April 2026 Newsletter is live!
Decades of serpentine grassland research, new TEK course, Golden Gate Biosphere Network joins TOGETHER Bay Area, Wildfire resilience updates & more!
Upcoming lectures: Prof. Dustin Mulvaney (May 5), Sec. Wade Crowfoot (May 20)
More: jrbp.stanford.edu/news/april-2...
Stanford Jasper Ridge Biologica 'Ootchamin 'Ooyak SCHOOL OF HUMANITIES AND SCIENCES NEW DATE! Dr. Dustin Mulvaney Professor School of Planning, Policy, and Environmental Studies San José State University Tuesday, May 5, 2026 3:30 - 4 PM: Reception 4 - 5 PM: Lecture & Q&A Sun Field Station Jasper Ridge Biological Preserve ('Ootchamin 'Ooyakma) The Big Fire in the Big Basin: The long history and short memory of wildfire in the Santa Cruz Mountains This talk examines the post-colonial wildfire history of the Santa Cruz Mountains. Spanish dispossession disrupted Indigenous fire regimes, while landscape-scale changes driven by deforestation during American occupation set in motion an active period of wildfire across the region in the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries. These fires spurred efforts to protect the region's redwood forests through the formation of the Sempervirens Fund and the founding of Big Basin State Park, but they also helped entrench practices of wildfire suppression. Large wildfires were common from the late 1800s through the 1920s. Subsequent efforts by labor camps and the Civilian Conservation Corps to build fire towers and fuel breaks coincided with a period of relatively low fire activity that lasted until 1948, when Santa Cruz County experienced its largest wildfire until the CZU Lightning Complex of 2020. A civil grand jury later described the CZU fire as the most significant in county history, implying the greatest extent on record. The historical analysis presented here, however, identifies several post-colonial fires that exceeded the CZU Lightning Complex in size and argues that this longer fire history was forgotten because generations passed between major fires in the county. JASPER RIDGE COMMUNITY LECTURE SERIES https://jrbp.stanford.edu/events/community-lectures
Excited to be speaking at Stanford’s Jasper Ridge Biological Preserve Tuesday May 5.
The Big Fire in the Big Basin: The Long History & Short Memory of Wildfire in the #SantaCruzMountains explores the history of wildfire and role of colonial resource extraction. jrbp.stanford.edu/events/dr-du...
Join us Tuesday May 5 for a free public talk with Prof. Dustin Mulvaney: “The Big Fire in the Big Basin: The long history and short memory of wildfire in the Santa Cruz Mountains.”
Join us Tuesday May 5 for a free public talk with Prof. Dustin Mulvaney: “The Big Fire in the Big Basin: The long history and short memory of wildfire in the Santa Cruz Mountains.” More information: jrbp.stanford.edu/events/commu...
From 1988 to 2026: History and a New Chapter for the Golden Gate Biosphere Network: We are Joining Forces with TOGETHER Bay Area! Read more in our blog:
jrbp.stanford.edu/news/GGBN
Our March 2026 newsletter includes a tribute to Prof. Paul Ehrlich and showcases Prof. Rodolfo Dirzo’s lab tour, a Muwekma Ohlone cultural burn, & a rare eagle video. Catch up on research & stewardship highlights, & join our public lectures in April & May! jrbp.stanford.edu/news/march-2...
During breeding season, Jasper Ridge limits access to the area of the preserve where the eagles nest to protect their privacy & help ensure successful fledging. And remember, when observing any wildlife, please enjoy respectfully from a distance. Video by Trevor Hébert, JRBP ('O'O)
Moments like this are possible because we protect unique habitats & minimize disturbance. Habitat protection, sensitive monitoring, and resources for staff and cameras, are essential to ensure we continue to contribute to the understanding of Earth’s natural systems through research & education.
A rare video from Jasper Ridge ('Ootchamin 'Ooyakma) captures a #baldeagle (Haliaeetus leucocephalus) stealing nest material from a #goldeneagle (Aquila chrysaetos) pair. This is a very rare sighting of how top predators compete and coexist during nesting season.
jrbp.stanford.edu/news/rare-in...
New article! Cultural burning returns to Jasper Ridge.
Muwekma Ohlone Tribal members conducted a cultural burn at Jasper Ridge Biological Preserve ('Ootchamin 'Ooyakma), providing a learning opportunity for a Stanford course on environmental stewardship. news.stanford.edu/stories/2026...
Our February 2026 newsletter has fully leafed out! Learn about science and stewardship in the region, new research projects and publications, upcoming lectures, volunteering opportunities, and more. See you all up here at the ridge soon!
jrbp.stanford.edu/news/februar...
We offer public educational hiking tours led by trained docents. The hikes are designed to introduce visitors to the natural history of the Santa Cruz Mountains and ongoing research and stewardship projects. For more information: jrbp.stanford.edu/visit-preser...
Explore the January 2026 Jasper Ridge Biological Preserve (’Ootchamin ’Ooyakma). You will find new research projects, education and stewardship highlights, and new programs in partnership with the Muwekma Ohlone Tribe. jrbp.stanford.edu/news/january...
