Leaning up against the rocks, a Bighorn ram stands above Mt. Baldy Village looking southeast toward Mt. Baldy Road. The ram came down the mountainside just before sundown in search of food and water. / photo by Zachary Horton

by Alyssa Cole
photography by Zachary Horton

The road is steep; the canyons on both sides steeper. Riding in a Jeep Commander, I travel down the bumpy Cow Canyon Saddle restricted fire road. At the steering wheel is Chris Brookhart, Mt. Baldy resident and firefighter for the city of Upland plus a volunteer fireman/paramedic in the Mt. Baldy Fire Department. Chris is taking me down the canyon to meet 29-year Mt. Baldy resident Chris Walker, who will unlock the gates to restricted land his family has owned for 50 years; land that encompasses the protected heritage of the imperial Bighorn Sheep. This precious flock has more than just Walker looking out for it; it also has Department of Fish and Game protection. Walker’s land lies adjacent to the protected area–off limits to everyone, save the occasional visit from a biologist whose work is designed to help the sheep avoid extinction. “It’s always a trip to watch them walk across the side of a cliff; they are very smart,” Walker says. The mountain here is full of cliffs and loose rocks. The sheep have a tenuous relationship with this area. On this day, we would not see the elusive animals, but we know they are here. On the five-mile trip up the canyon, Brookhart stopped several times to show where the Bighorn often gather. Where the San Gabriel River meets Mt. Baldy is where the sheep live. In spite of ranches, tractors and people, the sheep are at ease with the residents of Mt. Baldy. They appear most often during evening hours. There is rare interaction between these wild creatures and the mountain’s residents; it is a peaceful co-existence.

Out of sight, not out of mind

It is believed the Bighorn, Ovis Canadensis Nelsoni, migrated from Siberia more than 10,000 years ago. The Bighorns differ from common sheep; they are majestic animals famous for their large horns that give them a sense of status and dominance in the mountains. The horns grow throughout their entire lives, and both rams and ewes have them, though the ram horns are curved and much more prominent. The sheep range through many western areas of North America, but over the years their numbers have dwindled due to various types of habitat complications. “You used to be able to see them off the cliffs on a regular basis,” says Brookhart. Their increased absence raises questions regarding their population numbers for both Mt. Baldy locals and biologists. Disease, predation and habitat have thinned their numbers to the point that the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service lists the Bighorn as being endangered.

Disease, predators and habitat

The Journal of Wildlife Diseases hypothesizes that highly infectious lungworms in Bighorn communities increase stress and decrease fitness, which could threaten the sheep’s survival. But, after several tests, researchers found that, while the lungworm negatively affects the sheep’s respiratory track, it is not always deadly. However, when these lungworms take the life of a ewe, it disrupts reproduction in Bighorn communities, which then contributes to the Bighorn’s population decline. Another influence is a species of infectious flies that lay their eggs around the nasal openings of the Bighorn. When the larvae hatch, they migrate to the lungs and heart, causing a cyst that may shorten the lifespan of the affected sheep.

Mountain and canyon ranges host many predators of the Bighorn. Known for having short legs, a low center of gravity and a thickset build, the Bighorn have used these attributes to dominate their habitat and to survive from predators. “A lot of local mountain lions come up and have either scared them off or consumed them,” Brookhart says. Mountain lions are recognized to be robust thrashing animals, and although the bighorn could put up a good fight, most times the sheep are unable to triumph. If predators are hovering their ranges, the Bighorn may find safer quarters elsewhere. Mountain lions too are a protected species in California and have been off-limits to hunters for the last 20 years by virtue of a successful ballot measure.

Harvey Good, long-time Mt. Baldy resident and University of La Verne professor of biology emeritus, has followed the Bighorn for years. He suggests that a major turning point in their habitat occurred after the Thunder Fires. “In 2003, the Thunder Fires burned from the ski lifts down the canyon along Glendora Ridge Road,” Good says. “It burned a whole watershed that allowed grass and shrubbery to grow. After this disaster, a lot of the Bighorn’s habitat was burned off.” Bighorn Sheep are particular about where they choose to set up herd. They do not like dense growth, but prefer terrain where they can spot predators.

