While new data gathered this summer have not yet been thoroughly
analyzed, a few surprises have already emerged. In Yosemite
Valley, the formerly most abundant species of shrew has been
supplanted by a species previously known only from higher
elevations in the park. And, while looking at mammals in the
northwest corner of the park around Merced Grove and Crane Flat,
the scientists discovered that the golden mantled ground
squirrel had disappeared from many areas, essentially moving to
elevations 500 feet higher. Joseph Grinnell was an eminent
biologist of the early 20th century, known for his concept of
the ecological niche - the role an organism plays in the broader
ecology of an area - and for his insistence on systematic and
careful surveys of wildlife. Desiring to establish a research
center that would rival the major natural history museums of the
East Coast and Europe, he accepted an offer in 1908 to create
the Museum of Vertebrate Zoology at UC Berkeley. He directed it
until his death in 1939, realizi