For more than half a century, biologists have braved the rugged conditions on the wind-swept Farallon Islands to catalog the comings and goings of dwindling bird populations, migrating whales and a vast array of other species, including white sharks.
Scientists and research volunteers are there 365 days a year, and their constant presence is crucial to maintaining the detailed record of environmental intelligence that they have been gathering since 1968.
But federal budget cuts…