Plastics in the Gut's of Leach's Storm Petrels in Humboldt County, California

College of Natural Resources & Sciences

For this project, we looked at the plastics that were found in the Guts of Leach's Strom Petrels in Humboldt County, CA. In 2020, 57 of these storm petrels were found dead of natural causes and stored at Cal Poly Humboldt. In my project, I analyze if these storm petrels had plastics in their stomachs at the time of their death, and if so, how much plastic. This is the first of such studies done on Leach's Storm Petrels on the Pacific Coast. The results help to contribute to the ever-growing knowledge of how plastics in our oceans are affecting wildlife.

Plethodontid Salamander Microhabitat Selection

Freya Prissberg, Wildlife Undergraduate Student

College of Natural Resources & Sciences

My research is done on Ensatina and California slender salamander microhabitat selection in the Arcata Community Forest. Soil moisture, canopy cover, soil temperature, cover object length/width, foliage cover and salamander length and weight were all recorded. This data was used to determine if Ensatina and California slender salamanders show microhabitat selection for certain soil temperature, soil moisture, canopy cover or foliage cover.

Plethodontid Salamander Proximity to Surface Water Relative to Ocean Distance

College of Natural Resources & Sciences

My research was conducted on the coast of Humboldt County, where I measured salamander proximity to a freshwater source relative to the distance to the ocean. I used two study sites, one in the Arcata Community Forest and one in Trinidad. I found 38 salamanders while sampling 60 1x1 meter quadrats.

Poetic Persons Preventing Problematic Principles

College of Arts, Humanities & Social Sciences

Artistic communities can be problematic, as any community can be. One aspect of activism is working from within, and poetry communities are a great way to do this. It allows for people to communicate in an artistic manner, and communication is the best way to resolve conflict/differences. By taking a stand against violence through poetry, the communities hearing these poems will be open to taking in this vital information because it’s within their own community.

Police Body Cameras

College of Arts, Humanities & Social Sciences

This project is one I have been working on with my internship at the Humboldt Center for Constitutional Rights. The emphasis is on police body cameras and the protocols or standard practices that are required. I have looked into several police departments (including some of our own in Humboldt County) to see what procedures, if any, are taken when recording before and afterwards. The purpose of my research is to educate/inform all on the footage that is captured in public and what is normally done.

Police Officer Identification and Leadership Prototypicality

College of Professional Studies

Survey data was collected from the CSU system’s 21 campuses’ police officers in June of 2017. We will be examining the extent to which officers’ perceptions of their leader's representativeness predicts their support for the leader, trust for the leader and the leader’s effectiveness, and how these relationships are affected by officer uncertainty.

Political Anatomy of a Farmers' Market: Food Justice, Cultural Politics and Waste Management on the Plaza

College of Arts, Humanities & Social Sciences

My research examines the North Coast Growers Association's food access, cultural inclusion and waste management initiatives through a critical environmental justice lens. It highlights the efforts of Farmers' Market Incentive Programs such as SNAP, WIC and Market-Match in addressing food insecurity and attracting low-income and student participation to markets. I discuss the geography of waste management as it pertains to the 'zero waste' initiatives of NCGA, and touch on the general tendencies of California farmers' markets to construct themselves as 'white spaces.' My research offers several strategies to disrupt whiteness and the 'white farm imaginary' in these spaces.

Pollinator Response to Ultraviolet Light Reflection in Flowers

Carina Trentini, Wildlife Undergraduate Student

College of Natural Resources & Sciences

This research project was a the capstone project for my Wildife degree, in which I researched the impact short-wave UV light reflection by flowers affects pollinator behavior. Insects can see into the ultraviolet light spectrum, and plants are known to reflect these light wavelengths for aiding pollinators. I studied the correlation between pollinator visitation frequency and the proportion of flower surface area that is reflective of UV light. I focused on 3 main pollinator groups: bumble bees, native bees and flower flies. I found that pollinators are significantly more likley to visit flowers with high UV light reflection than flowers with low amounts of UV light reflection.

Pomo Water Rights in the Russian River Watershed

College of Arts, Humanities & Social Sciences

This poster will illustrate the relationships between the Northern, Central, and Southern Pomo tribal communities and the Russian River watershed in the context of their forced relocation to reservations and rancherias over the course of the nineteenth century. It will illustrate the effects of settler incursion in terms of genocidal campaigns, enslavement, western agriculture, urban development, and recreational water use. Furthermore, it will explore the effects that both the loss and subsequent restoration of federal recognition had on Pomo rights to ground and surface water in the Russian River watershed.

Post-Fire Seedling Recruitment by Burnt Trees at the 2017 Helena Fire

College of Natural Resources & Sciences

A regeneration survey was conducted in Weaverville by the 2019 Forest Ecology class at the 2017 Helena Fire students looking at post-fire seedling recruitment. Forty five 10-meter radius plots were established. Within the plots, seedlings and fallen seed cones were counted. We assumed that the seeds were mature when this site burned (August 31) and that all seedlings came from burnt trees; i.e. the seeds within the cones survived the flames. Thus, we hypothesized there would be a positive relationship between seedling and seed cone density. The results showed a positive correlation (R2 = 0.82) between seedlings and seed cones per plot, thus sustaining our hypothesis.