Situated just north of Point Conception, Kenneth S. Norris Rancho Marino Reserve straddles the biogeographic boundary between northern and southern California. For this reason, the terrestrial and marine ecology of the reserve contains elements common to both regions. Its major features include one the world’s five natural Monterey pine forests, extensive subtidal and intertidal habitats, and coastal prairie. Nine stream systems run from the ridge of coastal mountains down through the uplifted coastal terrace before emptying into the ocean. Both the Northern Chumash, or Obispeño, and Salinan ethnographic groups to the north utilized this landscape’s abundant terrestrial and marine food resources. The rich diversity of species found on the reserve has been studied extensively. Digital collections about birds, plants, and marine species offer more information on organisms occurring on the reserve.
See more maps
Databases
The most up-to-date species list is hosted on iNaturalist.
Intertidal biodiversity has been monitored at the reserve for more than 20 years. Results of these biodiversity surveys can be viewed on the MARINe Multi-Agency Rocky Intertidal Network website.
Bird sightings are hosted on eBird
The plant species list was last updated in 2021 and can be downloaded as a pdf.
The plant collection is held at the UCSB Cheadle Center for Biodiversity and Ecological Restoration.