Gold-eye lichen (Teloschistes chrysophthalmus)
Gold-eye lichen (Teloschistes chrysophthalmus)
zoom in of gold-eye lichen (Teloschistes chrysophthalmus)
Gold-eye lichen (Teloschistes chrysophthalmus) is a fruticose lichen with branching lobes. Their sexual structures, apothecia, are bright-orange with spiny projections (cilia) situated around the rim. Photo by docent Perry McCarty.
#lichen #Teloschistes #chrysophthalmus #goldeyelichen #apothecia
Blue-gray Gnatcatcher (Polioptila caerulea) pictures by Peter Hart.
Take flight with our December 2025 Newsletter! It spotlights our 2024–2025 Annual Report & new Jasper Ridge website. Explore new research projects, upcoming public lectures, and stewardship news. Thank you for your support & happy holidays!
Link: jrbp.stanford.edu/news/decembe...
Cover of the Jasper Ridge 2024-2025 annual report with a picture of western bewildering bushmallow
We’re pleased to share our 2024–2025 Annual Report. We invite you to explore our report to see how Jasper Ridge advanced research, education, and stewardship! Thank you for staying connected and engaged with us! See you all at the ridge in 2026!
Link: drive.google.com/file/d/1YDu2...
Photo credit: Dan Quinn. A flock of Mallard ducks (Anas platyrhynchos) in flight leaving Searsville Lake.
Heading into the holiday weekend, we’re feeling grateful for everyone who makes Jasper Ridge thrive: staff, students, faculty, docents, committees, and nature itself. Like this flock of mallards lifting off over Searsville Reservoir, our community rises together. Thank you! Photo credit: Dan Quinn
Welcome @afapellegrini.bsky.social and team!
"I better show him I am not afraid. I will stick out my tail with its warning colors"
A short story by @dukesjeff.bsky.social inspired by an autumn day at Jasper Ridge! Enjoy!
New preprint: "Priority effects drive fungal and nematode emergence from insect larvae," introducing our new study system at 'Ootchamin 'Ooyakma (Stanford's Jasper Ridge Biological Preserve), led by Amaury Payelleville
doi.org/10.1101/2025...
Reflections on the Muwekma Ohlone Tribe's youth campout at Stanford University's Jasper Ridge Biological Preserve ('Ootchamin 'Ooyakma)
jrbp.stanford.edu/news/voices-...
Banana slug!
Check out the 2025 November newsletter!
- Hear from Indigenous youth attending the 2nd Muwekma campout
- Learn how AI @stanford.edu is being used to ID biodiversity
- Read a docents adventure to save milkweed from invasive teasel
- And more exciting research! Link: jrbp.stanford.edu/news/jrbpoo-...
On Fri Oct 10, Jasper Ridge, Stanford, and other network partners and students attended the SOAR Year 3 All-Hands Symposium at West Valley College. Check out our blog post on the day's program and student successes we've seen!
www.soarnetwork.org/soar-year-3-all-hands-symposium
Congrats to our team, Katie and Trevor! They led an innovative program during Stanford's Climate week: "AI Into the Wild’ connects Stanford to local flora and fauna at Jasper Ridge. Read more in the @stanforddaily.com.web.brid.gy:
stanforddaily.com/2025/11/02/a...
Yay to spending time with plant nerds! Thank you for the tour and specimen viewing at @stanfordjrbp.bsky.social
Me standing in front of the Carnegie Institution
Laura, me, and Jo sitting at the coevolution table
Old group photo of the Carnegie team.
Jasper Ridge main building with oak trees flanking it.
Great visit this morning to the Carnegie Institution for Science and Jasper Ridge with Joanna Feehan and @lauracleventhal.bsky.social. Sat at the “co-evolution” table and found some photos of young Clausen, Keck, and Hiesey.
Congrats to @dukesjeff.bsky.social and many other @droughtnet.bsky.social scientists working on studying the effects of different drought patterns in grasslands and shrublands worldwide. Read more below:
tarantula (Aphonopelma sp.)
Our October 2025 newsletter just crawled into our blogs section (link in bio)! Inside, you'll find details on new community lectures starting Oct 21, updates on new research projects, & our latest student highlights! Plus, check out a great tarantula (Aphonopelma sp.) photo by Trevor Hébert!
More research on serpentine soils! Authors incorporated plant trait and herbivory measurements to better understand how serpentine soils influence aboveground plant-herbivore interactions and community structure! Thanks @xmoreira.bsky.social and team for sharing your work!
Thank you to @sierraclub.org for showcasing the ongoing collaborative work with the Muwekma Ohlone Tribe here at 'Ootchamin 'Ooyakma! www.sierraclub.org/sierra/futur...
California quail (Callipepla californica)
California quail (Callipepla californica)
This morning we spotted a male California quail (Callipepla californica) acting as a sentinel (a lookout), perched high and watching for predators. Photos by Jorge Ramos. #californiaquail #quail #callipeplacalifornica. Read more about the California state bird: birdsoftheworld.org/bow/species/...