The road linking the northern tip of Lake Berryessa to the southern shores of Clear Lake is particularly arresting in spring. Climbing through the crinkled hills of the inner Coast Range, it passes bucolic meadows, stands of chaparral, and copses of slender, long-needled gray pines. But in April and May, one stretch in particular looks […]
Main Content
Research
Scientists from around the world conduct field research in the protected landscapes of the Natural Reserve System on topics ranging from climate change to endangered species to habitat restoration.
Teaching
Visiting a reserve brings textbook lessons about the natural world to life. Students and teachers flock to reserves from the University of California and institutions around the globe.
Public Service
From hosting school field trips, to organizing scientific lecture series, to welcoming the public for weekend classes, NRS reserves benefit California communities.
News and Highlights
Plugged into the environment
The field sciences are often thought to have remained unchanged since Victorian times. A good pair of binoculars, a water-resistant notebook, and infinite stores of patience have long been considered the stock in trade, right alongside a pith helmet and khaki shorts. In reality, field researchers are embracing advances in technology right alongside the rest […]
Ancient whale named for UC ocean scientists
by Scripps Institution of Oceanography An extinct species of whale was recently renamed in remembrance of the late Ken Norris and his son Richard (Dick) Norris, influential scientists at Scripps Institution of Oceanography at the University of California San Diego. Norrisanima miocaena is newly described in the journal PeerJ. First described in the early 1920s by a researcher […]