|
|
|
|
Sense of wonder
At 6,000 acres and nine square miles, UCSB’s Sedgwick Reserve in the Santa Ynez Valley is a vast nirvana of nature with a bright future. Marvel at the coyotes and bears, chat with reserve director and wildlife biologist Kate McCurdy, and join an expedition of students studying acorn caches in this lyrical salute to UCSB's largest NRS reserve. Read more >>
|
|
Reserve records inform rangeland theories
Livestock have made their hoofprints felt on California's landscapes. Between their appetite for browse, and human efforts to support large herds, grazers have caused major changes to state rangelands. Exactly how rangeland changes occur has been debated for over a century. With help from UC's ISEECI climate change institute, two UC Santa Barbara historians are tackling this question using an untapped resource: the detailed and abundant records available on NRS reserves. Read more >>
|
|
All in the family
UC Santa Barbara alumna Linda Duttenhaver and her father, Morton La Kretz, have provided a $6 million gift to the NRS's Sedgwick Reserve. Their donation will establish an on-site research center to bolster studies into environmental issues such as drought, climate change, and the restoration of native habitats. Another portion of their gift funds renovations to the Sedgwick ranch house, which provides accommodations for many reserve visitors. Read more >>
|
|
Reserves contribute eDNA
A new University of California program called CALeDNA will collect samples from sediments across the state to inventory all the species that have passed through the area. By sequencing all of the genetic material found in these teaspoons of dirt, scientists aim to identify all of the organisms that have passed through and left bits of themselves behind in the form of shed hairs, cells, rootlets, leaves, and other bits of microscopic detritus. All NRS reserves will contribute samples for this environmental DNA (eDNA) project, which promises to revolutionize our understanding of biodiversity in California. Read more >>
|
|
Jepson Herbarium Public Programs
The Jepson Herbarium Workshop Series provides educational opportunities for a broad audience of professional and amateur botanists. The program serves as a liaison between the scientific community and the public. Upcoming workshops with space remaining held at NRS reserves are listed below.
Apr. 20-23
50 Plant families in the field: Monterey Bay
Instructor: Linda Beidleman
This workshop at Hastings Natural History Reservation and Monterey Bay field sites introduces students to the flora of the San Francisco Bay region and techniques used to identify plants of California. Emphasis will be on learning to recognize characteristics of plant families. Practice keying plants in the field using the third edition of Plants of the San Francisco Bay Region: Mendocino to Monterey (Beidleman and Kozloff, 2014). The workshop is geared towards beginning botanists. Students must attend all four days because introductory information lays the foundation for the rest of the workshop.
Apr. 28-30
Northern California seaweeds
Instructor: Kathy Ann Miller
This workshop focuses on the common intertidal seaweeds of Bodega Head. Home base, Bodega Marine Reserve and Laboratory, offers easy access to the field. Collecting will occur during morning low tides on Saturday (8 a.m.) and Sunday (9 a.m.). The basics of seaweed ecology will be discussed in the field. Detailed studies of seaweed identity and form will occur. in the lab during the afternoons. Beginners and experienced seaweed enthusiasts are welcome, especially photographers keen to contribute photos to California Seaweeds, an online seaweed flora.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
