Nikki Mercer joined UC San Diego's Natural Reserve System in August as our very first Outreach Coordinator. She is a UC San Diego alumna, where she earned a bachelor’s degree in Ecology, Behavior, and Evolution in 2021 and a master’s degree in Biology in 2022. Her graduate research examined how host microbiomes shape phytoplankton communities and ecosystem health under climate stress.

Her experience spans environmental data collection and analysis, program coordination, and field-based work across diverse environmental systems throughout Southern California and the western United States. She is passionate about supporting conservation, sustainability, and science-based environmental initiatives that promote healthy, resilient ecosystems and meaningful community engagement.

As the Outreach Coordinator with UC San Diego’s Natural Reserve System, she is excited to connect the public with the region’s rich biodiversity and inspire both appreciation and action for the surrounding natural systems.

Thank you to the the Hervey Family Fund through the San Diego Foundation for making this position possible!

Apply now for one of four grants to support UC San Diego graduate student research at any of the four UC San Diego Reserves. Two $900 grants will be available Fall quarter 2026, and another two grants will be available Winter quarter 2027. Grant funds maybe be used to provide reimbursement for eligible research expenses, including field or lab supplies, sample processing fees, and mileage expenses. Applications for the Fall grants must be received by Friday, October 23rd at 5 pm.

Want to support the next generation of researchers by contributing to this fund? Any donations send to this fund will go directly to graduate student research at our Natural Reserves. 

On Saturday, September 12 from 9 am - 1 pm, San Diego Bird Alliance and the UC San Diego Natural Reserve System in collaboration with community partners will host a free, bilingual (English/Spanish) Wander the Wetlands event at Kendall-Frost Marsh Reserve. Celebrating Latino Conservation Week and California Biodiversity Day, this family-friendly event is open to all and will include guided birding walks, fish seining demonstrations, and native plant explorations. Activities will start at the Kendall-Frost Marsh Field Station and Community Learning Center (2055 Pacific Beach Dr).

This event provides an excellent opportunity to observe 30 wild species for California Biodiversity Day. This state-wide project challenges participants to explore California between September 5–13 and post their observations on the community science platform iNaturalist. 

Look for UC San Diego Natural Reserve System's table at two upcoming events:

Join us on Sunday, Sept 13th from 9 am - 2 pm at the Tijuana Estuary Visitor Center (301 Caspian way) in this community event hosted by San Diego Bird Alliance in collaboration with The Nat, U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service, the Hispanic Access Foundation.

Find more details and register here.

Join us on Saturday, September 19th at the Living Coast Discovery Center
(1000 Gunpowder Point Dr.) from 10 am - 4 pm for this community event to learn about local wildlife and engage with animal ambassadors.

Timed $5 tickets are required. Find more information and register here. 

Xavius Boone, a PhD candidate at SDSU and UC Davis, is surveying recreation opportunities and visitor perspectives on our San Diego Lagoons. He would love to hear about your experiences if you have visited at least one of the following lagoons/estuaries: Agua Hedionda (Carlsbad Lagoon), Batiquitos, San Elijo, San Dieguito, and/or Tijuana River Reserve.

The California Native Bee Society is collecting votes for California's official state bee. Learn more about the 19 native bee species nominated and cast your vote at the CNBS website. Dr. Jess Mullins, whose research on native bees at Elliott Chaparral Reserve was a key piece of her dissertation work at UC San Diego, is the founding president of CNBS. 

Find all our upcoming events here. 

Scripps Coastal Reserve: Mesa docent-led walks

1st Saturdays, 9 - 11 AM

Scripps Coastal Reserve: Mesa weeding

most Fridays, 8 - 10 am

Wander the Wetlands at Kendall-Frost Marsh Reserve

2nd and 4th Saturdays

9 - 11 AM

This month's iNaturalist observation is Pacific Goldenthread (Cuscuta pacifica) observed by Roy Little Fellow Sofie Blazejova at Kendall-Frost Marsh Reserve during the recent Wander the Wetlands event. This distinctly orange parasitic plant obtains nutrients from its host. 

Observation © Sofie B · all rights reserved

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