Overview of research at the Sequoia and Kings Canyon Field Station. Just west of the southern Sierra is the San Joaquin Valley, the southern half of the great Central Valley and one of the most productive agricultural areas in the world.
Crop productivity is enhanced by the use of a variety of chemicals including several pesticides.
Since the early 80's, projects studying the effects of airborne pollutants on Sierran ecosystems have been conducted in SEKI by various federal and state, university, and private scientists. With our proximity to the San Joaquin Valley, it is easy to suspect that pesticides could be atmospherically transported to Sierran ecosystems. No one on the Sequoia staff is a PI on EDC research in the southern Sierra but our staff has played a large role in the facilitation of most of the work done in this area. We have worked closely with the respective PI's and have learned a great deal about the subject as related to the Sierra Nevada. Prior to the early 1980's, the only other pesticide studies included some work on DDT and its effects on peregrine falcons.