Services

We provide a unique combination of regional experts, resources, and services available by contract to public and private entities. Our scientists maintain state and federal permits to work with a wide variety of sensitive plant and animal species, and have demonstrated experience in rare species surveys and monitoring, biodiversity assessments, multi-taxa inventories, and ecological studies. Explore our services in more detail.

Invertebrates

  • Quino checkerspot butterfly (Euphydryas editha quino)
  • Hermes copper butterfly (Lycaena hermes)
  • Wandering skipper (Panoquina errans)
  • San Diego fairy shrimp (Branchinecta sandiegonensis)
  • Riverside fairy shrimp (Streptocephaluswoottoni)
  • Conservancy fairy shrimp (Branchinecta conservatio)
  • Longhorn fairy shrimp (Branchinecta longiantenna)
  • Vernal pool fairy shrimp (Branchinecta lynchi)
  • Vernal pool tadpole shrimp (Lepidurus packardi)

Amphibians

  • Arroyo toad (Anaxyrus californicus)
  • California red-legged frog (Rana draytonii)
  • Coast range newt (Taricha torosa)
  • Western spadefoot (Spea hammondii)

Reptiles

  • Orange-throated whiptail (Aspidoscelis hyperythra)
  • Coast horned lizard (Phrynosoma blainvillii)
  • Flat-tailed horned lizard (Phrynosoma mcallii)
  • Coachella Valley fringe-toed lizard (Uma inornata)
  • Mojave fringe-toed lizard (Uma scoparia)
  • Colorado Desert fringe-toed lizard (Uma notata)
  • Desert tortoise (Gopherus agassizii)
  • Western pond turtle (Emys marmorata)

Birds

  • Western Snowy Plover (Charadrius alexandrinus nivosus)
  • California Least Tern (Sternula antillarum browni)
  • Western Yellow-billed Cuckoo (Coccyzus americanus occidentalis)
  • Burrowing Owl (Athene cunicularia)
  • Southwestern Willow Flycatcher (Empidonax traillii extimus)
  • Least Bell’s Vireo (Vireo bellii pusillus)
  • Gray Vireo (Vireo vicinior)
  • Coastal Cactus Wren (Campylorhynchus brunneicapillus sandiegensis)
  • Coastal California Gnatcatcher (Polioptila californica californica)
  • Bendire’s Thrasher (Toxostoma bendirei)
  • Crissal Thrasher (Toxostoma crissale)
  • Le Conte’s Thrasher (Toxostoma lecontei)
  • Grasshopper Sparrow (Ammodramus savannarum)
  • Yellow-breasted Chat (Icteria virens)
  • Yellow Warbler (Setophaga petechia)
  • Summer Tanager (Piranga rubra)
  • other Species of Special Concern

Volant Mammals

  • Townsend’s big-eared bat (Corynorhinus townsendii)
  • Pallid bat (Antrozous pallidus)
  • San Bernardino (Humboldt’s) flying squirrel (Glaucomys oregonensis [=G. sabrinus californicus])

