Pier Fire Special Status Species Study
Three-year study of special status plant and animal species occurrence within 8,730 acres of wildlands on the Tule River Indian Reservation that burned during the 2017 Pier Fire.
The study’s target species were the fisher (Southern Sierra Nevada DPS), California spotted owl, western pond turtle, foothill yellow-legged frog, Springville clarkia, and Kaweah brodiaea.
Live Oak Associates designed the study, conducted the field surveys in collaboration with the Tribe, and prepared annual survey reports and associated mapping. The survey effort included:
Camera trapping surveys for the fisher
Nocturnal calling surveys for the California spotted owl
Visual encounter surveys for the western pond turtle and foothill yellow-legged frog
Floristic surveys for the Springville clarkia and Kaweah brodiaea.
Our work placed us in a variety of habitats at elevations ranging from 2,000 to nearly 7,000 feet, and enabled us to become familiar with virtually all of the Reservation’s ecosystems. Live Oak Associates and the Tribe documented fishers, California spotted owls, and western pond turtles at multiple locations within the Pier Fire perimeter.
Client
Tule River Tribe
Location
Tule River Indian Reservation, Tulare County
Dates
2018-2020
Project Description
Three-year study of special status plant and animal species occurrence within 8,730 acres of wildlands on the Tule River Indian Reservation that burned during the 2017 Pier Fire. The study’s target species were the fisher (Southern Sierra Nevada DPS), California spotted owl, western pond turtle, foothill yellow-legged frog, Springville clarkia, and Kaweah brodiaea.