UC Nature reserves span a north-to-south distance of 850 km (530 miles), and an east-to-west distance of 640 km (400 miles). The vast reach of the system enables researchers to compare species and conditions in one portion of the state with those of another, at a spatial magnitude relevant to entire ecosystems. For this reason, a number of major research projects involve transects featuring multiple UC Nature reserves.
Sentinel Sites for Nature — California
Sentinel Sites for Nature — California is a long-term monitoring collaborative established to create biodiversity baselines and to assess change over time. Sentinel Sites are managed by partners committed to biodiversity exploration and conservation under the increasing pressures of climate and land-use change. UC Nature and California Department of Fish and Wildlife lands serve as the backbone of this statewide network.
CALeDNA
CALeDNA is a citizen science initiative to create a biodiversity index of California using environmental DNA (eDNA) from soil, sediment, and water samples. The program hosts BioBlitzes to give people the opportunity to explore UC Nature reserves while learning about the natural world from their peers.
California Phenology Project
A project tracking the dates of life stage events (leaf out, flowering, etc.) in selected native plant species to observe the impact of climate change on natural communities; more than 100 sites are being monitored at eight reserves.
UC Nature Climate Monitoring Network
Replicate, high-precision climate station equipment using identical data collection protocols provides data to reserve users; 38 stations at more than 30 reserves.
Partnership for Interdisciplinary Studies of Coastal Oceans • PISCO
Large-scale, integrated studies of the coastal ocean, rocky intertidal, and kelp forest ecosystems of the U.S. West Coast designed to obtain a comprehensive understanding of how these systems function. PISCO monitors species at seven UC Nature reserves.