Sagehen wolverine sightings

The Sagehen wolverine left tracks at the top of the basin at least 4 times in winter 2015/16, and turned up twice on CADF&W camera traps in February:

• Videos: 1 | 2
• More photos 
• A great article with background about the Sagehen wolverine.

CADF&G installs camera traps.

Bristles capture hairs for DNA testing.

Wolverine tracks. Photo by chickadee researcher,
Vladimir Pravosudov

Photo by skiers, Eric Efthimiou & Debbie Thomas

Recent KGO-TV news about Sagehen

Hwy-89 Wildlife Undercrossing Dedication Ceremony

 The Highway-89 Stewardship Team assembled on the side of the road north of Sagehen yesterday to break ground on their latest research and mitigation project: a pair of fenced wildlife undercrossings north of Sagehen. Event photos here and here.

Watch a KTVN news segment here.
Read Sierra Sun article here.

The Team's previous undercrossing at Kyburz Flat has been a great success, providing research opportunities, public engagement, and helping mitigate our local portion of the $8-billion annual cost of animal-vehicle collisions.

KTVN Channel 2 - Reno Tahoe Sparks News, Weather, Video

Watershed Sculpture

Daniel and Mary are the artists we are talking to about our restoration project's fish barriers. Here's a look at some of their work in Nevada.

Watch video here

Enhancing the Value and Sustainability of Field Stations and Marine Laboratories in the 21st Century

The National Academy of Sciences has produced a new report on "Enhancing the Value and Sustainability of Field Stations and Marine Laboratories in the 21st Century".

Our friend Mark Stromberg, former Director of the UC Berkeley Hastings Reserve, was a member of the committee that produced this report. Many of the report's ideas came from the recent OBFS document, Field Stations and Marine Laboratories of the Future: A Strategic Vision, but Mark tells us that Sagehen's programs and entrepreneurial approach were very influential, as well.

The NAS report emphasizes the need for field stations to continue to provide opportunities for engagement, citizen science, and other public service activities, as well as increased networking and cyber-infrastructure.

Harrison's Break Ground on 50-year Art Project at Sagehen.

Updated video, 1/7/14: Sagehen environmental artists Helen and Newton Harrison have broken ground on the vegetation manipulation for their 50-year artwork at Sagehen! Here's an aerial video shot by Austin Hall, with some explanatory text by the Harrisons:



The Harrisons also have a new exhibit at Feldman Gallery in New York. More info.

Wilma the Pig

September 1, 2012: Helen and Newton Harrison, the international artists working at Sagehen on a piece for the Nevada Museum of Art, revisited their Pasture piece from the 1970's for the "Ends of the Earth" exhibition at the Museum of Contemporary Art , Los Angeles (MOCA).

But this time, they got to include the pig they'd always envisioned!

The video includes discussion of the piece that brings a little insight into the Harrison's broader work themes.

Unusual bear cub release

In addition to the pair of cubs we reintroduced in January this year, two more cubs moved to Sagehen this week.

This time was a little unusual. Instead of placing drugged cubs into a hibernation den under the snow as we have in the past, we just opened the trailer and let them out. Watch the video to learn more about why.

Here are some photos of the release.

Bear cub reintroduction

Last week, California Fish and Wildlife reintroduced a pair of bear cubs into the wild here at Sagehen. KGO-TV covered the event. Here are the three segments aired about the wildlife rehabilitation process:


Story #1.



Story #2.



Story #3.

Earthwatch caterpillars

Learn about Dr. Lee Dyer's Earthwatch caterpillar-climate change project at Sagehen that brings high school students into the field to help the University of Nevada at Reno scientists with their research.

Project sponsored by the Durfee Foundation.

Welcome to the Truckee

Here's a video we made in 2007, introducing the Truckee River Watershed Council. Sagehen partners with TRWC for many projects.

As part of their orientation, Jeff shows this video to all station visitors to demonstrate Sagehen's collaborative philosophy.

Jeff introduces Sagehen to the Aldo Leopold Foundation

Jeff presents to OBFS

Last week, we attended the annual meeting of the Organization of Biological Field Stations held in Bodega Bay, CA where our A.R.C. Program received the Human Diversity award.

