UC Nature

10/05/2026

Curious about the species that can be found at UC Nature's Kendall-Frost Marsh Reserve? Follow their account to see a series providing fascinating facts about the wildlife you might encounter at the edge of San Diego's Mission Bay.

10/02/2026

UC Nature's Merced Vernal Pools and Grassland Reserve is co-hosting a Grasslands Nature-Based Solutions Summit Oct. 16 at UC Merced. Grasslands cover 9% of California and provide benefits such as wildlife habitat, water filtration and storage, recreation, livestock grazing, and carbon storage. Nature-based solutions such as conservation, prescribed grazing, and restoration, can help ensure this landscape continues to thrive into the future and deliver benefits to Californians. Attend the summit to meet other grasslands managers, explore opportunities to scale nature-based solutions in grasslands, and more.

10/01/2026

The marsh that currently lines the northern edge of San Diego’s Mission Bay did not always look the way it does now. The original wetland utilized by the Kumeyaay people for millennia has undergone tremendous change over the past 150 years due to shifts in land use and alterations to its feeder waterways, according to new research by Carrie Shuster, a California Sea Grant graduate research fellow at the University of San Diego. Shuster’s study of what is now UC Nature’s Kendall-Frost Mission Bay Marsh Reserve and the adjacent Northern Wildlife Preserve offer insights that could help ensure marsh restoration efforts yield a healthy wetland into the future.

150 years of data point to natural processes as the key to restoration

09/30/2026

UC Nature’s Stunt Ranch Santa Monica Mountains Reserve needs your help to get native grasses nurtured on site for the past year transplanted onto reserve lands. Many hands will make short work of placing 150 grass plugs into the ground and sowing seeds to encourage the growth of species that nourish local insects and other wildlife. Sat. Nov. 7, 9 am–1 pm. RSVP link in bio.

09/30/2026

UC Nature’s Stunt Ranch Santa Monica Mountains Reserve needs your help to get native grasses nurtured on site for the past year transplanted onto reserve lands. Many hands will make short work of placing 150 grass plugs into the ground and sowing seeds to encourage the growth of species that nourish local insects and other wildlife. Sat. Nov. 7, 9 am–1 pm. RSVP at the link.

Join us at UCLA Stunt Ranch Reserve to transplant grasses growing in our native nursery into a designated restoration site.

09/28/2026

UC Nature's Valentine Eastern Sierra Reserves invite artists to enjoy an afternoon of plein air painting at Valentine Camp Reserve in Mammoth Lakes Oct. 5, 1–4 pm. Meet other artists to paint the vivid colors of autumn in the Eastern Sierra. Registration required.

Paint among the fall colors at Valentine Reserve! 🍂👩‍🎨

While not an art lesson, this is a unique opportunity to connect with fellow artists as you immerse yourself in the beauty of the changing seasons of the Eastern Sierra.

Register at the link in our bio today! (Public Tours) Spots are limited.

09/24/2026

The La Kretz Center for California Conservation Science and UC Nature’s Stunt Ranch Santa Monica Mountains Reserve are seeking proposals for their 2027 Research Awards. UCLA undergraduates, graduate students, and postdoctoral scientists whose work addresses environmental, ecological, evolutionary, or conservation science in California are invited to apply. Grants range from $500–$4,000 and may be used for supplies, equipment, and travel expenses tied to your research goals. Applications are due by Nov. 30, 2026.

The UCLA La Kretz Center & Stunt Ranch Reserve Research Awards is an opportunity for UCLA student scientists to receive funding for research proposals related to environmental, ecological…