DESERT

MANAGERS GROUP

Research Inventory Project

Debra Hughson, ad hoc chair

April 11, 2002

16 responses: Nancy Wicker (NPS), Tim Read (BLM), Carl Bear (FWS), Diane
Noda (FWS), Molly Brady (BLM), Manuel Joia (DOD), Phil Medica (FWS),
Ernest Quintana (NPS), Robert Fisher (USGS), Rich Inman (Redlands
Inst.), Steven Evanko (DOD), Hector Villalobos (BLM), Mickey Quillman
(DOD), Pete Lounsbury (RCD), John Key (BLM), Terry Fisk (NPS),

1.  A vast amount of data resides in the so-called "gray literature".
    Some of that may reside in your office. Do you think it would be
    worthwhile to create a database of unpublished reports and, if so,
    would you be willing to contribute a list of the reports that you
    possess?

14 votes yes

1 vote no (from Tim Read)

1 blank (from Nancy Wicker)

Consider having material scanned and put on CDs.

Care should be taken in how information is used.

Needles has some data and many EIS/EIRs, Riverside office has piles in a
warehouse from CDCA, also BLM has some online

BLM can't sort and compile a bibliography.

BLM has Haz Mat and solid waste site case files.

Univ of Redlands is conducting a gray literature search for the tortoise
project.

Organizations should first ID info as pertaining to Mojave

2.  Most institutions track ongoing research projects and usually a
    small number of people maintain this information. Please provide a
    name, phone number, and email address of the individual from your
    office who can be periodically contacted by a central data manager
    to update a master list of ongoing research projects.

> Individual's
> Name\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_

Phone
Number\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_

Email
Address\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_

Addie Ross 805-644-1766 <addie_ross@fws.gov>

George Meckfessel 760-326-7008 <gmeckfes@ca.blm.gov>

Manuel Joia 760-577-6574 <joiam@barstow.usmc.mil>

Phil Medica 702-515-5245 <phil_medica@fws.gov>

Hank McCutchen 760-367-5560

Kathie Meyer 858-637-6900 <kathie_meyer@usgs.gov>

Rich Inman 909-335-5357 <rich_inman@redlands.edu>

Mickey Quillman 760-380-3740 <mickey.quillman@irwin.army.mil>

Rich Arsua NRCS 760-843-6882

John Key 909-697-5383 <john_key@ca.blm.gov>

Richard Anderson 760-786-3251

Gail O'Neill 760-252-6000

3.  What are the most pressing management questions/issues that should
    be the focus of further scientific research? (Please be as specific
    as possible.)

Diane Noda: -Status reviews of candidate/sensitive species and what can
be done to preclude the need to list them as threatened or endangered.
--Desert Tortoise population status, disease, -Water use and effects on
desert springs.

Molly Brady: -Role of drought in decline of desert tortoise, -Modeling
of groundwater basins in desert, -Impacts of off-highway vehicle use on
ecosystem health, call Bill Wiley 760-326-7002 and Gary Sharpe
760-326-7020

Manuel Joia: -Invasive species control, -Water resources and population

Phil Medica: -Impacts or recovery of Mojave National Preserve after
grazing has been removed, -Impacts of roads in MNP on tortoise as well
as other areas being fenced, -OHV impacts on tortoise and other species,
-Predator impacts on desert tortoise (feral dogs and ravens).

Ernest Quintana: -Desert tortoise, -Bighorn sheep, -Air quality, -N
deposition, -Rate of fire in Mojave Desert Ecosystem, -Exotic/invasive
plants, -Water quality.

Robert Fisher: -Development of standardized monitoring protocols tied to
management needs/objectives.

Rich Inman: -Flagship species and their relation to desert habitat.

Steven Evanko: -Projected population growth and urban sprawl in the
desert, -land use trends in the Mojave Desert.

Hector Villalobos: -Need research done on the impacts to the desert
tortoise and management actions or strategies which are working or not
working to conserve the DT.

Mickey Quillman: -Research being conducted on the tortoise, -Plant
surveys of rare and exotic plants, -fringe toed lizard studies.

Pete Lounsbury: -Soil surveys are needed for all private and public
lands in the desert and associated vegetative surveys, -Raven
management/reduction.

John Key: -Need physical library setup to maintain hard copies of data
and case files.

Terry Fisk: -Long-term climate change, -Death Valley regional
groundwater flow system, -Control/eradication of exotic species,
-Identification of endemic species new to science, -Keeping T&E species
from extinction.

Tim Read: -Water sources/impacts of exotic plant removal, -Residual
chemicals from herbicides, -Plant and animal community changes, -Any
changes in soil profiles, -Desert tortoise disease.

Carl Bear: -Affects of fragmentation of habitat on long term
persistence/recovery of desert tortoise and ecological function of
Mojave desert, -Changes in Mojave desert as result of climate change and
continuing water extraction, -How do we ensure that we can achieve
recovery/conservation of the desert as we are constantly moving forward
with more immediate management needs and programs.

SUMMARY

  ----------------------------------- -----------------------------------
  Desert Tortoise related             7

  T & E species                       4

  Water/groundwater/use/quality       7

  OHV related                         2

  Exotic/Invasive plants              5

  Human population growth             2

  Rare/endemic species                2

  Air quality                         1

  Fire                                1

  Standard monitoring protocols       1

  Soil surveys                        2

  Climate change/effects              2

  Bighorn sheep                       1

  Raven control                       2

  Land use trends                     1

  Habitat fragmentation               1

  Plant and animal trends             1

                                      
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