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Zoo InternQuest is a seven-week career exploration program for San Diego County high school juniors and seniors. Students have the unique opportunity to meet professionals working for the San Diego Zoo, Safari Park, and Institute for Conservation Research, learn about their jobs, and then blog about their experience online. Follow their adventures here on the Zoo’s website!
“If you look out over those mountains, you can almost pretend that there are no houses,” Ryan Fitch said to me. I gazed at the green, rocky hills in the distance spotted with houses and cut with roads and squinted my eyes. I could almost pretend that the mountain was untouched and that nature was thriving, but with the din of the I-15 freeway behind me, it was impossible.
Ryan Fitch is a Research Associate at the Institute for Conservation Research specializing in plant conservation. Mr. Fitch was born and raised in San Diego and is proud to live in one of the most biodiverse regions in the nation. With 1500-3000 different plant species in the county alone, our home is a biological hotspot. San Diego encompasses many different ecosystems including chaparral, cactus, and coastal sage scrub. However, San Diego’s diverse habitats are being destroyed to clear the land for housing developments, causing our native species, both plants and animals, to dwindle in size.
However, Mr. Fitch refuses to stand by idly as habitats are destroyed and is taking action to save our native species. He is part of a project that is growing prickly pear cactus to save a native bird species- the coastal cactus wren. The native songbird has a distinctive white eyebrow and a checkered chest. They used to nest in the prickly pear cactus that grew wild all over San Diego County before the habitat was destroyed for development. The cactus wren nests in spiny cacti to stay safe from ground predators like coyotes and aerial predators including hawks. Since 1990, the bird population has declined by 80 percent and is at a high risk of being listed as endangered if action isn’t taken soon. Luckily, we have Mr. Fitch and the rest of his team at the Institute to help.
Mr. Fitch spends time every week at Big Trees Nursery near Lake Hodges tending to young prickly pear cactus. He plants cactus pads in reusable pots and sets them out in the sun to fully mature. When the cacti outgrow the pots, Mr. Fitch and his partners relocate the plants to secluded areas to create habitat for the coastal cactus wren. He makes sure to plant the cactus away from any threats that the birds may face, like highways or large trees where hawks could be lurking.
Mr. Fitch is working to prevent further damage to our native plant and animal species, but wouldn’t it be great if he didn’t have to? With the human population expanding, the encroachment on species’ habitats is inevitable, but we can make daily actions that lessen our impact. Mr. Fitch loathes single-use plastic water bottles and encourages everyone to use a reusable, non-plastic bottle. Humans should always clean up after themselves and avoid leaving trash behind.
While I helped him move potted cactus pads out into the sun, Mr. Fitch shared some of his insight on housing developments. I was surprised to learn that he had once been a civil engineer who designed fancy houses prior to his current job. His career choices seemed contradictory, and I wondered what could have changed his mindset. Mr. Fitch told me that he wasn’t completely against development as I had guessed he would be. He recognized that more housing is necessary for our growing population, but he told me that he believes we should leave wild places untouched. In an effort to have the nicest and most secluded house, humans destroy habitat that should have been left in place. If we concentrated housing in small areas, we could avoid decimating our native plant and animal species.
I had a great time chatting with Mr. Fitch about San Diego’s unique biodiversity and planting cactus pads. I am proud to say that I took action and played a part in recovering the coastal cactus wren’s population, and you can too! You can volunteer to help Mr. Fitch and the rest of the Plant Conservation team by visiting: http://institute.sandiegozoo.org/plant-conservation. Though I suffered a few cactus puncture wounds, I would no doubt return to help Mr. Fitch’s efforts to save our native species.
Jillian, Conservation Team
Winter Session 2017
“If you look out over those mountains, you can almost pretend that there are no houses,” Ryan Fitch said to me. I gazed at the green, rocky hills in the distance spotted with houses and cut with roads and squinted my eyes. I could almost pretend that the mountain was untouched and that nature was thriving, but with the din of the I-15 freeway behind me, it was impossible.
Ryan Fitch is a Research Associate at the Institute for Conservation Research specializing in plant conservation. Mr. Fitch was born and raised in San Diego and is proud to live in one of the most biodiverse regions in the nation. With 1500-3000 different plant species in the county alone, our home is a biological hotspot. San Diego encompasses many different ecosystems including chaparral, cactus, and coastal sage scrub. However, San Diego’s diverse habitats are being destroyed to clear the land for housing developments, causing our native species, both plants and animals, to dwindle in size.
However, Mr. Fitch refuses to stand by idly as habitats are destroyed and is taking action to save our native species. He is part of a project that is growing prickly pear cactus to save a native bird species- the coastal cactus wren. The native songbird has a distinctive white eyebrow and a checkered chest. They used to nest in the prickly pear cactus that grew wild all over San Diego County before the habitat was destroyed for development. The cactus wren nests in spiny cacti to stay safe from ground predators like coyotes and aerial predators including hawks. Since 1990, the bird population has declined by 80 percent and is at a high risk of being listed as endangered if action isn’t taken soon. Luckily, we have Mr. Fitch and the rest of his team at the Institute to help.
Mr. Fitch spends time every week at Big Trees Nursery near Lake Hodges tending to young prickly pear cactus. He plants cactus pads in reusable pots and sets them out in the sun to fully mature. When the cacti outgrow the pots, Mr. Fitch and his partners relocate the plants to secluded areas to create habitat for the coastal cactus wren. He makes sure to plant the cactus away from any threats that the birds may face, like highways or large trees where hawks could be lurking.
Mr. Fitch is working to prevent further damage to our native plant and animal species, but wouldn’t it be great if he didn’t have to? With the human population expanding, the encroachment on species’ habitats is inevitable, but we can make daily actions that lessen our impact. Mr. Fitch loathes single-use plastic water bottles and encourages everyone to use a reusable, non-plastic bottle. Humans should always clean up after themselves and avoid leaving trash behind.
While I helped him move potted cactus pads out into the sun, Mr. Fitch shared some of his insight on housing developments. I was surprised to learn that he had once been a civil engineer who designed fancy houses prior to his current job. His career choices seemed contradictory, and I wondered what could have changed his mindset. Mr. Fitch told me that he wasn’t completely against development as I had guessed he would be. He recognized that more housing is necessary for our growing population, but he told me that he believes we should leave wild places untouched. In an effort to have the nicest and most secluded house, humans destroy habitat that should have been left in place. If we concentrated housing in small areas, we could avoid decimating our native plant and animal species.
I had a great time chatting with Mr. Fitch about San Diego’s unique biodiversity and planting cactus pads. I am proud to say that I took action and played a part in recovering the coastal cactus wren’s population, and you can too! You can volunteer to help Mr. Fitch and the rest of the Plant Conservation team by visiting: http://institute.sandiegozoo.org/plant-conservation. Though I suffered a few cactus puncture wounds, I would no doubt return to help Mr. Fitch’s efforts to save our native species.
Jillian, Conservation Team
Winter Session 2017