About 20 years ago, The Society for the Conservation of Bighorn Sheep wanted to build up the herd, and hunters supported this initiative. “They were trying to get them established out by Mt. Pinos,” Good says. “The herd had been present there once, and it was wiped out.” The Department of Fish and Game reasoned that since Bighorn have done well in conditions similar to Mt. Pinos, they could do well in that environment. They then herded them into a flock of 25, took blood samples to see how healthy they were and transferred them out near Mt. Pinos. The sheep were placed onto this hunting ground because the department wanted to establish a hunting herd. However, inadequate research into the herd’s new habitat allowed for problems with the relocation. “There were a good amount of mountain lions, and in two to three years the Bighorn were wiped out,” Good says. “I had questioned their motivation. Nevertheless, I wasn’t against them establishing the herd somewhere they were before, and I thought it would be OK, but it turned out to be really sad.”

2012 Bighorn Sheep survey results

Since 2001, annual Bighorn Sheep census surveys have been conducted by biologists and volunteers who hike into various observation locations in the San Gabriel Mountains. Additional biologist eyes take count from a helicopter. Observers found, during the count held March 3 and 4, that due to the winter drought experienced in Southern California, the Bighorn Sheep were perched on higher elevation levels than in previous observations. Nevertheless, much to the excitement of the 125 volunteers who participated, 38 Bighorn Sheep were recorded in locations ranging from Cow Canyon Saddle to Lytle Creek. In addition to ground observation, recordings, which netted an additional 64 sheep, were also taken from a helicopter that spotted sheep at higher elevations. “The population was under 100, and to bring a population back you need more than 100 of that species,” survey leader and fifth-year participant, Esmeralda Bracamonte says. “Now, we believe that they have increased in numbers because after fires you start seeing the fresh soot.” When soot interacts with soil, it nourishes plant growth. This is why Bracamonte believes the Bighorns had nice, fresh grub when they returned to the lower feeding grounds.

“An accurate population estimate cannot be calculated for 2012 because many animals were located outside standardized winter range survey polygons, at elevations characteristic of spring and summer range,” writes Jeff Villepique, environmental scientist of the California Department of Fish and Game, in his April 10, 2012, final report. In the report, he says, “There is no reason to suspect that the sheep population is weakening. Data suggest that the population is continuing to grow from the 418 sheep estimated in the 2011 survey. Survival of collared animals was very good over the past year, and the limited sample of Bighorn Sheep from this year’s survey indicate a lamb to ewe ratio of greater than 0.5, a number conducive to continued growth.” For biologists, this is great news. A lack of successful reproduction is a problem for this herd. “The ewes weren’t reproducing successfully as they once did; they were diminishing,” Bracamonte says.

The Bighorn’s population improvements suggest they are likely to continue slowly re-populating the Mt. Baldy area. With the Bighorn Sheep having a fair chance of recovering, residents of the San Gabriel Mountains may yet have the pleasure of walking out on their front porches to greet their majestic neighbors.

A Bighorn stands sentry for two other sheep. The small herd climbed down the mountainside April 9, 2012, near the Mt. Baldy Village to graze the little green grass available. Locally known as Nelson Big Horned Sheep, the scientifically named Ovis Canadensis Nelsoni found at Mt Baldy have no problem climbing the steep rock-strewn mountain sides. / photo by Zachary Horton

“Shear” diligence

In his gray Toyota Tundra, La Verne Magazine photographer Zachary Horton persistently traveled up Mt. Baldy Road seven different times in his efforts to capture an image of the reclusive Bighorn Sheep. He walked long distances alone and waited hours in the cold for a chance to photograph the sheep. Zachary’s determination and commitment finally brought the Bighorn into his sight. On his seventh attempt, he spotted three Bighorn rams gliding on the cliff side. “When I first saw them, I thought that my mind was just playing tricks on me,” Zachary says. “I had been to the same spot time after time with no results.” He shot the pictures of the sheep above Mt. Baldy Village directly across the road from the Mt. Baldy Trout Ponds. There was a small rest area where he parked.

Statuesque and robust, the rams posed patiently as Horton framed them in his Nikon D7000 viewfinder and captured them digitally. It was as if they knew he had been looking for them. Horton was able to shoot for a full hour before the chance encounter ended. “It was a surreal feeling, I had finally gotten the opportunity to get fantastic wildlife photos that aren’t easy to get,” he says. He used a Nikkor 80-200 f/2.8 AF-S lens, with a Nikon 1.7X teleconverter. “Since my camera is a 1.5X cropped sensor, I was able to achieve a maximum focal length of 510. That is a true testament to how far away the sheep are. They were on the hillside several hundred feet away.”

To get a sense of what Zachary felt, one might visit Mt. Baldy right before sunrise or during sunset. When it is cool, Bighorns will travel down for food and water. Check in at the Mt. Baldy Visitor Center and ask where a likely sighting might take place. Be sure to stay hydrated, bring binoculars, use safe trails and, most importantly, bring a good attitude. Zachary Horton can testify that consistence and persistence wins out.

