Southern Sierra Research Station

What Southern Sierra Research Station does

Southern Sierra Research Station (SSRS) is a non-profit biological research organization founded in 1991 and headquartered in Weldon, California, along the South Fork of the Kern River. With satellite offices in southeastern Arizona and northern New Mexico, SSRS conducts long-term avian research and conservation monitoring focused on threatened and endangered riparian species — primarily the Western Yellow-billed Cuckoo, Southwestern Willow Flycatcher, Tricolored Blackbird, and Pinyon-Jay — across breeding, migratory, and wintering grounds reaching into Central and South America. The station is a major deployment node for the Motus Wildlife Tracking System, having installed 20+ automated radio-telemetry stations across California with 20+ additional stations under contract, and has operated a MAPS bird banding station at Audubon California's Kern River Preserve since 1998.

The organization's product surface comprises four interlocking lines: (1) long-term species monitoring and habitat assessment services delivered under contract to federal and state agencies as well as NGOs; (2) technology development, including pioneering ground-node (mini-Motus) triangulation hardware and pilot testing of Blu+ cell-phone-detectable wildlife tags; (3) professional training workshops (Yellow-billed Cuckoo, Southwestern Willow Flycatcher, Bird Banding, Motus Tagging, Desert Bats) priced from $275 to $1,200; and (4) publicly available research station facilities and open-source R analysis code. Customers include the Bureau of Reclamation, USFWS, US Army Corps of Engineers, Naval Air Weapons Station China Lake, California Department of Parks and Recreation, New Mexico Department of Game and Fish, Audubon California, and The Nature Conservancy. Select technology components such as ARU (Autonomous Recording Units) and Blu+ tags represent newer tool layers being layered onto a traditional telemetry and banding core.

SSRS is entirely self-funded and operates a hybrid revenue model combining earmarked and unrestricted donations (with tiered levels including $1,700 SensorStation and $17-19k full Motus station donations), competitive federal and state research grants, workshop fees, and modest merchandise sales. Headcount of 11-50 is anchored by a small senior research team (Mary Whitfield, Research Director since 2000; Patrick Lorch, Motus Lead; John Stanek, New Mexico Lead) supported by 2-6 seasonal technicians annually. Marketing and distribution occur through a website, organic social (Facebook, Instagram, Bluesky, YouTube), earned media in outlets such as Audubon Magazine, workshop registrations, and government and NGO partnership channels. The board of directors provides governance oversight but no parent-company or institutional-investor ownership structure exists.

Name

Southern Sierra Research Station

Legal name

Southern Sierra Research Station

Website

https://southernsierraresearch.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

1991

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Southern Sierra Research Station is a non-profit wildlife research organization in Weldon, California, conducting long-term avian monitoring and conservation — focused on Yellow-billed Cuckoo, Southwestern Willow Flycatcher, and Tricolored Blackbird — for federal and state agencies, NGOs, and academic partners across the Americas.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Wildlife Conservation Research Services

NAICS

Environment, Conservation and Wildlife Organizations (813312)

SIC

Services-Commercial Physical & Biological Research (8731)

akta.pro primary industry

Wildlife Surveys & Movement/Connectivity Studies (e.g., Avian/Bat, Telemetry) (EUAHAHAH)

akta.pro secondary industries

Terrestrial Ecology & Habitat Surveys (EUAHAHAA), Threatened & Endangered Species (TES) / Protected Species Surveys & Compliance (EUAHAHAD)

Keywords

• Wildlife research services
• Avian conservation research
• Bird banding programs
• Wildlife tracking technology
• Field biology workshops

Headquarters

HQ city

Weldon

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices3 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Technology or R&D, Infrastructure, Marketing or Sales

Revenue model

1. Donations and Fundraising: Primary revenue stream. The organization is entirely self-funded and relies on donations. Specific programs can be earmarked: General Research Fund, MAPS Program, Motus Program, Outreach/Education.
2. Workshop Fees: Educational workshops including Yellow-billed Cuckoo ($275, students $160), Southwestern Willow Flycatcher ($275), Bird Banding ($1,200), and Desert Bats ($400) generate registration revenue.
3. Research Contracts and Grants: Grant-funded research from government agencies including Bureau of Reclamation, USFWS, US Army Corps of Engineers, and others. Research services for government, NGOs, and academic institutions.
4. Merchandise Sales: SSRS merchandise including t-shirts and bandanas sold through Bonfire store.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels8 records

Core offering

Southern Sierra Research Station is a non-profit biological research organization that conducts long-term studies on migratory bird species and their habitats, with particular focus on threatened and endangered riparian birds such as the Southwestern Willow Flycatcher, Yellow-billed Cuckoo, and Tricolored Blackbird. The organization deploys Motus Wildlife Tracking Network stations, operates a MAPS bird banding station, and delivers professional training workshops on bird banding, species identification, and radio telemetry.

Product overview

The Southern Sierra Research Station is a non-profit research organization that offers a diverse portfolio of wildlife research and conservation services. Their core offerings include long-term avian research programs (Motus Wildlife Tracking Network participation, MAPS Bird Banding Station), species-specific conservation research (Yellow-billed Cuckoo, Southwestern Willow Flycatcher, Tricolored Blackbird, Pinyon Jay studies), and habitat assessment services. They complement their research with educational workshops (Yellow-billed Cuckoo Workshop, Southwestern Willow Flycatcher Workshop, Beginning Bird Banding Workshop, Motus Tagging Workshop, Southwestern Desert Bats Class) and provide research station facilities for visiting scientists. Their technology portfolio includes ground node systems for wildlife tracking triangulation and publicly available R code software tools.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• MAPS Bird Banding Program Long-running Monitoring Avian Productivity and Survivorship (MAPS) banding station operated each May-August at Audubon California's Kern River Preserve. Collects capture-mark-recapture data used to estimate productivity, survival, and population trends of landbirds. Cost to operate an entire season is approximately $8,000.
• Motus Wildlife Tracking Network Participation

Quantifiable outcome

• Over 400 Willow Flycatchers banded across 7 Latin American countries
• +3 more outcomes

Named customers9 records

Segments5 records

Ideal customer profiles4 records

Technology focussed Yes

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature5 records

Partnerships

13 partnerships are on record, tiered core, major and minor.

