Photo courtesy of National Geographic Live
At the start of the year, a video of a coyote swimming in the San Francisco Bay before dragging itself onto the rocky shore of Alcatraz Island went viral online. Onlookers and online commenters were shocked. Christopher Schell, an associate professor in the Department of Environmental Science, Policy, and Management, found the behavior surprising but also entirely understandable.
On Sunday, August 23, Schell will take the stage at the Presidio Theatre Performing Arts Center in San Francisco for “Uncovering Our Concrete Jungle,” a show developed with National Geographic Live. The stage show offers audiences an opportunity to follow him and members of his lab into the parks, neighborhoods, and backyards where they conduct their research—and where coyotes and other animals make their home.
As an urban ecologist, Schell studies how carnivores—namely coyotes, foxes, and raccoons—adapt to life in cities, and how nearly a century of development and inequality have influenced where animals make their homes in neighborhoods. His research integrates animal behavior, physiology, and genomics with urban studies and environmental justice scholarship to reveal how environmental injustices have shaped urban ecosystems. His studies of coyotes in San Francisco and across California offer wildlife managers new insights into managing conflict and coexistence with people, and inform strategies to create more just, biodiverse, and resilient cities and urban areas.
Schell is a National Geographic Explorer and one of 15 recipients of the Society's 2023 Wayfinder Award, which recognizes emerging leaders in science, conservation, education, and storytelling. He is a faculty affiliate of UC Berkeley’s Museum of Vertebrate Zoology and both a fellow and board member of the California Academy of Sciences.
"This has been a labor of love for the last several years, showcasing the research my team and collaborators have conducted," said Schell. "We’re especially excited and proud to show the hometown crowd what we’ve been working on."
Tickets range from $33 to $66 and can be purchased online at the Presidio Theatre website.