Daniel Winkler is a PhD candidate at the University of California, Irvine and a National Park Service Young Leader in Climate Change at Saguaro National Park. He worked for several years throughout the Sonoran Desert as a Biological Science Technician for the National Park Service’s Sonoran Desert Network before returning to school to get his Master’s in Environmental Systems from the University of California, Merced. Most of current PhD work brings him to Anza-Borrego Desert State Park where he is investigating the spread of the invasive Sahara mustard across the southwestern US.

Daniel is a plant ecophysiologist interested in invasive species and how they alter native plant communities in “extreme” environments. His field sites include much of the desert southwest, alpine regions of Colorado, the sky islands of Baja California, and the tundra of northern Japan. All of Daniel’s research focuses on climate change impacts on native systems, with an emphasis on Parks and protected areas.

Who: Daniel Winkler, Graduate Student, University of California, Irvine
What: Desert 'extremes' and plant communities out of balance
When: Monday, March 14, 2016; 10 AM
Where: Discovery Lab, Anza-Borrego Desert State Park® Visitor Center
Cost: Free to the public