The grant could provide up to $90,000.
The US Geological Survey is offering a funding opportunity to a CESU partner for research on demography and genetics of Mohave ground squirrels in southern California. The Mohave ground squirrel has a restricted range in the Mojave Desert in southern California, and recent studies have shown that the species may be extirpated in the southern portion of the range. Although Mohave ground squirrels are still documented in the northern and central portions of the range, information about annual survival, or an estimate of population size, is currently unknown. This demographic information is important to understand before other research and management strategies for the species, such as a comprehensive monitoring program or a species recovery plan, can be developed. USGS partners have data on trapping of Mohave ground squirrels from the last ~30 years that can be used in a demographic analysis for the species.
