Historical Ecology
Historical Ecology Studies synthesize diverse historical data (maps, photographs, textual accounts, etc.) to enhance understanding of the ecological, hydrological, and geomorphic conditions of a particular region prior to major Euro-American modification. Findings from the studies are compiled into maps and illustrated technical reports describing historical conditions and processes and discussing implications for management and restoration.
Ballona Historical Ecology Project
The primary goal of this project was to identify the characteristics of historical wetland habitat types and describe the historical form of major creeks in the Ballona Creek watershed. Our target time period was 1850-1890, just prior to contemporary impacts but after the migration of the Los Angeles River, which fundamentally altered the hydrology and morphology of the watershed.
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Tijuana Estuary Historical Ecology Project
This project focused on reconstructing the ecological, hydrological, and geomorphic conditions of the Tijuana River valley prior to major European-American landscape modification.
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San Diego Lagoons Historical Ecology Project
The research analyzed the historical landscape conditions for six northern San Diego County estuaries, supplying foundational information at both the regional and system scale about how these estuaries looked and functioned in the recent past as well as how they have changed over time.
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San Gabriel River Historical Ecology Project
The objective of this project was to produce a full set of wetland and riparian habitat maps within the San Gabriel and Lower Los Angeles Rivers and Mountains Conservancy (RMC) territory.
Files
- SGR Geodatabase (.zip)
Project Maps:
- Historical Wetlands Map (.pdf)
- Historical Alignment of the San Gabriel River (.pdf)
- Historical Wetlands of the Tidal Fringe - SGR (.pdf)
Ventura Historical Ecology Project
This project investigated the historical ecological patterns and hydrological dynamics of most of lowland Ventura County. Synthesizing over two centuries of local documents, the project report and accompanying GIS layers provide a detailed, comprehensive, well-documented illustration of landscape conditions in the county prior to substantial Euro-American modification.
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Los Angeles Landscape History
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