January 2026

Wonders of the Wetlands

A flyer with event info and a photo of a man

Tobacco Pollution in Kendall-Frost Marsh Reserve

Join our quarterly lecture series on the Wonders of the Wetlands at Kendall-Frost Marsh Reserve Field Station and Community Learning Center (2055 Pacific Beach Dr) on Thursday, Jan 15th from 3 - 4 pm. Dr. Georg Matt, Director of the SDSU Center for Tobacco and the Environment, will share updates from local tobacco pollution monitoring efforts. Register now to save your spot.

More info here

Love Your Wetlands Day

A flyer with photos of plein air painting and a tule boat.

One day left to pre-order event t-shirts

Join us on Saturday, February 7th from 9 am - 2 pm at Kendall-Frost Marsh Reserve for a family-friendly celebration of wetlands. Meet scientists sharing the latest marsh science, join a guided marsh clean up walk, and interact with local environmental organizations in the 21st anniversary of this community event.

From now until Jan 13th, event t-shirts are available for preorder.

Love Your Wetlands Day is co-hosted by UC San Diego Natural Reserve System and the San Diego Bird Alliance in partnership with the Tijuana River National Estuarine Research Reserve and the City of San Diego.

More info here

Herbarium collaboration

students standing next to a projector screen

from left: Aaron Wolf-Bloom, Sabrina Cruz Ortiz, Zaria Brand Flu, Judy Truong, Brandon Chung, Janice Noriega (unable to make presentation: Brooke Kennedy) share the final results of their Sustainable Development Design class.

Engineering Project Supports Herbarium Digitization

Students in Dr. Anh-Thu Ngo's Sustainable Development Design class (ENG 100D) produced an herbarium digitizing box for the Natural Reserve System last quarter as part of the Global TIES program. This box, made with a donated camera and mostly recycled materials, provides a low-cost way to take consistent photos of the pressed plant specimens that make up the herbarium. Currently there are 632 specimens in the herbarium collected from the four UC San Diego Natural Reserves.

Images of these specimens will now be available for researchers around the world to access as part of the Consortium of California Herbaria database. Roy Little Fellow Jahaira Correa is leading the herbarium effort this year as part of her Environmental Systems senior internship.

iNaturalist Observation of the Month

Gooseneck Barnacles (Pollicipes polymerus) spotted at Scripps Coastal Reserve by iNaturalist user pavelbykau. Observation copyright: CC BY-NC 4.0

Tide pooling treasures

These Gooseneck Barnacles were spotted at Scripps Coastal Reserve by iNaturalist user pavelbykau during the King Tide on New Years Day. If you visit the tide pools, make sure to follow basic tidepooling etiquette as summarized by this video posted on Instagram by Scripps Institution of Oceanography: don't pick up or handle any animals, avoid crowded areas, watch where you step, and check local conditions. Interested in being a volunteer tide pool docent? Watch this space for more information on future opportunities.

Post your own photos of native plants or animals on iNaturalist while visiting a NRS reserve (perhaps at one of the events below) for a chance to have your photo featured here next month. Check out all the observations collected at UC San Diego Reserves on iNaturalist.

Happenings at the Reserves

Find the latest on our Calendar of Events

Scripps 1st Saturday
Saturdays, 9 - 11 AM
There are docent-led tours every month at Scripps Coastal Reserve, 9400 La Jolla Farms Road. Learn about our photosynthetic friends & foes, underground bee nurseries, and why Black's Beach has such great surfing as you walk the half-mile trail with a guide. No pre-registration is required, but please see note below.

Weed Warriors
Fridays, 8 - 10 AM

Every Friday we tackle the invasive weeds at the Scripps Coastal Reserve, 9400 La Jolla Farms Road. Help the native plants take back their territory! No experience is necessary.

NOTE: Pre-registration is not required, but liability waivers are. Closed-toe shoes are also required. Dogs are not allowed due to the habitat protections in place. Be aware that there are no water or toilet facilities. If you have questions or plan to come with a group larger than 5, please email nrs@ucsd.edu at least two days in advance.

Wander the Wetlands

Second and fourth Saturday, 9 - 11 AM
Activities will alternate between guided bird outings, fish seining (counting) and work parties to improve the habitat of Kendall-Frost Marsh. Locations will vary between the dirt lot at the north end of Crown Point Park and the Kendall-Frost Marsh Reserve Field Station, 2055 Pacific Beach Drive. This is a partnership project between UC San Diego Natural Reserve System and San Diego Bird Alliance. No pre-registration is required. Find the activity on our calendar of events.

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