Overview
Type
Educational Institution
Headquarters
San Jose, CA
Category
Higher Education
Blue Oak Ranch Reserve is a Biological Field Station and Ecological Reserve operated jointly by the Berkeley Natural History Museum and the UC Natural Reserve System. The site provides undisturbed natural environments to conduct field-based research and instruction within a protected landscape, as well as in association with adjacent sites. This 3,280 acre ecological reserve is perched on the west-facing slope of the Diablo Range in northern Santa Clara County, California, seven air miles east of metropolitan San Jose and five miles northwest of Mt. Hamilton. Ecosystems include native and non-native grasslands, ephemeral and perennial ponds and streams, coastal chaparral, riparian woodlands, oak woodlands, and stands of mixed conifer and hardwoods on north facing slopes. Habitats at Blue Oak Ranch Reserve supports 138 species of birds, 43 species of mammals, 10 species of amphibians, 26 species of reptiles, 7 species of fish, and hundreds of species of invertebrates. On-site facilities now include a campground with tent platforms, potable water, campfire ring, access to indoor meeting and office space, a community kitchen, restrooms, and wireless Internet access. There is a reference weather station as well as a newly installed wireless environmental sensor network at 50 locations, and networked phenology cameras at 10 locations. Other databases include species lists, GIS data layers, and bibliographic references, and are accessible via the reserve website.
