by Julie Cohen, UC Santa Barbara Five years ago, a mysterious disease began crippling sea star populations along the West Coast. Many sea star species died in record-breaking numbers over a short period of time, and a keystone known as the ochre sea star (Pisaster ochraceus) was among the hardest hit. The outbreak extended from […]
Año Nuevo Island Reserve
Tracking data reveals common patterns in marine animal travels
by Tim Stephens, UC Santa Cruz The movements of marine mammals and other large animals that spend their lives in the ocean were largely unknown prior to the development of sophisticated tracking devices researchers could deploy on animals in the wild. Insights gained from this technology have revealed unexpected behaviors and migratory patterns in marine […]
UCSC Natural Reserves director appointed to endowed chair
by Tim Stephens, UC Santa Cruz News Office UC Santa Cruz has appointed Gage Dayton to the Wilton W. Webster Jr. Presidential Chair for the UC Santa Cruz Natural Reserves. The endowed chair was established in 2015 with a $500,000 gift from the Helen and Will Webster Foundation and matching funds from the UC Regents. […]
NRS on Open Road TV
The scenic and scientific glories of the NRS will grace TV airwaves next Sunday, July 24, on an episode of Open Road with Doug McConnell. The longtime Bay Area television host takes viewers on journeys to explore the natural, historical and cultural treasures of the Bay Area and California. The show focuses on parks and open spaces protected […]
Seal breath inspires carbon monoxide therapy
By Annie Reisewitz, UC San Diego Most marine mammals were found to exhale carbon monoxide at levels equivalent to or greater than the amount exhaled by a several-packs-a-day smoker. The discovery, by researchers at Scripps Institution of Oceanography at UC San Diego, is part of a broader investigation into how naturally high levels of carbon […]
2015-16 Mathias Grants awarded
Fourteen University of California graduate students have been awarded 2015-16 Mildred E. Mathias Graduate Student Research Grants from the UC Natural Reserve System. The students, from six different UC campuses, each received up to $3,000 to fund field projects at 24 different NRS reserves. Virtually all of this year’s successful proposals will study ecology, evolution, […]
Dancing biologist inspired by art and science
Marine biology and theater major studies one and practices the other by Peggy Townsend, UC Santa Cruz Most people wouldn’t be able to find any connection between an elephant seal and the cha-cha. But 20-year-old Xochitl Clare isn’t most people. For her, it’s easy to see a link between a 4,000-pound pinniped and a boisterous […]
Gift funds Presidential Chair for UCSC Natural Reserves
Endowment established by Helen and Will Webster Foundation will broaden opportunities to use the natural reserves as living labs and outdoor classrooms by Tim Stephens, UC Santa Cruz UC Santa Cruz has received a $500,000 gift from the Helen and Will Webster Foundation, plus matching funds from the UC Regents, to establish a $1 million […]