- Image courtesy Chuck Graham; chuckgrahamphoto.com
To establish and appraise the best possible management plans, wildlife officials need to know how many members of a certain species are present in an area. However, with an area as expansive as Los Padres National Forest, it is difficult for these few local officials to get accurate and up-to-date population numbers of every species, even ones that area extremely imperiled. ForestWatch volunteers help by aiding in biological surveys so that wildlife officials can implement the best possible management plans.
In the past, biological surveys have led ForestWatch volunteers deep into the Sespe Wilderness on multi-day backpacking trips in search of bighorn sheep. These bighorn sheep in the Sespe are a particular interest of biological surveys because their population has gone relatively undocumented since 1992. With the information gathered from volunteers, biologists are able to better assess how to preserve this population.
Other biological survey opportunities may include counting red-legged frogs at night for FrogWatch USA, as well as any species that ForestWatch is currently working to protect from development and harmful land uses.
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If you’re interested in doing your part to help protect sensitive species like bighorn sheep, click the button below or contact ForestWatch at volunteer@LPFW.org or 805.617.4610 ext. 3 to join our list of dedicated, fun-loving, adventurous volunteers today. You’ll receive monthly announcements about upcoming events and ways to get involved.
Image courtesy Craig R. Carey
