Mission
The mission of UC Nature is to contribute to the understanding and wise stewardship of the Earth and its natural systems by supporting university-level teaching, research, and public service at protected natural areas throughout California.
Our organization
UC Nature is a University-wide program. Each of its reserves is managed by one of the nine general UC campuses. The Systemwide Office of UC Nature is based at the UC Office of the President. UC Nature is part of the Research and Innovation unit of the division of Academic Affairs.
History
The system began with UC Berkeley zoology professor Joseph Grinnell. In 1937, near the end of his career, Grinnell began to work on a proposal to establish UC’s first wildland field station for zoology teaching and research. He felt that increasing development across California required lands to be set aside specifically for scientific study. Grinnell initially believed that U.S. national parks could serve as research sites, but eventually decided that the parks did not sufficiently prioritize research. He became convinced that only a natural reserve owned by the university itself “would provide the permanent protection necessary for long-term teaching, research, and monitoring of California’s ecosystems.”
In May 1939, the Regents of the University of California voted to accept his proposal and created the oldest reserve in the system, Hastings Natural History Reservation. Unfortunately, Grinnell did not live long enough to see his proposal succeed. He had died suddenly two weeks earlier from a heart attack.
In subsequent decades, University leaders continued accepting and protecting natural landscapes for study in subsequent years. These sites included Boyd Deep Canyon in the Coachella Valley and Box Springs adjacent to the UC Riverside Campus.
On January 22, 1965, at the suggestion of UCLA professor Kenneth S. Norris, the UC Board of Regents voted to formally join Hastings and six other reserves into the Natural Land and Water Reserves System. In 1970, the organization was renamed the Natural Reserve System. Over the next few decades, the system grew to become the largest network of university-administered field stations in the world. In 2026, the system was renamed UC Nature to showcase the organization’s expansion to include statewide monitoring systems for biodiversity and climate; advisory role in public policy; and development of programs to train the next generation of environmental stewards and scientists.
