Workshop Information
Description
The Mohave Ground Squirrel Conservation Council (MGSCC), in partnership with The Western Section of The Wildlife Society present a workshop designed to cover the natural history, regulation, and survey techniques of the Mohave ground squirrel (MGS), a California state threatened species endemic to the Mojave desert. One day of lecture will take place virtually on March 22, followed by rotating sessions in the field learning techniques for capture, identification, and processing of desert squirrels. If we’re lucky, we will capture at least one Mohave ground squirrel (no guarantees). Participants choose one field excursion (between March 23 and 24) during registration in addition to (optionally) one day walking trapping grid lines.
CDFW Statement: Authorization from CDFW to work independently with MGS under the California Endangered Species Act (CESA) requires more experience than can be provided by this workshop. However, this is a great opportunity to acquire information and training on the natural history of MGS, field sampling techniques, habitat requirements, and conservation planning. Completion of the workshop will provide participants a foundation to start building the qualifications needed to obtain a CESA Memorandum of Understanding to capture and handle MGS, or to be designated as a qualified biologist for MGS in a CESA Incidental Take Permit.
Registration Information
Waitlist Policy: If placed on the waitlist, you will not be charged. If spots open up, the first person on the waitlist will have 48 hours to accept the registration up until 2 weeks prior to the event, after which participants will have 24 hours.
Pre-Register: Registration cost includes one participant spot for the workshop consisting of an online Webinar and four hours in the field. You can choose 1 field session out of four in your registration form. Registration does not include meals or lodging. Participants will be expected to provide their own transportation.
Note: It is essential that you register with the email address at which you would like to receive your Zoom invitation. This will be the email address to which we send your Zoom Meeting information, and other information regarding the workshop. Only one participant is allowed per registration.
Please Register at this Link: https://user.tws-west.org/store.php?e=MGS2024
(Don’t forget to Log In to your TWS-WS account if you are a member).
IMPORTANT: Please check your email address when you register, as this will be how the coordinator contacts you. Auto-filled emails are often old. Note: We cannot process American Express.
Your registration is secure when payment is received. We will process your registration in the order payment is received.
State & Federal employees, however, may pay by check if you 1. register to secure your spot (and skip the payment option) and 2. email the workshop coordinator at workshops@tws-west.org. We will hold your spot for 3 weeks. Note, you will not receive a confirmation email if you do not pay your registration, but don’t worry, we will still receive it.
Participants Each person attending the workshop must fill out their own registration and payment.
The cutoff date for early registration is February 10, 2024. A minimum of 45 people must register by March 1, or the workshop will be canceled. A maximum of 60 people may enroll. Registration is payable by credit card. We recognize that many, particularly state employees, require payment by check with a lead time. Therefore, exceptions to this rule may be requested to the workshop coordinator at workshops@tws-west.org.
Cancellation Policy
Cancellation and Refund Policy: To receive a refund of workshop registration fees, we must receive your cancellation no later than 14 business days before the first day of the event. There will be no refunds due to inclement weather, Federal budget issues, furloughs or other events beyond the control of TWS-West. All refunds are subject to a $20 processing fee. However, registration may be transferred to another individual for a $10 transfer fee.
Requests for refunds must be submitted in writing, either by mail or e-mail. Refund requests received within 14 business days of the start of the workshop will not be processed regardless of personal or professional emergency, and no refund after that date is available.
Please plan on attending if you sign up as the lecture will not be available afterwards.
Location Information
Lodging
Lodging is not included as part of this workshop. However, participants are welcome to camp on our field site, if you let us know in advance by filling out this information in the welcome questionnaire.
Additionally, a certain number of discounted rooms are being held at the SpringHill Suites in Ridgecrest, California.
113 E. Sydnor Avenue
Ridgecrest, California 93555 USA
To join the Springhill Suites room block, please call the hotel at 760.446.1630
Group Name: Wildlife Society
The room block covers nights between March 22 to 24.
Any rooms not booked by March 8 will be released and the rate will no longer be available.
