Another Great DATA Request from USGS and Partners.Now Voting

[Fundad]

PLEASE Take the time to vote on this request if you have not done so already, this is a very important request that may just save cool habitats


Once again there is another great Data request.

Let me hear a Heck Yeah, if you agree that this is a great request..

Great Job Everyone
Brian Hinds
California Chapter President

Visit the link at
http://www.naherp.com/user/view-data-re ... p?dr_id=57


Many utility scale renewable energy projects are currently proposed across the Mojave and Sonoran Ecoregions. Agencies that manage biological resources throughout this region need to understand the potential impacts of these renewable energy projects and their associated infrastructure (e.g., transmission corridors, substations, access roads, etc.) on species movement, genetic exchange among populations, and species’ abilities to adapt to changing environmental conditions. Understanding these factors will help managers select appropriate project sites and possibly mitigate for anticipated effects of management activities. We are using maximum entropy and resource selection functions with pseudo-absence methods to develop predictive habitat suitability maps for 15 species across the Mojave and Sonoran Ecoregions. We are combining the species suitability maps with genetic diversity data to identif regions containing high genetic diversity and divergence within and among populations and within high suitability habitat that may be important to protect future evolutionary potential. When multiple co-distributed species show spatial overlap in high genetic diversity and divergence, these regions can be considered evolutionary hotspots. See Vandergast et al. 2013 for more details and Mojave results.

Requested Species:
Arizona elegans
Anaxyrus punctatus
Chionactus occipitalis
Coluber flagellum/Masticophis flagellum
Crotaphytus bicinctores
Crotalus cerastes
Dipsosaurus dorsalis
Gopherus agassizii
Lichanura trivirgata
Plestiodon gilberti
Phrynosoma platyrhinos
Sauromalus ater
Sceloporus magister
Uma scoparia
Xantusia vigilis


Intended Use:
NAFHA data will be used to augment species distribution models for multiple species in the Mojave and Sonoran ecoregions.

Scope of data being requested:
All records for species in the list below from the following states: California, Nevada, Utah, and Arizona. See attached map- dashed line.

Potential risks of data being released:
The USGS and its partners are aware of the sensitive nature of the information requested by the project, and will make every effort to keep it secure. Data will not be released publicly, though maps and models of habitat suitability will be made available.

[RobertH]

Heck yeah

Robert

[gopher]

Just a tentative yeah for me
I'm all in.

[Calfirecap]

I'm all in. They can use my data.

[hellihooks]

While I'm all for renewable energy...Edison et al have proposed building a huge sub-station in Hesperia, with new big transmission lines running from Hesperia through Apple Valley To Lucerne and then north through the Granite Mts to Barstow. If the Sub Station goes through...they HAVE to supply it with energy, which pretty much greenlights some 30-60 different solar and wind projects in the Victor Valley and surrounding areas.... including 450 ft wind turbines running all across the desert slopes of the Berdoos
Basically... the want to turn the Victor Valley into the next Whitewater...but the difference is... there aren't 1 million people living in Whitewater, so as you may imagine, there is some pretty strong opposition to these plans.

This is when data submission/release can be a two-edged sword... if we have enough, it could help... not enough...it could negatively affect huge tracs of habitat and literally millions of people's lives (the ones who may not want a forest of windmills as their skyline)

it's a shame our High Desert Wildlife group has only been submitting data for a month or so... we're only coming up 100 records, rather than 1000 we'll probably have in one year... Time to re-double our efforts, I guess. Oh well... in for a dime... in for a dollar... and here's hoping our data will do some good...

[Fundad]

Well Jim we are not the only data source they will be using. And there a are quite a few of us with data from that area.

Zero data will not help either, this is a case where there is zero chance the negative data will be used against us. But positive data will surely help.

Keep entering the data and I will talk them about how long they are going to work on the project and if we can get them more of it before they are finished..

This is a perfect example of why herpers should record a lot of what they find even the common species.

Fundad

[hellihooks]

I notice that only S. magister is requested and not S. uniformis... I wonder if they even realize these are now distinct species...
I would have thought that Patchnoses would have made the list, as well... not to mention the REALLY hard to find stuff, like Ground snakes and SB mt Ensatina klauberi

[Fundad]

I notice that only S. magister is requested and not S. uniformis.

This is an excellent point, Thanks for pointing it out..

I will get uniformis added, if possible.

[Brian Hubbs]

I want to know why they don't build the damn solar farms on dry lake beds...? They wouldn't impact anything on those...especially if they placed them 4 feet above ground (just in case the lake ever did get water in it). $$$$$ $$$$$ This is the "password" to success...$$$$

[Fundad]

I want to know why they don't build the damn solar farms on dry lake beds...? They wouldn't impact anything on those...especially if they placed them 4 feet above ground (just in case the lake ever did get water in it). $$$$$ $$$$$ This is the "password" to success...$$$$

Because that makes sense, and why would they want to be smart about it?


Fundad

[mattg]

or how about building platforms above the aqueducts thereby creating shade for the water and 0 habitat impact. also i feel like there are a few species that this proposal left out.

[hellihooks]

Here's just one of the currently proposed projects
https://fbexternal-a.akamaihd.net/safe_ ... .jpg&cfs=1


thing is... for any one of the energy projects to go through... the huge new Lugo Substation and corresponding transmission lines have to be built, to accept the power, and if they get built... up to 30 other energy projects must be built to supply the substation. Including eventually having every dry lake covered with solar farms. The whole Victor Valley will be converted to various energy production projects.

Nothing wrong with alternative energy... but not right in the middle of where a million people live, and cherish the beauty of the desert... there are other places these energy projects can go...way out in the boonies, where few people live.

Some of the proposed wind turbines are slated to go RIGHT WHERE some of the very rare SB Ensatina Klauberi may still exist... yet I SEEM to be the only one who knows this, or even cares. No WHERE, (even by USGS) are these Salamanders mentioned.

[klawnskale]

I want to know why they don't build the damn solar farms on dry lake beds...? They wouldn't impact anything on those...especially if they placed them 4 feet above ground (just in case the lake ever did get water in it). $$$$$ $$$$$ This is the "password" to success...$$$$

Because that makes sense, and why would they want to be smart about it?


Fundad

A little bit more complex, Fundad. As much as the Dry Lake Beds appear from the surface as static expanses of nothingness, believe it or not some companies all ready possess mineral rights to some of them. Some are all ready deeded properties belonging to certain corporations and they just aren't willing to lease, sell or share.

[Brian Hubbs]

Maybe the solar farms need to be re-designed to be large pyramid structures and take up less space. The plant could be inside the pyramid, along with a casino...

[Fundad]

A little bit more complex, Fundad

You think? It was just a quick general reply, jezz.

[hellihooks]

A little bit more complex, Fundad

You think? It was just a quick general reply, jezz.

You don't CAREFULLY consider every single word you say? Round here...probably should....