The Urban Wildlands Group

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

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August 2009 -- Our paper with Christoph Aubrecht on coral reefs and night lighting is profiled in the current issue of Oceanography.

June 2009 --The Urban Wildlands Group is highlighted by the Fish and Wildlife Service as a partner in conservation efforts that are bringing two California butterflies back from the brink. The Endangered Species Bulletin describes efforts to restore Palos Verdes blue butterfly and El Segundo blue butterfly by UWG and other collaborators.

June 17, 2009 -- Science Director Travis Longcore was interviewed by Swedish Public Radio on how "green" President Obama is in the early days of his administration. Longcore noted that protection of species, habitats and natural landscapes appear to be subordinate to production of alternative energy on natural lands.

April 19, 2009 -- Science Director Travis Longcore was quoted in the Newark Star-Ledger on the importance of natural areas in cities.

April 4, 2009 -- Travis Longcore was quoted in the San Gabriel Valley Tribune on the current southern California drought.

March 20, 2009 -- Captive-bred Palos Verdes blue butterflies were released at the Defense Fuel Support Point, San Pedro and at the Linden H. Chandler Preserve, owned by the Palos Verdes Peninsula Land Conservancy. Butterflies were reared by students at Moorpark College under the direction of UWG contract biologist and Moorpark professor Jana Johnson. The release was covered by the local media and recognized the special contribution of the Department of Defense to the ongoing recovery of the Palos Verdes blue butterfly. See the Daily Breeze, Seal Beach Daily, NBC TV, and KCLU.

January 5, 2009 -- Two articles on the effects of artificial night lighting on wildlife and human health and policies to mitigate these effects appeared in the January issue of Environmental Health Perspectives.

January 1, 2009 -- In an essay in Nature, astronomer Malcom Smith marks the start of the International Year of Astronomy 2009 by making a plea for reducing light pollution that cites Ecological Consequences of Artificial Night Lighting and Ecological Light Pollution. We join the international astronomy community in celebrating the night sky in 2009.

November 24, 2008 -- UWG researchers Travis Longcore and Catherine Rich were part of an international team headed by Christoph Aubrecht that published an article in Geocarto International presenting a global assessment of risk to coral reefs as measured by light pollution. Press release in English, Spanish, and Korean.

November 2008 -- National Geographic magazine features Travis Longcore, Catherine Rich, and The Urban Wildlands Group in its cover story: "The End of Night: Why We Need Darkness." The story reviews research presented in Ecological Consequences of Artificial Night Lighting, edited by Rich and Longcore.

August 29, 2008 -- Lange's metalmark butterflies reared and successfully mated at the butterfly project at Moorpark College were released into restored habitat at Antioch Dunes National Wildlife Refuge. Click for news and videos about the project from the Ventura County Star, Contra Costa Times, and the homepage of the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service.

July 25, 2008 -- The Wall Street Journal's Robert Lee Hotz published a column on light pollution with a reference to Ecological Consequences of Artificial Night Lighting.

June 18, 2008 -- Science Director Travis Longcore testified at a congressional staff briefing on light pollution sponsored by Congresswoman Gabrielle Giffords and the International Dark-Sky Association.

June 10, 2008 -- UWG research on bird mortality at communication towers was published in the leading ornithology journal The Auk this week: Height, guy wires, and steady-burning lights increase hazard of communication towers to nocturnal migrants: a review and meta-analysis by Travis Longcore, Catherine Rich, and Sidney A. Gauthreaux Jr. This article is already being used in conservation efforts.

June 2008 -- The spring issue of Wings, the journal of the Xerces Society, contains an essay by UWG's Travis Longcore and Catherine Rich titled "Invertebrate Conservation at the Gates of Hell." They explore the value of the patches of habitat that remain in heavily industrialized landscapes that, seemingly at odds with their surroundings, are often home to rare species. The issue is dedicated to urban invertebrate conservation and the five essays together "make a powerful argument that it is time to re-examine the ways we encounter and conserve invertebrates in urban settings."