The Environmental Legacy of the Uc Natural Reserve System

After watching their field plots and teaching spots destroyed by development and habitat degradation, a few forward-thinking University of California faculty devised a way to save examples of the state's major ecosystems. Working with conservation-minded donors and landowners, state and federal agencies, and land trusts and private conservation organizations, they founded what would become the world's largest university-administered natural reserve system. Today the UC Natural Reserve System provides a library of California habitats to support field research, teaching, and public service in natural environments

This lavishly illustrated volume, which includes images by famed photographers Ansel Adams and Galen Rowell, describes the natural and human histories of the system's many reserves. Located throughout California, the reserves protect habitats ranging from coastal tidepools to inland deserts, lush wetlands to ancient forests, and vernal pools to oak savannas

"Fiedler, Rumsey, and Wong have produced more than a beautiful guide to the University of California Natural Reserve System--they have assembled a source of inspiration. They clearly explain how each reserve conserves a landscape, preserves natural diversity, records human history, and serves the people of the state and of the world. Generations of field scientists have been trained on these grounds, leaving a legacy of scholarship and environmental enlightenment for future researchers."--BRUCE Pavlik, author of The California Deserts

"The network of protected areas managed by the University of California's Natural Reserve System has provided undisturbed environments for research, education, and public service for nearly fifty years. The Environmental Legacy of the UC Natural Reserve System handsomely presents the beauty and significance of these sites, preserved for the benefit of all Californians. "--PHILIP W. RUNDEL, author of Introduction to the Plant Life of Southern California

Peggy L. Fiedler is the systemwide director of the UC Natural Reserve System. She is the lead coeditor of Conservation Biology: The Theory and Practice of Nature Conservation, Preservation, and Management; Conservation Biology: For the Coming Decade; and the author of Rare Lilies of California. SUSAN gee rumsey joined the UC NRS in 1987 and was its principal publications coordinator until 2011. KATHLEEN M. WONG is the current principal publications coordinator of the UC NRS. She is the coauthor of Natural History of San Francisco Bay (UC Press).