A survey of Griffith Park’s flora and fauna was well underway prior to the May 8th fire which ignited a good portion of the Park. The Griffith Park Natural History Survey (GPNHS) is a privately funded project whose mission is “To promote knowledge, appreciation and understanding of Griffith Park wildlife and natural resources, and to provide a source of information for informed stewardship of the Park’s ecosystems.” A permanent website is under development and already partially operational as a means of accessing the scientific data collected. The website will become an educational resource for Park users seeking information about the plants and animals they see in the Park, and eventually interactive tools such as a blog and sighting report forms will be incorporated.

So who is responsible for making the Survey happen? The project’s roots actually evolved from the Franklin Hills Residents Association which set up and funded a non-profit “wildlife fund.” The Oaks Homeowners Association was one of the early supporters of the project, as were Neighborhood Councils (HUNC and GGPNC), LFIA, and various private individuals.

Leading the project is Dan Cooper, President of Cooper Ecological Monitoring. Dan is a Harvard graduate (A.B.) with a Masters of Science from UC Riverside. Dan was involved with the creation of the Audubon Center at Debs Park in Lincoln Heights prior to organizing his own consulting firm. He is a well known birder, recently authoring the book, “Important Bird Areas of California.”

A good deal of initial field work has been completed by two young scientists, Stephanie Spehar and Paul Mathewson. I myself was instrumental in recruiting them after spending time with them in the Park discussing wildlife corridors and other technical issues relating to the re-drafting of the Master Plan for Griffith Park. Stephanie is a PhD, New York University, and has extensive international field work experience, especially in primatology. Paul is a Masters candidate in Ecology, also with lots of scientific field work under his belt. These two have worked for peanuts and take great pride in producing an impressive Mammal and Herptile Report, which can be reviewed at the website.

Martin Byhower is a team member who participated in GPNHS bird surveys in Griffith Park. He’s a walking encyclopedia on birds, plants, and mammals. Martin is involved with Audubon in Palos Verde/South Bay; he also teaches and does private guide services.

Lastly, the team includes Chief Park Ranger Albert Torres and Ranger Anne Waisgerber. Their full support and park-specific knowledge is invaluable.

To give a sense of the expertise of the team members, here are some examples of email exchanges that took place during the early stages of the project this year:

March 20th, Martin Byhower: “One thing that was particularly exciting for me was finding a group of wintering Western Meadowlarks on the Toyon Landfill site. This (and other) native grassland breeding species are seriously declining in our region. The site seems ideal for restoration to a native grassland community, which I believe is currently absent from the park (not to mention most of Southern California).”

April 2nd, Dr. Stepanie Spehar: “We think that if the park is to be characterized and preserved as an urban wilderness, it is essential to maintain the park as a functioning, connected ecosystem, rather than just an “island” within an urban matrix. If you want to maintain healthy populations (particularly of terrestrial animals, like deer, bobcat, and mountain lions(?)) they need to be able to immigrate and disperse in and out of Griffith Park. As Gerry mentioned in his email, wildlife corridors are really the only way to maintain this connectivity.”

May 5th, Dan Cooper: “Thought you’d be interested in some preliminary bird numbers. There appear to be c. 150 regularly occurring bird species in the park (including the L.A. River portion), and of these, between 50 and 70 nest. This season’s surveys should clarify this. There are an additional 45 or so species that are best considered vagrants, meaning that there are just a handful of records and they probably do not occur annually. So, the total list should approach 200 species.”

June 1st (post-fire), Dan Cooper: “We’re wrapping up Phase I (data gathering and historical research). Phase I yielded many interesting things about the natural history of the park, virtually none of which had been studied/ synthesized before. For birds, the bird community is surprisingly intact, with nearly everything one would expect to find in the eastern Santa Monica Mtns. present in good numbers. Quail, Wrentit, and California Thrasher are among the sedentary (non-migratory) birds that are especially common, and all three are highly dependent on the undeveloped lands in the park. We confirmed the presence of Rufous-crowned Sparrow, which has been considered a State Species of Special Concern on previous lists, and may yet be. The whole Mt. Lee/Cahuenga Peak area appears especially important for this distinctive sparrow.

As for non-birds, we are starting a mammal and reptile/amphibian survey as part of Phase II, but I can say that from incidental observations, the community looks pretty good. There are anecdotal reports of the extremely imperiled Coast Horned Lizard which we will be following up on in Phase II.We will also try to investigate the nightbird community which is especially poorly known (e.g., Barn Owl, Western Screech-Owl, Common Poorwill).”

June 13th, Dan Cooper: “Went out with Paul and Steph today. They are a delightful team! Paul was turning over a charred log and came face-to-face with a coiled rattlesnake. Plants are springing up everywhere - shrubs sprouting from the top of the rootstalk. It’s amazing to watch.”

As many of us are regretfully aware, Recreation & Parks does not have a Staff Ecologist for its many park assets. Because of Dan Cooper’s involvement with the Survey at the time of the fire, he had already proven himself as an invaluable resource. Consequently, his firm received a one-year contract to formulate a “wildlife management plan” as a part of the Department’s fire recovery program and as a permanent program for the Park.

These are exciting times, indeed, as important steps are finally being taken to study and protect the ecology of Griffith Park. Although Phase I and II are complete, there is much scientific surveying/analyses to be done, and a website to be designed/maintained. The steering committee for Griffith Park Natural History Survey is tasked with making the Survey a sustainable, expanding project to benefit all Angelenos for decades to come.

Watch for periodic updates, survey volunteer activities, survey announcements, and donation details on this very website. The Griffith Park Natural History Survey's preliminary website is here.