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A Western Fence lizard behaves like a pet in the hands of Jeff Burkhart, professor and Fletcher Jones chair of biology at the University of La Verne. The lizard is female due to its lack of two large scales on its underside and the blue markings on both its underside and backside. / photo by Katherine Careaga

by Sarah Sleeger
photography by Katherine Careaga­

Three distinct snakes reside in terrariums on the third floor of the University of La Verne Mainiero Building: an albino Burmese Python, a Boa Constrictor and a California King. Students crowd around the professor holding the eight foot long, bright yellow python, reaching out for a quick touch. They are clearly fascinated with the slithery creature. But the professor holding the animal seems to transcend fascination. There is a bond between him and the snake. “If you’ve worked with them, you develop kind of a sixth sense in what you can do,” says Jeff Burkhart, Fletcher Jones Professor of Biology at the University of La Verne.

By age 8, Jeff Burkhart already knew he had a passion for biology, nature and, more specifically, reptiles. Defining moments of his life are on display in a picture cube on his faculty office desk. First, a dated black and white photograph shows him with a snake in both hands. “I fell in love with reptiles and amphibians very early,” he says. Following his parents’ divorce, 4-year-old Jeff and his sister moved in with their grandparents. His grandfather, says Jeff, was a gruff German man who considered hard work to be important, but was a great naturalist. His grandfather’s picture is in the cube, too, his wrinkled face peering out into the present. It is clear he had an impact on Jeff’s life. “He gave me jobs; my jobs were to make sure the fruit eating birds didn’t eat the fruit.” Jeff tells how his grandfather would use a gun to chase the birds away. “I had to know what every bird ate,” Jeff says. His grandfather’s overreaction bothered him, yet he marks this as one of the defining moments that began his life as a biologist. “I spent my youth hiking in rural Chatsworth, so I would come home from school and climb up into the foothills.” This is when he truly discovered his love for reptiles and amphibians. “I was kind of a nerdy kid,” Jeff now laughs. As a young boy, he was very active in boy scouts, hunting and fishing. His original goal was to become a fish and game ranger.

Jeff Burkhart caught this Western Fence lizard on the south side of the University Sports Science Athletic Pavilion in the middle of an early spring day. Lizards are cold-blooded and emerge when the weather warms up. They will not appear in cold weather or extremely hot weather. / photo by Katherine Careaga

For Jeff, nature is what makes the world go round. He received his undergraduate degree in insect and marine biology at Humboldt State University. There, a mentor encouraged him to go to graduate school to continue his study of biology. “He said you need to go to graduate school; you can do more,” Jeff recalls. After two months of traveling with his mentor researching insects, he received a National Science Foundation fellowship and earned a Ph.D. in insect ecology from Arizona State University. Nevertheless, he says, “I always retained that love for reptiles and amphibians; it was always in my mind.” He launched into teaching at St. Mary of the Plains College in Kansas. For 10 years, he taught a multitude of biology courses, plus, he began leading field courses in tropical biology where his students accompanied him on trips to tropical regions. Things were good for Jeff, but not for St. Mary of the Plains. Just a year shy of the school’s unfortunate closing due to financial struggles, he jumped to Phillips University in Oklahoma, where he taught biological sciences for 12 years, until shortly before that school closed as well. While the institutions that gave him these awards may not have lasted, the honors he garnered endure: “University Science Teacher of the Year” in 1992, from Oklahoma, which he believes may have helped land him the job at the University of La Verne in 1999 as an endowed professor. “This is the best school and the best colleagues,” Jeff says about La Verne. From 2004 to 2010, he held the Biology Department chair position. He continues to hold faculty rank as Fletcher Jones professor of biology, a title given to only two professors at the University of La Verne from the Fletcher Jones Foundation. While his La Verne focus is tropical biology, he also fuels his passion for herpetology, the study of reptiles and amphibians. Jeff leads courses at Joshua Tree National Park through the National Park’s educational program. He also plans to start a complete biological survey of the San Gabriel Mountains since one has not been undertaken for the past 40 years.