• Motus Wildlife Tracking System (Birds Canada)coreTechnology or IntegrationCollaborative network of over 1,600 automated radio-telemetry receiving stations across the Americas. SSRS plays critical role in building and deploying Motus stations across California and the Western US.
• Institute for Bird PopulationscoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerOrganizers of the MAPS (Monitoring Avian Productivity and Survivorship) continent-wide bird banding program. SSRS has operated a MAPS station since 1998.
• Partners In Flight Western Working GroupcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCollaborating on Western Motus Initiative to expand automated telemetry technology across Western North, South, and Central America to develop effective conservation actions.
• Audubon California / Kern River PreservecoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerLong-term partnership hosting MAPS banding station and conducting joint research on Yellow-billed Cuckoos, Southwestern Willow Flycatchers, and Least Bell's Vireos.
• The Nature ConservancymajorStrategic or Co-development PartnerSSRS installed Motus station at Jack and Laura Dangermond Nature Preserve. Collaboration on shorebird migration study and surveys on Randall Preserve.
• Pronatura Noreste ACminorGTM or Marketing PartnerMexican conservation organization that SSRS helped purchase Motus equipment difficult to find outside the US, enabling expansion of Motus in Mexico.
• Bird Genoscape ProjectmajorStrategic or Co-development PartnerSSRS sends hundreds of feather samples annually to extract genetic information linking breeding grounds, migratory routes, and wintering grounds.
• Paso PacificominorStrategic or Co-development PartnerCollaboration on Willow Flycatcher wintering ecology research in Nicaragua and El Salvador.
• Bureau of ReclamationmajorOthersMajor funding source for Yellow-billed Cuckoo research on the Lower Colorado River (2014-2022) and other conservation studies. Funded 14 years of research on Palo Verde Ecological Reserve.
• U.S. Fish and Wildlife ServicemajorOthersFederal agency providing funding and permits for endangered species research, habitat enhancement projects, and rangewide Yellow-billed Cuckoo surveys.
• U.S. Army Corps of EngineersmajorOthersLong-term funding for Southwestern Willow Flycatcher monitoring and Brown-headed Cowbird control programs on the South Fork Kern River.
• Naval Air Weapons Station China LakeminorOthersFederal facility where SSRS conducted Inyo California Towhee surveys and avian monitoring for species at risk.
• California AudubonmajorStrategic or Co-development PartnerState-level Audubon chapter collaboration on Tricolored Blackbird research. Joint Motus station installations in Central Valley.

Scale indicators6 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights7 records

Broad incumbents

• The Nature Conservancy: Major conservation NGO that both funds SSRS (Motus station at Dangermond Preserve, shorebird migration study) and competes for similar federal RFPs in habitat and species conservation. Operates at much larger scale but with overlapping species and geographic priorities.
• Pacific Southwest Research Station (USFS): Federal research arm of the US Forest Service covering California and the Pacific Southwest. Conducts overlapping avian, riparian, and forest ecology research, and is both a potential collaborator and competitor for federal research dollars.
• Cornell Lab of Ornithology: Largest North American academic bird-research institution. While much larger and broader, it operates overlapping programs (eBird, Bird Genoscape Project — which SSRS feeds) and sets standards for avian monitoring, banding, and citizen science.
• U.S. Geological Survey (Western Ecological Research Center): Federal science provider conducting species monitoring, habitat assessments, and ecological research across California and the Southwest. A major funder-adjacent organization competing for and informing the same conservation research dollars.

Direct peers

• Manomet: Non-profit running long-term landbird banding stations (including MAPS) and shorebird migration research. Similar business model combining federal grants, partner-station hosting, and applied migratory bird conservation.
• Klamath Bird Observatory: Non-profit bird monitoring and banding station in the Pacific Northwest operating MAPS stations and migratory connectivity research. Comparable in size, mission, and dependence on federal grants, volunteers, and workshop-based science training.
• Audubon California / Kern River Preserve: Hosts SSRS's MAPS station and joint Yellow-billed Cuckoo, Willow Flycatcher, and Least Bell's Vireo research. Operates a parallel model of preserve-based conservation science with its own biologists and stewardship programs in overlapping regions.
• Birds Canada: Operator of the Motus Wildlife Tracking System and a core technology partner for SSRS. Comparable in operating Motus infrastructure, conducting avian research, and providing nationwide coordination for monitoring programs across North America.
• Institute for Bird Populations: Organizer of the MAPS (Monitoring Avian Productivity and Survivorship) program and a core SSRS partner since 1998. Both organizations operate long-term avian demographic monitoring stations and produce population-vital-rate data for landbird conservation across North America.
• Point Blue Conservation Science: California-based non-profit conducting long-term avian and ecosystem research with a comparable mix of federal contracts, partner-stations, and applied conservation science. Operates a similar model of regional field stations contributing to landscape-scale monitoring programs.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• GitHubgithub.com/southern-sierra-research
• YouTubeyoutube.com/channel/UC7x_ZEmqrY9Xc1oOJWETTdQ
• Facebookfacebook.com/SouthernSierraResearchStation
• Instagraminstagram.com/southernsierraresearch
• Xx.com/sierraresearch
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/southern-sierra-research-station

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles11 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Southern Sierra Research Station