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Spend a day touring UC San Diego's Natural Reserve System
30x30 is California's goal to conserve 30% of its land and coastal water by 2030. The 2025 30x30 Partnership Summit is being held in San Diego on August 14th - 15th. Although registration for the talks on Aug 14th is already full, it is not too late to participate by joining a field trip on Friday, August 15th.
The UC San Diego's Natural Reserve System was selected as one of thirteen field trip locations across San Diego to showcase biodiversity and collaborative approaches to conservation. Participants will take a self-driven tour of three of our reserves ( Kendall-Frost Marsh Reserve, Elliott Chaparral Reserve, and Scripps Coastal Reserve) while they learn how the reserves support our mission of university-level teaching, research, and public service. The tour starts and ends at Kendall-Frost Marsh Reserve and runs from 9 am - 3 pm. Advance registration is required.
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Train to support outreach effortsJoin UC San Diego's Natural Reserve System and San Diego Bird Alliance on Saturday, August 16th from 8:30 am - 11:30 am at Kendall-Frost Marsh Reserve to get trained as a docent to support our outreach program, Wander the Wetlands. This program welcomes the general public to experience the marsh twice a month through birding, fish monitoring, and weeding. The full schedule of Wander the Wetlands activities is listed in our event calendar. No prior knowledge is necessary, just a willingness to learn. Please reach out at nrs@ucsd.edu for any questions. No RSVP is necessary.
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From left: Javier Garcia,Trey Stowe, Janiya Kitcher, and Jahaira Correa
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Meet our new 2025 - 2026 Roy Little Fellows
Congratulations to our third annual cohort of Roy Little Fellows, made possible by a generous gift by Dorothy Little in honor of her late husband. These Fellows are UC San Diego students who gain paid work experience while supporting the Natural Reserve System's outreach and research efforts.
Javier Garcia is majoring in Biology (Ecology, Behavior, and Evolution). Trey Stowe, Janiya Kitcher, and Jahaira Correa are all majoring in Environmental Systems (Ecology, Behavior, and Evolution). All four students are seniors.
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Black sage (Salvia mellifera)
| |  | Distant Phacelia (Phacelia distans)
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European Honeybees, native pollinators, and native plantsSummary by Javier Garcia, Roy Little Fellow
A 2023 study by UC San Diego researchers Dillon Travis and Joshua Kohn at the Elliott Chaparral and Dawson-Los Monos Canyon Reserves found that non-native European honeybees, though abundant and familiar, can actually reduce the health of native plants they pollinate. Unlike native bees, honeybees often visit many flowers on the same plant, increasing self-fertilization and leading to weaker, less successful offspring. By comparing three native species: white sage, black sage, and distant phacelia, the researchers showed that honeybee pollination results in significantly lower plant fitness than pollination by native insects. In a region like San Diego, home to over 600 bee species but dominated by introduced honeybees, this finding highlights the importance of protecting native pollinators to support healthy, resilient ecosystems. Read the full paper here.A related study just relased this month by Dillon Travis, Joshua Kohn, David Holway and Keng-Lou James Hung follows up on these findings by examining the role feral European honeybees have in competing with native pollinators. European honeybees were documented to remove up to 80% of available pollen each day from native plants. Read the UC San Diego Today story here and the full paper here.
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iNaturalist Observation(s) of the Month
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The stars of Elliott Chaparral Reserve This horned lizard was one of several recently spotted at Elliott Chaparral Reserve. These lizards were originally found throughout much of San Diego County, but are now only found in areas with intact native habitat. There are never guarantees of when you might see a horned lizard, but signing up for the Aug 15 reserve tour is a good way to improve your chances. 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.
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Happenings at the Reserves
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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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