the Lake Tahoe Basin: A quantitative method for supporting science-based management
  Mary Cablk, PhD, Desert Research Institute; Susan Spaulding, USDA Forest Service, Lake Tahoe Basin Management Unit
• Native Bees in the Sierra Nevada High Meadows
  Richard G. Hatfield, Department of Biology, San Francisco State University
• Bird Populations Dynamics of Sierra Nevada Meadows
  Mark D. Reynolds, Senior Ecologist, The Nature Conservancy; Julia I. Smith, Holy Names College; Gretchen LeBuhn, San Francisco State University
• Floristic Similarity of Meadows Among National Forests in California
  Dave Weixelman, Tahoe National Forest
• Annual Variation and Geographic Patterns in Acorn Production by California Black Oak (Quercus kelloggii)
  Barrett A. Garrison, California Department of Fish and Game, Sacramento Valley, Central Sierra Region; Walter D. Koenig, Hastings Reservation, University of California
• Assessing Patterns of Vegetation Change in the Sierra Nevada's Using Multi-Temporal and Multi-Scale Remotely Sensed Data
  Lisa M. Levien, Sean Parks, Scott Shupe, and JoAnn Fites
• A Systematic Approach to Assessing the Biodiversity of Bats in the Sierra Nevada
  Patricia N. Manley, USDA Forest Service, Pacific Southwest Region; Ted Weller, USDA Forest Service, Redwood Sciences Lab; Michelle McKenzie, USDA Forest Service, Redwood Sciences Lab
• Patterns and Thresholds of Fragmentation in Urbanizing Landscapes
  Patricia N. Manley, USDA Forest Service, Pacific Southwest Region; Dennis D. Murphy, Biology Department, University of Nevada
• A New Inventory & Monitoring Program in Sierra Nevada National Parks
  Linda S. Mutch, Sequoia and Kings Canyon National Parks
  

Policy and Institutions Posters

• Characterizing Fire Threats to Communities: Combining regional and project planning perspectives
  Dave Sapsis and William Stewart, California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection
• Decision Support for Road System Analysis and Modification on the Tahoe National Forest
  Fraser Shilling and Evan Girvetz, Department of Environmental Science and Policy, University of California, Davis
• The Influence of Vegetation and Land Use on Central Sierran Ranchers
  Adriana Sulak and Lynn Huntsinger, Department of Environmental Science, Policy, and Management, University of California, Berkeley
• The California Legacy Project
  Heather Barnett, Outreach Coordinator, The Resources Agency
• A Landscape of Change in Sierra Nevada Watersheds
  Thomas Gaman, RPF; Ron Arnett, East-West Forestry Associates
• Forest and Range 2002 Assessment: The Changing California, Assessing resource sustainability within the Sierra Nevada and across California
  Chris Zimny, California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection
  
  
  
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  FIELD TOURS

• Old Growth Forest Ecology in the Sierra Nevada
  
  Trip Leader: Jo Ann Fites-Kaufman and John Keane (USDA Forest Service)
  Group size: 24 Maximum
  Departure/Arrival: Depart N. Lake Tahoe Conference Center 9 a.m. sharp, return by approximately 4:30 p.m. Transportation by vans (provided).
  Food, water, supplies: Provide your own food/water and Sunscreen for the day. Hard hats will be provided.
  Difficulty: Moderate - short off trail hikes through forested areas with rough terrain. Wear suitable hiking footwear.
  Cost: $45.00
  
  This day trip emphasized old growth forest characteristics, ecology and restoration in the Sierra Nevada. The trip visited old growth forest sites within the Lake Tahoe Basin looking at a variety of forest conditions and habitat for goshawks. Discussions included key characteristics of old growth forests, challenges in defining and inventorying old growth, the nature of old growth forests used by the northern Goshawk, the interaction of fire and old forest, and the pros and cons of different restoration and fuels management approaches for old forests.
  
  
• Natural History Hike to Snow Canyon Research Natural Area Mokelumne Wilderness, Eldorado National Forest
  
  Trip Leader: Connie Millar (USDA Forest Service)
  Group size: 15 maximum
  Departure/Arrival: Depart N Lake Tahoe Conference Center 7a.m. sharp, return by 7p.m. (later if car-groups decide to stop for dinner enroute back); Transportation by 3-4 cars (provided).
  Food, water, supplies: Provide your own hiking gear and food/water for a full day hiking and return to N. Lake Tahoe.
  Difficulty: Expect to hike up to 15 miles on- and off-trail. Elevation gain of 1600'; elevation maximum, 9700'.
  Cost: No cost other than for personal food and supplies (including enough to cover a dinner stop enroute back, if desired).
  