Lizards as friends and foes

Jeff’s biological research sometimes becomes personal. About 15 years ago, he was hospitalized with salmonella poisoning from a student research project on lizards. To catch the small reptiles, Jeff uses a technique taught to him at age 8 by his grandfather. Using a wild oats sheath, he ties a slipknot noose at the end and slides it over the lizard’s head. He says this in no way hurts the reptile, but enables it to be easily caught. What landed him in the hospital is what he did next. Since it takes two hands to hold open the cloth bag after catching a lizard and another hand to hold the lizard, he began putting the lizards in his mouth to hold them for the bag transfer. It takes someone with devotion and courage toward reptiles to be able to accomplish this task without having a minor freak out. “When I was in the hospital—I was in the hospital for two days—the doctor came in and said, ‘You have a weird kind of salmonella that’s only found in reptiles. Do you have any idea how you could have gotten it?’” Jeff knew the answer to that question. This led to his next research project: finding out which species of lizards in the San Gabriel Mountains carry salmonella. “We discovered some species don’t carry salmonella at all—at least it couldn’t be detected—and others carry salmonella,” Jeff says. His student research group studied four species of lizards: the Western Fence, the Side-Blotched, the Southern Sagebrush and the Granite Spiny. It was discovered that two native lizards tested positive for salmonella: the Western Fence and the Granite Spiny. The Side-Blotched and the Southern Sagebrush tested negative.

Two summers ago, the biologist began working on research related to lizards and Lyme disease. At first, Jeff and his student team wanted to discover whether the blacklegged ticks that carry the Lyme bacteria were prominent on the Western Fence lizard. “We wanted to look at the distribution of ticks on this one kind of lizard,” Jeff says. This research led to the linkage between the lizard and Lyme disease. People live in fear of Lyme disease in parts of the United States, and carrier ticks need to be considered when doing outdoor activities. It is believed that at least half of the ticks on the East Coast host the disease, caused by the bacteria “Borella Burgdorferi,” which is carried by the blacklegged tick, also found in California. Yet, on the West Coast, Lyme disease is rarely a topic of conversation, which Jeff found, is thanks in large part to the Western Fence lizard. This lizard friend is the subject of his current research. The biologist and his students captured 75 lizards throughout the San Gabriel Mountains and removed the mites and ticks from their mite pockets, located behind the lizards’ ears. It was discovered that more of these tiny creatures were latched to male lizards than the females. This pocket is where the tiny creatures set up camp, possibly for months at a time. Jeff’s research suggests that the Western Fence lizard has a specific protein in its blood that sterilizes the Lyme disease bacteria in the tick. This protein essentially saves the West Coast from a disease that can cause lifelong health issues. His research continues in this area that may promote new scientific ways to curb Lyme disease.

Blacklegged ticks that carry Lyme disease are placed in a petri dish with a dime beneath them to give their size a sense of scale. These ticks measure less than one millimeter long, but the bacteria they carry have the capacity to cause serious health problems. / photo by Katherine Careaga

Slithering snakes

Jeff’s favorite reptile is the snake, and he has been handling them since he was young. “I caught my first rattlesnake when I was 12 years old,” he says. Following his stint at Oklahoma, he took on a teaching job at Paradise Valley Community College in Phoenix, Ariz. There, he became part of a team that retrieved rattlesnakes from people’s yards. He collected dozens and dozens of these snakes. Although he is comfortable with them, he doesn’t capture venomous snakes more than he has to. He remembers a phone call he received last year from George Keeler, professor of journalism. George had found a rattlesnake in his yard. “I said, ‘Well, I will come by and get it for you and move it somewhere else.’ The whole family was standing out there watching me do it.” He uses a snake hook to catch them and then securely places them into a cloth bag. “I’ve handled hundreds of rattlesnakes and came close to being bitten one time.”

Jeff found himself in a bit of struggle in the past with, luckily, a nonvenomous snake. In Kansas, the school had a nine-foot reticulated python housed inside an old glass phone booth that was kind of a pet. To keep the snake happy and fed well, it was fed chickens. “I would have to take a long pair of forceps and hold the chicken in the cage, and he would strike it. I would always do it so he could not see my hand behind the tree limb [in the cage]. One time he knocked the chicken off the forceps, and I reached down to grab it. The snake then saw my hand and grabbed me. I got him out of the cage onto the floor, trying to pry his head off [my hand], and he got a coil around me—he wrapped around me. He had me pinned where I couldn’t move my arms.” Fortunately, just then two students walked into the lab and saw the desperate struggle on the floor. They were able to grab a metal bar and pry the snake off. Jeff says this scary incident did not deter his dedication to working with snakes. Case in point: He is the only one who regularly handles the three snakes that live in the La Verne Mainiero Building.

