By Kathleen Wong, UC Natural Reserve System The thick fog that cloaks California shorelines over summer has an atmospheric counterpart south of the equator. Marine fog not only drenches coastal sections of the South American nation of Chile, but is so reliable that some communities there use fog for drinking water. And in both areas, […]
Landels-Hill Big Creek Reserve
Unseen California arts initiative uses NRS reserves as canvas
By Kathleen Wong, UC Natural Reserve System The reserves of the UC Natural Reserve System are best known for fostering science teaching and research. But that long-standing reputation is broadening. A new arts initiative from UC Santa Cruz, Unseen California, aims to connect both professional artists and UC students with reserves. Challenging artists to engage […]
Wildfire runoff may impede steelhead sense of smell
By Kathleen Wong, UC Natural Reserve System In 2020, a massive lightning storm ignited wildfires across much of Northern California. Among the thousands of acres it charred were multiple coastal watersheds from San Mateo County to Big Sur. For UC Santa Cruz fish ecologist Eric Palkovacs, the burns offered a chance to study how the […]
Delivering environmental data from the NRS
By Kathleen Wong, UC Natural Reserve System Climate is the hottest topic in California these days. As global warming heats up the West, it’s set off a cascade of effects ranging from toxic algal blooms, to tree die-offs, to wildfires of unprecedented size and ferocity. The situation has everyone asking the same question: what is […]
NRS instrumental in biologist’s ascent to grad school
By Kathleen Wong, UC Natural Reserve System Tim Brown spends his summers on top of the Golden State. While other Californians tan at the beach, hold BBQs, or relax at the pool, he makes a beeline for the high country. Striding across snowfields and rock scree atop eastern California’s highest ranges, this UC Santa Cruz […]
Massive debris flow swamps Big Creek Reserve as heavy rains follow summer wildfire
By Guy Lasnier, UC Santa Cruz Boulders the size of vehicles and decades-old redwoods were ripped from the banks of the Big Creek drainage when an atmospheric river inundated the Landels-Hill Big Creek Natural Reserve on the Big Sur coast in late January. More than 14 inches fell in two bouts in a 50-hour period between […]
Consequences of fire on California ecosystems
By Kathleen Wong, UC Natural Reserve System 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 […]
Winter rains take toll on wildfire-burned Big Creek
By Kathleen Wong, UC Natural Reserve System Burned by fire this past summer, the NRS’s Landel’s-Hill Big Creek Reserve is now suffering the ravages of landslides triggered by torrential rains dumped by an atmospheric river. The Dolan Fire, set by an arsonist in late August 2020, denuded vegetation across the rugged reserve, which stretches across […]