Jim Garner, 2013

Thesis:

Modeling Pacific fisher behavior and habitat use in the Southern Sierra Nevada

Nicolas Ramirez, 2011

Thesis:

Modeling Ecotoxicological Stressors Using GIS

Claudia Voigt, 2016

Thesis:

Measuring Recreation Use Impacts on Old-Growth Redwoods

Old-growth coastal redwood stands and the habitat they provide are the conservation target of Redwood National and State Parks (RNSP) in northern California. In recent years there has been greater access to location information about record-sized trees, and visitors have created networks of social trails in redwood groves, including one grove that has no formal access. Coupled with increasing visitor numbers, this has caused an alarming increase in recreational impacts in redwood groves. By providing visitors access to groves, managers accept that there will be ecosystem impacts, but data is needed to evaluate the degree of impact on trees, soil and understory vegetation. I assessed impacts of social trails around old-growth redwood trees in three alluvial flat groves with different use intensities in RNSP. In 2015 I mapped old-growth redwood trees and social trail networks around these trees. I randomly sampled 20 to 30 trees per site and collected baseline data on the spatial extent of disturbance and selected vegetation and soil indicators. Tree size (measured as diameter) proved to be significantly positively related with trampling disturbance around trees in two of the sites, while in the highest-use site, distance from the formal trail was most strongly related with disturbed area. The findings of this study will serve as initial baseline conditions for recreational impacts in these stands. RNSP can use the study design developed for this thesis to monitor changes in trail-related visitor impacts in old-growth redwood stands of management concern.

Melissa Kimble, 2016

Thesis:

Mapping uncertainty for habitat Suitability models for four North American tree species

Chaeli Judd, 2006

Thesis:

Mapping Aquatic Vegetation: Using Bathymetric & Hyperspectral Imagery to Classify Submerged Eelgrass in Humboldt Bay, California

Alyssa Hosbach, 2012

Thesis:

Managing land for resilience: a comparative analysis of conservation planning and holistic management

Iris Koski, 2012

Thesis:

Landscapes in Transition: Private lands oak woodland management in the Klamath-Siskiyou bioregion

Iris' thesis was entitled \Landscapes in Transition: Private lands oak woodland management in the Klamath-Siskiyou bioregion\" and explored the factors that influence oak woodland management and ecosystem restoration for private landowners in this region. Iris conducted fieldwork and analysis at various sites and surveyed hundreds of private landowners and land managers to obtain data related to oak woodland management and restoration. She hopes to continue this analysis and develop guidelines and criteria for management of remaining oak woodlands which tend to be ecologically significant and biodiverse."

Luc Lagarde, 2012

Thesis:

Invasive <em>Spartina densiflora</em> Brongn. Reduces primary productivity in a northern California salt marsh

Luc's research explored the impact of the invasive dense-flowered cordgrass (Spartina densiflora) on the primary productivity of a Humboldt Bay (California) salt marsh using above and belowground biomass measurements coupled with paired closed-chamber carbon dioxide flux measurements. Although samples dominated by S. densiflora displayed higher aboveground net primary productivity compared to samples dominated by native vegetation, samples dominated by S. densiflora also displayed lower belowground net primary productivity, net primary productivity, and net ecosystem exchange measurements compared to samples dominated by native vegetation; therefore, S. densiflora colonization reduced primary productivity. In plots dominated by S. densiflora, less benthic macroalgae was present and less photosynthetically active radiation reached the substratum. Therefore, increased shading of the sediment surface in plots dominated by S. densiflora contributed to lower net ecosystem exchange measurements. Luc's research contributed to understanding the impact of S. densiflora on the primary productivity of Humboldt Bay salt marsh ecosystems.

Patty Clifford, 2004

Thesis:

Integrating logistic regression and GIS to predict the distribution of Petasites frigidus in the Klamath Mountain subregion, C

Haley West, 2011

Thesis:

Home gardens of Humboldt County, California: exploring the politics of knowledge, reciprocity and community