About
20
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Introduction
Janel Ortiz is an Assistant Professor at California State Polytechnic University-Pomona in the Center for Excellence in Mathematics and Science Teaching and teaches within the Biological Sciences department. Janel conducts research in animal behavior, wildlife and habitat relationships, K-12 ecology education, and higher education. She is currently establishing a research program on urban wildlife ecology and conservation education in Los Angeles County.
Current institution
Additional affiliations
August 2018 - July 2020
Education
September 2014 - May 2018
August 2012 - June 2014
September 2005 - June 2009
Publications
Publications (20)
The Normalized Difference Vegetation Index (NDVI) is a measurement of landscape “greenness” and is used as a proxy for productivity to assess species distributions and habitats. Seasonal levels of productivity have been strongly related to avian population dynamics, suggesting dependence upon biomass production for completing annual life cycle even...
Master's thesis research studying the relationship between urban wildlife species richness, urban greenspace metrics, and socioeconomic variables in San Gabriel Valley, CA.
Most current research of my thesis project examining greenspace metrics and socioeconomic variables in urban areas and which ones influence species richness.
Large ranches in South Texas, such as the ranches owned by the East Foundation,
help preserve large continuous tracts of land, but few long-term non-game bird studies exist from the region. To address this gap, non-breeding and breeding bird surveys were conducted on East Foundation properties in South Texas annually from 2010 to 2020 to document...
Citizen science has become a valuable tool for natural resource professionals; however, many undergraduate students are not aware of its use as a means of collecting data for scientific analysis. To address this, we introduced a bird-focused research experience into an undergraduate Wildlife Management Techniques course. The objective of this cours...
Competition from invasive species is an increasing threat to biodiversity. In Southern California, the western gray squirrel (Sciurus griseus, WGS) is facing competition from the fox squirrel (Sciurus niger, FS), an invasive congener.
We used spectral methods to analyze 140 consecutive monthly censuses of WGS and FS within a 11.3 ha section of the...
1. Competition from invasive species is an increasing threat to biodiversity. In Southern California, the western gray squirrel (Sciurus griseus, WGS) is facing increasing competition from the fox squirrel (Sciurus niger, FS), an invasive congener. 2. We used spectral methods to analyze 140 consecutive monthly censuses of WGS and FS within a 11.3 h...
1. Competition from invasive species is an increasing threat to biodiversity. In Southern California, the western gray squirrel (Sciurus griseus, WGS) is facing increasing competition from the fox squirrel (Sciurus niger, FS), an invasive congener. 2. We used spectral methods to analyze 140 consecutive monthly censuses of WGS and FS within a 11.3 h...
Bewick's Wren (Thryomanes bewickii), Yellow-billed Cuckoo (Coccyzus americanus), Golden-fronted Woodpecker (Melanerpes aurifrons), Ladder-backed Woodpecker (Picoides scalaris), White-eyed Vireo (Vireo griseus), and Verdin (Auriparus flaviceps) are all residents of the South Texas landscape. While the species are unique in appearance, they share the...
The native western gray squirrel (Sciurus griseus) and introduced fox squirrel (Sciurus niger) can be found occupying various locales in southern California (USA) either coexisting or living separately. Since the introduction of the fox squirrel in 1904, there have been local extinctions of gray squirrels in parks and natural areas in urban and sub...
We incorporated a course‐based undergraduate research experience (CURE) into a Wildlife Management Techniques course to improve student skills and confidence in bird identification and research, study design, and scientific writing. The course objective was to provide hands‐on experiences for students and give them exposure to field methods used in...
The lack of environmental education in many primary and secondary school systems is likely due to overloaded school curricula, lack of funds, large classroom sizes, and other contributing factors. Through the integration of hands-on activities following the training of teachers, we can improve the impact of environmental education. Our goals in thi...
Lack of positive outdoor experiences may lead a child to grow up perceiving that the natural world has little importance in our modern technology-based society; thus, they might not appreciate local wildlife or be interested in natural resource careers. To address this issue, we initiated a Student-Teacher-Scientist-Partnership (STSP) to enhance th...
Diminishing grasslands has left our society with critical habitat loss. Conservation education aims to alleviate disconnect to our land by providing experiences that allow people to gain knowledge, skills, positive attitudes, and awareness to address environmental issues. In this presentation, we will discuss how private landowners, natural resourc...
The Eastern Fox Squirrel (Sciurus niger) has been introduced to many areas within California. Over time, the fox squirrel has expanded its geographic range and has displaced the native Western Gray Squirrel (Sciurus griseus) in many urban/suburban habitats. Reasons for displacement could be similarities in habitat, space, and/or resource use by eac...
