Give yourself a break from captivity.
The the UC Santa Cruz Natural Reserves System has been sharing some of its treasures in brief captivating videos of five regional ecosystems that ring the Monterey Bay.
Join UC Santa Cruz’s Natural Reserve System directors as they guide you through the enjoy the transformational classrooms extending the entire coastline from the Golden Gate at San Francisco south to Big Sur.
From fog-enshrouded redwood forests to maritime chaparral, the wide range of habitats, provide an unparalleled natural laboratory for marine and terrestrial research and serve as study sites for university scientists and students.
If you need to “get away” this weekend, please stop by!
And, here are a few other virtual get aways
Año Nuevo Natural Reserve
Patrick Robinson, the reserve director of Año Nuevo Reserve (about 20 miles north of Santa Cruz) leads us through the sights and sounds of the iconic northern elephant seal. It’s quite an experience to meander along the sandy beach pathways where enormous mammals flop along the beach and fight each other off to protect their harem.
There are also many more species to discover at this world class destination for tourists and researchers alike. The close proximity of the reserve to UC Santa Cruz and several other universities makes it a hotspot for both high-impact research and undergraduate experiential learning. Professor Dan Costa’s multi-decade research program enables undergraduates to participate directly in research activities–a rare opportunity for future marine mammal scientists. Año Nuevo is also a California State Park and popular tourist site, hosting (in normal years) about 100,000 visitors annually.
Since you can’t go their live, this is the next best thing.