Left: Kyle Osornia planting. Center: Emma Miller observes birds at the site. Right: Fellow students work on the edge of a citrus orchard.
Five biology graduate students have each received a conservation fellowship of $12,500 from the Utom Conservation Fund. Utom is the Chumash name for the Santa Clara River. The students are Emma Miller, Anna Carson Loudermelt, Emily Montes, Betty Wong, and Kyle Osornia.
The students were introduced to the work through an Agricultural Research Institute (ARI) grant that Associate Professor Elizabeth Scordato acquired which was aimed at reducing pesticide use on citrus and avocado farms in the Santa Clara River Valley. They planted hedgerows on the edge of orchards to attract useful predators to eat pests that are harmful to agriculture.
“The ARI Integrated Pest Management (IPM) data we collected is useful for conservation. Our goal is to think about IPM in an ecosystem framework,” Scordato said. “Agriculture is the number one cause of biodiversity loss through land clearing.” Nearly 40% of the earth’s habitable land is used for agriculture so it must be included in conservation efforts.
The closer a farm is to the river, the more biodiversity is seen. The planting of the hedgerows increases biodiversity in areas not located near the river.
Kyle Osornia is working with Professor Erin Questad, whose expertise is restoration and community ecology. He’s studying the traits of plants they’re using in the hedgerows to determine which native plants are best at attracting pollinators and predators of harmful pests. He’s also looking at how drought stress can impact the effectiveness of the hedgerows.
“This is my first fellowship as a grad student. It’s very encouraging. With the award I can have a better idea of what I can spend,” Osornia said. “For example, measuring nectar or pollen, we need special equipment that costs $800-$1,000. The award will expand the scope so I can study more plant traits. You need to capture as much as you can. If you look at all the factors, you get a better picture of what’s happening.”
Also, there’s travel expense, the farms are 160-mile round trip from campus. A trip he may make every week. And the fellowship can provide resources for presenting at conferences. Osornia plans to pursue a Ph.D., study California ecosystems, and pursue a career in academia.
Emma Miller, Scordato’s student, is studying what plant characteristics attract certain types of birds that are useful in pest control.
Miller said, “I’m honored to be a recipient of the fellowship that supports research aiming to conserve diverse biological communities in the Utom River Watershed, the traditional land of the Chumash people. I moved across the country to join the research team for this project, and I’m very appreciative of the funding that comes along with the recognition of my work.” Miller would like to work as a conservation biologist. “Dr. Scordato is an incredible mentor in all aspects of scientific research, and she was a primary motivation for me to attend Cal Poly Pomona.”
Scordato says the next step will be to take observations the students made on the ground and match that with LiDAR data, acquired by drones, to predict bird populations across larger areas.
* is managed by the Wishtoyo Chumash Foundation, Santa Ynez Band of Chumash Indians, Center for Biological Diversity and the California Native Plant Society.
“Our Tribe is proud to support the Utom Conservation Fund and help these scholarship and fellowship recipients pursue their passion for protecting the environment,” said Kenneth Kahn, Tribal chairman for the Santa Ynez Band of Chumash Indians.
“It’s more important than ever to equip our young scientists and ambitious advocates with the resources they need to achieve their conservation goals,” said Peter Galvin, cofounder and director of programs at the Center for Biological Diversity.
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