Nestled in a canyon on the western slope of San Jacinto Peak, the James San Jacinto Mountains Reserve is a place dear to the hearts of many. Educators Harry and Grace James bought the site in 1941 as a campsite for their Trailfinders School for Boys. In the 1960s, the couple sold the land to […]
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Careful planning yields a better Big Creek reserve
Big Sur is one of California’s scenic wonders. A nexus of rushing creeks, vertical mountains, cool redwood stands and underwater kelp forests, this slender section of the Central Coast appeals to just about everyone. Those wishing to study Big Sur’s dynamic environment routinely turn to Landels-Hill Big Creek Reserve. Encompassing canyons and ridgelines, a freshwater […]
A phoenix from the ashes: Stunt Ranch field station
The threat of wildfire is an unsettling reality across southern California. In the Los Angeles Basin, Santa Ana winds can tip that risk into terrible disaster. Born of cold air tumbling downslope, these winds gain heat and ferocity as they descend from mountain passes and barrel toward the coast. Bone dry and gusting at highway […]
Mine facilities metamorphose into McLaughlin Natural Reserve field station
An industrial mine and ecological research station aren’t typical bedfellows. One uses hulking machinery to extract resources; the other enlists scientists to study environmental phenomena. In the foothills northwest of Davis, however, a University of California Natural Reserve has arisen atop a former gold mine. Since 1993, McLaughlin Natural Reserve has offered researchers access to […]
Nature center replaces former Coal Oil Point office shed
This story is part of NRS reserves transformed by Proposition 84 funds, a series describing the facilities improvements and expansions at NRS reserves supported by Proposition 84 bond funds. Coal Oil Point Natural Reserve is a quintessential slice of beachy Southern California. Located next to UC Santa Barbara, the assemblage of coastal strand, tidal lagoon, […]
Ranch transformed into premier reserve
This story is part of NRS reserves transformed by Proposition 84 funds, a series describing the facilities improvements and expansions at NRS reserves supported by Proposition 84 bond funds. When Blue Oak Ranch Reserve joined the UC Natural Reserve System in 2007, living conditions on the site could be described as rustic at best. The […]
Swapping a weatherbeaten cabin for snug modern quarters
This story is part of NRS reserves transformed by Proposition 84 funds, a series describing the facilities improvements and expansions at NRS reserves supported by Proposition 84 bond funds. In California’s North Coast region, people have long been accustomed to making do. Trips to the store can be time consuming in this thinly populated section […]
Shoring up Bodega Marine Reserve against the weather
This story is part of NRS reserves transformed by Proposition 84 funds, a series describing the facilities improvements and expansions at NRS reserves supported by Proposition 84 bond funds. Bracing ocean breezes and crashing waves make Bodega Marine Reserve an exhilarating place to be. Sandwiched between the beaches of Sonoma Coast State Park, on a […]