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    • November 10, 2022

    The Biogeographic Data Branch continually works to improve our data and tools for everyone. We announced back in June that BIOS 6 has launched. Though BIOS 6 is similar to BIOS 5, there are some differences that may hang up even our most experienced users. Therefore, we want to bring your attention to several training videos and user guides that are available on our training page that may assist you in using this new tool.

    • Training videos
      • BIOS 6 Basics, BIOS 6 Tools, BIOS Advanced Tools – A series of videos that cover the background, purpose, structure, and tools in BIOS, ranging from the basic functions to the most advanced tools.
      • Accessing CNDDB and Spotted Owl Data using BIOS and RareFind – A video that demonstrates various ways our users can use BIOS and RareFind to dig deeper into the data within the CNDDB and Spotted Owl Observation Database.
    • User guides
      • BIOS 6 Getting Started – A condensed version of basic BIOS 6 functions
      • BIOS 6 Data Viewer User Guide – Full user guide of BIOS 6 functions
      • Using the CNDDB Data in BIOS 6 – A guide to a subset of BIOS 6 tools that a CNDDB user may typically use.
      • CNDDB QuickView Tool User Guide for BIOS 6 – A guide to using the QuickView Tool in BIOS 6
      • Using the Spotted Owl Reports Tool in BIOS 6 – Instructions for generating Spotted Owl reports in BIOS 6

    Please note that BIOS 5 will no longer be available starting January 2023 as we fully transition to BIOS 6. Please share with others that may need to know this information. If you have questions about BIOS 6, you can submit them to BIOS@wildlife.ca.gov.

    Categories: Education and Awareness
    • October 19, 2022

    Franklin's bumble bee on a flower with long, pink petals
    Bombus franklini
    photograph by James P. Strange, USDA-ARS Pollinating Insect Research Unit, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons

    A year ago in October of 2021, we posted about the legal status of bumble bees in California. Four of these bumble bees (B. franklini, B. crotchii, B. occidentalis, B. suckleyi) were petitioned for listing as endangered species under the California Endangered Species Act (CESA) in 2018. The California Fish and Game Commission determined that listing all four species as endangered “may be warranted” in June 2019, and the species advanced to candidacy. The Commission’s determination was challenged in court soon after, and candidacy or related protections were stayed during much of the ensuing litigation. A California court of appeal ultimately upheld the Commission’s determination, and the state Supreme Court declined to review the case. Candidacy was reinstated for all four bumble bee species on September 30, 2022. As candidate species, they receive the same legal protection afforded to endangered or threatened species (Fish & G. Code, §§ 2074.2 & 2085).

    Both the Suckley’s and western bumble bees have been petitioned for federal listing and received positive 90-day findings. The species status assessment for western bumble bee is scheduled to be released in fiscal year 2024, and Suckley’s in fiscal year 2025.

    The California Natural Diversity Database (CNDDB) tracks an additional two species of bumble bee considered species of greatest conservation need. This table includes the current status of all bumble bees tracked by the CNDDB:

    Common Name Scientific Name State
    Status
    Federal
    Status
    NatureServe
    State Rank
    Other Status
    Franklin's bumble bee B. franklini Candidate Endangered S1 IUCN Critical
    Crotch bumble bee B. crotchii Candidate None S1S2 IUCN Endangered
    western bumble bee B. occidentalis Candidate None S1 IUCN Vulnerable
    Suckley's cuckoo
    bumble bee
    B. suckleyi Candidate None S1 IUCN Critical
    obscure bumble bee B. caliginosus None None S1S2 IUCN Vulnerable
    Morrison bumble bee B. morrisoni None None S1S2 IUCN Vulnerable

    Categories: Education and Awareness
    • October 6, 2021

    Two bumble bees nectaring on small white flowers
    Bombus occidentalis photograph by iNaturalist user @johnccnd (CC BY-NC 4.0) from Plumas County, California

    The California Natural Diversity Database (CNDDB) tracks 6 bumble bees (Bombus sp.) that are identified as species of greatest conservation need. Four of these bumble bees were petitioned to the State of California in 2018 and the Fish and Game Commission advanced them to candidacy in June 2019 (B. franklini, B. crotchii, B. occidentalis, B. suckleyi). This was challenged in court and in November 2020 the Superior Court ruled that insects are not eligible for listing under the California Endangered Species Act (CESA). Pending ongoing litigation, no bumble bees have legal status under CESA and none are currently considered candidates for listing by the State.