  This all-day hiking trip to 700 acre Snow Canyon Research Natural Area (SC RNA; Mokelumne Wilderness) emphasized the historical geology, flora, and fauna of the local area and general central Sierra Nevada region. The SC RNA lies near the crest of the Sierra Nevada south of Carson Pass, and as such, combines flora of both Sierran and Great Basin affinities. Elevations range from 8100' to 9700' along this hike, which traverses open old-growth pine forests, subalpine meadows, and alpine scree communities. The Research Natural Area was designated for its outstanding groves of old and large western white pine and associated upper montane-to-alpine vegetation. A small wet meadow in the RNA provides habitat for wetland species. In all, six primary vegetation associations and 223 vascular plant species are described for the SC RNA.
  
  

  A Snow Canyon Field Trip Guide is available for download in PDF format. You can download the entire document or by section (4 parts). Entire Document (8.3 MB) Part 1: Emergency Numbers, Driving Directions, Road Maps, Topographic Map - pages 1-7 (2.7 MB) Part 2: Natural History Background Information - pages 8-17 (3.1 MB) Part 3: Ecological Survey Report for Snow Canyon RNA, Pt. 1 - pages 18-33 (2.4 MB) Part 4: Ecological Survey Report for Snow Canyon RNA, Pt. 2 - pages 34-49 (1.9 MB) *NOTE: These documents require Adobe Acrobat Reader to view. Click here to download Acrobat Reader for free.

  
  
• UC Berkeley Sagehen Creek Field Station Sagehen Creek Basin, Tahoe National Forest
  
  
  Trip Leader: Jeff Brown, Station Manager, Sagehen Creek Field Station
  Group size: 24 Maximum
  Departure/Arrival: Depart N. Lake Tahoe Conference Center 10 a.m. sharp, return by 6 p.m. (later if van-groups decide to stop for dinner enroute back). Transportation by 3 vans (provided).
  Food, water, supplies: Provide your own hiking gear, sunscreen, and food/water for a 1/2 day visit and return to N. Lake Tahoe.
  Difficulty: Easy
  Cost: $45.00
  
  Sagehen Creek Field Station is a research facility of the University of California, under the administration of the Office of the Vice Chancellor for Research, UC Berkeley, the Berkeley Natural History Museums and the California Biodiversity Center. The Station was established in 1952 with the signing of a long-term special use permit with the US Forest Service, which manages the land.
  
  The Station headquarters are at an elevation of 2000 meters (6480 feet) on the east slope of the northern Sierra Nevada. The roughly 8000-acre Sagehen Creek watershed includes yellow pine, mixed conifer, and red fir forests, extensive brushfields and scattered mountain meadows. Deep snow is typical of the winter season and dry, warm weather is typical of the summer period. Sagehen Creek extends eastward from the crest of the Sierra to Stampede Reservoir on the Little Truckee River. The watershed is managed by the Truckee Ranger District of the Tahoe National Forest for multiple uses.
  
  The visit included several different presentations and includes a tour of the Station facilities.
  

1. Lisa Wallace, Executive Director of the Truckee River Watershed Council, gave a brief overview of the Truckee River Watershed, covering such topics as the socio-political characteristics, climate, topography and geology, hydrology, vegetation, fisheries and the like.
   
2. A representative of the Truckee River Aquatic Monitoring Group (TRAM) lead a bug gathering exercise, and talked about how we're using citizen/community gathered data as part of developing the Total Maximum Daily Load (TMDL) plan for the Middle Truckee River Watershed.
   
3. Doug Boyle, Assistant Professor of the Desert Research Institute (DRI) provided a short presentation followed by field work showing how field data is collected and utilized in developing a Stream fun-off Model for Sagehen Creek.
   
4. Mist netting techniques demonstrated in one of the meadows.
   
   

• Fire Management and Fuels Reduction Work at Lake Tahoe
  
  Trip Leader: Dave Marlow (USDA Forest Service)
  Group size: 24 Maximum
  Departure/Arrival: Depart N. Lake Tahoe Conference Center 10 a.m. sharp, return by approximately 4:30 p.m.
  Transportation by vans (provided).
  Food, water, supplies: Provide your own food/water and Sunscreen for the day. Hard hats will be provided.
  Difficulty: Moderate - short off trail hikes through forested areas with rough terrain. Wear suitable hiking footwear.
  Cost: $45.00
  
  This day trip emphasized hazardous fuels management and fire management projects occurring within the Lake Tahoe Basin. The trip visited several project sites within the Lake Tahoe Basin looking at a variety of fuels treatments and fuel types. Fuels management projects to be visited are located on National Forest System lands and include hand thinning and mechanical treatments, prescribed fire treatments and management on small urban intermix parcels and the urban interface. Discussions will include management techniques, smoke management, forest products and biomass, cooperator coordination and partnerships, and local management issues/challenges.
  
  

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SIERRA NEVADA RESEARCH PROJECTS CATALOG

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