Friday, August 10, 2007: 8:00 AM-11:30 AM
Blrm Salon II, San Jose Marriott
OOS 47 - The California Channel Islands: Conservation and restoration in dynamic ecosystems
Island ecosystems are uniquely susceptible to threats from exotic invasions. Because islands often support rare and endemic species, examples exist throughout the world of species extinctions and habitat destruction on islands resulting from the introduction of non-native species. Recent observations have also demonstrated that single-species perturbations within these relatively simple systems can generate multi-trophic impacts. Yet all systems are dynamic, even in the absence of biological invasions. Setting obtainable restoration goals, then, first requires an understanding of the ecologic state to which management actions should strive to move the system. This is a challenging task, and island ecosystems provide unique opportunities to measure the success of various conservation strategies. For example the isolation of oceanic islands that all but eliminates the possibility of native species recolonization after extirpation also facilitates successful exotic invasion prevention programs. The ecosystems of the California Channel Islands have been altered by anthropogenic uses for thousands of years. In the last two centuries these impacts have resulted in the loss of many native species, as well as changes in species composition and ecosystem function. For example, apparent competition driven by feral pigs, an exotic species, resulted in golden eagles, an exotic predator, almost driving native island fox to extinction because fox had previously been the top predator and were naïve to predation risks. Consequently recent management efforts have focused both on removing exotic plant and animal species as well as reintroducing extirpated species such as bald eagles. While these are positive actions for species protection, the future trajectories of these systems either as a result of these actions or in spite of them are not entirely predictable, and adaptive management based on continued monitoring and research will be needed for long-term protection. This session will include diverse presentations on several eradication and recovery efforts and associated research on the California Channel Islands that will directly address the meeting theme of setting goals and assessing success of ecological restoration efforts. Specifically the talks will address: 1) What are the ecological impacts to island systems of invasive species, and how can we assess risks from both an ecological and a conservation perspective? 2) How do we set conservation goals and establish research and management priorities in dynamic systems? 3) How can large-scale conservation projects on islands, whether successful or not, provide information that can be used in non-insular systems?
Organizer:	Cathy Schwemm, University of California, Santa Barbara
Moderator:	Cathy Schwemm, University of California, Santa Barbara
8:00 AM	OOS 47-1		Ecological implications of introduced mule deer to island endemic shrubs on Santa Catalina Island, California Thad A. Manuwal, University of North Dakota, Rick A. Sweitzer, University of North Dakota
8:20 AM	OOS 47-2		Patterns of rarity among the listed plants of Santa Cruz Island: Using the raw materials for recovery Kathryn McEachern, USGS-BRD-WERC, Katherine A. Chess, Northern Arizona University and USGS-BRD-WERC, Ken G. Neissen, USGS-BRD-WERC
8:40 AM	OOS 47-3		An ecosystem-level approach to oak research, protection, and restoration on Catalina Island, California Denise A. Knapp, Catalina Island Conservancy, Peter T. Schuyler, formerly with Catalina Island Conservancy
9:00 AM	OOS 47-4		Impacts, effects, and food webs: Integrating science and conservation perspectives into non-native species management on the Channel Islands Rob Klinger, USGS-BRD
9:20 AM	OOS 47-5		Impacts of invasive mammals on California Channel Island ecosystems Bernie Tershy, University of California, Santa Cruz
9:40 AM			Break
9:50 AM	OOS 47-6		Eradication of feral pigs from the Northern Channel Islands, California Kate Roney Faulkner, National Park Service, Lotus A. Vermeer, The Nature Conservancy, Norm Macdonald, Prohunt Incorporated, Kelvin Walker, Prohunt Incorporated, Scott A. Morrison, The Nature Conservancy
10:10 AM	OOS 47-7		Science-based invasive plant management on the California Channel Islands John Knapp, Catalina Island Conservancy
10:30 AM	OOS 47-8		The relationship between science and management in recovery of the endangered island fox (Urocyon littoralis) Timothy J. Coonan, National Park Service
10:50 AM	OOS 47-9		Multi-species community response to extirpation of a top carnivore on San Miguel Island, Channel Islands, California Charles Drost, USGS, Cathy Schwemm, University of California, Santa Barbara, Timothy J. Coonan, National Park Service
11:10 AM	OOS 47-10		The behavioral ecology of restoration: Island fox restoration and the anti-predator behavior of island mice John Orrock, University of California, Santa Barbara, O. James Reichman, National Center for Ecological Analysis and Synthesis, Cathy Schwemm, University of California, Santa Barbara

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