    However, effective 23 September 2021, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service has listed Franklin’s bumble bee (Bombus franklini) as federally Endangered. Franklin’s bumble bee has one of the smallest ranges of Bombus spp. worldwide, only known from the Klamath Mountains region of northern California and southern Oregon. Franklin’s bumble bee has faced precipitous decline. The last known detection of Franklin’s bumble bee in California was in 1998 and the last known detection in Oregon was in 2006, the latter despite regular survey efforts to historic sites. Some fear this species may already be extinct.

    Common Name Scientific Name State
    Status
    Federal
    Status
    NatureServe
    State Rank
    Other Status
    Franklin's bumble bee B. franklini None Endangered S1 IUCN Critical
    Crotch bumble bee B. crotchii None None S1S2 IUCN Endangered
    western bumble bee B. occidentalis None None S1 IUCN Vulnerable
    Suckley's cuckoo
    bumble bee
    B. suckleyi None None S1 IUCN Critical
    obscure bumble bee B. caliginosus None None S1S2 IUCN Vulnerable
    Morrison bumble bee B. morrisoni None None S1S2 IUCN Vulnerable

    Additional resources:

    Categories: Education and Awareness
    • July 16, 2021

    July 16th is World Snake Day! Snakes (AKA danger noodles) shouldn't cause alarm. Usually it's humans which do them harm. When they see us they want to run away...or noodle along their own way. These elegant reptiles with elongated bodies are often misunderstood and underappreciated, and out in the wild, they are threatened by habitat loss, climate change, and disease.

    The CNDDB is currently actively working on mapping southern rubber boa (Charina umbratica) since they are under review to be listed under the federal Endangered Species Act. Other snake species that are at the top of our minds include the giant gartersnake (Thamnophis gigas), which is negatively impacted by the recent droughts in California, and the south coast gartersnake (Thamnophis sirtalis pop. 1), which has some taxonomic uncertainties that could use further research and are likely in decline due to loss of habitat in Southern California.

    How can you help these lovely creatures? The CNDDB currently tracks the following 16 snakes:

    • Southern rubber boa (Charina umbratica), State Threatened, US Forest Service Sensitive Species
    • California glossy snake (Arizona elegans occidentalis), Species of Special Concern*
    • San Bernardino ringneck snake (Diadophis punctatus modestus), US Forest Service Sensitive Species
    • Regal ringneck snake (Diadophis punctatus regalis), Species of Special Concern
    • San Diego ringneck snake (Diadophis punctatus similis), US Forest Service Sensitive Species
    • San Joaquin coachwhip (Masticophis flagellum ruddocki), Species of Special Concern
    • Baja California coachwhip (Masticophis flagellum fuliginosus), Species of Special Concern
    • Alameda whipsnake (Masticophis lateralis euryxanthus), State Threatened, Federally Threatened
    • Santa Cruz Island gophersnake (Pituophis catenifer pumilus)
    • Coast patch-nosed snake (Salvadora hexalepis virgultea), Species of Special Concern
    • Giant gartersnake (Thamnophis gigas), State Threatened, Federally Threatened
    • Two-striped gartersnake (Thamnophis hammondii), Species of Special Concern, US Forest Service Sensitive Species
    • Santa Catalina gartersnake (Thamnophis hammondii pop. 1)
    • South coast gartersnake (Thamnophis sirtalis pop. 1), Species of Special Concern
    • San Francisco gartersnake (Thamnophis sirtalis tetrataenia), State Endangered, Federally Endangered, Fully Protected
    • Red-diamond rattlesnake (Crotalus ruber), Species of Special Concern, US Forest Service Sensitive Species

    *See our previous blog post on accessing information regarding species listed as Species of Special Concern.

    If you know someone who has data on any of these snakes, send them our way! If you have found these snakes, submit your observations through our Online Field Survey Form. Together, we can help fill in knowledge gaps to better represent these species and assist with conservation.

    A rattlesnake coiled up in a hole
    CNDDB's own Ryan Elliott recently photographed this beautiful rattler after his kids named her Vivian the Viper and scared her into a hole. Ryan tried encouraging Vivian to emerge, explaining that the kids are basically harmless, but she was having none of it!

    Categories: Education and Awareness
    • April 1, 2021

    A curious mind never runs short of unanswered questions. While the great mysteries remain unsolved, we can offer to shed some light on the CNDDB.

    We have gathered our most frequently asked user questions and created a new FAQ page. Topics include CNDDB lingo, data submission, tools and products, subscriptions, and more.

    If you take a look at the page and feel like you still have unanswered questions, write us an email and we will get in touch with you. If we get enough questions, we may address those in future blog posts and/or update the FAQ page.

    Categories: Education and Awareness, General