1st ENVS@SJSU talk, Wed 9/15@12:30pm: Dr. Metha Klock, Legacy effects of globally invasive legumes
Rachel O'Malley
The Department of Environmental Studies at
San José State University is pleased to present our first public research presentation of Fall 2021:
WEDNESDAY, September 15, 2021
12:30 PM – 1:45 PM
https://sjsu.zoom.us/j/5858275843 password: ENVS@SJSU
Dr. Metha Klock
Assistant Professor
Department of Environmental Studies
San José State University
Rhizobial mutualisms and legacy effects of globally invasive legumes
Abstract: Elucidating mechanisms that allow certain species to outcompete others as well as their long-term impacts on native ecosystems are fundamental goals in ecology, invasive species management, and environmental restoration. A unique opportunity to clarify the drivers of invasion arises when closely related species are introduced to a novel region, yet vary in their success as invaders. One genus of plants that fit this description are Australian acacias, which vary in invasiveness in their introduced range. Acacia species that have become invasive outcompete native plant species, increase soil erosion, alter soil chemistry, and facilitate invasion of non-native grasses. This talk will discuss a forthcoming project to address largely unanswered questions in invasion biology: What is the role of mutualistic interactions in driving species invasion, and do those interactions have long-term effects even after the invasive species is removed? The goal of this project is to examine a key mutualistic mechanism driving species invasions, focusing on the unique opportunity afforded by exotic acacias. Previous research has shown that mutualistic interactions, such as those between acacias and rhizobia are influential, and in some cases essential for the establishment of non-native legumes in novel ranges. However, understanding of how the acacia-rhizobia symbiosis influences the establishment of individual, highly invasive species is lacking. This project will use two large-scale acacia removal projects to examine the role that rhizobial mutualisms play in the establishment and colonization of Australian Acacia species that have been introduced to California and which have become invasive in this region. This project will also examine legacy effects of acacia invasion to determine the long-term effects of invasion on native ecosystems and habitat restoration success, evaluating how the legume-rhizobia symbiosis contributes to the establishment success of Acacia species when introduced abroad and their potential for long-term impacts on native ecosystems.
PLEASE JOIN US -- A L L ARE W E L C O M E
Full semester schedule will be updated regularly at: https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/17L70LyeoUbxs-mdGZnsyBNbtJh-bYeMOC8HxP6XVgZg/edit?usp=sharing
Rachel O'Malley
TODAY WEDNESDAY, September 15, 2021; 12:30 PM – 1:45 PM
https://sjsu.zoom.us/j/5858275843 password: ENVS@SJSU
Dr. Metha Klock
Assistant Professor
Department of Environmental Studies
San José State University
Rhizobial mutualisms and legacy effects of globally invasive legumes
This talk will NOT be recorded
Rachel O'Malley
The Department of Environmental Studies at San José State University is pleased to present our second public research presentation for Fall 2021:
WEDNESDAY, September 29, 2021, 12:30 PM – 1:45 PM
https://sjsu.zoom.us/j/5858275843 password: ENVS@SJSU
Dr. Jessica Castillo Vardaro
Assistant Professor
Department of Biology, San José State University
One-stop shopping: what can fecal samples teach us about American pika population vulnerability?
Abstract: The American pika (Ochotona princeps) is a small, charismatic, climate-sensitive mammal that is restricted to the cool microclimates found within the crevices of fractured rock, such as talus slopes and lava flows. Although typically found within these specialized habitats, at high elevation, they may persist at lower elevations if they are able to behaviorally thermoregulate and avoid hot daytime temperatures. American pikas have received significant attention over the past decade due to documented local extinctions, particularly within the relatively hot, dry, and geographically isolated Great Basin ecoregion. Our current research focuses on the Sierra Nevada lineage (O. p. schisticeps), which includes populations in the Sierra Nevada Mountains and the Great Basin ranges of California, Nevada, and Oregon. We are investigating the interrelationships among pika population connectivity, genetic diversity, habitat quality, diet, and intestinal parasites, in order to better understand why some populations appear vulnerable while others are thriving. Our work integrates field ecology with molecular genetics approaches, using non-invasive collection of fecal material to identify plant and parasite species, and investigate pika population genetics, from a single DNA source.
