Researchers will use California climate innovation funding to analyze fire resilience in state ecosystems using drone images of reserves.
Quail Ridge Reserve
2022–23 Mathias Grants awarded
by Kathleen Wong, UC Natural Reserve System For the undertakers of the insect world, death must precede the arrival of a new generation. Burying beetles of the genus Nicrophorus need a carcass on which to lay their eggs and feed their larvae. The hitch in this plan: the fact that dead bodies tend to be […]
NRS establishes research compact with Chilean university reserves
By Kathleen Wong, UC Natural Reserve System The UC Natural Reserve System is expanding its international connections by establishing an agreement with the regional centers and field stations (RCER) of Pontificia Universidad Católica de Chile (UC Chile). The agreement, the first between the NRS and another system of field stations, paves the way for exchange […]
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 […]
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 […]
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 […]
Assembling Quail Ridge 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 The Quail Ridge peninsula rises from the southern shore of Lake Berryessa like the corrugated carapace of a tortoise. The peaks […]
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, […]