Conserving Biological Diversity Through Research
Donate Today
Help support the work we do every day to understand populations and protect species for future generations.
Give Today to Sponsor our 2024 MAPS Banding Station. It is entirely supported by donations like yours!
What's New?
Article on our Cuckoo “Hummus”
Check out this great new Audubon Magazine article featuring Hummus the cuckoo and findings from our research using the Motus...
Tricolored Blackbird detected at our Motus Station!
The data is in... and our Motus tower at Canebrake Ecological Reserve detected one of the Tricolored Blackbirds we tagged...
What We Do
The Southern Sierra Research Station is a non-profit organization located in the foothills of California’s Sierra Nevada Mountains, with satellite offices in New Mexico and Arizona. Through basic and applied research, we aim to understand the biological processes that control population sizes and species diversity. In collaboration with government, academic, and conservation organizations, we strive to increase scientific knowledge of the species we research, many of which are threatened or endangered, so that we may better inform policy and encourage public appreciation.
Why We Do It
Biodiversity faces ever-increasing pressures from anthropogenic changes and disturbances. Many of these changes, which include land-use, hydrology, climate, and agriculture, are threatening species and their habitats. Migratory species are especially complex, with factors affecting them differently during each part of their annual cycle. We strive to understand what is limiting these populations in order to contribute to their persistence and recovery.
Additionally, we work to help implement new technologies that will enable better and more efficient monitoring of populations in the future. The more efficient we are, the more great work we can do with fewer resources.
Finally, we strive to train the next generation of excellent and ethical researchers through workshops and employement. We work to educate people who will continue this work and make informed decisions that will affect birds in the future.
Where We Work
The reach of our station is wide, with research occurring all over California and the Southwestern United States, and into Central and South America. Our main research station is located in the foothills of the Southern Sierra Nevada Mountains, along the South Fork of the wild and beautiful Kern River, near Weldon, CA. We are fortunate to be located in an area of amazing ecological diversity that ranges from high mountains, to scenic riparian corridors, to joshua tree-dominated desert, to the Central Valley wetlands, all within our county. Additionally, we have satellite officies in New Mexico and Southeastern Arizona.
Don’t hesitate to contact us if you are looking for help with a project. We love collaborations!
Your Support Makes All The Difference
We believe in the work that we do, and the positive impact it has on the world around us. We have big plans for the future and your support makes those visions possible. We sincerely thank you for your support and generosity.