Press Release

ANZA-BORREGO FOUNDATION AND INSTITUTE
P.O. BOX 2001, BORREGO SPRINGS, CA 92004
(760) 767-4063
FAX (760) 767-0465

PRESS RELEASE - - April 10, 2007
Contact: Deborah Knapp

**For Immediate Release**

The Anza-Borrego Institute Announces the Recipients of its 2007 Scholarship Grant Award Programs

Borrego Springs, CA.
The Anza-Borrego Institute, the education and research arm of the Anza- Borrego Foundation, has awarded its 2007 scholarship grants for conservation research in the Colorado Desert and Peninsular Ranges region in southern California. Jim Dice, the Senior Environmental Scientist for State Park’s Colorado Desert District, and Deborah Knapp, former Manager of the Anza-Borrego Institute, made the announcement of the two recipients on April1, 2007.

C. Matt Guillams, a graduate student at San Diego State University, was awarded the Howie Wier Memorial Grant of $2,000 to study the molecular systematics and phylogeography of the flowering plant Calyptridium (Portulacaeae), a genus of 8 (-11) species. The species native to the southwestern U.S. and parts of Baja California and Sonora, Mexico, Calyptridium parryi, has been classified as four varieties. While studies have quantified differences between the varieties, the relationships between them are not well understood. Using plant material, Mr. Guilliams will extract DNA to obtain sequence data of populations from the four varieties to infer phylogeny, evaluate biogeographic history, trace character evolution, and access species and infraspecies classification of the complex. In addition to shedding light on the evolutionary history of this plant group, the project could be significant in demonstrating the importance of genetic data in delimiting species and infraspecies and lead to a listing for this taxon under the Endangered Species Act.

Samantha Young, a student of life science at University of California, San Diego and intern in the Entomology Department of the San Diego Natural History Museum, is the recipient of the $1,500 Anza-Borrego Institute Entomology Award. Ms. Young will examine the role of cholla cactus (Cylindropuntia) in arthropod diversity. She hypothesizes that species of cholla may act as “keystone” species - structures which maintain diversity and organization within an ecosystem - for arthropod communities within Anza-Borrego Desert State Park habitats. By assessing cholla architectural complexity and arthropod diversity within these communities, she hopes to be able to summarize the role of chollas as keystone structures here. Her study will also provide an inventory list for all invertebrates sampled in the course of the study and valuable data for management and conservation of Anza-Borrego Desert State Park’s invertebrate wildlife.

Harold A. “Howie” Wier (1952-2001) was a native San Diegan and a lifelong naturalist. He worked as a biological consultant and conservation biologist throughout southern California and was active in the California Native Plant Society, a past President of San Diego Audubon, and a long-time member of the Anza- Borrego Foundation. This grant program was established by Anza-Borrego Institute with the help of Mr. Wier’s family, friends, and colleagues as a tribute to his interests and passion for preserving and understanding the remaining wild places of southern California.

The Anza-Borrego Institute Entomology Awards Program assists graduate students with studies in insect ecology including life histories, predator-prey relationships, insect-plant interactions and/or conservation issues. This annual award is made possible by the generous donation of dedicated Anza-Borrego Foundation members.

The Anza-Borrego Foundation & Institute is a non-profit organization supporting land acquisition, education, interpretation and scientific studies in the Anza-Borrego Desert State Park and surrounding region. For further information about the scholarship program or to make a donation to either fund, please contact Sally Theriault, Manager, Anza-Borrego Institute, 760- 767-4063.

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