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 […]
Yosemite Field Station
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 […]
Confluence: Drawings and Photographs
Berkeley artist Todd Gilens made a series of drawings and photographs informed by time spent in the Sierra Nevada with scientists from NRS reserves. He visited Valentine Camp, Sierra Nevada Aquatic Research Laboratory, Yosemite Field Station, and Sagehen Creek Field Station during the 2015-18 field seasons. He’s now assembling this body of work into an […]
NRS on Open Road TV
The scenic and scientific glories of the NRS will grace TV airwaves next Sunday, July 24, on an episode of Open Road with Doug McConnell. The longtime Bay Area television host takes viewers on journeys to explore the natural, historical and cultural treasures of the Bay Area and California. The show focuses on parks and open spaces protected […]
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, […]
Bringing field ecology online
If outdoor learning were a religion, Erika Zavaleta would be among its foremost acolytes. A professor of environmental studies at UC Santa Cruz, Zavaleta regularly leads ecology students into the wilds of California, immersing them in the field for weeks at a time. So when the University of California joined the rush to develop online […]
UC Merced naturalist training expands with gift
A $103,000 gift from the Mitsubishi Corporation Foundation for the Americas will expand naturalist training opportunities for University of California, Merced students as well as the general public at two UC Natural Reserve System sites. Through the gift, one informal UC Merced course and two University of California Extension California Naturalist classes can expand their […]
UC Merced and Yosemite: A partnership for learning
The University of California has a unique partnership with Yosemite National Park. Its tenth campus, UC Merced, operates the only university research station in the park. As one of the 39 reserves in the UC Natural Reserve System, Yosemite Field Station serves as a locus for scientific study, environmental education, and leadership training for both […]