Dr. Jessica Castillo Vardaro is an assistant professor of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology in the department of Biological Sciences at SJSU. Originally from Southern California, she completed her BS in Conservation and Resource Studies from UC Berkeley and a PhD in Wildlife Science from Oregon State University. Her dissertation investigated the landscape and population genetics of American pikas across the species range. Following her PhD, she completed a postdoc at Princeton University where she conducted a population genetics study and diet analysis of African termites. She joined the faculty at SJSU in January 2019. Her work on pikas integrates multiple field and molecular approaches to understanding the potential vulnerability of pikas to climate change. When not studying pikas, Dr. Castillo enjoys gardening and relaxing at the beach with her dog Zuko.
Rachel O'Malley
The Department of Environmental Studies at San José State University is pleased to present a public research presentation:
Wednesday, October 6, 2021 @12:30 PM – 1:45 PM
https://sjsu.zoom.us/j/5858275843 pw: ENVS@SJSU
Dr. Amanda Stasiewicz
Assistant Professor, Department of Environmental Studies, San José State University
What to do during a wildfire? Towards building wildfire resilience in fire-prone communities through evacuation intentions
Abstract: Wildfire is returning to the California landscape in a big way. While wildfire has always been a part of western landscapes, over 120-years of land and fire management policies that exclude fire (including indigenous burning) from fire-adapted and -dependent landscapes, in addition to climate change, have fostered today's larger and often more intense wildfire events. Our social and ecological systems struggle to endure and recover from these wildfire events that are often outside of what our response and recovery systems are capable of dealing with. In this talk, we will focus on how human communities and professionals (e.g., emergency services, land or fire management agencies) are adapting to their changing wildfire risk circumstances and the importance of local relationships and culture in scultipting "politically possible" and realistic adaptation pathways for social-ecological systems. We will focus on lessons learned from published and ongoing studies on wildfire evacuation, including ties between evacuation intentions and wildfire risk management, resident experiences with recent wildfire events, their decisions to evacuate or stay and defend their properties, and how relationships between agencies and residents can foster increased wildfire resilience in an area--or the exact opposite. In addition to serving on the faculty of the Departmetn of Environmental Studies at SJSU, Dr. Stasiewicz is a member of the Wildfire Interdisciplinary Research Center at San Jose State University, which seeks to develop tools to prevent, forecast and respond to blazes. Dr. Stasiewicz spent her MS and PhD exploring local (human) community adaptation to changing wildfire conditions and now focuses on local preparation for and response to wildfire events, including citizen-agency partnerships for addressing landscape-level wildfire resilience issues. She received her MS and PhD in Conservation Social Science at the University of Idaho and her B.S. in Environmental Science from Siena College in New York. Dr. Stasiewicz has also interned with the Department of Energy examining the influence of renewable energy approaches on wildlife and vegetation dynamics and studied marine and invasive species management issues in Ecuador.
Rachel O'Malley
Rachel O'Malley
The Department of Environmental Studies at San José State University is pleased to present a public MS thesis defense:
Wednesday, October 13, 2021
12:30 PM – 1:45 PM
https://sjsu.zoom.us/j/5858275843 pw: ENVS@SJSU
Ms. Nanako Oba
Master of Science Candidate
Department of Environmental Studies San José State University
Effects of the Urban Edge on Soil Conditions, Stand Structure, and Understory Composition in a Coast Redwood Forest
Abstract: A wildland-urban interface (WUI) is an area where urban development and wildlands meet, resulting in impacts on forest ecosystems. Many forests in the WUI experience edge effects caused by human activities, such as timber harvest and urban development, which can influence the forest community by changing microclimate in the forest edge and altering vegetation composition and structure. These changes can be problematic, as forests contain many native plant species that depend on natural ecosystem functioning. Both the WUI and resulting edge effects are well studied in general; however, the influences of the urban edge on coast redwood forests specifically are not well understood. The goal of this study was to analyze soil characteristics, stand structure, and forest understory composition across a coast redwood wildland-urban interface. Twenty 300 m transects were established in the WUI with five circular ten-meter diameter sample plots set at distances of 0, 40,80, 160, 300 m from the urban/forest edge in a coast redwood preserve in the Santa Cruz Mountains, California. An additional twenty transects were established as a control in a central part of the reserve, resulting in a total of 200 sample plots. Results reflected strong correlations between distance from the edge and soil temperature, duff depth, canopy cover, stand density, dominance, Oxalis oregana cover, non-native understory species richness, and coast redwood-associated understory species richness in the forest edge site. The edge plot differed from the control plot in soil properties, forest composition, and understory species as well. Findings suggest that urban development alters adjacent coast redwood forests in regard to soil conditions, stand structure, and understory composition. Ms. Oba received her BS in Chemical and Biological Sciences from Japan Women's University in Tokyo, Japan. During her free time, she enjoys hiking, nature photography, gardening and crochet.
