Dave Hacker (Ca. Dept. of Fish & Wildlife) “From Recent Abundance to Present Obscurity: the History, Current Status, and Management of Pronghorn in Central California” Pronghorn were abundant on the Central Coast in recent history. Now they are present in small, reintroduced populations only. Dave will summarize historic accounts of pronghorn in Central California, their extirpation, reintroduction, current status, management strategies and challenges, and projects planned for maintaining a viable population. Scott Appleby (Postdoctoral fellow in Dept. of Biology at Cal Poly) Title: Giant Kangaroo Rats on the Carrizo Plain: Cutesy, Demure Ecosystem Engineers Under Pressure Abstract: The Carrizo Plain is one of the largest relatively intact portions of the San Joaquin Desert and hosts high levels of endemic species threatened by habitat loss and other anthropogenic impacts. The giant kangaroo rat (Dipodomys ingens) is at the center of this ecosystem, but management for this and other endangered species is complicated by multiple use mandates. I will discuss the natural history of giant kangaroo rats, the history of land management on the Carrizo Plain, and our work to elucidate the impacts of management decisions on this endangered ecosystem engineer. (fb)

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