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Rachel Blakey in Smithsonian Magazine: L.A.’s cougars were driven to extremes by wildfire
With less suitable habitat, the big cats traveled further and crossed dangerous roads more often
La Kretz Center for California Conservation Science
NEWSROOM
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Rachel Blakey in UCLA Newsroom: Wildfires drive L.A.’s mountain lions to take deadly risks
When the Woolsey Fire roared through the Santa Monica Mountains in the fall of 2018, it torched half of the available habitat for the area’s mountain lions — a population…
Wildfires drive L.A.’s mountain lions to take deadly risks
UCLA and National Park Service researchers studied the cougars’ movements before and after the Woolsey Fire
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Brad Shaffer in The Scientist: Severe Drought, Heat Upended Research This Summer
Recent heatwaves and drought have taken a serious toll on fieldwork, scientists say. Brad Shaffer, an ecologist and evolutionary biologist at UCLA, had an extraordinarily difficult time researching the feeding…
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Brad Shaffer in The New York Times: novel genomic approaches to biodiversity conservation
The California Conservation Genomics Project, led by UCLA La Kretz Center director Brad Shaffer, is highlighted as a unique, coordinated effort to help avert climate-related extinctions across the state. The article also discusses Shaffer's concept of Urban Arks, where non-native endangered species may find sanctuary in cities and urban environments.