- Author: Robert J Keiffer
There are several vernal ("relating to the springtime") pools located around the UC Hopland Research & Extension Center. Past research has shown that each harbors a unique community of plants and invertebrates and amphibians, with no two having the exact same mix of species. "Hog Lake", as you see pictured, is the largest vernal pool on the property. This pond hosts a high percentage of malformed Pacific tree frogs with severe limb deformities, caused by trematode (Ribeiroia ondatrae) parasite infections upon early-stage developing frog embryos (developing tadpoles). Ribeiroia has a complex life cycle involving pulmonate snails, amphibians, and amphibian-eating birds.
- Author: Robert J Keiffer
Wool piled high on a skirting table adjacent to the Wool baler and shearing floor at HREC. Whole fleeces are placed on the table. The belly portion (valued at roughly $1.20/lb.) as well as the tags (wool saturated in feces, mud, etc. and valued at roughly $0.88/lb.) fall to the floor and are packed separate from the premium fleeces.
- Author: Robert J Keiffer
Each spring HREC shears the fleece (wool) off the sheep flock ...about 1000 head in all. The wool is removed for several reasons, 1) to market the wool... and this year's wool price is high, 2) to reduce problems of "fly-strike" (myiasis - a disease caused by a parasitic dipterous fly larvae that feeds on living tissue), and 3) and to remove the "wool sweater" from the sheep for the hot summertime period. HREC has slowed the shearing process down this year, having only one contract shearer instead of a "crew" of shearers. Here you see the shearer just releasing a ewe that was shorn and the resulting fleece.
- Author: Robert J Keiffer
The Hopland Research & Extension Center has a large array of vascular plants that grow (or have grown) on the premises. The HREC herbarium comprises one of the best local plant collections in the county with almost 700 plant species found on the Center represented within the collection. Here you see a visiting researcher from UC Santa Cruz checking out Bolander's Woodland-Star (Lithophragma bolanderi) to add to the collection at UCSC.
- Author: Robert J Keiffer
Last Saturday an Oak Woodland Management "webinar class" culminated with a "hands-on" field tour at the UC Hopland Research & Extension Center. Participants included large-acreage landowners, representatives from several major land conservancies, a major forest products company representative, and several RPFs/CRMs who advise landowners.
Topics included Native-American historic cultural uses of oak woodlands, water quality assessment and related issues in oak woodlands (see photo), grazing and livestock management issues, riparian restoration, oak conservation strategies, wildlife-use of oak woodlands and habitat elements considerations, blue oak natural and artificial regeneration, road impacts and design in oak woodlands/rangeland, and fuel management alternatives in chaparral brush zones.
UC HREC plays a vital role in such extension-type outreach with topics almost unlimited as related to North Coast rangelands and natural resources.
