Category: Shared

These Crazy Cute Turtles Want their Lake Back

- Wendy St. John 2 Comments

Hey, these are MY turtles! (Well, not just mine, but these are Geist Lab turtles. So I guess I could call them OUR turtles).

“Boxed in by a freeway, a golf course and a neighborhood, it’s a miracle that San Francisco’s Mountain Lake even exists. But not only is the tiny lake—located on the south end of the city’s Presidio park—still there, it now provides one of the few places in San Francisco where visitors can watch California’s only native aquatic turtle bask in the sun.”

Read the rest of the article here: http://ww2.kqed.org/science/2016/01/26/these-crazy-cute-baby-turtles-want-their-lake-back/

2015 Science Symposium

- Wendy St. John Leave a comment

(As published in the Fall, 2015, Science and Technology’s Newsletter”)

“This past May, the School of Science & Technology in partnership with the WATERS Collaborative hosted its third annual Science Symposium. As in past years, the event was kicked off with the 2014-15 Science 120 cohort presenting talks on the research project they conducted over the past year. This year many of the students also presented posters. We had a record number of 81 posters presented from departments across campus highlighting the work of 193 students.”

I was especially pleased to see this photo in the newsletter, as I worked with this cohort of Science 120 students, as a consultant to help them with field techniques related to their individual research projects. What a great group of students!

science symposium 2015.jpg

At Mountain Lake, One Last Chance to See the Turtles Off

- Wendy St. John 2 Comments

 

Another Bay Nature article featuring turtles from our lab. I’m quoted in this one! 

A Western pond turtle, ready for release into Mountain Lake. (Photo by Charity Vargas Photography, courtesy Presidio Trust)
A Western pond turtle, ready for release into Mountain Lake. (Photo by Charity Vargas Photography, courtesy Presidio Trust)

by on October 14, 2015

 

“This turtle release is symbolic of so much transformation,” said Michael Boland, chief of planning, projects, and programs at the Presidio Trust. Mountain Lake, he said, is not just about Mountain Lake, it’s about how the environment is managed: “Nature survives in cities because of people.”

Which, said Sonoma State lecturer Wendy St. John, is one reason the project has succeeded. People around the lake have rallied to its restoration. “This is their neighborhood, not just a touristy area,” St. John said. “It’s been a community effort.”

Read the rest of the article here: https://baynature.org/article/at-mountain-lake-one-last-chance-to-see-the-turtles-off/

Super Science Saturday – Mountain Lake

- Wendy St. John 2 Comments

I was at this event, representing SSU. (As a matter of fact, that’s my son at the far left of the first photo, at the booth he and I were manning). Super cool!

“Last Saturday, over 200 people gathered at Mountain Lake for Super Science Saturday, a celebration of the reestablishment of native wildlife populations at the lake. The day was filled with fun activities like face painting, information booths, and turtle-related crafts. Highlights of the day included the second and final release of Western pond turtles into the lake and a talk by San Francisco Zoo‘s Jessie Bushell on the partnership between the Presidio Trust, Sonoma State University, and the SF Zoo that made the turtles’ return possible. Event attendees watch from the lake’s edge as Trust staff released 26 turtles. This group joins 28 other Western pond turtles released by the Trust in July. This threatened species is the only freshwater turtle native to California. Their release into Mountain Lake is a big boost to conservation efforts for these unique and beloved animals, and another big step in the ongoing restoration of the lake.”

Native Turtles Return to Mountain Lake

- Wendy St. John 1 Comment

Originally posted on the San Francisco Bay Area National Parks Science and Learning Blog

Although no one knows exactly when western pond turtles vanished from Mountain Lake in the Presidio of San Francisco, they are known to have been abundant historically. Now, as part of the ongoing restoration of Mountain Lake, this long-extirpated species is back. On July 18th, 28 western pond turtles reared by the San Francisco Zoo were released into the lake before an audience of more than 70 people. The release follows similar releases of other native species including Pacific chorus frogs and three-spined sticklebacks earlier in the year.

The western pond turtle release is also part of a research effort to determine which of two different release methods is better for the turtles in terms of their stress hormone levels. Half of turtles were brought to Mountain Lake and kept in a protected enclosure for three weeks to acclimate ahead of their release, while the rest were released without an acclimation period. All had their stress hormone levels measured upon their release and are equipped with radio transmitters so they can be relocated and have their hormone levels re-measured in the coming weeks and years. The preliminary results will inform another round of western pond turtle releases at Mountain Lake on September 12th and contribute to knowledge about native species reestablishment efforts in general. Future reestablishment projects at Mountain Lake may include the Pacific newt and the California red-legged frog.

Check out the SF Gate article or the Bay Nature article for additional coverage of the recent western pond turtle release.

