Tricolored Blackbird Survey
Edwards Air Force Base, California

Edwards Air Force Base is one of the major test facilities for NASA and the US Space Command.  It encompasses a quarter-million acres in the northern Mojave Desert, including a four-acre pond that is the only breeding site in hundreds of miles for the endangered tricolored blackbird.  AERC was selected to review the area and activities on base to determine their effect on the tricolored blackbirds, through the collection and analysis of data from 2014 to the present.  Our results to date are focused on high-resolution assessment of water quality and surveys of recreational use, habitat, and vegetation. The results will inform a vegetation management plan to help maintain this valuable breeding habitat and provide recreational access.