Ten UCLA student conservation projects funded through the La Kretz Center/Stunt Ranch Reserve Small Grant Program

The UCLA La Kretz Center for California Conservation Science and the UC Natural Reserve System Stunt Ranch Santa Monica Mountains Reserve are pleased to announce this year’s grant recipients for our competitive research awards. Our ten awardees, working on projects ranging from urban wildlife biodiversity to post-fire impacts on coastal lagoons, each contribute to our goal of supporting and promoting the best possible student research that helps change how we conserve California.

To learn more, check out this year’s grant recipients:

Ioana Anghel
Investigating divergence with gene flow in the plant genus Linanthus

Eleanor Diamont
Only one way to succeed in a city? Urban Dark-eyed Junco adaptation across multiple novel environments

Sarah Helman
Intestinal pathogen surveillance in Los Angeles region mammals

Gaurav S. Kandlikar
Quantifying the effects of soil microbes on California annual plant community dynamics

Meixi Lin and Ana Garcia Vedrenne
DNA meta-barcoding to inform management for parasite infecting endemic San Miguel Island foxes

Brenton Spies
Community and ecosystem responses to physical processes – assessment of closure dynamics in California coastal wetlands

Erin Toffelmier
Identifying Drivers of Recent Recruitment Failures in California Tiger Salamanders in Santa Barbara County

Amanda Tokoyama
Assessment of Helminth Biodiversity in Los Angeles County Coyotes through Fecal Meta-barcoding

Rachel Turba de Paula
Post-fire impact on biological community of coastal lagoons in southern California