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10 Reasons to Celebrate Preserved Lands, Outdoor Classrooms

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Photo: view of headlands and the bay with the ocean beyond at Bodega Bay
The Bodega Marine Reserve on the California coast offers students and researchers rich opportunities to learn about our ocean ecosystem. Karin Higgins/ٺƵ photo

Quick Summary

  • A summary of ٺƵ' role in preserving land in California

In 2015, the University of California passed the half-century mark in maintaining preserved lands from the coast, to grasslands, to woodlands — all used for research, teaching and learning. ٺƵ maintains five of the system’s reserves. Learn more about them:

Several people with a big cloth at the edge of a lake
ٺƵ researchers strain for California Tiger Salamander larvae in Olcott Lake, a large playa lake at Jepson Prairie Reserve. Adam Clause/University of Georgia photo

1. The  is the largest network of protected sites dedicated to research and university teaching in the world: 39 reserves; 756,000 acres, spanning California’s ecosystems.  The system has grown to include all the non-medical campuses of the University of California.

Three people walking across the headlands with a cove and the ocean behind them
Researchers walk near Horseshoe Cove at Bodega Marine Reserve. Jackie Sones/ٺƵ Natural Reserve System photo

2. Five ٺƵ Natural Reserve System properties protect a huge diversity of habitats, all within a two-hour drive of campus. Ocean, intertidal, wetland, dune and prairie habitats are found at , uncommon serpentine soils and rare plants at , spectacular oak woodlands and native grasses at  and , and remnant vernal pools with a huge array of endangered species at .

 woman with big net
Graduate student researcher Dachin Frances collects dragonfly larvae subjected to treatments simulating global warming. She is looking to see how warming affects growth, flight and reproduction of the dragonflies. Shane Waddell/ٺƵ Natural Reserve System photo

3. The UC Natural Reserves are anchoring place-based climate change research in California.  In 2015, UC President Janet Napolitano granted a  for the creation of a coordinated, reserve-based climate change institute, reinforcing the statewide network.

Deer mouse in the grass
Researchers have accumulated more than 10 years of data on the deer mouse at Quail Ridge Reserve, documenting a huge population decline accompanying the ongoing drought. Karen Mabry/New Mexico State University photo

4. NRS reserves turn natural catastrophes — like the devastating wildfires that struck California this summer — into opportunities to build upon long-term data. When fire burned large portions of Stebbins Cold Canyon and McLaughlin reserves this summer, researchers had already accumulated decades’ worth of data on subjects like animal-transmitted diseases, rodents, butterflies and moths, ants, and native plants and weeds. Against this backdrop of data, changes after the fires may be revealing for the future of California under a changing climate.

 View of lush, tree-filled mountains with a vista
Stebbins Cold Canyon Reserve, a lush canyon before the 2015 Wragg fire, is home to citizen science and a popular trail (currently closed for restoration). Chris Woodcock/photo

5. Stebbins Cold Canyon Reserve is playing a pivotal role in the new Berryessa Snow Mountain National Monument, both as a protected natural site for research, teaching and citizen science, and as an example of successful partnerships of ٺƵ with federal, state and local agencies and regional governments, focused on high-quality recreational opportunities.

Two people lean over a fox with a lot of equipment on the ground
ٺƵ researchers Cate Quinn and Ben Sacks take vital measurements on a sedated gray fox at Quail Ridge Reserve.  They attached a tiny radio tracking device to the fox prior to release. Arielle Cruz/ٺƵ photo

6. ٺƵ Natural Reserves are testing grounds for new environmental technologies. Ground-breaking animal tracking systems are currently being tested at Quail Ridge Reserve, built upon an infrastructure grid designed by researchers from the ٺƵ Department of Computer Science and reserve staff.

Tide pool with sea stars and sea anemones
Sea star and sea anemones can be discovered in a tide pool at Bodega Marine Reserve. Jackie Sones/ ٺƵ Natural Reserve System photo

7. Bodega Marine Reserve is a key piece in a new California Marine Protected Area. Reserve staff have taken a leading role in coordinating the needs of researchers with the high levels of protection that are now afforded the coastal ecosystems, ensuring that cutting edge research can continue. 

 People on the top of a ocean knoll weeding
Community volunteers carefully remove weeds from native vegetation at Bodega Marine Reserve. ٺƵ Natural Reserve System photo

8. ٺƵ Natural Reserves offer a rich setting for community engagement and learning; they host initiatives such as the Jepson Prairie Docent Program, “Kids into Discovering Science” at McLaughlin Reserve, and family activities led by undergraduates at Stebbins Cold Canyon. These programs cultivate environmental leaders and enrich the outdoor experiences of hundreds of regional community members each year.

Two women stand on a grassy knoll with trees behind them

9. Over the past two years, ٺƵ faculty from throughout the university, plus most of the schools, have used the reserves for research, teaching and public outreach. 

 Closeup of a California newt
California newts are a common sight at Stebbins Cold Canyon Reserve. Adam Clause/University of Georgia

10. Of 124 field classes listed in the ٺƵ catalog, an impressive 70 of these have used ٺƵ Natural Reserves as teaching sites, most repeatedly.

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