S2S partners with Great Basin Bird Observatory for its 2025 EcoRecon Expedition

We’ve added a partner and a project for our 2025 S2SEcoReconExpedition at Great Basin National Park. S2S will be collaborating with the Great Basin Bird Observatory to further Pinyon Jay research. 

The Pinyon Jay population has declined by 80% over the last 50 years. Pinyon jays play a crucial role in the ecosystem as primary seed dispersers for pinyon pine trees, essentially acting as "planters" by caching large quantities of pinyon nuts which they often don't retrieve, allowing the seeds to germinate and regenerate the pinyon pine population; without them, the reproduction of these trees could be significantly impacted, affecting the entire ecosystem that relies on them. 

Pinyon jays have a symbiotic relationship with pinyon pine trees, where the jays depend on the nuts for food and the trees rely on the jays to distribute their seeds. By facilitating pinyon pine regeneration, pinyon jays help maintain the health and structure of pinyon-juniper woodlands, which are important habitats for many other species, including migrating big-game.

This work is critical to better understand the causes of this decline and what management practices could best support their recovery. This August, the S2S team, guided by park officials and scientists from GBBO, will target specific flocks and map their main foraging locations in the park.