Western Pond Turtle Archive

- Wendy St. John 1 Comment

This is a collection of articles written about western pond turtles. The first section features articles about the headstarting project run by our lab in collaboration with both the Oakland and San Francisco zoos. The second section contains articles of a more general nature.

Headstarting Western Pond Turtles

1024x1024Bay Area Zoo and Sonoma State University to Release Westen Pond Turtles (National Geographic, August 17, 2012)

Oakland Zoo to Release Turtles to Wild (SFGate, August 9, 2012)

Miscellaneous Turtle Links

Western Pond Turtles Being Reintroduced to Southern Marin Park Sites (SFNPS, November 30, 2016).

Western Pond Turtle Reintroduction Begins (SFNPS, July 29, 2016)

SAFE Western Pond Turtle (I am in this video, briefly) (March 16, 2016)

Mountain Lake Reintroduction Archive

- Wendy St. John 1 Comment

This is a collection of posts about the reintroduction of western pond turtles into the Presidio. My lab hatched these turtles, and another grad student in my lab is doing research at the lake. My involvement with this project was limited to egg collection and hatching the turtles who would later be released. I am, however, quoted in one of the articles.

goga-mountain_lake_presidio_trust_600The Western Pond Turtles in remediated Mountain Lake are doing well (Richmond District Blog, June 02, 2016)

Threatened Species Of Turtle Now Thriving Again In San Francisco’s Mountain Lake  (CBS SF Bay Area, May 31, 2016)

Native turtles growing steadily at SF’s Mountain Lake (San Francisco Examiner, May 31, 2016)

Why is there an antenna attached to this western pond turtle? (Mother Nature Network, January 27, 2016)

These Crazy Cute Turtles Want Their Lake Back (KQED, January 27, 2016)

At Mountain Lake, One Last Chance to See the Turtles Off (Bay Nature, October 14, 2015)

SSU Teams Up With Bay Area Zoos to Help Save Threatened Turtles (Sonoma State University, October 6, 2015)

Super Science Saturday – Mountain Lake (Presidio of San Francisco Facebook, September 16, 2015)

Presidio Trust Partners with SF Zoo and Sonoma State to Return Native Turtles to Mountain Lake (Presidio Trust press release, September 12, 2015)

Native Turtles Return to Mountain Lake (SFNPS, August 31, 2015)

After Decades Away, Western Pond Turtles Come Home to Mountain Lake (Bay Nature, July 28, 2015)

Turtles returned to their historic home at Mountain Lake (SFGate, July 20, 2015)

Scientists to perform first-of-its-kind study on turtles released into SF lake (San Francisco Examiner, July 16, 2015

Mountain Lake At Presidio Growing In Diversity With Recovery Of Stickleback Fish And Other Species (National Parks Traveler, April 13, 2015

Presidio Trust Releases First Native Species Into Mountain Lake (Presidio Trust press release, April 03, 2015)

Bottom Up at Mountain Lake (Bay Nature, January 30, 2015)

Ready, Set, Reintroduce! (SFNPS, January 29, 2015)

San Francisco’s Presidio Trust Killing Fish to Save a Lake (AllGov California, October 27, 2014)

California Lake Poisoned to Get Rid of Invasive Fish (Seeker, October 20, 2014)

Presidio Trust unveils plan to rid Mountain Lake of invasive fish (SFGate, October 18, 2014)

Lake Effects (National Geographic, April 7, 2014)

All of These Monster Invasive Fish Came Out of One Small San Francisco Lake (Bay Nature, March 20, 2014)

Bringing life back to Mountain Lake (Bay Nature, February 27, 2017)

Ready, Set, Reintroduce!

- Wendy St. John 1 Comment

Originally posted on the San Francisco Bay Area National Parks Science and Learning Blog

The Presidio’s Mountain Lake restoration is moving forward this year with several native species reintroductions. The Sierran chorus frog (Pseudacris sierra), is slated to be the first species reintroduced. This species was extirpated from the Presidio sometime in the 20th century and, although common throughout its range, has become very rare in the city of San Francisco. The first phase of the reintroduction will take place in February, when chorus frog egg masses will be placed in protective enclosures to keep them safe from predators as they acclimate to Mountain Lake. The tadpoles that hatch in those enclosures will then be released into Mountain Lake in March. Later in the year, threespine stickleback and the Western Pond turtles will also be reintroduced to the lake.

Reintroduction projects offer a wide range of opportunities for scientific exploration and citizen science engagement, so the Presidio Trust has been partnering with several organizations and institutions to broaden impact and expand knowledge in the fields of reintroduction biology and urban ecology. For instance, partners at Stanford University just published research on the potential to achieve improved water quality from the reintroduction of freshwater mussels, and the California Academy of Sciences produced an excellent video on the Mountain Lake restoration, including upcoming species reintroductions. Keep an eye on the Presidio Trust website and social media for more reintroduction-related news and events throughout 2015. It’s an exciting time in the history of Mountain Lake!