Bird Surveys
The Audubon Society conducts annual bird counts, which provide an opportunity for members to contribute to the understanding of the winter distribution of birds across the country. Todd has participated in the Lancaster Christmas Bird Count organized by Nick and Mary Freeman of the Los Angeles Audubon Society and the Tejon Ranch Christmas Bird Count organized by the Tejon Ranch Conservancy.
- December 18, 2004 Lancaster, CA Christmas Bird Count, Piute Ponds
- December 17, 2005 Lancaster, CA Christmas Bird Count, Piute Ponds
- December 16, 2006 Lancaster, CA Christmas Bird Count, Piute Ponds
- December 15, 2007 Lancaster, CA Christmas Bird Count, Piute Ponds
- December 20, 2008 Lancaster, CA Christmas Bird Count, Piute Ponds
- December 18, 2010 Lancaster, CA Christmas Bird Count, Piute Ponds
- December 15, 2012 Lancaster, CA Christmas Bird Count, Piute Ponds
- December 14, 2013 Lancaster, CA Christmas Bird Count, Piute Ponds
- December 20, 2013 Tejon Ranch, CA Christmas Bird Count
- December 20, 2014 Lancaster, CA Christmas Bird Count, Piute Ponds
- December 19, 2015 Lancaster, CA Christmas Bird Count, Piute Ponds
- December 17, 2016 Lancaster, CA Christmas Bird Count, Piute Ponds
- December 26, 2016 Green Valley, CA Christmas Bird Count
- December 16, 2017 Lancaster, CA Christmas Bird Count, Piute Ponds
- December 15, 2018 Lancaster, CA Christmas Bird Count, Piute Ponds
- December 18, 2004 Lancaster, CA Christmas Bird Count, Piute Ponds
- December 17, 2005 Lancaster, CA Christmas Bird Count, Piute Ponds
- December 16, 2006 Lancaster, CA Christmas Bird Count, Piute Ponds
- December 15, 2007 Lancaster, CA Christmas Bird Count, Piute Ponds
- December 20, 2008 Lancaster, CA Christmas Bird Count, Piute Ponds
- December 18, 2010 Lancaster, CA Christmas Bird Count, Piute Ponds
- December 15, 2012 Lancaster, CA Christmas Bird Count, Piute Ponds
- December 14, 2013 Lancaster, CA Christmas Bird Count, Piute Ponds
- December 20, 2013 Tejon Ranch, CA Christmas Bird Count
- December 20, 2014 Lancaster, CA Christmas Bird Count, Piute Ponds
- December 19, 2015 Lancaster, CA Christmas Bird Count, Piute Ponds
- December 17, 2016 Lancaster, CA Christmas Bird Count, Piute Ponds
- December 26, 2016 Green Valley, CA Christmas Bird Count
- December 16, 2017 Lancaster, CA Christmas Bird Count, Piute Ponds
- December 15, 2018 Lancaster, CA Christmas Bird Count, Piute Ponds
Reptile and Amphibian Conservation and Education
Todd Battey has been active in the North American Field Herping Association (NAFHA), which is a nonprofit volunteer organization. Its mission is dedicated to uniting amateur, private and professional herpetologists from Canada, the United States and Mexico toward the common goal of better understanding, conserving and managing native North American reptiles and amphibians. NAFHA was founded in 2006 by professional herpetologist Jeff Lemm of San Diego, California, with input from professional, private and amateur herpetologists from all regions of North America, NAFHA is rapidly becoming a primary source of herpetological information and field assistance for researchers, conservationists, legislators and wildlife management organizations working with North American herp species. More information on NAFHA is available at their website:
http://nafha.org/
Todd Battey provides public access and citizen science field trips to the Tejon Ranch. More specifically, through a highly successful teaming arrangement between NAFHA and the Tejon Ranch Conservancy, he planned and led herp surveys to the Ranch starting in 2009. He has also been involved in the Sierra Club's Nature Knowledge Workshop in the San Bernardino Mountains in 2013 and 2014 as further described below.
Todd Battey's involvement in NAFHA and the Tejon Ranch Conservancy is summarized below.
