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 […]
Landels-Hill Big Creek Reserve
2020-21 Mathias Grant recipients
By Kathleen Wong, UC Natural Reserve System Most people will be staying close to home in 2021 due to the pandemic. UC Santa Barbara graduate student Samantha Sambado will not be among them. Her doctoral research will take her on multiple journeys up and down California, in search of ticks and the human pathogens they […]
Wildfires spark burn recovery study at 9 UC Natural Reserves
By Kathleen Wong, UC Natural Reserve System August wildfires incinerated tens of thousands of acres across seven UC Natural Reserves and affected parkland adjacent to two more reserves. This fall, the UC Natural Reserve System (NRS) will deploy rapid response teams to characterize the extent and intensity of the burns, as well as the effects […]
2020 wildfires burn six UC Natural Reserves; seventh threatened
By Kathleen Wong, UC Natural Reserve System Wildfires are burning at an unprecedented six reserves in the UC Natural Reserve System across northern and central California, and threaten a seventh. Blazes sparked by both lightning and arson have consumed nine buildings and one vehicle, as well as an untold number of acres of grassland, forest, […]
Careful planning yields a better Big Creek 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. By Kathleen Wong, UC Natural Reserve System Big Sur is one of California’s scenic wonders. A nexus of rushing creeks, vertical mountains, cool redwood stands and […]
Research shows field courses bridge STEM diversity gaps
By Kathleen Wong, UC Natural Reserve System When Roxanne Beltran was admitted to UC Santa Cruz, she was thrilled to finally start her college career, possibly to become a marine biologist. But the introductory biology and physics classes she was required to take almost drove her out of science. “I was suddenly in 400 person […]
NRS reserves adapt to coronavirus shutdown
By Kathleen Wong, UC Natural Reserve System Spring is prime time around the University of California Natural Reserve System. As winter recedes, and skies dry, scientists and students alike start migrating to the protected lands of the network’s 41 reserves. Field stations bustle with university classes on field trips, who rub shoulders with faculty and […]
2020 Field Science Fellowship Awards
By Kathleen Wong, UC Natural Reserve System Four UC undergraduates have been awarded the UC Natural Reserve System’s first Field Science Fellowships. The fellowship is intended to enable these highly motivated students to concentrate full time on their field science research for an entire summer with the guidance of a UC faculty mentor. “The fellowship […]