Survey for Southern River Terrapin in Sumatra – 2019

In 2019, the Farallon Islands Foundation provided a grant to the Turtle Survival Alliance (TSA) to support a search for the Southern River Terrapin (Batagur affinis) in Sumatra. Once a common river and estuarine turtle of Southeast Asia, the Southern River Terrapin is now one of the world’s top 25 most endangered turtles. In cooperation with the Satucita Foundation, a … Read More

Assessing hurricane impacts to Puerto Rican Birds – 2018

Puerto Rican Tody, a native bird of Puerto Rico. Photo credit: Jose Salguero.

During September 2017, the island of Puerto Rico was impacted by two major hurricanes — Irma (September 7) and Maria (September 20).  These two storms, especially Maria, devastated infrastructure and natural areas throughout the island. FIF’s 2018 grant to the Sociedad Ornitológica Puertorriqueña, Inc. (SOPI) and Vermont Center for Ecostudies (VCE) helped to fund an island-wide bird census to assess the … Read More

Debris monitoring in the Prince William Sound – 2017

Gulf of Alaska Keeper

In the northern Gulf of Alaska, plastic debris accumulates along the coastline, killing marine mammals through entanglement and ingestion, and damaging marine environments through the numerous chemicals compounds that leach from the plastic. Since 2006, the Gulf of Alaska Keeper (GoAK) has worked to combat this problem through marine debris cleanups and public education efforts. In 2007, they began an … Read More

Creating Biodiversity Reserves in the Solomon Islands – 2017

Solomon Flying Fox

The Solomon Islands are a chain of hundreds of forested islands located east of Papua New Guinea in the South Pacific. On the islands of Teanu and Tinakula, rainforests provide habitat for a number of endemic and endangered species. Tinakula, an active volcano, is home to the Santa Cruz Ground Dove (Endangered), the Temotu Flying Fox (Endangered), Palm Lorikeet, Rosewood, … Read More

Preserving Forest Habitat in Sumatra – 2016

On the island of Sumatra, forests are being logged for pulp and paper production, and illegal oil palm plantations. A large surviving block of forest in the vicinity of Bukit Tigapuluh National Park in central Sumatra provides home to a wealth of wildlife, including Sumatran Elephants, Sumatran Orangutans, 30 of the remaining 400 Sumatran Tigers, and many other threatened species … Read More

Norway Brown Rat Control on South Georgia Island – 2012, 2013 and 2014

South Georgia Island. Photo: Roger Scotford

South Georgia Island is a remote and inhospitable island in the southern Atlantic Ocean, located less than 700 miles north of the Antarctic mainland. Large, at nearly 1,500 square miles, the island is mountainous and heavily glaciated. The island’s unique position between the cold Antarctic waters to the south and the warmer waters to the north together contribute to the … Read More

Invasive Rat Control on Henderson Island – 2011, 2014

Visiting North Beach, Henderson Island (Photo: Dave Williamson)

Henderson is the largest island in the Pitcairn group in the South Pacific Ocean, (latitude 24.22 S, longitude 128.19 W). It is home to breeding Henderson Petrels as well as other endemic bird species. Pacific Rats (Rattus exulans) had been killing more than 25,000 petrel chicks a year, threatening the continuing existence of this rare seabird. Fully 99 of all … Read More

Alameda County Breeding Bird Atlas – 2011

Alameda County Breeding Bird Atlas. 2011.

The long-awaited Alameda County Breeding Bird Atlas, in the works since the 1990’s, was produced by volunteers from GGAS and Ohlone Audubon. It includes 173 carefully written species accounts, 30 wonderful illustrations by Hans Peeters, and a detailed vegetation map of the county using the latest data available. Year of grant: 2011 Amount: $3,000 Grantee: Golden Gate Audubon Society

Eradicating invasive rodents on San Ignacio and San Pedro Martir Islands – 2007

Booby on San Pedro Martir Island, Mexico.

Continuing our support of Island Conservation (formerly ICEG), FIF helped fund the eradication of invasive rat species on two of the most important islands for seabirds in Mexico’s Gulf of California. As the scientists at Island Conservation explain, San Pedro Mártir is one of the most important seabird islands in the Gulf of California, but its potential is much greater. … Read More

Scrap and Trash Cleanup on Southeast Farallon Island – 2000

Volunteers at work at cleanup on Farallon Islands (2000)

Increasingly, the Foundation gets involved in projects that involve more than one organization and sometimes several, such as removal of the scrap and trash from the SE Farallon Island. Many people contributed to the accumulation of debris over the years, including egg gatherers, the US Coast Guard, light house keepers and others. But wind, salt, waves and metal erosion soon … Read More