Use these tools to explore NRS research and data sets. Resources include the NRS bibliography, reserve digital object identifiers (dois) that you can cite in papers, reserve GIS layers and climate data, and more.
UC Field Research Safety Manual
Guidelines and resources to lead safe, successful field courses and research trips. Content focuses on risk management issues that are relevant for California-based field courses and research, international trips, research expeditions, and other outdoor excursions. Developed to serve as a reference document and teaching tool as well as to highlight applicable UC policies and State/Federal laws. Organized into key sections on planning, training, incident response, best practices for trip leaders, and appendices on common field hazards and local campus resources.
Biblographic Database
Books, papers, and other publications about the NRS or based on research conducted at reserves. All NRS reserves use the Zotero tool to store and provide bibliographic information on research publications based on research done on site. Some listings provide the pdf of the published document. Please include the DOI number of your proposed entry when available.
Climate Data
Current and historic data collected from the NRS Climate Monitoring Network and other environmental sensors. Use Dendra, our bespoke sensor data wizard, to explore, visualize, and download what you need.
Reserve Digital Object Identifiers
We encourage you to add the DOI number of the appropriate reserve(s) to any publications resulting from your work within the reserve system.
Reserve Research
Find descriptions of current and former research projects by searching the NRS’s Reserve Application Management System (RAMS), which tracks reserve use.
Species Records
Reserves maintain lists of plant, vertebrate, and arthropod species that have been collected or observed within reserve boundaries or have ranges that overlap reserve boundaries. Here you can also find links to species records from social networks such as iNaturalist, plus tools listing museum specimens collected from reserves and maps of where those specimens were found.
Geographic Information Systems (GIS)
Geographic and other mapping information about NRS reserves, including vegetation, soil, and other data layers. Reserve boundary layers exist as ArcInfo shape files and Google Earth KMZ files.
Data Management Tools
Open access policies are being adopted by a growing number of funders, including the National Science Foundation. Such policies require grant recipients to develop data management and dissemination plans, and provide access to metadata, datasets, and publications. These data management tools can help ensure that your data, research plans, specimen collections, and publications comply with this policy.
NRS Historical Archive Project
The University of California Natural Reserve System History & Archive Project seeks to inventory, preserve, and promote the use of documents and other materials that relate to the history of the NRS and the sites it encompasses throughout California.
Cabinet of Curiosity
Aims to explore, collect, and visualize the vast amount of data describing our natural world.
California Environmental DNA
CALeDNA aims to address problems in biodiversity monitoring by pairing volunteer community scientists with University of California researchers to collect soil samples from across California. By analyzing the environmental DNA (eDNA) from the soil samples, we can assess the biodiversity of microbes, fungi, plants and animals.