- 2009: won the data entry contest, was the Education Specialist for the Southern California Chapter of NAFHA, and initiated a long-lasting relationship with the Tejon Ranch Conservancy, described further below
- 2010: was the Conservation Officer for the California Chapter of NAFHA
- 2011: was the Conservation Officer for the California Chapter of NAFHA
- April 5, 2009: first reconnaissance trip to Tejon Ranch with Kent Van Sooy (Southern California NAFHA Chapter President) and Mike White (Conservation Science Director of the Tejon Ranch Conservancy)
- June 21, 2009: led the first open NAFHA field trip to Tejon Ranch
- September 20, 2009: led NAFHA field trip to Tejon Ranch
- March 28, 2010: led NAFHA field trip to Tejon Ranch
- May 15, 2010: organized field trip to Tejon Ranch
- May 22, 2010: led NAFHA field trip to Tejon Ranch
- September 19, 2010: led NAFHA field trip to Tejon Ranch
- April 17, 2011: led NAFHA field trip to Tejon Ranch
- May 15, 2011: led NAFHA field trip to Tejon Ranch, where Tehachapi Slender Salamanders were found at the highest documented elevation
- March 31, 2012: led NAFHA field trip to Tejon Ranch
- April 28, 2012: led NAFHA field trip to Tejon Ranch
- May 6, 2012: led NAFHA field trip to Tejon Ranch, where a Rubber Boa was photographed (1st photo-documentation for this species at Tejon Ranch) and a California Mountain Kingsnake was sighted
- May 15, 2012: Todd's first solo trip to Tejon Ranch
- June 20, 2012: solo trip to the Sierra Pelona region of Tejon Ranch
- April 6, 2013: led NAFHA trip to Tejon Ranch
- April 13, 2013: led mountain kingsnake search team to Blue Ridge and photo-documented for the first time the California Mountain Kingsnake at Tejon Ranch
- May 11, 2013: led NAFHA trip to Tejon Ranch
- July 20, 2013: attended Tejon Ranch Conservancy docent hike to El Paso Creek near Lopez Flats
- April 12, 2014: led NAFHA trip to Sacatara Creek and Blue Ridge at Tejon Ranch
- April 19, 2014: led NAFHA trip to Blue Ridge at Tejon Ranch
- March 28, 2015: led NAFHA trip to north side of Bear Mountain and Deer Trail at Tejon Ranch
- April 19, 2015: led NAFHA trip up Tejon Canyon and down Gato Montez Canyon at Tejon Ranch
- April 25, 2015: led small NAFHA group to Blue Ridge at Tejon Ranch, but aborted mid-trip due to sever storm conditions
- March 19, 2016: led NAFHA trip to north side of Bear Mountain, Comanche Point, and Tejon Canyon at Tejon Ranch
- May 14, 2016: led NAFHA trip to Joshua tree woodland in Antelope Valley, Little Oak Canyon, and Blue Ridge at Tejon Ranch
- March 18, 2017: led NAFHA trip to north side of Bear Mountain and Tejon Canyon at Tejon Ranch
- April 9, 2017: led NAFHA trip to Sacatara Creek and Blue Ridge at Tejon Ranch
- April 22, 2018: led NAFHA trip to Blue Ridge at Tejon Ranch
- May 5, 2018: led NAFHA trip to San Joaquin Valley sites at Tejon Ranch
- May 20, 2018: led NAFHA trip to Comanche Point, then up and over ridge to Tejon Canyon at Tejon Ranch
- March 17, 2019: led NAFHA trip to San Joaquin Valley sites at Tejon Ranch. Found Long-nosed Snakes, not previously documented on any NAFHA trips.
- April 6, 2019: led NAFHA trip up Gato Montez Canyon to the Black Oak outcrop and the Haul Road. Found a record number of Yellow-blotched Ensatina and a couple Tehachapi Slender Salamanders at the highest elevation occurrence of this species.
- April 21, 2019: led NAFHA trip to Blue Ridge. Found another California Mountain Kingsnake, the first after the recent drought. Also found the most western photo-documented Mohave Rattlesnake (by anyone ever) down on the Antelope Valley side of the Ranch.
- May 4, 2019: Mark Buck led NAFHA trip to Blue Ridge, where he and his father, Phil Buck, each found California Mountain Kingsnakes.
The NAFHA - Tejon Ranch Conservancy cooperative project is further summarized here:
http://nafha.org/california-chapter/tejon-ranch-conservancy
He wrote an article for the Tejon Ranch Conservancy ENews newsleter (Spring/Summer 2020 edition) titled Reptile and Amphibian Surveys at Tejon Ranch (click the following link and scroll to the bottom to see the article):
https://spark.adobe.com/page/Bzji2VoGQNUtY/
He provided the following talk at the Escondido Creek Conservancy's Elfin Forest Interpretive Center:
- Rattlesnakes of California on 07/20/17 - PowerPoint presentation for docents and general public
He provided the following reptile education presentation to children ages 6-9 attending the Discovery Day Camp at the Jurupa Mountains Discovery Center in Riverside:
- Rattlesnake Identification and Safety on 07/08/16 - PowerPoint presentation and harmless snake handling opportunity
He has provided wildlife slideshow presentations to the local Antelope Valley groups of the Sierra Club and Audubon Society, including the following:
- Reptiles and Amphibians of southern California
- Birds of Antelope Valley, including February 9, 2015 presentation to the Sierra Club
He provided presentations on the biohazard for field workers in southern California that covered irritant plants, biting venomous animals, stinging invertebrates, disease carrying vectors, in addition to pathogens and other allergens in the following forums:
- Inland [Empire] Geological Society on April 13, 2016 and
- Victorville office of the Lahontan Regional Water Board on May 21, 2019.
He has contributed over 400 photo-vouchered records to the NAFHA Herpetological Education and Research Project (HERP) database (photos for
over 400 records):
http://www.naherp.com/search.php?r_owner=582&r_security=&r_group=&r_genus=&r_species=&r_subspecies=&r_country:
http://www.naherp.com/search.php?r_owner=582&r_security=&r_group=&r_genus=&r_species=&r_subspecies=&r_country=&r_state=&r_county=
Todd Battey participated as a naturalist in the Sierra Club's Nature Knowledge Workshop program at Camp Metoche in the Barton Flats area of the San Bernardino Mountains. This program organized by the Natural Science Section of the Sierra Club Angeles Chapter is a weekend summer camp that provides natural history information about the area to the general public. Todd Battey provided slide show presentations on reptiles and amphibians, as described below, in addition to participating in bird watching walks and forest natural history walks.
- June 7-9, 2013: provided slide show presentations on 1) reptiles and amphibians of southern California and 2) snakes of the San Bernardino Mountains
- June 6-8, 2014: provided slide show presentations on 1) reptiles and amphibians of the San Bernardino Mountains and 2) rattlesnakes of southern California
More information on the Nature Knowledge Workshop can be found here:
http://angeles.sierraclub.org/nss/nkw.html