Alternative Lodging Options
Camping at Red Rock Canyon State Park & on BLM land
Virtual Lecture
The lecture portion of the workshop on March 22, 2024, will take place virtually by Zoom.
Zoom
Prior to the workshop, please have Zoom downloaded on your computer and have tested all your microphones, etc. so you are not caught off-guard by technical difficulties during the event.
Field Locations
Prior to heading into the field, we will meet at the Desert Empire Fairgrounds Fairgrounds: Address: 520 S Richmond Rd, Ridgecrest, CA 93555. This will be our base of operations.
From here, we will split into groups and head into the field. Field locations will be chosen prior to the workshop to minimize driving and maximize potential to find MGS. Participants will be divided into 4 groups and rotated between several stations. If a Mohave ground squirrel is obtained, all participants will be notified to observe.
The Big Grid option will enable a participant to sign up for an additional walking transect (you must also sign up for/have signed up for a
Preparation
Virtual Lecture
The lecture portion of the workshop on March 22, 2024, will take place virtually by Zoom in Webinar Format.
Zoom
Prior to the workshop, please have Zoom downloaded on your computer and have tested all your microphones, etc. so you are not caught off-guard by technical difficulties during the event.
Check-In and Coffee Hour
Coffee hour (see schedule below) is an opportunity to speak with the instructor, test your features, and socialize before the workshop.
Requirements
Zoom downloaded (free/basic version is just fine) to your device prior to the workshop. Headphones or head-set are recommended to improve sound quality, but not required (by now we probably all know if our systems work well). It is recommended you make sure you have the latest version of Zoom, here.
Internet / System Requirements
If you have not used Zoom before, please run some teleconference tests to ensure that you have enough bandwidth to run Zoom. You can find a list of system requirements here.
Note: The lecture will NOT be recorded.
Field Portion
You will be able to sign up for either March 23 or March 24 for the field rotations. You may (optionally) also sign up to trap the Big Grid line on the alternate day.
Field Rotations Involve:
- Camera traps
- Camera stations
- Grid layout
- Grid walk
- Botanical/Habitat Walk
- Possibly* ID Table
- Possibly* Drone flights
- Lunch Break (synchronized)
Big Trap Line Option
Signing up for The Big Trap Line Option means you will be spending 12 hours on the trap line with experts, from 6 AM to 6PM. The idea is that you will participate in a full day of trapping, as in, open traps at sunrise, check again in a couple hours, check a second time a couple hours later, then check/close traps a few hours later depending on weather conditions. You'll get a taste of what we do when we trap for research or clients.
Note you will not be able to handle a Mohave ground squirrel during the workshop, nor can we guarantee that you will see one. However, assisting with the big trapline will give you the highest possibility. Participants who sign up for the March 24 option will also be enlisted in helping pack up the trapline - which is also a great experience.
If you also signed up for the workshop, you need to select the opposite day for the trap line, since they run concurrently with the workshop.
Anyone interested in volunteering before or after the workshop, please fill out a volunteer form on the MGSCC Website.
Field Equipment List
- Sunglasses
- Sunblock
- Hat
- Water
- Snacks
- Lunch
- Windbreaker/layers
- Change of clothes for changing weather
- Rain gear (just in case)
- Small notebook for the field
- Pen/pencil for the field
- Handouts/data sheets provided in the classroom portion
- Camera
- Backpack or field pack
- Walking stick
- Optional: GPS on NAD 83
- Alcohol/QUAT to decontaminate your footwear and equipment between field sites to avoid the spread of rabbit hemorrhagic disease
Join Mohave Ground Squirrel Conservation Council in Making a Difference
The Mohave Ground Squirrel workshop qualifies for 9 Continuing Education Units (CEUs) in Category I of the Certified Wildlife Biologist® Renewal/Professional Development Certificate Program.
