UC Santa Cruz Natural Reserves

$5K MATCH: Natural Reserves Fire Relief & Readiness

Here is an opportunity to help with fire recovery at UCSC Natural Reserves.

On August 18, 2020, the Dolan Fire started less than one mile from Landels-Hill Big Creek Reserve, one of the five UC Santa Cruz Natural Reserves that serve as living laboratories and outdoor classrooms. Unfortunately, the fire raged through the 8,000 acre reserve and we lost critical infrastructure, such as water tanks, phone lines, and network infrastructure.

Thankfully, our six buildings used for students, scientists, and resident staff survived the fire due to the wide defensible spaces, sprinkler systems, and misters thoughtfully installed in 2008. When the fire marshal's team saw the standing, unharmed buildings, they lauded our fire preparedness and plan to use Big Creek Reserve as an example in future trainings.

It is not a question of if another fire will endanger one of our natural reserves, but rather when. We know that wildfires are in our future and we are planning for them. With your support, we can better prepare all of our reserves for an eventual fire event and provide equipment appropriate for each unique reserve. You can also help restore Big Creek Reserve to full operations so that students and researchers can study wildfire impacts on the forest ecosystem, the Big Creek watershed, and native (and invasive) plant regrowth.

Give on Giving Day to make the UCSC Natural Reserve System stronger in the face of wildfires and continue to be the premier UCSC facility for training the next generation of environmental leaders and responsible land stewards.

https://givingday.ucsc.edu/o/university-of-california---santa-cruz/i/ucsc-giving-day-2020/s/natural-reserves-fire-relief-readiness

givingday.ucsc.edu Matching funds available for this program! On August 18, 2020, the Dolan Fire started less than one mile from Landels-Hill Big Creek Reserve, one of the five UC Santa Cruz Natural Reserves that serve as living laboratories and outdoor classrooms. Unfortunately, the fire raged through the 8,000 acre....

#4 Big Creek Reserve Fire Relief

The Dolan Fire was ignited less than one mile from the UC Santa Cruz Landels-Hill Big Creek Reserve on August 18, 2020 and has since burned 95% of the 8,000 acre reserve. Big Creek is a key resource for educating the next generation of conservation scientists and for conducting research such as the effects of climate change on old growth redwoods and coastal stream habitats.

Follow the link for more information about how you can help in their recovery.

https://science.ucsc.edu/support-funds/4-big-creek-reserve-fire-relief/

science.ucsc.edu While the visitor center, staff residences, and research cabins at Big Creek Reserve have been saved from the Dolan Fire, campgrounds and critical infrastructure have been lost. Support us as we restore Big Creek Reserve to a living laboratory and outdoor classroom for students and researchers to le...

UCSC Fort Ord Natural Reserve

Read this month's UCSC Science Impact Report, where we are pleased to be featured!

Transformative field experiences at our 600-acre Fort Ord Natural Reserve are inspiring a new generation of natural scientists, read more at the link!

Kenneth S. Norris Center for Natural History

We're super excited about this collaborative project with the Kenneth S. Norris Center for Natural History! Help us spread the word about our campaign to raise money for students resurveying the UCSC Natural Reserves! Giving Day is only two days away!

Love the Norris Center? Love the UC Santa Cruz Natural Reserves? Help support our collaborative biodiversity survey of the UCSC Natural Reserves for Giving Day. This Wednesday we'll be asking you to donate to help support students leading the resurvey effort. Share our posts to spread the word far and wide!

Remember, on Feb 27, even $10 goes a long way!

Learn more here: https://norriscenter.ucsc.edu/misc-pages/2019-giving-day.html

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UC Natural Reserves is hiring a new Director for the Kenneth S. Norris Rancho Marino Reserve. Learn more, and apply, here: https://jobs.ucsb.edu/applicants/jsp/shared/frameset/Frameset.jsp?time=1549485158396

jobs.ucsb.edu

Reviving field research with living laboratories and outdoor education

During the late 1940s, field research sites were quickly being overrun by development until one daring solution created the world's largest Natural Reserve System.

naturalreserves.ucsc.edu During the late 1940s, field research sites were quickly being overrun by development until one daring solution created the world's largest Natural Reserve System

News - SWFSC

NOAA scientists documented sea lions shifting their breeding grounds north from the Channel Islands to our very own Año Nuevo Island Natural Reserve. Check out the article highlighting the fascinating research here: https://swfsc.noaa.gov/news.aspx?ParentMenuId=147&id=22976

swfsc.noaa.gov

Diverse campus landscapes are ideal outdoor laboratories—and classrooms

Check out this great article about how undergraduates benefit from the UCSC Campus Natural Reserve, UC Reserves, and other outdoor classrooms. The access to these "living laboratories" makes for a world-class undergraduate education, and fosters amazing research!

https://news.ucsc.edu/2018/05/davis-handson.html

news.ucsc.edu UC Santa Cruz is known for its beautiful landscapes, but its meadows, forests, farm fields, and coastal bluffs also support a range of scientific research and hands-on learning opportunities for students.

