Description:

Soar Environmental staff participated in Setting and baiting small mammal traps, checking traps, handling and identifying captures to species, and gathering data.

Description of Services

Soar Environmental biologists assisted Service-approved biologists with baiting and checking non-folding Sherman traps laid out in grids in designated areas on the Lokern Ecological Reserve in Kern County. We helped bait and set traps within an hour of sunset and helped check traps for small mammals three hours after sunset. Our USFWS and CDFW rated Designated Biologists and General Biological Monitors removed small mammals from traps and determined the species, sex, relative age, and reproductive status of each individual captured. Species captured included Giant Kangaroo Rat, and Short-nosed Kangaroo Rat.

Results

While in the Lokern Ecological Reserve, our Senior Wildlife Biologist, Rachel Simmons, spent approximately 10 hours of her own time surveying for the San Joaquin Kit Fox. She managed to sight two individuals and gathered photographic evidence of a third individual via the use of a trail camera. Ms. Simmons performed an independent survey for Blunt-nosed Leopard Lizard and managed to find two individuals. She took the initiative to observe ideal habitat for this species and was able to examine multiple small mammal burrows that were potential refugia.