Field Portion Rotations
March 23, 2024 - Field Portion
6:00 - 6:30: Field Group 1 Registration
6:30 - 7:00: Assignments and Locations
8:00 - 4:30: Field Group Mega 1 Field Time
Break into 8 groups to do:
- Camera traps
- Camera stations
- Grid layout
- Grid walk
- Botanical/Habitat Walk
- Possibly* ID Table
- Possibly* Drone flights
- Lunch Break (synchronized)
Alternative Option: Walk Big Trap Line 6AM to 6PM
March 23, 2024 - Field Portion
6:00 - 6:30: Field Group 1 Registration
6:30 - 7:00: Assignments and Locations
8:00 - 4:30: Field Group Mega 1 Field Time
Break into 8 groups to do:
- Camera traps
- Camera stations
- Grid layout
- Grid walk
- Botanical/Habitat Walk
- Possibly* ID Table
- Possibly* Drone flights
- Lunch Break (synchronized)
Alternative Option: Walk Big Trap Line 6AM to 6PM
Lead Instructor Profiles
Kathryn Beuscher Simon
Kathy Simon has worked with MGS for over 30 years, was a field trainer at the 1997 workshop, and the coordinator of the 2022 workshop. Her new passion is as the chairperson of the newly-formed nonprofit MGS Conservation Council (MGSCC), formed to assist in funding and providing services for MGS research efforts related to population monitoring and other recovery actions.
Dr. Phil Leitner (recorded)
Dr. Phil Leitner is recognized as the foremost authority on Mohave ground squirrel. Dr. Leitner grew up on a Montana cattle ranch but came out west for school. One of his first memories was his parents purchasing a pet white-tailed antelope squirrel for him on a road trip out west. While that squirrel managed to escape, Phil was instilled with a love for small mammals. He has studied bats since the 1950’s and squirrels since the 1980’s. Dr. Leitner has served as dean of science at his alma mater, St. Mary’s college. His work on MGS has earned Dr. Leitner the Raymond F. Dasmann Award.
Ed LaRue
A founding member of Circle Mountain Biological Consultants, LLC, Ed LaRue is a familiar face and name to southern California ecologists. From 1998-1994, he worked for the BLM on the West Mojave Coordinated Management Plan. Although his background is in entomology, Ed now specializes on Mohave ground squirrel and desert tortoise, serving on both the MGS Technical Advisory Group since 2016 and the Mohave Ground Squirrel CC since 2022. You may also know him as the Master of Ceremonies for the Desert Tortoise Council workshop.
Barbara Leitner
Barbara Leitner is a Renaissance woman in the world of consulting, well-known for her work on Mohave ground squirrel, but also in rare plant science, horticulture (her garden is featured on the Bring Back the Natives Garden Tour), and range management. In addition to being a principal for Leitner Environmental Consulting, Barbara served as President of the East Bay Chapter of the California Native Plant Society. She is the winner of the William Penn Mott Jr. Environmental Award for her volunteer work with nonprofits such as Friends of Orinda Creeks and Native Here Nursery.
Jeremy Blisson
Jeremy is a Fish and Wildlife Biologist with the US Fish and Wildlife Service Mojave Desert Division. He has a BS in Wildlife from Humboldt State University and an MS in Zoology from the University of Hawaii at Manoa where he studied albatross diet. His passion is to catalyze partnerships and landscape level projects which lead to improved wildlife habitat conditions.
Corey Chan
Corey Chan has worked in the biological and environmental science fields for over 15 years. This includes field work doing surveys, monitoring, and research in the Mojave Desert. He started volunteering and working with Mohave Ground Squirrel in 2011, and has a MS in Environmental Science and a BS in General Biology.
Todd Esque, Research Ecologist
Western Ecological Research Center, US Geological Survey
Todd Esque is a Research Ecologist with the US Geological Survey, Western Ecological Research Center working from the middle of the Mojave Desert in Boulder City, Nevada. His research focuses on the resilience of desert plants and animals to persist in the face disturbances such as fire, invasive species, climate change, and development. Todd has been studying Mohave Ground Squirrels (MGS) since about 2007 when he led a multi-disciplinary team on a species distribution modeling study sponsored by the California Energy Commission. Todd worked with another team associated with the last TWS MGS workshop to develop the Conservation Research Action Plan for the Mohave Ground Squirrel. Drawing from that plan, Todd’s team collaborated with the Mohave Ground Squirrel Conservation Council to design a pilot study to monitor distribution and demography of Mohave Ground Squirrels.
