The Urban Wildlands Group

The Urban Wildlands Group is dedicated to the conservation of species, habitats, and ecological processes in urban and urbanizing areas.

Home - People - Links - Contact

Latest News

March 2008 -- The Urban Wildlands Group's work is featured in an article in Chicago Wilderness Magazine about a groundbreaking new ordinance to protect the nighttime environment from excess light in Homer Glen, Illinois.

March 18, 2008 -- Palos Verdes blue butterflies are flying and the Los Angeles Times covers a release of adults into the wild by biologist Jana Johnson and the outstanding student workers at Moorpark College.

March 17, 2008 -- Ben Harder of U.S. News and World Report published an article on light pollution that cites our book Ecological Consequences of Artificial Night Lighting.

January 24, 2008 -- Science Director Travis Longcore presented ideas about the need for nature in cities as part of the Humane Metropolis conference in Riverside, California. Reported in The Press-Enterprise.

December 12, 2007 -- Our captive Lange's metalmark butterfly larvae have begun to hatch from their eggs.

December 10, 2007 -- Science Director Travis Longcore spoke at the inaugural greenXchange Global Marketplace Conference on sustainable urban infrastructure. Reports on his presentation in the blogosphere are found here and here.

October 21, 2007 -- Science Director Travis Longcore spoke at the Morongo Basin Lighting Conference in late September. News account here.

September 6, 2007 -- Lange's met Lange's metalmark ovipositing almark butterflies were collected yesterday by biologist Jana Johnson, consultant Ken Osborne, and the rest of "Team LMB" at the Antioch dunes. These butterflies have been transported to our site at Moorpark College to establish a captive population. Gordon Pratt collected specimens for a separate site in Murietta. Photo of captive female by Louis Terrazas (USFWS). The Contra Costa Times reports.

August 14, 2007 -- UWG and collaborators release propagation handbook for Lange's metalmark butterfly in preparation for initiation of captive rearing program.

July 19, 2007 -- Columnist Paul Silva of The Beach Reporter offered a moving endorsement of the resurgence of the El Segundo blue butterfly.

July 16, 2007 -- Jana Johnson's work with captive rearing Palos Verdes blue butterfly continues to be covered in the media. Links to story and video.

July 9, 2007 -- The El Segundo blue butterfly has colonized habitat restored by UWG in Torrance and by the Beach Bluffs Restoration Project in Redondo Beach. Coverage started with the Los Angeles Times and continues with the Daily Breeze.

June 24, 2007 -- "The Nightsat mission concept" is a proposal for a new satellite to measure artificial night lighting, recently published in the International Journal of Remote Sensing. UWG Executive Officer Catherine Rich and Science Director Travis Longcore are co-authors.

June 18, 2007 -- The UWG petition to list the Mount Charleston blue butterfly as an endangered species was found to have merit by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service. As documented in this story from the Las Vegas Review Journal, the FWS will continue to review the status of the species.

April 2007 -- The Beach Bluffs Restoration Project was included in a story about removing iceplant in the industry magazine Turf. The article features photographs by Science Director Travis Longcore.

March 26, 2007 -- UWG contract biologist Jana Johnson's work with the Palos Verdes blue butterfly was profiled in the Los Angeles Times by reporter Deborah Schoch and photographer Bob Chamberlin. An update on the collaboration with Moorpark College was also published this week in the Los Angeles Daily News. The program also featured prominently in the Defense Logistic Agency newsletter.

March 5, 2007 -- Executive Officer Catherine Rich was quoted in a Los Angeles Times story questioning the urgent need to reduce ground squirrel numbers at Palisades Park in Santa Monica.

"There is not a pressing threat of squirrels attacking people," Rich said, "so I don't know why the county is getting their panties in a bunch."

The article and quote were picked up by national and local media outlets, much to our amusement.

February 16, 2007 -- More news coverage of our secondary rearing site for Palos Verdes blue butterfly at America's Teaching Zoo.

January 13, 2007 -- UWG contract biologist Jana Johnson has established a cooperative effort with America's Teaching Zoo at Moorpark College to rear Palos Verdes blue butterfly. This second rearing site provides valuable insurance against any unexpected problems at the main site at the Defense Fuel Support Point, San Pedro. Read about it in the Daily News.

January 2007 -- Zoogoer Magazine, from the National Zoo has a feature article on the ecological consequences of artificial night lighting. "Night, Interrupted" is available here.