Sandy DeSimone

Plants and birds are a passion for Sandy DeSimone, who did her doctoral research on coastal sage scrub, a globally endangered shrubland. After receiving her Ph.D. in 1997, she took on the role of Director of Research, Education, and Land Management at 4000-acre Audubon Starr Ranch Sanctuary in southeast Orange County, where she and husband, Starr Ranch Manager Peter DeSimone, live in one of the historic buildings on the Ranch. Sandy’s programs, both land management and education, are research-based.

In 1997 Sandy initiated a series of experiments to test nonchemical methods for controlling the highest priority upland weed on Starr Ranch, artichoke thistle. Seasonal staff, recent college grads, are the heart of land management and do the hard work of nonchemical weed control, vegetation and bird monitoring, and education programs. After several years of research on biology and nonchemical control of artichoke thistle, the Starr Ranch field crew comprised of a full-time field supervisor and four seasonal field assistants, started work. Since 1999 Starr Ranch has used an experimentally based method that has reduced artichoke thistle cover by 95% in a work site after one season of nonchemical treatment. Land managers from Ventura to San Diego Counties have visited Starr Ranch to hear about the research-based, sustainable land management practices and visit the restoration sites.

Sandy also developed the “Starr Ranch Field Ecology Programs,” an innovative approach that integrated ecological research into education. People of all ages participate in the programs, taught by biologists, and have a hands-on experience in simulated or actual field research. Local and regional partnerships that focus on Southern California conservation issues are also a critical aspect of Sandy’s work, and she works closely with academic and agency partners on tree pests, fire prevention, mountain lions, bird monitoring, and rare riparian fish and macroinvertebrates.