Irvine Ranch Natural Landmarks

Irvine Ranch Conservancy is proud to host this Zoom presentation at which UCI MCRS (Masters in Conservation and Restoration Science) Graduate Students will present their findings on the effects of the recent Silverado Fire on restored vs. unrestored Coastal Sage Scrub communities. The study was on how restored CSS communities recovered compared to unrestored degraded and intact areas post-fire, whether physiological traits influence post-fire cover of CSS species, and how restored grassland changed over time in relation to temperature, precipitation, and fire.

Their study was done in collaboration with Irvine Ranch Conservancy and aimed at understanding the vegetation dynamics in IRC restoration sites (Bee Flat in Limestone Canyon) following fire.

The presentation will be made by:

Rubeen Khunkhun- Rubeen earned her B.S. in Environmental Resource Management with concentrations in Occupational Safety and Health (OSHA) & Forestry from CSU Bakersfield. During her undergraduate studies, Rubeen worked with the U.S. Department of Agriculture through the Natural Resource Conservation Service to implement sustainable cultivation practices with a local farmer.

Michelle dela Cruz- Michelle dela Cruz is a graduating student in the UCI Master’s in Conservation in and Restoration Science program who excels at data management and visualization. She is also a communications and marketing assistant at the Southern California Coastal Water Research Project, where she manages publication data and creates infographic data visualizations.

Jessica Rath- Jessica Rath is a Los Angeles-based artist and educator who is originally from an organic cattle farm in the southern Missouri Ozarks. Restoration projects on family land inspired her entry in the Masters in Conservation and Restoration Science program at UCI in 2020. Over the past ten years she has created art/science collaborations with animal behaviorists and plant physiologists. Her focus during the MCRS program has been post-fire resiliency and fire severity research in coastal sage scrub plant communities.She works as a Professor at ArtCenter College of Design and holds a B.A. in Sociology (University of Missouri-Columbia) and a M.F.A. in Fine Art (California Institute of the Arts).

BryAnna Wertz- BryAnna received her undergraduate degree from Whittier College where she majored in Biology, Environmental Science, and Environmental Studies. While at Whittier she had the opportunity to conduct research in South Africa and Hong Kong on invasive plant species and their impact on local ecosystems. After graduation she began working for Southern California Edison in their vegetation management department. Her main interests are in ecology, plant physiology, and conservation. After graduating from the MCRS program, she will be pursuing her PhD in plant biology at University of California, Riverside.

There will be a Q&A period after the presentation.

Please register on this website.  A Zoom link/webinar invite will be included in the confirmation email you will receive when you register.

Thank you for your support and interest in the Irvine Ranch Natural Landmarks.