Equipping Tomorrow's Historical Ecologist: Priorities for Documenting Conditions of the Terrestrial Fauna of Santa Cruz Island, California

Historical ecological research provides valuable insights for contemporary conservation management. Gaps in historical records, however, can limit the utility of that research. Future conservationists may therefore find themselves disadvantaged by the current societal trend of underinvestment in systematic collection of museum specimens and natural history information. To reduce that risk, we asked what managers and scientists could do today to better document the past and present conditions of Santa Cruz Island, California, as a means to improve both contemporary and future conservation. We focused our inquiry on the island's terrestrial fauna, which includes numerous taxa of conservation concern. Here we present recommendations for research and collection that will enhance not only the understanding of past and present ecological conditions on the island but also the records that will he accessible to future historical ecologists.