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Click on the articles below to read about the latest WERC scientific discoveries.

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"Nerds for Nature" Test out Tech Toys at SFBE Field Station in Vallejo

"Nerds for Nature" Test out Tech Toys at SFBE Field Station in Vallejo

The USGS Western Ecological Research Center hosted passionate biogeeks and hackers on Dec. 8th for a "NatureNerdFest" and "Bio-Blitz". Members of the...

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Celebrating North Coast Geomorphologist Mary Ann Madej

Celebrating North Coast Geomorphologist Mary Ann Madej

Research Geologist Mary Ann Madej retired from the USGS Western Ecological Research Center in 2013, concluding a federal service career spanning 35...

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Large Old Trees Grow Fastest, Storing More Carbon

Large Old Trees Grow Fastest, Storing More Carbon

Trees do not slow in their growth rate as they get older and larger — instead, their growth keeps accelerating, according to a study published today...

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California’s Sea Otter Numbers Continue Slow Climb

California’s Sea Otter Numbers Continue Slow Climb

California sea otter numbers are up, according to the latest population survey led by Federal, State and university scientists. The reasons: more pups...

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On California's Beaches, Mallard Ducks Have Learned to Surf for Food

On California's Beaches, Mallard Ducks Have Learned to Surf for Food

Mallards have picked up a new feeding habit along the beaches of Santa Barbara.

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Fire Impacts in U.S. West: Droughts Lead to More Tree Deaths from Fire

Fire Impacts in U.S. West: Droughts Lead to More Tree Deaths from Fire

Warming temperatures are likely causing many indirect effects and complex interactions. These nuanced and layered effects can be difficult for...

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Bird and Fish Numbers Up: South Bay Salt Pond Restoration Offers Updates

Bird and Fish Numbers Up: South Bay Salt Pond Restoration Offers Updates

Swaths of salt ponds once spanned the horizon beyond the levees of Alviso. But as part of a major project restoring wetland habitat to Silicon Valley...

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Paved Roadways Can Disrupt Movement of Small Wildlife

Paved Roadways Can Disrupt Movement of Small Wildlife

When does the pocket mouse cross the road? If the road is paved, it may not. As evidenced by many a roadkill carcass, high traffic roads pose an...

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On California's Beaches, Mallard Ducks Have Learned to Surf for Food

On California's Beaches, Mallard Ducks Have Learned to Surf for Food

Mallards (Anas platyrhynchos) — that familiar duck species ubiquitous to park ponds with males parading their emerald-green heads — have picked up a...

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Endangered Froglets with Radio Belts Released Into California Mountains

Endangered Froglets with Radio Belts Released Into California Mountains

On Wednesday and Thursday this week, USGS Western Ecological Research Center scientists joined research partners in releasing 100 juveniles of the...

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Renowned Point Reyes Natural Historian Gary Fellers Retires from USGS

Renowned Point Reyes Natural Historian Gary Fellers Retires from USGS

One of the founding biologists of the USGS National Amphibian Research and Monitoring Initiative (ARMI) and a renowned expert on California amphibians...

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More Silent Springs: New Study Confirms Amphibian Decline Trends in U.S.

More Silent Springs: New Study Confirms Amphibian Decline Trends in U.S.

Frogs, toads, salamanders and other amphibians are less commonly found today in the United States than they were nine years ago, according to a new...

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