Pepperwood's Webinar Series
Pepperwood experts and affiliates share their knowledge on a diverse array of topics from natural history, to land stewardship, to climate change. Bridge into the vast world of conservation through Pepperwood's webinar series! New webinars come out regularly.
Capturing the Overlooked Effects of a Creeping Climate
Pepperwood’s Sentinel Site Manager, Ryan Ferrell shines light on the overlooked – the data that happens between the fear-inducing headlines. Ryan manages Pepperwood’s sentinel site, where these data are collected. The beauty of these field stations is that they capture the slow changes that take place every day, and which provide the big answers we need in order to adapt to our changing climate. Ryan shares the oddly hopeful, refreshingly illuminating story of these data. Originally recorded in October of 2024.
Management Strategies for Invasive Species in Grasslands
California-certified Burn Boss and Pepperwood’s Assistant Preserve Manager, Devyn Friedfel discusses grassland health through the lens of invasive species management. Learn more about the benefits of good fire for reducing invasive species encroachment and other tools we use to manage invasive species in grasslands. Originally recorded in June of 2024.
Everything You Need To Know About the Wildfire Fuel Mapper
In this webinar, Pepperwood’s Climate & Fire Resilience Coordinator, Kai Henifin presents on the Wildfire Fuel Mapper – an online application that supports fuels reduction efforts, with a focus on reducing hazardous wildland fuels that threaten lives and homes. The Wildfire Fuel Mapper provides detailed maps and reports of property-specific fuel hazards, support in implementing a vegetation management plan, as well as supplementary resources. Originally recorded in April 2024.
Historical Ecology of Fire-prone Landscapes Webinar
In this webinar, historical ecologist Arthur Dawson presents the findings of a three-year CALFIRE-funded study. Arthur will trace the story of fire and vegetation in the North Bay over the last 150 years. Integrating a wide variety of sources reveals the surprisingly dynamic patterns of chaparral, hardwood, and conifer woodlands in response to wildfire, timber harvest, and wildfire suppression. Originally recorded in Spring of 2023.
Mushrooms of Northern California Webinar
Join Melina Kozanitas, biologist and mycology lecturer, to learn how to find, identify, and understand local mushrooms. In this webinar, Melina leads you through an informational presentation providing you with the essential knowledge, terminology, skills, and recommended tools to identify the fungi you may find on your next walk in the park. Originally recorded in Winter of 2022.
Geology of the Mayacamas Mountains Webinar
Join Rebecca Perlroth, geologist and earth sciences lecturer at the Santa Rosa Junior College, to learn about the diversity of rocks and landforms that can be seen in Sonoma County and the Coast Ranges. How did they get here, what are they made of? What is the Franciscan Mélange? How are faults and volcanoes represented here? This webinar covers basic concepts of geology, earth history, and the rock cycle through a local lens, facilitating a better understanding of the forces that have shaped our landscape over millennia. Originally recorded in Fall of 2021.
Redwoods & Climate Change
Join Michelle Geary, plant ecologist, and Hugh Leonard, biologist, to learn about the relationship between redwoods and climate change. How will redwoods fair under a changing climate? What can redwoods tell us about how our climate is changing and how we can adapt? There's much to learn from these ancient giants that are so integral to our California landscape and ethos. Originally recorded in 2021.
Soundscapes to Landscapes: Monitoring Animal Biodiversity from Space Using Citizen Scientists
Join Dr. Matthew Clark and his team as they discuss this fascinating long-term biodiversity monitoring project, Soundscapes to Landscapes. Soundscapes to Landscapes (S2L) is a science-based project seeking to advance animal biodiversity monitoring by making use of Earth-observing satellites. Check out the latest paper authored by S2L team members by visiting the project website. Originally recorded in 2021.
Impacts of Wildfire on Reptiles and Amphibians in Sonoma County
Join Julianne Bradbury to learn more about the impacts of wildfire on reptiles and amphibians. This presentation covers research from Pepperwood Preserve in Sonoma County, CA. Originally recorded in 2021.
Temporal Trends in Wildlife Response to Wildfire
Dr. Morgan Gray discusses our findings around wildlife response to the 2017 Tubbs Fire. Where do wildlife go? How do they respond to wildfire disturbances? These are heavily nuanced questions and to answer them, Morgan takes you on a tour through the data in a way that's understandable and fascinating. Originally recorded in 2021.
DIY Wildlife Camera Class Webinar
Wildlife cameras, also known as trail cameras (AKA bush cams or game cams), are weatherproof cameras that can be used to monitor and study wildlife. By setting up a wildlife camera on your property you can monitor wildlife, document rare wildlife, provide security, or collect data! Wildlife cameras are a great way to collect information on animal movement and range size, minimum population size, and more. In this webinar, Pepperwood Wildlife Specialist, Steven Hammerich, walks you through the process of installing and using these tools. Originally recorded in 2020.
Landscape Resilience through Climate Connectivity Webinar
Another layer to this conservation strategy that not all plans incorporate, is the critical component of climate change. This is called climate-wise connectivity, and it refers to the idea of planning for connectivity knowing that climate change is likely to alter linkages by altering habitat. What species will be most impacted by our changing climate? Where will they move? How can we adapt and plan accordingly? Dr. Morgan Gray addresses all of these questions in addition to covering the basics of this complex conservation topic in this webinar. Originally recorded in 2020.
Solving the Home Ignition Problem with Fire Science
Jack Cohen, a research physical scientist and former US Forest Service Researcher lays out the case for how wildland-urban (WU) destruction during a wildfire is a readily preventable human problem. But this isn't just a webinar on the conundrum. Fire science reveals opportunities for preventing WU wildfire destruction. Cohen carefully and compassionately leads viewers on a journey of discovery: what did burn, and more importantly what didn't and why. Connecting those pieces reveals some actionable steps we can all take to improve our resilience living in wildfire country. Originally recorded in 2020.
Biodiversity Monitoring at Pepperwood with the Wildlife Picture Index
The Wildlife Picture Index (WPI) is a biodiversity indicator that combines camera trapping with occupancy analysis and generalized additive models. In 2012, Pepperwood established North America’s first Wildlife Picture Index (WPI) grid of motion-activated cameras. Citizen scientists help maintain 20+ cameras located around the preserve and also play a major role in cataloging photos into a database that helps us understand our local animal populations and how they are shifting over time. Steven Hammerich, Pepperwood's Wildlife Specialist sheds light on some of the more elusive animals of Pepperwood that he's come to know through this monitoring. Originally recorded in 2020.
Tracking Our Feathered Friends: Bird Diversity at Pepperwood
Join Michelle Halbur (Preserve Ecologist) and Nicole Barden (Environmental Educator) in this fascinating webinar on birds! Here at Pepperwood, we've been tracking bird diversity for over a decade. Birds keep our ecosystems running smoothly. They're seed dispersers, pollinators, apex predators of the sky, scavengers who facilitate decomposition, mosquito munchers, and so much more. We owe a lot to our feathered friends, and you'll learn a lot about them and what their populations' health means for our own health, in this webinar. Originally recorded in 2020.
Large Landscape Conservation in Mediterranean Ecosystems
How does our Mediterranean-type ecosystem differentiate us from other locations around the World? How is it similar? Join Dr. Lisa Micheli, President & CEO of Pepperwood from 2009-2024, as she discusses what we're learning about climate-smart landscape strategies and how we can bring these adaptations to bear on the challenges our community faces with regard to a changing climate and increasing wildfires. Originally recorded in 2020.
