La Kretz Center for California Conservation Science

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Conserving biodiversity through genomics: The California Conservation Genomics Project

Brad Shaffer, La Kretz Center director, was the keynote speaker for the conservation section of the 4th Genomes of Animals & Plants Virtual Conference (GAP22.2), hosted by Cantana Bio (formerly…

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David Blake joins IoES as Assistant Director of La Kretz Center and Stunt Ranch Reserve

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Rachel Blakey in LA Times: Mountain lions face greater risk of becoming roadkill in wildfire’s aftermath

In a paper published in the journal Current Biology, UCLA researchers found that the 2018 Woolsey fire had greatly increased the odds of a mountain lion being struck fatally by a motorist or killed by a fellow panther in a territorial dispute.

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Rachel Blakey in New Scientist: Mountain lions outside Los Angeles take more risks after wildfire

In the 15 months after the Woolsey fire in Los Angeles, mountain lions were more likely to cross busy roads, travel further and move around during the day, putting the already vulnerable group of cats at increased risk

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Rachel Blakey in Smithsonian Magazine: L.A.’s cougars were driven to extremes by wildfire

With less suitable habitat, the big cats traveled further and crossed dangerous roads more often

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Rachel Blakey in UCLA Newsroom: Wildfires drive L.A.’s mountain lions to take deadly risks

When the Woolsey Fire roared through the Santa Monica Mountains in the fall of 2018, it torched half of the available habitat for the area’s mountain lions — a population…