Habitat selection is a well-studied behavior that strongly influences how a species interacts with the surrounding ecosystem. Countless studies address the habitat selection of raptors in the interest of conservation, but the habitat preferences and selection of the Northern Harrier specifically are poorly studied. I conducted a series of point counts between the Arcata Bottoms and the Arcata Marsh to compare the rate of Northern Harrier sightings between each zone.

The presentation is a showcase of a tabletop roleplaying game I made and played with my friends. The game was initially a way to connect in the the hard times of the Covid lockdown, but became much more than that. It demonstrates how the art and storytelling of myself and my friends has evolved over three years.

Modeling environment probability map of ancient settlements using Geospatial computer software

Numerous animal species display diverse colorations as a means of performing cryptic coloration, which protects them from predation. In the case of banana slugs, some individuals exhibit monochromatic hues, while others display spots. The purpose of my study was to answer if some banana slugs are spotted to perform cryptic coloration as a means of anti-predator defense.

This study investigates how water temperature influences Blueband hermit crab behavior from 4 different sites ranging from Southern to Northern California.

This project aimed to use black and brown bear teeth measurements in order to see if species identifications can be made for fossil bears. Using specimens across four Californian natural history museums, we found that one tooth measurement was sufficient to identify between the two species.

In this study, the primary goal was to observe the effects of urbanization on bird species diversity and composition of native and non-native species in Arcata, California. Methods include fixed radius 75-meter point counts for ten minutes, within thirty predetermined study sites, where I counted bird species and the abundance of birds, landscape features (e.g., building density), along with noting any human activity that may occur. I hypothesized that non-native species would increase with increasing building density. In conjunction with that species diversity would decrease with building density.

This study examines how tidal levels impact egret foraging behavior in the Arcata Marsh and Wildlife Sanctuary (AMWS) in Humboldt County, California. This study aims to expand upon the limited existing research on the relationship between tidal conditions and egret foraging and to determine the effects of tide levels on egret foraging behavior. Additionally, the study assesses the influence of temperature, overcast, tide, and waterfowl presence on egret foraging behavior and measures egret strike rate and success as parameters for assessing the overall impact of high and low tides on their foraging behavior.

The objective of my research is to test if there is any correlation between avian diversity and preserved green areas in Eureka, CA. Additionally, how does the vegetation composition of these parks compare to the avian diversity. I visited a total of 30 sites including 15 urban parks or green areas, and 15 urban sites paired with each of the green sites, to see how diversity compared in the surrounding urban habitat. Using avian abundance and species richness data I collected, I calculated the Shannon Diversity Index (H') of each site. Overall, I observed significantly higher avian diversity at green sites and found positive correlation between avian diversity and plant species richness.

The aim of this study was to focus on the richness of native avian species to determine if they are influenced by urbanization. To measure this, point counts were conducted, in which all birds were counted and identified. A total of 30 survey sites were evenly divided between Arcata, Arcata Bottoms, and Eureka, to encompass a gradient of urbanization.