May 9 Science Cafe – The Nature of UC

In the late 1940s, a young University of California researcher watched in dismay as the research plot where he had been studying desert iguanas was bulldozed to build a motel. The experience galvanized him and other UC scientists to establish a library of ecosystems dedicated to research, teaching, and public service. The University of California Natural Reserve System now includes examples of most major state habitats, from coastal tidepools to inland deserts, oak woodlands to lush wetlands, and alpine mountaintops to redwood forests. Tens of thousands of university students, researchers, and schoolchildren visit reserves every year. Discover how the UC Natural Reserve System is cultivating tomorrow’s field scientists, providing environmental forecasting, and serving the people of California.

Peggy Fiedler has served as Executive Director of the UC Natural Reserve System since 2010. She holds an MS and PhD from the University of California, Berkeley, where she studied mariposa lilies and theoretical aspects of biological rarity. She was a professor of conservation biology at San Francisco State University, and a consultant in wetlands ecosystem restoration. Peggy is a Fellow of the California Academy of Sciences, Fellow of the Linnean Society of London, and a Fulbright Senior Scholar. Kathleen M. Wong is a science writer specializing in the natural history and environment of California and the West. She was a reporter with the Monterey Herald; an editor of California Wild, the former magazine of the California Academy of Sciences; and coauthored Natural History of San Francisco Bay (UC Press), for which she received the Harold Gilliam Award for Excellence in Environmental Reporting. Kathleen now directs communications for the University of California Natural Reserve System.