Landels-Hill Big Creek Reserve

09 Jul, 08 AM - 23 Jul, 03 AM

"Big Creek: Island Nature" Abstract: A naturalist's interpretation of the Landels-Hill Big Creek Reserve as an island of pristine coastal California nature. Introduction: I first came to the Landels-Hill Big Creek in the Spring of 1993 as an undergraduate student from U.C. Santa Cruz to study effects of gene flow and habitat insularity in a disjunct population of the side-blotched lizard, Uta stansburiana (Waldron 1995. In its own humble way this study followed in the tradition of the earliest and greatest pioneers in island biogeography and evolutionary science, Charles Darwin and Alfred Russel Wallace with a Big Sur/inconspicuous brown lizard twist. Returning to Big Creek 13 years later, I intend to again explore the concept of insularity in the Big Sur region- this time in the interpretive role as naturalist/artist. In general, I'm interested in exploring through art, the concept of the nature reserve as an island of unfolding pristine natural processes surrounded by a world of anthropogenic environmental change. As an "island" the Santa Lucia mountains are home to a number of interesting disjunct populations (e.g. Ponderosa Pine, Sugar Pine, Incense Cedar, Phantom Orchid, Mountain Chickadee, California Condor, Sagebrush and Side-blotched lizards) and endemic species (e.g. Santa Lucia Fir, Santa Lucia Slender Salamander) that could serve well as a charismatic cast of castaway characters in an interpretive story of the island nature of the natural history of the region. The unparalleled quality of habitats (e.g. Live Oak groves unaffected by Phytophthora fungus, old growth Redwood canyons, pristine watersheds), healthy populations of more widespread species (e.g. Mountain Lion) and the limitation of human activities protected by the Big Creek Reserve will provide opportunities for nature observation that would be difficult if not impossible to find elsewhere in the Santa Lucia Range. The rich body of quality science conducted over the years at Big Creek will also anchor the intuitive nature of my work with the power of detailed empirical observation and factual accuracy. Materials & Methods: Through photography and writing and possibly digital film making, I plan on creating an artistic interpretation of the rich natural and cultural history of the Landels-Hill Big Creek Reserve. I will work as non-invasively as possible, actively roaming the reserve's habitats and quietly collecting observations and images as I go. I do not intend to manipulate or alter the habitat in any way. Results: I'm hoping an essay will be published and perhaps a gallery showing will be produced from my experience at Big Creek and the materials produced will be made freely available for the reserve archives. References: Waldron, Steven. 1995. Morphological variation and fluctuating asymmetry in peripheral populations of Uta stansburiana in central coastal California. Unpublished undergraduate senior thesis, U.C. Santa Cruz

Visit #10259 @Landels-Hill Big Creek Reserve

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Under Project # 6881 | Public Use

Big Creek Natural History Interpretation

research_scientist - University of Washington

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Steven Waldron Jul 9 - 23, 2006 (15 days)

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