Rachel O'Malley
Master of Science Candidate, Department of Environmental Studies, San José State University
Rachel O'Malley
The Department of Environmental Studies at San José State University is pleased to present a public research presentation:
Wednesday, October 27, 2021, 12:30 PM – 1:45 PM
https://sjsu.zoom.us/j/5858275843 pw: ENVS@SJSU
Ms. Ataya
Cesspooch
PhD Student & NSF Graduate Research Fellow
Department of Environmental Science, Policy & Management
University of California, Berkeley, | Unceded Chochenyo Ohlone Lands
Contesting endangerments: Indigenous sovereignty, cacti and revitalizing the Ute language
Abstract: The Ute Tribe has been leasing land on their Reservation in
northeastern Utah for oil and gas development since 1971. Revenue from
development has lifted the Tribe out of poverty and positioned energy
extraction as the Tribe’s primary expression of sovereignty. However, the
federal government maintains regulatory oversight of mineral leasing on tribal
lands and implements policies such as the Endangered Species Act (ESA) in the
permitting process. The tribal government views this as a direct violation of
their sovereignty, establishing “environmental protection” as a contested
space. These tensions have culminated around two cacti listed as “threatened”
under the ESA and whose habitat coincides with proposed energy infrastructure.
UNESCO has categorized the Ute language as “severely endangered” with fewer
than 40 living speakers all over the age of 70. The cacti hold no cultural
significance to the Tribe, some of whom feel that the federal government
prioritizes the lives of the cacti over the lives of Ute people. This presentation engages the productive
tension created around these two competing forms of endangerment to explore how
Indigenous sovereignty and Ute language revitalization shape the forms of
“environmental protection” employed on the Reservation.
Ms. Cesspooch is a member of the Fort Peck Sioux (Lakota) and Assiniboine Tribes and descendent of the northern Ute Tribe. Prior to starting work on her Ph.D., Ms. Cesspooch worked as an environmental protection specialist on the reservation. She has been taking Ute language classes for the last year.
PLEASE JOIN US -- A L L ARE W E L C O M E
Fully vaccinated and masked guests may join the presentation in the ENVS garden.
Land Honor Acknowledgement provided by CFA Indigenous Peoples’ Caucus:
We gather as students, faculty, staff, and community of San Jose State University, situated on the traditional land of the Muwekma, Tamyen, and Ohlone Tribe past and present, and honor with gratitude the land itself and the people who have stewarded it throughout the generations. This calls us to commit to continuing to learn how to be better stewards of the land we inhabit as well. To recognize the land is an expression of gratitude and appreciation to those whose territory we reside on and a way of honoring the Indigenous people who have been living and working on the land from time immemorial. It is important to understand the long-standing history that has brought us to reside on the land and to seek to understand our place within that history. Land acknowledgments do not exist in past tense or historical context: colonialism is a current ongoing process, and we need to build our mindfulness of our present participation. Acknowledging the land is an important Indigenous protocol that we are honoring here today. Do you know whose land you occupy? Find out at https://native-land.ca/.
