Julie Lambert of SDSU’s Soil Ecology and Resoration Group (SERG) will tell us about their research work on San Clemente Island, the southernmost of the California Channel Islands and is owned and operated by the United States Navy.

She will focus on Lithophragma maximum, or San Clemente Island Woodland-Star. This plant is endemic to San Clemente Island and is the most endangered plant on the island. Numbers vary from in the tens to a couple of hundred depending on the year. The remaining populations grow at the bottom of deep canyons, resulting in genetic isolation. The Navy supports the recovery effort for this species. There isn’t much information in the literature about this species, but we’re learning new information with our propagation and pollination program (on plants grown in the lab). For example, contrary to all other species of Lithophragma, L. maximum appears to be a self-pollinator, according to our experiment.

Julie Lambert is the Program Director for SERG. She holds a B.Sc. in Biology from Laval University, Quebec, Canada, and has been working as an ecologist in southern California since graduating in 2000. Julie’s responsibilities at SERG include supervising all projects, writing and editing project reports, preparing project proposals, and creating and maintaining positive relationships with clients.