Natural Reserve SystemUNIVERSITY OF CALIFORNIA

The UC Natural Reserve System provides a

library of ecosystems throughout California.

Reserves offer outdoor laboratories to field

scientists, classrooms without walls for

students, and nature’s inspiration to all.

Founded in 1965 to provide a network of

wildland sites available for scientific study,

the NRS has grown to include more than

40 locations encompassing more than

756,000 acres across the state.

The NRS is the world’s largest university-

operated system of natural reserves; no

other network of field sites can match its

size, scope, and ecological diversity.

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Natural Reserve Systemuniversity of california

1111 Franklin St.Oakland, CA 94607-5200ucnrs.org

Reserves are listed by managing campus

Berkeley1 Angelo Coast Range Reserve2 Blue Oak Ranch Reserve3 Chickering American River

Reserve4 Hastings Natural History

Reservation 5 Jenny Pygmy Forest Reserve6 Point Reyes Field Station7 Sagehen Creek Field Station

Davis8 Bodega Marine Reserve9 Jepson Prairie Reserve

10 Lassen Field Station11 McLaughlin Natural Reserve12 Quail Ridge Reserve13 Stebbins Cold Canyon Reserve

Irvine14 Burns Piñon Ridge Reserve15 San Joaquin Marsh Reserve16 Steele/Burnand Anza-Borrego

Desert Research Center

Los Angeles17 Stunt Ranch Santa Monica Mountains Reserve18 White Mountain Research Center

Merced19 Merced Vernal Pools and

Grassland Reserve20 Yosemite Field Station

Riverside21 Box Springs Reserve22 Boyd Deep Canyon Desert Research Center23 Emerson Oaks Reserve24 James San Jacinto Mountains Reserve25 Motte Rimrock Reserve26 Sweeney Granite Mountains Desert Research Center

San Diego27 Dawson Los Monos Canyon Reserve28 Elliott Chaparral Reserve29 Kendall-Frost Mission Bay Marsh Reserve30 Scripps Coastal Reserve

Santa Barbara31 Carpinteria Salt Marsh Reserve32 Coal Oil Point Natural Reserve33 Kenneth S. Norris Rancho Marino Reserve34 Santa Cruz Island Reserve35 Sedgwick Reserve 36 Sierra Nevada Aquatic Research Laboratory37 Valentine Camp

Santa Cruz38 Año Nuevo Island Reserve39 Fort Ord Natural Reserve40 Landels-Hill Big Creek Reserve41 Younger Lagoon Reserve

UC Riverside ReservesBox Springs Reserve

Adjacent to UC Riverside, Box Springs Reserve lies at a transitional zone between coastal sage scrub and chamise chaparral. Freshwater seeps and an intermittent stream water this steep granitic slope.

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James San Jacinto Mountains ReserveOn the steep western flank of Black Mountain, James San Jacinto Mountains Reserve hosts habitats ranging from mixed conifer, hardwood, and riparian forest to montane chaparral. Winter snows and the streams of Hall Canyon add to the site’s ecological diversity. Its satellite reserve, Oasis de los Osos, overlooks the desert from the northern face of Mount San Jacinto. Here, Lambs Creek cuts through riparian woodland harboring stream orchids, the Laguna Mountain springsnail, and a plunge pool.

Motte Rimrock ReserveThe boulder-strewn plateau of Motte Rimrock Reserve features inland coastal sage scrub mixed with chaparral, coastal-desert grassland, and riparian thickets. Native American pictograph panels, seasonal springs, and the endangered California gnatcatcher are among reserve highlights.

Sweeney Granite Mountains Desert Research Center

Sandy washes rise into alluvial bajadas and fractured granitic canyons at Sweeney Granite Mountains Desert Research Center. Attributes include Native American archeological sites, ridges dominated by piñon-juniper woodland and sagebrush, and open desert rich in Mojave Desert yucca and cacti. Sacramento Mountains Reserve, its satellite site, is rich in teddy bear cholla.

Boyd Deep Canyon Desert Research CenterBoyd Deep Canyon Desert Research Center protects a cross-section of Coachella Valley habitats. Tributaries descend from montane forest into piñon-juniper woodland and chaparral, then plunge into a Colorado Desert canyon dotted with cholla and barrel cactus. Endangered peninsular bighorn sheep are found here alongside greater roadrunners and Coachella Valley fringe-toed lizards.

Emerson Oaks ReserveEmerson Oaks Reserve stands at the intersection of four major climate zones—mountain, desert, coast, and interior valley. Oak woodlands and coastal sage scrub grow on gentle lower slopes, while higher elevations support dense stands of chaparral.

Natural Reserve SystemUNIVERSITY OF CALIFORNIA

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