Report: Discovering Nature’s Secrets on TNC Preserves in Arizona

TNC preserves are living laboratories for scientists to test theories, conduct pilot projects and learn from effects of management actions. “There are so few places that are largely protected from development and other forms of disturbance,” says Mollohan.

Gita Bodner, a conservation ecologist with TNC Arizona since 2005 and the new report’s author, says, “Healthy preserves and science create a positive feedback loop. The discoveries from science conducted on our preserves helps us better care for them.”

Bodner explains that TNC preserves are often the most biologically rich locations within a region. They come with the assurance that their natural state will be protected in perpetuity, which is essential for long-term research projects. Research is often focused on questions that can help guide land management and restoration.

That was until she met Muleshoe Ranch’s preserve manager at an event. “I asked my question with little hope of a different answer,” says Mollohan, “but he said, ‘I have fireflies in my front yard at the preserve!’” He collected a bug to prove it, and they conducted population surveys the next summer. Mollohan says, “Any time we were near water, we found them everywhere!” Efforts to restore Muleshoe Ranch have resulted in miles of healthy habitat along streams—prime habitat for fireflies.

These learnings have informed and inspired other researchers, including Rachel Laura, deputy executive director for Friends of the Verde River and a doctoral student at the University of Arizona. Like Mollohan, Laura’s firefly research is included in the new report, Powered by Partners: Ecological Research on Nature Conservancy Preserves in Arizona.

According to Bodner, “This report is important because it documents what we’ve learned about many species and habitat types, but also because it helps us identify opportunities to combine data and apply scientific methodologies in novel ways and to encourage the adoption of new conservation approaches in a variety of settings.”

For example, data about seasonal water flow collected by TNC volunteers has helped predict where else fireflies might be found at Muleshoe Ranch. The cameras deployed by Mollohan were modified to take photographs at specific intervals–a successful approach that also created a challenge: hundreds of thousands of photos to review. “A lot of grad students spent a lot of time looking at dark photos,” laughs Mollohan. Now, she is working with colleagues to use machine learning to review and catalogue the images, an approach that is also helping TNC scientists map surface flows in the San Pedro River basin.

For Bodner, the true reward of this work is the power of science to transform curiosity into discovery. “Working in beautiful settings and having windows into the intimate lives of creatures and ecosystems and then sharing what we learn helps us provide a unique source of interest and inspiration to the next generation of scientists, our partners, preserve visitors, volunteers and supporters.”