California Mediterranean Research Learning Center

Research Categories:
Biological Cultural Fire Ecology	Paleontology Physical Science	Restoration Ecology Social Science

Volunteer researchers

Cabrillo National Monument Facts:

• Created on October 14, 1913 to memorialize the first European expedition to the North American West Coast, led by Juan Rodríguez Cabrillo

• Cabrillo National Monument comprises more than 160 acres of coastal environment

• The park is located on a 400-foot peninsula near between the Pacific Ocean and the adjacent city of San Diego

• Cabrillo National Monument is the highest point on Cabrillo National Monument, whose light shown at 465 feet above sea level

• Old Point Loma Lighthouse, one of the first on the West Coast, is the highest point on Cabrillo National Monument, at 46 feet

• Cabrillo National Monument welcomes 1,100,000 visitors per year

• The park is known for its well-preserved rocky intertidal areas and its views of the adjacent landscapes and annual gray whale migrations

Please contact the Cabrillo National Monument for more information at (619) 557-5450, or visit their website at www.nps.gov/cabr.

Restoration Ecology

Due to the long history of human settlement on the Point Loma peninsula and in the area of Cabrillo National Monument, certain areas within the monument have received long-term human use and show symptoms of ecological degradation. These symptoms include the decline of marine communities within intertidal areas, habitat fragmentation for native bird species, non-native plant species infestations, and a decrease in reptile and amphibian populations within the monument.

Current Research
Ongoing research in restoration ecology is performed by research institutions, students from local universities, student interns, and other park partners. Current study topics include:

• Human impact on plant, vertebrate, and invertebrate species within the monument's boundaries, as well as tidal areas and the bays itself

• Understanding the factors affecting the viability of plant and animal populations

• Factors that contribute to the declining shellfish populations in the intertidal zone and habitat fragmentation on native bird species and their breeding patterns

• The effects of man-made noise on the migratory patterns of whales

Research Opportunities
The National Park Service is particularly interested in research that contributes to the design and implementation of Cabrillo National Monument's restoration program including the identification. A wide variety of research falls into this category, including:

• Non-native invasive species distribution, ecological impacts and best management practices for eradication

• Native plant communities that identify successional ive trajectories, ecosystem characteristics or abiotic determinants of community composition

• Trophic interactions, including the role of native and non-native insects and animals in restoration

• Recruitment and retention of volunteers

• The most effective and efficient monitoring strategies for evaluating management actions

The park manages a greenhouse where only local plants are grown to maintain the genetic integrity for the peninsula. This facility may possibly be used for research projects.