Non-volant Terrestrial Mammals

  • Pacific pocket mouse (Perognathus longimembris pacificus)
  • Los Angeles pocket mouse (Perognathus longimembris brevinasus)
  • Palm Springs pocket mouse (Perognathus longimembris bangsi)
  • Pallid San Diego pocket mouse (Chaetodipus fallax pallidus)
  • Northwestern San Diego pocket mouse (Chaetodipus fallax fallax)
  • Dulzura pocket mouse (Chaetodipus californicus femoralis)
  • Jacumba pocket mouse (Perognathus longimembris internationalis)
  • Southern grasshopper mouse (Onychomys torridus ramona)
  • Stephens’ kangaroo rat (Dipodomys stephensi)
  • San Bernardino kangaroo rat (Dipodomys merriami parvus)
  • San Quintin kangaroo rat (Dipodomys gravipes)
  • San Diego desert woodrat (Neotoma lepida intermedia)
  • Lodgepole chipmunk (Neotamias speciosus speciosus)
  • American badger (Taxidea taxus)
  • Vegetation mapping
  • Rapid Assessment and Relevé Protocol vegetation sampling
  • Habitat assessments
  • Rare plant surveys and monitoring
  • Invasive plant surveys
  • Peer review
  • Plant collection and herbarium services
  • Botanical inventory / complete floristic compilation
  • Focused/protocol surveys for sensitive species
  • Invertebrate inventories (malaise, pitfall, pan, UV light, and baited trapping)
  • Pollinator studies
  • Prey abundance and availability studies
  • Peer review
  • Access to study collection to prepare for U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service’s Quino checkerspot butterfly permitting test
  • Collection and curatorial services; see Entomology Department 
  • Focused/protocol surveys for sensitive species
  • Pitfall trapping
  • Population status / abundance studies (e.g., mark-recapture surveys)
  • Arroyo toad (Anaxyrus californicus) monitoring and handling (e.g., clearance surveys)
  • Flat-tailed horned lizard (Phrynosoma mcallii) monitoring and handling
  • PIT tagging / radio telemetry studies
  • Bullfrog (Lithobates catesbeianus) eradication
  • Peer review
  • Collection and curatorial services; see Herpetology Department
  • Focused/protocol surveys for sensitive species
  • Nest surveys and monitoring (including use of nest cameras)
  • Population studies
  • Point counts and transect surveys (including distance sampling surveys)
  • Banding
  • Mist-netting
  • Brown-headed Cowbird (Molothrus ater; targeted mist-netting, trapping, egg removal)
  • Habitat assessments and relationship studies
  • Habitat use studies
  • Acoustic monitoring and species identification
  • Tracking studies
  • Genetic sampling
  • Stable isotope sampling
  • Taxonomy, identification to subspecies
  • Peer review
  • Collection, curation, and education-related services; see Department of Birds and Mammals
  • Bat Studies
    • Focused surveys for sensitive species
    • Species inventories
    • Bridge exclusions
    • White-nose Syndrome screening
    • Mist-netting and handling
    • Acoustic monitoring and species identification
    • Genetic sampling
  • Terrestrial Mammal Studies
    • Focused surveys for sensitive species
    • Species inventories
    • Small mammal trapping and handling
    • Surveys using camera traps
    • Identification of scat and tracks
    • Diet studies
    • Wildlife corridor studies
    • Genetic sampling
    • Mesocarnivore and carnivore studies
      • ringtail (Bassariscus astutus)
      • American badger (Taxidea taxus)
      • spotted skunk (Spilogale gracilis)
      • gray fox (Urocyon cinereoargenteus)
      • coyote (Canis latrans)
    • GPS collaring and tracking studies
  • Peer review
  • Collection, curation, and education-related services; see Department of Birds and Mammals
  • Habitat assessments and modeling (using GIS, Maxent)
  • Habitat use studies
  • Habitat and wildlife management plan monitoring
  • Multi-taxa, multi-scale community studies
  • Prey abundance and availability studies
  • Pollinator studies
  • Impact assessments and studies
    • Wildfire
    • Climate change
    • Invasive species
    • Urbanization
  • GPS tracking studies
  • Corridor studies
  • Restoration studies
  • Land use/management studies and recommendations
  • Biodiversity studies
  • Vegetation mapping
  • Plant inventories
  • Invertebrate inventories (malaise, pitfall, pan, UV light, and baited trapping)
  • Herpetofauna inventories (pitfall trapping)
  • Bird inventories
  • Bat inventories (acoustic, mist-net, and roost surveys)
  • Terrestrial mammal inventories (live trapping, camera trapping)
  • Habitat assessments
  • Constraints analyses
  • General biological resource surveys
  • CEQA-compliant biological technical report preparation
  • Biological Assessment preparation for ESA and NEPA compliance
  • Pre-activity Survey Reports
  • Project impact analyses and mitigation recommendations
  • Peer review
  • Passerines, shorebirds, owls, and raptors (MBTA & CFGC compliance)
  • Special Status Species, including but not limited to:
    • Coastal California Gnatcatcher (Polioptila californica californica)
    • Least Bell’s Vireo (Vireo bellii pusillus)
    • Southwestern Willow Flycatcher (Empidonax traillii extimus)
    • Western Yellow-billed Cuckoo (Coccyzus americanus occidentalis)
    • Western Snowy Plover (Charadrius alexandrinus nivosus)
    • California Least Tern (Sternula antillarum browni)
  • Brown-headed Cowbird (Molothrus ater; targeted mist-netting, trapping, egg removal)
  • Mitigation plan preparation and review
  • Document and data review
  • Worker Environmental Awareness Program preparation
  • Environmental compliance monitoring
  • Habitat restoration monitoring
  • Arroyo toad (Anaxyrus californicus) monitoring and handling
  • Flat-tailed horned lizard (Phrynosoma mcallii) monitoring and handling
  • Avian and bat mortality monitoring at renewable energy facilities
  • Invasive wildlife species monitoring and control
    • Brown-headed Cowbird (Molothrus ater; targeted mist-netting, trapping, egg removal)
    • American bullfrog (Lithobates catesbeianus) eradication
  • Population monitoring
  • Habitat assessments and modeling (GIS, Maxent)

Multivariate statistical analyses, utilizing software including:

  • R
  • SAS
  • PC-ORD
  • CANOCO
  • MARK
  • DISTANCE

If you would like to dig a little deeper into the flora and fauna of our region, our specialists can customize workshops to suit your needs. Taking full advantage of our in-house species experts and reference collections, we have provided workshops on topics such as:

  • Flat-tailed Horned Lizard Survey Techniques and Identification
  • Bombus Workshop (bumble bee identification and survey techniques)
  • If you need to prepare for the Quino checkerspot butterfly permit exam administered by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, you can visit our study collection.

Our staff are proficient in the use of current technology and software for data collection, management, and analysis to maintain accuracy, consistency, and efficiency. These include:

  • Collector
  • Survey123
  • ArcGIS Desktop
  • ArcGIS Online
  • Access
  • Specify