Rachel O'Malley
The Department of Environmental Studies at San José State University is pleased to present a public MS thesis defense:
Wednesday, November 3, 2021, 12:30 PM – 1:45 PM
https://sjsu.zoom.us/j/5858275843 pw: ENVS@SJSU
Ms. Joia Fishman
Master of Science Candidate
Department of Environmental Studies San José State University
How Fragmentation Drives Dominant Plant Encroachment on a Horizontal Wastewater Treatment Levee
Abstract: Urban coastal wetlands protect humans from sea-level rise while providing valuable habitat for wildlife. Degradation and loss of these wetlands directly threatens urban infrastructure such as wastewater treatment facilities. Nature-based adaptive solutions with the combined purposes of bioremediation, coastal defense, and habitat creation are being tested to make communities safer and more resilient. The current research examines a 6-year-old experimental horizontal levee at the Oro Loma Sanitary District in San Lorenzo, California. Using horizontal transects and quadrat sampling, I compare the success of two planting strategies – a wet meadow and a riparian scrub community– on an ecotone slope, and I document effects of fragmentation and dominant plant species on plant diversity and abundance in the wet meadow. Although most planted species survived from 2015/16 to 2020/21, plant diversity decreased over time in both plant communities. Fragmentation was associated with encroachment by invasive nonnative species in the wet meadow, and both fragmentation and the presence of native dominants Salix lasiolepis (willow) and Typha spp. (cattails) correlated with reduced planted native species diversity and cover in the wet meadow community. In the absence of natural disturbance processes, created wetlands, especially fragmented wetlands with substantial edge, may progress to a successional state dominated by a few species. Future projects might benefit from specifying habitat creation goals in addition to wastewater treatment goals, selecting native plant palettes that inhibit succession or incorporating natural disturbance to break dominance cycles, and planting larger patches with lower edge ratios.
Ms. Fishman received her B.S. in Ecology and Evolutionary Biology from UC Santa Cruz in Santa Cruz, California. She currently works at the Sunol Native Plant Nursery for the San Francisco Public Utilities Commission, growing native plants for the new Alameda Creek Watershed Center and for mitigation purposes. In her free time, she enjoys hiking and plant identification, birdwatching, gardening, and playing music.
Rachel O'Malley
The Department of Environmental Studies at San José State University is pleased to present a public research presentation:
Wednesday, December 1, 2021, 12:30 PM – 1:45 PM
https://sjsu.zoom.us/j/5858275843 pw: ENVS@SJSU
Dr. Dustin Mulvaney
Professor, Department of Environmental Studies, San José State University
Utility scale solar development and energy sprawl: How energy policy and land use choice shapes environmental permitting and habitat mitigations
Abstract: In an effort to address climate change, California enacted a renewable energy portfolio standard that is driving a market for significant amounts of renewable energy deployment. Renewable energy development as a result is a leading cause of land use change in states like California and Nevada, much of which is occurring on lands that are important for threatened and endangered species. This talk will explain the drivers of these land use choices and the repercussions for habitat, permitting, construction times, and discuss the challenges with compensatory mitigations where projects impact lands with high biodiversity. A review of 16 case studies of utility scale solar projects indicate that developing utility-scale solar on low biodiversity value land resulted in shorter permitting timelines and required less compensatory mitigation. But research interviews also raise important questions about drivers attracting developers to high biodiversity lands as well as the effectiveness of using mitigations to offset impacts to high quality habitat.
Dr. Mulvaney’s research focuses on the social and environmental dimensions of food and energy systems, where he researches questions about innovation, emerging technologies and environmental change. His research on solar energy commodity chains is synthesized in his book entitled Solar Power, Innovation, Sustainability, and Environmental Justice (University of California Press, 2019). His new textbook Sustainable Energy Transitions: Socio-Ecological Dimensions of Decarbonization with Palgrave-MacMillan/Springer was published in December 2020.
Rachel O'Malley
The Department of Environmental Studies at San José State University is pleased to present a public research presentation:
TODAY, Wednesday, December 1, 2021, 12:30 PM – 1:45 PM
Rachel O'Malley
Next Wednesday, February 9, 2022, 12:00 – 1:15 PM https://sjsu.zoom.us/j/5858275843 pw: ENVS@SJSU
Dr. Lynne Trulio, Professor
Department of Environmental Studies, San José State University
Implications of Migratory Behavior for a Declining Population of Burrowing Owls (Athene cunicularia)
DEBRA CHROMCZAK, Environmental Researcher & Consultant, Santa Cruz, CA, U.S.A.