Teaching philosophy

Jeff is known as a student-centered teacher. Students pass him in the hallways, calling out “Hey Dr. B!” He says this is a nickname nearly every student calls him. “What I really try and do is get students excited about the subject, and I have great concerns about the fact that most of the world’s ecosystems are in a state of decline. My biggest concern is that this doesn’t seem to matter to a lot of people. It’s hard to value something if you’ve never been exposed to it.” To correct this, he frequently leads January Interterm trips to the tropics. Locations visited include Belize, Ecuador, the Galapagos Islands, Kenya and Costa Rica. There, he introduces students to the beauty and diversity of life and starts an educational ripple effect. Their new found passion is shared with others to enhance understanding toward the threats facing these ecosystems. “We won’t protect anything unless people feel there is a reason to protect it,” Jeff says. “We are the only animal that has the ability to protect it or to destroy it.”

Jeff Burkhart displays the Western Fence lizard’s mite pockets, located behind its ears. In the mite pockets, blacklegged ticks catch a free ride and feed on the lizard’s blood. Burkhart’s continuing research suggests that the blood of these lizards sterilizes the Lyme disease causing bacteria carried by these ticks. / photo by Katherine Careaga

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Botanical Gardens volunteers Michael and Susan Gregory. / photo by Leah Heagy

by Dustin Smith
photography by Leah Heagy

Tucked behind the Claremont School of Theology, there is a piece of California history that has been growing for many years: the Rancho Santa Ana Botanical Gardens. Much different from other gardens, this garden consists of a diverse display of California native plants that are expert survivors of the California sun. Not only does the garden offer breathtaking views, it also offers education about California native plants.

The garden is quiet and calming, which enables visitors to hear the chatter of birds in the trees and the scurrying of squirrels running through the bush. This environment quickly allows one to forget that a Los Angeles suburb surrounds the gardens.

“Now is a good time to visit the gardens,” says Michael Gregory, a volunteer at the gardens. “I like to go there with my wife. We go there and walk quite often. Also, a lot of photographers and painters go there in the spring to capture the colors in the springtime blooms.” During his time as an elementary school teacher, he brought his students to enjoy the beauty of the garden.

What is different about these plants at the gardens is that they are native California plants, which require much less water and are used less frequently as houseplants. The plants can be purchased at the gardens store, and are promoted at the garden’s annual fall and spring sales.

“The sale in fall is huge,” says Gregory, who began volunteering at the garden three years ago. After taking an eight-week orientation class to become a nature interpreter, he began volunteering as a tour guide for primary school children.

At the fall sale, many commercial buyers and landscapers make large purchases, since the winter season is a popular time to plant for flowers to bloom in spring. The spring sale is about as a third as successful, since many people do not plant during the upcoming summer season. Many people worry about the longevity of their plants, not knowing that many California native plants can take the heat of the summer sun and require less water than most plants.

“We waste so much water, and it is a growing concern,” says Robert Neher, professor of biology at the University of La Verne. Neher, concerned about the environment and the conservation of water, has taken an extra step to protect the environment. He created his own California native garden at his house. He has replaced his front yard with California native plants that require much less water to keep growing.

“I plant things I don’t have to water, which saves water,” says Neher.

The strong push for water conservation has given the garden a promotional boost, since the public has recently become more interested in conserving water. According to Gregory, more people are calling and visiting the garden in search of more information about drought-tolerant plants.

Brooke Gray, a senior biology major at the University of La Verne, had originally heard of the gardens at an Earth Day fair at ULV.

“I wanted to know more about it, but I didn’t know where it was,” says Gray. “I was excited when Neher said we were going to the gardens as part of our environmental lab.”

“The gardens are a microcosm of what California was and what it should be,” says Gray. “Californians plant too many plants that require too much water. It also serves as a testament to the fact that all lands, no matter how barren, will produce life that is attractive and appealing.”

The gardens are making a push for awareness, with more advertising and through articles in local newspapers. Also, the gardens offer information on when to plant different species of plants. At the gardens, visitors can buy plants that are pleasing to look at, such as bush poppies and lupine plants that display a bright blue color.

For more information about the Rancho Santa Ana Botanical Gardens, visit www.rsabg.org. Admission is free to the public. However, donations are welcome. Hours of operation are 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. The gardens are located at 1500 North College Ave., Claremont, Calif., 91711-3157, (909) 625-8767.

Flowers fill the landscape in springtime at the Rancho Santa Ana Botanical Gardens. / photo by Leah Heagy

Coast iris / photo by Leah Heagy

Hedgehog cactus / photo by Leah Heagy

California poppy / photo by Leah Heagy

Matilija poppy / photo by Leah Heagy

Lupine in bloom / photo by Leah Heagy

photo by Leah Heagy

photo by Leah Heagy

photo by Leah Heagy

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