University of California, Merced Vernal Pools Reserve - (209) 228-3044

Adjacent to UC Merced campus, the Vernal Pools-Grassland Reserve is home to a wide variety of mammals, birds, amphibians and other species.

In 2001, the vernal pool land was set aside as part of the more than $11 million grant that provided land for the UC Merced campus through the David and Lucile Packard Foundation. The preserved land was part of the 7,030-acre Virginia Smith Trust parcel that also included the campus’s 2,000 acres. The grant arrangement included creation of the 5,030-acre conservation preserve of sensitive vernal pool habitat.

The agreement also triggered the release of $15 million in state-approved habitat acquisition funds from the Wildlife Conservation Board to ensure the conservation of key wetland and vernal pool resources in the surrounding area. An additional gift of $2 million in 2002, by the William and Flora Hewlett Foundation, has helped maintain the habitat and helps with the active management of the land.

In January of 2014 a vote was made to make the reserve officially part of the University of California Reserve System. "About 6,500 acres of grassland, hills and vernal pools that touch the north and east side of UC Merced are officially a nature reserve, after a University of California Board of Regents vote Wednesday."

Read more here: http://www.mercedsunstar.com/2014/01/22/3454875/6500-acres-near-uc-merced-to-be.html#storylink=cpy

http://www.ucnrs.org/reserves/merced-vernal-pools-join-the-natural-reserve-system.html

The Engineering Service Learning Vernal Pools Reserve Team was created by the Foster Family Center for Engineering Service Learning in the spring semester of 2014 with the goal to develop and implement management and operational plans, and address some of the access and nature interpretation needs of the new Reserve. Students will research, design, create, and install interpretive signs on campus and near the new Vernal Pools Grasslands Reserve. In this process they will interact with different campus offices, conduct research on the lives of endangered species, assemble maps and photographs and use tools to create state-of-the-art signs.

If you have any questions, suggestions or want to learn more about the VPR team, send us an e-mail. We'd love to hear from you. Our email address is vpresl@ucmerced.edu.

Tags: Educational Research,Environmental Conservation