California State University, Stanislaus
PRE-2: Points of Distinction

The Endangered Species Recovery Program (ESRP) is a cooperative research program on biodiversity conservation in central California, administered by California State University, Stanislaus. The program was established in August 1992 at the request and, with the support, of the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service and the Bureau of Reclamation, under the direction of Dr. Dan Williams. The ESRP has grown into a cooperative research program working with local, State, and Federal agencies, non-governmental organizations, corporations, and private land owners.

The program is composed of about 18 biologists, students, and support staff, several research associates, and numerous collaborators in government and universities worldwide whose combined expertise and contributions are integral to the recovery of threatened and endangered species in Central California. ESRP biologists are based in Fresno, Turlock, Bakersfield, and the Bay Area.

The Endangered Species Recovery Program's mission is to facilitate endangered species recovery and resolve conservation conflicts through scientifically based recovery planning and implementation. The central elements in the recovery of endangered and threatened species are: identifying the biological processes critical to achieving self-sustaining populations of jeopardized species and their ecosystems; developing sound species recovery and natural community management prescriptions; and identifying the social interests and entities that must be reconciled and work together in implementing recovery strategies. Such a recovery process necessarily implies the integration of all planning and implementation actions within a broadly inclusive public-private partnership to achieve a product that is environmentally sound, economically feasible, and socially equitable.

In addition to producing a significant number of peer-reviewed articles and technical reports (http://esrp.csustan.edu/publications/#paperspresented), the ESRP has received numerous awards and recognition. Zoology Professor, Patrick Kelly, received the 2018 Conservationist of the Year Award from the Western Section of The Wildlife Society. In 2013, Brian Cypher was honored with the Raymond F. Dasmann “Professional of the Year” Award as was Phil Leitner, in 2011 for his work on Stan State’s Mojave ground squirrel project. In 2001, the Conservationist of the Year title was granted to the program for its work on the Riparian Brush Rabbit Recovery Project and in 2001, Dan Williams (ESRP founder and Stan State Professor Emeritus) received the same honor.

Water from the campus irrigation system and storm water run-off from all areas of campus, including surrounding city sidewalks, is captured in the main reflecting pond (holding pond) and campus lakes for re-use. To facilitate optimal use of this recovered water, and to reduce energy usage and greenhouse gas emissions, the central plant cooling towers were converted from the use of the City of Turlock's domestic water supply to this reclaimed water. A new filtration system cleans, sterilizes and softens the reclaimed water for cooling tower use, saving approximately 4 to 5 million gallons of potable drinking water per year. 100% of the cooling tower blow down is then captured and reclaimed for irrigation.

Stanislaus State hosts three annual conferences with a focus on the social dimension of sustainability.

The annual Indigenous Peoples Day holiday celebrations are a series of events that include speakers and communities who come together to learn, share, and revitalize historical and contemporary cultures of Indigenous peoples. The 2019 theme was “Indigenous Sustainability: Protecting Land, Water, Human, and More than Human Kinships.”

In November, the Social Justice Conference features a slate of more than thirty presenters, on six days over three weeks, exploring such diverse topics as human insecurity, forced displacement, environmental and health inequities, the school-to-prison pipeline and the growing decarceration movement.

In April, as a culminating event for Earth Week, the Ethnic Studies Conference creates an intergenerational space with participation of high school youth, college students, faculty, and community members focusing on environmental and cultural sustainability.