UCSC Natural Reserves
In addition to the Campus Natural Reserve, UC Santa Cruz manages six additional reserves.
Año Nuevo Reserve
In winter, the beaches of Año Nuevo Island teem with battling, birthing northern elephant seals. In spring and summer, the clifftops come alive with breeding cormorants, screeching gulls, and majestic brown pelicans. Located on a marine terrace separated from the mainland by a narrow channel, the island also holds the ruins of a historic lightstation. For over 40 years, the reserve has hosted groundbreaking studies on marine mammal behavior. As of 2016, 356 peer-reviewed publications have used data collected at the Año Nuevo Reserve, 37 in the preceding year alone. Año Nuevo Island is available for scientific study through an agreement with California State Parks.
Fort Ord Natural Reserve
Decades as a military base preserved the maritime chaparral of Fort Ord Natural Reserve from development. The dense vegetation includes ceanothus and manzanita stunted by sandy, nutrient-poor soils. Legless lizards burrow through the loose substrate in search of insects to eat, while woodrats build nest mounds beneath oaks dripping with lichen. Many state and federally listed species are protected here including Monterey gilia, seaside birdsbeak, and Smith’s blue butterfly.
Landels-Hill Big Creek Reserve
The Santa Lucia Mountains plunge into the Pacific Ocean in the heart of scenic Big Sur. From ridgetops clad in rare Santa Lucia fir and coast redwood, Landels-Hill Big Creek Reserve descends through oak woodlands and coastal grasslands. Steelhead trout ply clear canyon streams. Offshore, sea otters take refuge in the kelp beds of Big Creek State Marine Reserve.
Santa Cruz Mountains Reserve
The Santa Cruz Mountains Reserve (SCMR) is a partnership between UCSC and the surrounding stewards, land managers, and communities of the Santa Cruz Mountains. SCMR and our partners share a common goal of providing opportunities for hands-on environmental education through the creation of outdoor classroom experiences and supporting collaborative research and stewardship projects. Through these prime directives, SCMR’s aim is to foster a strong relationship between students at UCSC and partnering lands, agencies, and organizations.
Strathearn Ranch Reserve
Strathearn Ranch Natural Reserve is a 2,700-acre property located in San Benito County, California, near Tres Pinos. The reserve encompasses oak-studded grasslands, chaparral, and sycamore woodlands, offering a diverse range of habitats. Its unique geological features, including proximity to the San Andreas Fault, provide valuable opportunities for research in geology and earth sciences. The reserve serves as a living laboratory for ecological, geological, and environmental studies.
Younger Lagoon Reserve
A rare Central Coast wetland, Younger Lagoon Reserve encompasses fresh and saltwater marshes, pickleweed flats, and a pocket beach featuring native dune vegetation. Tidepools harboring crabs and fish are located just offshore, while the federally endangered tidwater goby thrives in low-oxygen lagoon waters. Upland terraces, once farm fields, are being restored to coastal prairie.