Bruce Garlinger
Bruce is a co-owner of EREMICO Biological Services, LLC. and a native to the Mojave Desert. Bruce is a desert biologist with a particular interest in and experience with desert bighorn sheep, Mohave Ground Squirrel, and all desert mammals. Mr. Garlinger has over 45 years of experience as a biological consultant, conducting wildlife and plant surveys in the desert regions of California and Nevada. His work includes wildlife and plant inventories, threatened and endangered species surveys, population monitoring, habitat evaluations, and environmental compliance monitoring. He has extensive experience surveying for desert bighorn sheep. Bruce conducts U.S. Fish and Wildlife protocol-level surveys for the federal and California listed desert tortoise, Least Bell’s Vireo, Inyo California Towhee, and Southwestern Willow Flycatcher and California protocol level surveys for Mohave ground squirrel, Western Yellow-billed Cuckoo, Burrowing Owl, and flat-tailed horned lizards.
Bruce began trapping ground squirrels, skunk, and American badger, plus waterfowl, in North Dakota in 1980. Bruce began trapping Mohave ground squirrel (MGS) in 1988 and became involved in the MGS working group. The working group (1990’s) evolved into the MGS Technical Advisory Group in which Bruce has been involved with for over 2 decades with MGSTAG. Bruce is involved in the new MGS Conservation Council and is involved in some committees, including the Professional Development, Education and Outreach Committee which is organizing this workshop. Bruce has a special interest in using advanced technologies to find and study MGS by using camera traps, cellular camera traps, Remote Acoustic Units (RAU) (songmeters), and Drones conducting programmed transects with a RAU unit hanging below the drone ( and the drone will appear like a Red/Tailed Hawk to elisit an alarm call from MGS). In the past year Bruce has used cellular camera traps to successfully monitor dens/burrows of Desert Kit Fox, American Badger, Burrowing Owl, and Desert Tortoise, along the way recording most local species of birds, mammals and reptiles.
Denise LaBerteaux
Denise LaBerteaux is a co-owner of EREMICO Biological Services, LLC, a small, woman-owned firm that offers services in a variety of environmental fields since 1987. Ms. LaBerteaux specializes in wildlife and plant studies in the desert regions of California and Nevada. Her work includes wildlife and plant inventories, T&E and other special status wildlife and plant surveys, baseline botanical studies, vegetation community mapping, population monitoring, habitat evaluations, impact assessments, mitigation planning, and environmental compliance monitoring. She received a Bachelor of Arts degree in Zoology from the University of California, Santa Barbara and a Master of Science degree in Biology from Northern Arizona University, Flagstaff. Her first experience with Mohave ground squirrels (MGS) came in 1980 when she was a seasonal biologist at the Naval Air Weapons Station, China Lake (NAWSCL), California. She and her co-workers assisted BLM biologists with a trapping study for MGS east of Cuddleback Lake in San Bernardino County. Later, she conducted several presence-absence trapping surveys on NAWSCL for project-related biological resources assessments. From 1992-1994, Ms. LaBerteaux was a member of the MGS Working Group and continues to participate at the MGS Technical Advisory Group meetings. As a consultant, Ms. LaBerteaux has conducted live-trapping surveys since 1987 and camera-trapping surveys since 2015. She currently serves as a Board Member at Large with the Mohave Ground Squirrel Conservation Council.
Dr. Marjorie Matocq
Dr. Marjorie Matocq is a professor of Population & Evolutionary Genetics and the director of the Ecology, Evolution and Conservation Biology graduate program at the University of Nevada, Reno. Her research is focused on a number of ecological and evolutionary questions at the interface of intra- and interspecific processes. Her research program is heavily collections-based and integrates traditional field and morphological data with molecular and genomic methods to elucidate pattern and process at several spatial and temporal scales. The majority of my work continues to focus on members of the Neotoma fuscipes species complex.
