By Kathy Keatley Garvey, UC Davis Certain species of floral bacteria can enhance pollen germination, according to a study published today from the University of California, Davis, in the journal Current Biology. “This is the first paper documenting stimulation of pollen germination by non-plants,” said first author Shawn Christensen, a doctoral candidate in associate professor Rachel Vannette’s laboratory in the […]
Stebbins Cold Canyon Reserve
Consequences of fire on California ecosystems
When fires sweep across the landscape, they do much more than incinerate flammable items in their way. Flames cause chemical changes to soils, drive out animals, and expose areas to far more sun and rain than they once experienced. In some cases, a burn can be enough to shift not only erosion patterns but entire […]
Stebbins Cold Canyon Reserve partially reopens
by Sarah Oktay, UC Davis Natural Reserve System Hikers will be able to return to Stebbins Cold Canyon Reserve Monday (Feb. 15), but not all of the trails on the property will be open immediately. The reserve, part of the UC Natural Reserve system and managed by UC Davis, has been closed since the LNU Lightning […]
Wildfires spark burn recovery study at 9 UC Natural Reserves
August wildfires incinerated tens of thousands of acres across seven UC Natural Reserves and affected parkland adjacent to two more reserves. This fall, the UC Natural Reserve System (NRS) will deploy rapid response teams to characterize the extent and intensity of the burns, as well as the effects of wildfire on a wide range of […]
2020 wildfires burn six UC Natural Reserves; seventh threatened
Wildfires are burning at an unprecedented six reserves in the UC Natural Reserve System across northern and central California, and threaten a seventh. Blazes sparked by both lightning and arson have consumed nine buildings and one vehicle, as well as an untold number of acres of grassland, forest, chaparral, and other natural habitats. Beginning the […]
Hiking Stebbins Cold Canyon sparks positive wildfire perceptions
by Kat Kerlin, UC Davis When hikers returned to Stebbins Cold Canyon Reserve in 2016, a year after a wildfire swept through its expanse of oak trees and chaparral in Northern California, half of them expected to see a devastated landscape. But surveys conducted before and after hikes at the UC Natural Reserve System site reveal that […]
Summer hiking warning for Stebbins Cold Canyon Reserve
By Cody Kitaura, UC Davis Staff who oversee the NRS’s Stebbins Cold Canyon Reserve, which has popular hiking trails, are taking a broader approach to keeping visitors safe in the wake of another heat-related rescue over the weekend. A woman who ignored warnings and hiked Stebbins Cold Canyon on a 106-degree afternoon had to be airlifted to […]
Dramatic wildlife rescue at Stebbins
By Jeffrey Clary, Stebbins Cold Canyon Reserve Director The subject line read, “EMERGENCY — ANIMALS IN TRAPS.” As the director of UC Davis’ Stebbins Cold Canyon Natural Reserve, I received this urgent email last Friday morning (July 7) from a researcher studying small mammals on the reserve. For the fifth time in five years, wildfire had broken […]