Free lecture with Professor Samuel Sweet

Co-hosted by the Solvang Library
Thursday, September 27, 7:00 p.m.
Solvang Library
1745 Mission Drive, Solvang

Featured photo of botanical diversity near Figueroa Mountain by Liz Gaspar

Southwestern California contains a number of “sky islands” — ridgelines and mountaintops that trap moisture and still provide conditions that support isolated relict coniferous forests and plant communities with high levels of biodiversity. In our area, small examples of sky island habitat can be found on Figueroa Mountain and Ranger Peak. Direct evidence of fires was actually lacking in these sites until recently, but changes in fire origins and fire management in the last decade or so have created a crisis whereby some of California’s most spectacular sky islands have been lost and the remainder are under severe threat. A decade after the catastrophic Day and Zaca fires, conifers have completely failed to recruit because conditions are now too hot and dry, and these sites will continue as chaparral for thousands of years until the next glacial cycle. This lecture will focus on the few remaining sky islands to illustrate what is being lost. The talk will also examine how current fire-management strategies need to change in order to better protect these imperiled places.

Dr. Samuel Sweet is a Professor at UCSB’s Department of Ecology, Evolution and Marine Biology. His research focus is on distributional ecology and systematics of western North American and Australian amphibians and reptiles.

Professor Sam Sweet. Photo courtesy of Sam Sweet.