PHILIP HIGGINS, City of Mountain View, Mountain View, CA, U.S.A.
SANDRA MENZEL, Biological Consultant, Santa Cruz, CA, U.S.A.
CHRISTEN BOSSU, Bird Genomics Lab, Colorado State University
KRISTEN RUEGG, Bird Genomics Lab, Colorado State University
Rachel O'Malley
The Department of Environmental Studies at San José State University is pleased to present the first Spring 2022 public research presentation:
Today, Wednesday, February 9, 2022, 12:00 – 1:15 PM https://sjsu.zoom.us/j/5858275843 pw: ENVS@SJSU
Rachel O'Malley
The Department of Environmental Studies at San José State University is pleased to present a public research presentation:
Wednesday, March 2, 2022 12:00 to 1:15
https://sjsu.zoom.us/j/5858275843 pw: ENVS@SJSU
Dr. Katherine Cushing
Professor and Chair
Department of Environmental Studies
San José State University
Can Reuse Solve Our 'Wicked' Water Problems?
Water scarcity is a recurring issue in the U.S. West. A recent study in Nature Climate Change indicates that the West and northern Mexico are experiencing their worst drought conditions in 1,200 years. This talk highlights findings from investigations conducted by the Cushing Research Group that shed light on how water reuse programs and practices can be used to augment or replace potable water needs, as well as some of their limitations.
In addition to serving as Professor and Chair of the Environmental Studies Department at San Jose State University, Dr. Cushing is a former Executive Director of CommUniverCity SJSU, an award-winning non-profit serving low-income residents in Central San Jose. She is a nationally-recognized expert on water resources management and has advised United Nations’ departments, Fortune 500 companies, the cities of San Jose and Palo Alto, California, and the Army Corps of Engineers. She serves as the Vice-Chair for National Water Research Institute's Independent Advisory Panel on Water Reuse for Valley Water, Santa Clara County's main wholesale water provider. She holds a doctoral degree in civil and environmental engineering from Stanford University and a Bachelor of Science degree in Industrial Engineering from Northwestern University. Prior to joining SJSU, Dr. Cushing was a faculty member at both Stanford and the University of California, Berkeley.
Rachel O'Malley
Rachel O'Malley
The Department of Environmental Studies at San José State University is pleased to present a public research presentation:
https://sjsu.zoom.us/j/5858275843 pw: ENVS@SJSU
Dr. Tyler Neal McFadden
Lecturer, Department of Biology Stanford University
Can working lands work for conservation? Assessing biodiversity and ecosystem functioning in Chilean timber plantations
Land use change is a leading driver of biodiversity loss and has far-reaching consequences for ecosystem functioning and human wellbeing. A central tenet of modern conservation is the establishment of protected areas, often with the goal of preventing land use change. However, there is mounting evidence that protected areas alone cannot reverse the current global biodiversity crisis. Expanding conservation efforts to working lands and other human-dominated landscapes is therefore essential to achieving global biodiversity conservation goals. In this talk, I will discuss my research on biodiversity in human-dominated landscapes in Chile and California. I will focus in-depth on the case of industrial timber plantations in Chile, where I use birds and plant-pollinator communities as indicators to inform forest management. Building on this empirical work, I will then introduce a novel holistic approach for forecasting the effects of global change on entire metacommunities. In closing, I will discuss some troubling bird population trends in the Bay Area and reflect on the key role that common urban species play in supporting human-nature interactions.
Tyler McFadden is an ecologist, conservation scientist, and environmental educator. His research examines the causes and consequences of biodiversity loss, focusing on how ecological communities respond to human impacts. Tyler is currently a Lecturer in the Department of Biology at Stanford University. He also co-directs a non-profit outdoor education program for high school English Language Learners (www.meroscience.org). Previously, Tyler completed a PhD in Ecology and Evolutionary Biology (2021) at Stanford University, and a BS in Fisheries and Wildlife Science (2014) at Oregon State University