Kenneth S. Norris Rancho Marino Reserve hosts approximately 25 unique research projects per year. Approximately one third of our research involves the intertidal or the nearshore subtidal habitat. Other studies are split more evenly among the forest and coastal prairie.
Our longest-running research project, PISCO from UC Santa Cruz, has been monitoring the intertidal and subtidal habitat of the reserve since its inception in 2001.
Other long term projects include:
Native Monterey pine forest monitoring, ongoing since 2002. https://www.sarahbisbing.com/
Coastal prairie forage nutrient level monitoring. https://cesanluisobispo.ucanr.edu/Custom_Program355/
Grazed vs. ungrazed prairie monitoring for native grass species composition.
To learn more about current research at Rancho Marino and how your research project could fit into the knowledge base of this area, please email reserve director Keith Seydel at seydel@ucsb.edu