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RESEARCH GOALS: Our research goal was to conduct baseline biodiversity surveys for vertebrates within the Tenaja Corridor and the surrounding southern Santa Ana Mountains study area. From January 1999 through September 2000, we developed and implemented a series of survey techniques to assess the distribution and abundance of a suite of vertebrate populations in the region. Target taxa for our biodiversity surveys included herpetofauna, small mammals, large mammals, birds, and bats. In addition, we conducted surveys to monitor water quality and road mortality throughout the study area. The focal taxa we selected vary greatly in habitat preferences, mobility, movement patterns, and sensitivities to human disturbance, and therefore can provide valuable information across multiple taxonomic levels, habitats and spatial scales. Such baseline information is essential to identify strategic conservation areas within the region, to identify linkages between core habitat blocks, and to provide guidance for future monitoring and management activities.