Projects in the Matocq lab focus on studying patterns of geographic population genetic structure and the processes underlying such patterns. Because the current geographic distribution of genetic diversity is determined by a complex interplay of ecology, demography, and population history, our studies are performed at various spatial and temporal scales. To study the processes underlying patterns of genetic diversity and subdivision, we combine modern molecular genetic techniques with morphological and field studies.
Dr. Sean Murphy
Sean an is a Biologist at U.S. Geological Survey's Western Ecological Research Center, where he conducts research to inform conservation and management of terrestrial wildlife in the Southwest. His expertise is in developing spatially explicit methods for population-level estimation and monitoring of wildlife demographic, genetic, and spatial parameters; restoration, recovery, and conservation of imperiled terrestrial mammals; and carnivore ecology and management.
Dr. Sharon Poessel
Sharon Poessel is a Wildlife Biologist at USGS. She conducts research on a variety of mammal and bird species, and has been involved with Mohave ground squirrels since 2020. Her research focuses on understanding the movements and habitat use of animals across the landscape and using this knowledge to advance the conservation of wildlife species. She also has experience with captive breeding programs for endangered species. More recently, her research efforts have been directed toward the deserts of southern California, examining ecological questions pertaining to species of conservation concern.
Don Mitchell
Don is Principal Biologist and Vice President for Southwest U.S. Operations for ECORP Consulting, Inc. He received his B.S. in Biology from the University of Redlands in 1985 and his M.S. in Zoology from Northwestern State University of Louisiana in 1987 before beginning his career in environmental consulting. In 1989, he was hired as the biologist for Tetra Tech’s Air Force projects and began managing studies at Edwards AFB in 1991 and soon got to work with Mark Allaback, David Laabs, Kathy (Buescher) Simon (who helped design, budget, and manage the early 1990’s EAFB biology studies), and Ed LaRue on desert tortoise, Mohave ground squirrel, nocturnal small mammal, and other biological studies on EAFB and the throughout the west Mojave. Laabs and Allaback as well as Steve Montgomery were Don’s early mentors in nocturnal and diurnal small mammal trapping and Don was in Ed LaRue’s class for training on CDFG’s Cumulative Human Impact Evaluation Format (CHIEF). He is currently Principal Investigator on ECORP’s MOU with CDFW for studies of MGS and other sensitive small mammals. He served on the Executive Board of the Western Section of The Wildlife Society for nine years. He currently manages large biology contracts for Caltrans and the Department of Defense. He has served as a member of the MGS Technical Advisory Group for nearly twenty years and is the inaugural chair-elect for the MGS Conservation Council.
Eva Newby
Eva is an assistant biologist with LSA Associates Inc out of the Carlsbad office and works across beautiful Southern California. After completing a degree in Animal Science from UC Davis and working with the San Diego Zoo Wildlife Alliance on several areas of research, from pacific pocket mice, to burrowing owls, to rhinos, Eva knew that she wanted to work at the interface between biology and technology. This brought her to LSA in 2021, where she obtained her remote pilot's license and began aerial mapping. Eva is eager to share her knowledge of how drones can help with MGS habitat analysis to further advance scientific decision making. With drones advancing at a rapid rate, Eva looks forward to continually analyzing advancing technology’s applications for MGS conservation and the field of biology as a whole.
Scott Shibata
Scott Shibata has over a decade of experience managing and developing predictive models, decisions support systems, and biosensors. He holds a MS in Environmental Science and a BS in Management Science.
The Mohave Ground Squirrel Conservation Council
Supporting Mohave Ground Squirrel Conservation Council Means Supporting Your Community
The Mohave Ground Squirrel Conservation Council (MGSCC) is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization functioning to assure the survival of Mohave ground squirrels (MGS; Xerospermophilus mohavensis) in collaboration with government, academic, and conservation organizations, and to disseminate information to inform environmental policy and encourage public appreciation for the species.