LiMPETS News

LiMPETS goes to Western Society of Naturalists

December 2022

The LiMPETS team was thrilled to attend and present at the 2022 Western Society of Naturalists (WSN) Conference in Oxnard, California. More

2022 Eyes In Sanctuaries

November 2022

The LiMPETS Network celebrated its 20th anniversary with “Eyes In Sanctuaries” stewardship-building monitoring events along the California coast. More

LiMPETS 2020-21 Annual Report Infographic

December 2021

The LiMPETS Team summarized education and science highlights for 2020-21 in an infographic. Teaching during the Covid-19 Pandemic has been challenging for everybody. However, we all were able to adapt and increase our flexibility in a virtual world that we now know as distance learning. The LiMPETS program is very thankful to have been able to provide quality virtual field trips and programs! We couldn’t have done it without the support and participation of our students and teachers!

Download the infographic!

Farallones LiMPETS Coordinator honored as 2020 Naturalist of the Year by Western Society of Naturalists

November 2020

Dr. Rosemary Romero, Farallones LiMPETS Coordinator, was honored at the 101st Western Society of Naturalists (WSN) Annual Meeting Nov 5 – 7, 2020. Rosemary was awarded the prestigious Naturalist of the Year Award for her efforts to “define our future by inspiring young people with the wonders and sheer joy of natural history.” Rosemary is a dedicated researcher and educator, working with K-16 students and educators, to expand their horizons so they have a better understanding of natural history, community-based science and long term monitoring.

Students and educators in front of scientific poster

Students Present at Scientific Conference

December 2019

LiMPETS students presented their research among more than 25,000 scientists at the American Geophysical Union Conference in San Francisco on December 12, 2019. High school students from the Branson School displayed a poster using LiMPETS rocky intertidal data and had the opportunity to meet Deputy NOAA Administrator and retired Rear Admiral of the U.S. Navy Tim Gallaudet, Ph.D.

Click here to learn more about AGU's Bright STaRS program

LiMPETS article on Owl limpets in Between Tides

November 2019

Greater Farallones LiMPETS Coordinator, Rosemary Romero, wrote an article on Owl limpets featured in the Oct 2019 issue of Between Tides, the newsletter produced by Friends of Fitzgerald Marine Reserve.  The article includes natural history of these gardening snails and explains the owl limpet results we presented at the World Congress of Malacology and included in our 2019 Infographic. This year LiMPETS is contributing data to the 10 year review of California’s Marine Protected Areas.

Read the article about cone shaped snails!

LiMPETS 2018-19 Annual Report Infographic

November 2019

The LiMPETS Team summarized education and science highlights for 2018-19 in an infographic. Some science highlights include seasonal changes in Pacific mole crabs at Ocean Beach, Ochre star densities in Central California before during and after the sea star wasting mortality in 2013-2014, and a comparison of Owl limpet size distributions inside and outside California Marine Protected Areas in Central and North Central California.

 

Download the infographic!

LiMPETS presents student data at World Congress of Malacology!

August 2019

Pacific Grove LiMPETS Coordinator, Hannah Sarver, presented student-collected Owl limpet data at the World Congress of Malacology Meeting in Asilomar, CA on August 15, 2019. The LiMPETS team compared size and abundance of owl limpets inside and outside of California State Marine Protected Areas (MPAs). Owl limpets are important in structuring rocky intertidal communities, as larger individuals are territorial females that clear space through grazing and bulldozing. Because of their large size, people commonly harvest them for food. Studies have found that preferentially harvesting the largest individuals shifts local population structures to include smaller, slower growing individuals. Student-collected data from two pairs of protected and unprotected sites in the central and north central coast collected over five years reflect similar trends, as individuals larger than 5.5 cm were largely absent at unprotected sites. Owl limpets within MPAs were often found at sizes ranging from 2.5-10cm. Students will continue to monitor owl limpets while learning the importance of MPAs.

Green book cover with white text that reads: Exemplary Practices in Marine Science

LiMPETS featured in Marine Science Education book

September 2018

LiMPETS was featured in the book Exemplary Practices in Marine Science Education to demonstrate how citizen science empowers youth in marine science and conservation!

Read the book here!