Welcome to the Online Employment System

The Kenneth S. Norris Center for Natural History and UCSC Campus Natural Reserve just posted a 1 year full time shared position in Santa Cruz. Check out more on the UCSC Employment website. Initial review date for applicants starts on Jan 21, so get your applications in!
Assistant Campus Reserve and Norris Center Assistant https://jobs.ucsc.edu Job Number: 1707693
More Detail:
The University of California Natural Reserve System (NRS) is a unique assemblage of 39 protected wild land sites throughout California. The reserves encompass nearly all of the state's major ecosystems, preserved in as undisturbed a condition as possible to support University-level research and teaching programs. The four NRS sites that form the UC Santa Cruz unit are spread along 60 miles of the central coast: Año Nuevo Island Reserve (25 acres), Landels-Hill Big Creek Reserve (4,200 acres), Fort Ord Natural Reserve (606 acres), Younger Lagoon Reserve (47 acres). The UCSC NRS also administers the UCSC Campus Natural Reserve (400 acres). Each reserve has unique research and teaching opportunities, physical conditions and constraints, regional and local political considerations, and funding and administration issues.
The Kenneth S. Norris Center for Natural History supports natural history educational and research opportunities for students, faculty, staff, and the greater Santa Cruz community. We support a wide range of natural history courses on campus. We promote engagement with the natural world in the broader community through publications, digital catalogs of collections, identification tools, open houses, classes for community members, citizen-science initiatives, and collaborations with other organizations. We curate important key natural history collections and promote their use for research projects conducted by undergraduate and graduate students, and faculty at UCSC and other institutions.
UCSC is hiring an Assistant Museum Scientist that, under the direction of the Campus Reserve Manager and Administrative Director of the Norris Center, will be responsible for conducting on-the-ground forest monitoring activities, enhancing and assisting student involvement in on-the-ground projects, supporting research and class use, and assisting in conducting general stewardship and outreach activities on the reserve. The location of facilities for research and instruction directly adjacent to the reserve provides unparalleled opportunities for students to learn about the environment, implement field projects, obtain hands-on experience, and become actively involved in research and stewardship projects. As a result, the Reserve serves as an outdoor classroom and living laboratory for UCSC students and faculty. Additionally, a portion of the reserve has also become an informal recreational resource, highly valued and much used by campus and local community members.
In addition to the field work, the Assistant Museum Scientist will be responsible for office and museum work which will include assisting with collections curation, supporting classes that use the Norris Center, planning and publicizing outreach events, answering phones, updating webpages, helping with scheduling of student interns and employees, and other office related duties.
Job responsibilities and the proportion of time for each duty outlined below represent an overview of the needs, skills, and requirements of this position. Month to month duties will vary depending upon priorities as identified by the supervisors.

Qualifications / Competencies:
Bachelors' Degree in a field science or combination of education and experience.
Experience working in a field setting.
Biological monitoring experience.
Communication and interpersonal communication skills sufficient to interact effectively with staff, faculty, students, and the public, and to represent the Campus, Reserves, and the Norris Center accurately and professionally.
Experience with computers and mainstream business software (e.g., Office etc.).
Demonstrated written and verbal communication skills.
Ability to work accurately, with interruptions, to meet deadlines.
Good organizational, time management, and problem-solving skills.
Preferred Qualifications / Competencies:
Strong flora and fauna identification skills.
Experience with, and ability to perform, basic carpentry and land management skills (e.g., use of saw, shovel, rake, hammer, drill, etc.).
Experience with GPS and ARCGIS.
Experience with web page design.
Special Conditions of Employment:
Selected candidate will be required to pass a criminal history background check.
Must possess a valid license to drive in the state of California.
Ability to work nights and weekend depending on scientific activities, weather conditions, status of projects, and needs.
Will require working off-site occasionally.
Must be available for emergencies outside normal working hours.
Physical flexibility sufficient to bend, stoop, dig, stretch, carry tools, etc.
Ability to work in all weather conditions and on difficult and hazardous terrain.
The ability to move materials weighing up to 40lbs. with or without accommodation.
Ability to walking to and working in remote areas with rugged terrain, heavy brush, poison oak, and insects.
Ability to work well in group settings as well as independently in the office and field.

jobs.ucsc.edu

Elephant Seals Can Recognize Rhythm And Pitch

Fascinating results from a study conducted at UCSC Año Nuevo Reserve; elephant seals can recognize each other by voice!

npr.org A new study reveals that elephant seals memorize the rhythm and pitch of individual voices. That means that the massive sea mammals know who's who, just by the sound of their voice.

Study shows how river channels adjust to large sediment supplies

A new study led by scientists at UC Santa Cruz shows that the amount of sediment a river transports is a key factor in determining river channel geometry and the size of the sediment grains on the riverbed.

news.ucsc.edu New findings undermine a common assumption about gravel-bedded river channels.

The mighty Phyllis

Record setting elephant seal

news.ucsc.edu Phyllis the elephant seal was named after a "go-getter" philanthropist. Now this 853-pound mother of two is a go-getter herself, breaking long-distance records for swimming.

Earth Matters: UC Reserves support research of today and for the future

More news on the UCSC Natural Reserves!

santacruzsentinel.com Recently the Helen and Will Webster Foundation donated $500,000 to UC Santa Cruz (equally matched by UC President Janet Napolitano) to establish an endowment for the UC Santa Cruz Natural Reserves. Dr. Gage Dayton, director of the UCSC Natural Reserve