CNDDB News Blog

We have updated the Special Animals List to reflect the recent release of the 2016 California Amphibian and Reptile Species of Special Concern from CDFW’s Nongame Wildlife program and the University of California Press.  

 Over the past few months we have been working to add Element Occurrences for new Species of Special Concern (SSC) on the Special Animals List from this project. Lead Zoologist Brian Acord recently mapped over 200 Element Occurrences of the recently designated SSC, the California giant salamander (Dicamptodon ensatus), and visited a number of occurrences in the field. Tammy Dong, a CNDDB Scientific Aid, worked with Zoologist Ryan Elliott to map occurrences of another new SSC, the southern long-toed salamander (Ambystoma macrodactylum sigillatum), with over 300 added Element Occurrences mapped in CNDDB as of the August distribution.

Space is available in two CNPS workshops on CNPS-CDFW vegetation mapping methods.

Vegetation Rapid Assessment / Relevé
July 19-21, UC WMRC Crooked Creek Station, White Mountains outside of Bishop
Taught by Julie Evens, Vegetation Program Director, CNPS; Jennifer Buck-Diaz, Vegetation Ecologist, CNPS
$555 CNPS Members / $585 Non-Members, INCLUDES ALL MEALS AND LODGING
This course will be a combination of lecture and field exercises in vegetation sampling with a focus on collecting data using the CNPS-CDFW combined vegetation rapid assessment / relevé method. We will discuss applications of fine-scale vegetation sampling, classification and mapping, how to document rare natural communities, and how vegetation information fits into planning documents

Vegetation Mapping
August 1-3, UC Berkeley GIF Lab & field sites in Marin County
Taught by Julie Evens, Vegetation Program Director, CNPS; Todd Keeler-Wolf, Senior Vegetation Ecologist, VegCAMP Program, CDFW; John Menke, Senior Vegetation Mapping Specialist, AIS
$665 CNPS Members / $695 Non-Members
Through a combination of field and computer exercises, participants will learn techniques for fine-scale vegetation mapping. Participants will learn about vegetation sampling, classification, and photo interpretation, practice creating a vegetation map using Geographic Information Systems, collect reconnaissance samples to support the 2nd edition of A Manual of California Vegetation classification, practice techniques of photo interpretation, delineation, and attribution, and validate a vegetation map through accuracy assessment.

Room is still available in both our April 26^th and April 27^th training classes in San Diego.

The CNDDB/RareFind/BIOS class is a six-hour course describing the background, purpose, and use of both the CNDDB dataset and the BIOS web-based map viewing tool (which includes access to the CNDDB). The class includes instruction and exercises on using many of the tools in both the online RareFind 5 and in BIOS 5, as well as viewing and querying the CNDDB dataset in BIOS. The course cost is $125. This class is open to people outside of the Department of Fish and Wildlife as well as to CDFW staff. The fee is waived for CDFW staff.  Registration information can be found on the CNDDB Training page.