My summer DFP (Directorate’s Fellow Program) fellowship is quickly coming to an end. Since my last blog, I’ve completed the 5-year review for the San Bernardino Mountains bladderpod, conducted a meeting with partners to discuss the Santa Catalina Island ornate shrew, and subsequently finished the rapid assessment for the shrew. The partner meeting was a great opportunity to bring together biologists working in different ways on the shrew or related species. For example, the meeting included biologists from the Catalina Island Conservancy, the primary land managers on the island, and a geneticist working with several subspecies of shrew. The meeting gave us a much better idea of the status of the shrew and I incorporated the meeting discussion into my final rapid species assessment.

The rapid species assessment is an internal document the office uses to assess the next conservation steps for the Santa Catalina Island ornate shrew. The shrew is not a listed species, but this document will help to be proactive in species conservation. The 5-year review for the San Bernardino Mountains bladderpod will be a public document and addresses new information since the last review. I updated the occurrences and threats for the species, but there was no change in the status of the endangered bladderpod.

As my time with USFWS is wrapping up, I am preparing presentations for my office (Carlsbad, CA office) and the entire region (Legacy region 8 which includes California, Nevada, and the Klamath Basin). These presentations give DFPs the opportunity to share our work from these past 11-weeks with USFWS employees. I’ve met some amazing people and learned a lot during this experience. I’m very grateful for this opportunity and hope to continue my journey with USFWS after I graduate next year!

Photo: Cottonwood Canyon on Santa Catalina Island, taken by Mary Crawford

Agency: U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service

Program: US Fish & Wildlife Service - DFP

Location: Carlsbad Fish and Wildlife Office