What’s in a map? Mostly place names and highways, political borders and shorelines—the fare of countless atlases, road maps, and travel guides. The right kind of map, though, can do much more than get a body from A to B. Vegetation plots, satellite images, land use diagrams, and animal movement records are increasingly being used […]
Blue Oak Ranch Reserve
Renovated Blue Oak Ranch open for business
The NRS’s Blue Oak Ranch has opened the doors to a suite of new facilities that will transform this already bustling field station in the Diablo Range into a hub for large field classes, meetings, retreats, and more. The reserve is now able to house large groups with ease and comfort, while providing congenial places to meet, cook, […]
NRS Fair marks 50th anniversary
The Natural Reserve System brought a taste of the science, art, teaching, and natural wonders of its 39 reserves to the heart of downtown Oakland this Tuesday, August 11, for the NRS Fair. Hundreds of visitors flocked to the outdoor terrace at UC’s Office of the President to attend. They chatted with graduate student researchers, […]
NRS draws crowds at Celebrate UCI, Cal Day
Woodpecker granaries, digital weather nodes, and wetland tours were just a few of the attractions offered at NRS 50th anniversary festivities at UC campuses last Saturday. Celebrate UCI At Celebrate UCI, the sesquicentennial party-cum-open house on Irvine campus, dozens of visitors took walking tours San Joaquin Marsh. At the adjacent Arboretum, reserve director Peter Bowler set […]
Preview of new Blue Oak Ranch buildings
The construction of new buildings at Blue Oak Ranch Reserve is now in full swing. Reserve director Michael Hamilton offers a preview of what the new complex will look like via a digital visualization flyover. The first building seen in the video is the utility/maintenance shop. This structure will contain solar photovoltaic panels, batteries for […]
2014 Arts2NRS Winners
Six artists-in-residence will be working at the UC Natural Reserve System this summer thanks to the 2014 Arts2NRS program. Offered for the first time this year by the NRS and the UC Institute for Research in the Arts (UCIRA), the program supports selected UC-affiliated artists working at some of the NRS’s 39 reserves. The Arts2NRS call […]
NRS Summer Artist-in-Residency Program
Long known for supporting science research and teaching, the Natural Reserve System has teamed up with UC’s leading arts research organization to encourage reserve use by artists. Together with the University of California Institute for Research in the Arts (UCIRA), the NRS is offering summer artist-in-residency opportunities at one of eleven reserves. The Arts2NRS program […]
Snake Tales
To judge from now-clichéd chase scenes in wildlife documentaries, you might think predator-prey interactions are simple and predictable: A predator sees, chases, kills, and then eats its prey. End of story. But don’t let such scenes fool you. Recent research indicates that some predator-prey encounters are remarkably intricate, and nuanced interactions can determine their outcomes. […]