Windows Media Player (7.4 MB)
Real Player (7.3 MB)
John Muir Institute of the Environment
UC Davis Natural Reserve System
Preservation, field scholarship, and community service for a sustainable future
The University of California has assembled 35 natural reserves representing California's ecological diversity. Six reserves are administrated by the UC Davis Natural Reserve System. Enjoyed by the public, utilized by scholars and managed by scientists and educators, the reserves provide a haven for diversity, research and teaching. The reserves support long-term access to protected ecosystems that are especially important for extended or repeatable studies. Collaborations between the reserves, government agencies and conservation groups serve the public through shared educational programs and demonstration of scientifically-based resource management. Use of the reserves for art, photography and writing classes are equally important to their use for research in natural sciences.
The following reserves present opportunities for donors to preserve an environmental legacy for a sustainable future.
- Donald and Sylvia McLaughlin Reserve, encompassing portions of the Putah and Cache Creek watersheds, is valued for its unusual serpentine deposits which support islands of rare and endemic plants adapted to the harsh chemical conditions of the soil. As the site of a decommissioned open-pit gold mine, McLaughlin researchers have access to a large-scale, long-term experiment of the restoration of woody plant species and over 20 years of environmental data collected by the Homestake Mining Company. The reserve is home to three endangered species, the ringtail, Tule elk and Townsend's big eared bat.
- Jepson Prairie Reserve in Solano County is an island of natural prairie in a wide floodplain dominated by agriculture. The site provides the only known home for the threatened delta green ground beetle and the endangered Solano grass, one of 15 rare and endangered plants found on this site. Well-attended walking tours pass endangered vernal pool shrimp, wildflowers, and stands of native bunchgrass that once covered one-fourth of California.
- Quail Ridge Reserve is a rugged 2,000 acre peninsula extending into Lake Berryessa in Napa County. It boasts an abundance of rare native grasses, chapparal and oak woodlands that feature 500 species of butterflies, 132 birds, 22 herpetofauna, and 18 mammals. The reserve is equipped with a wireless network of sensors that allow researchers remote access to the sights, sounds and other environmental conditions on the reserve.
- Stebbins Cold Canyon Reserve is a steep, north-facing canyon in the Northern Coast Range, east of Monticello Dam in Solano and Napa Counties. The reserve is open to the public for discovery of the108 species of birds, 26 herpetofauna, and 43 mammals spread throughout grasslands, oak woodlands, and chaparral. The popular guided tour program leads visitors on an exploration of the natural beauty and scientific importance of this unique habitat.
Support for reserves is provided by gifts, grants and endowments. Donations are needed for upgrading field stations, research equipment and for supporting student and public programs.
For information about making a gift to support the Natural Reserve System at UC Davis, please contact Barbara Celli at (530) 747-3950 or .