Here's a video of Jeff's presentation to the attendees on the topic of "Adapting to a Changing Mission". It explains the overarching philosophy of decision-making at Sagehen since our arrival 10 years ago.

"The Leopold Family Legacy at Sagehen Creek Field Station".

Sagehen recently began working with the Aldo Leopold Foundation to promote the Leopold legacy. This week, we are hosting a number of screenings of their new documentary, "Green Fire".

Why? What is the connection between Aldo Leopold and Sagehen Creek Field Station? Why is the Leopold legacy important?

We created this short documentary to explain.



Here's a passionate review of the video from Sagehen alum, Dwayne Spencer:

"This video captures so much of what's influenced my life it almost makes me cry. Aldo Leopold, father of Wildlife Biology and Wisconsin icon (if you have never read Sand County Almanac, rectify that); Starker Leopold, his son, who brought me to Berkeley to study martens at Sagehen Creek, Dale McCollough, who served on my thesis committee.... Nearly all the people in this video are close, personal friends: Roger Harris, Marty Raphael, Dan Airola, Pete Stine, Jeff Brown.... All the places are friends too: the "fish house," the meadows, Sagehen Creek, Independence Lake, Starkers "lean-to"....

You might all not relate, but if you are at all interested in biology, history, or family... this is good. I'm very proud and happy that my sons know most of these people and places too... They've even helped the famous fisheries biologist Peter Moyle with the long-term sampling of Sagehen Creek that is chronicled herein."

Dual Projections

Environmental artists Helen Mayer Harrison and Newton Harrison were commissioned by the Center for Art + Environment, at the Nevada Museum of Art, to create Sierra Nevada: An Adaptation which proposes a series of long-term ecological responses to temperature increases in the Sierra Nevada. This visualization was created in collaboration with the Desert Research Institute (DRI), in Reno, Nevada, to demonstrate possible outcomes of differing forest management strategies - in this case for Independence Lake.

Learn more about the Harrison's potential project at Sagehen, in partnership with the Nevada Art Museum's Center for Art and the Environment, at Sagehen News.

The Last Self-Reproducing Lahontan Cutthroat Trout in the Truckee River Basin

The Last Self-Reproducing Lahontan Cutthroat Trout in the Truckee River Basin from F. Felix on Vimeo.
August 20, 2009: For Sagehen Speaker Series #27, Gary Scoppetone of the USGS talks about the past, present & future LCT recovery program at Independence Lake.

More information about LCT research and outreach at Sagehen.

Preview of new Aldo Leopold film

Aldo's son Starker founded Sagehen Creek Field Station in 1951. After a recent meeting with the Leopold Foundation, Sagehen is looking forward to working with the Leopold Foundation in the future to promote this legacy.


Green Fire: Aldo Leopold and the Land Ethic in the 21st Century from Jeannine Richards on Vimeo.

"Ants: The Invisible Majority"

Sagehen provided stock footage for this broadcast program about ants by KQED Quest. There are shots of our slave-making ants marching out on a raid & their hosts keeping house.


QUEST on KQED Public Media.

Or watch online & read associated materials.

UCNRS Annual Meeting at Angelo Reserve

UCNRS Manager's Meeting, 2009 from F. Felix on Vimeo.
The crew gathers at Angelo Coast Range Reserve for the annual meeting. Here are some highlights, including Don's amazing abalone technique.

Conservation & Research Agreement signed for the North Fork of the American River

On September 26, 2006, a consortium of land owners & managers including: the North Fork Association, Chickering Partnership, USDA Forest Service Tahoe National Forest, US Forest Service Pacific Southwest Research Station & Regents of the University of California signed a Conservation and Research Agreement (with introductory letter) addressing future cooperative management of the approximately 19,670 acres of public & private lands in this watershed.

This agreement creates a common management vision for the headwaters of a unique watershed that contains many remarkable features, including a population of mountain yellow-legged frogs, diverse botany & the largest stand of California old growth forest outside of the National Park system.

More info about CSFRS.

See a brief video preview of the area. 00:17 -- for PC [.wmv-2.75M] | for Mac [.mp4-639K]