34° 6' North, 118° 39' West, Elevation: 244-488 m

Field Site:C		Protocols:
UCLA Stunt Ranch		This is a list of protocols that can be done at this community field site. GLOBE in the City summarized protocols are in hypertext. In parentheses are the learning activities that you may consider doing at this site.
Contact Person: Carol Felixson Director of Education & Community Outreach E-mail: cfelixso@ucla.edu Philip Rundel Faculty Reserve Manager E-mail: rundel@biology.ucla.edu Stunt Ranch Santa Monica Mountains Reserve UCLA-Warren Hall 900 Veteran Avenue Los Angeles, California 90095-1786 (310) 206-3887 http://nrs.ucop.edu/reserves/stunt.html		Cloud Type Observation, Cloud Cover Observation, Rainfall Measurement, Current Temperature Max/Min. Gravimetric Soil Moisture Protocol, Infiltration, Soil Temperature Alkalinity, Dissolved Oxygen, Electrical Conductivity, Nitrate, pH, Water Sampling, Water Transparency, Water Temperature
Click here for directions to the site
Click on film frame for a QuickTime Panorama of the site!
Set in the southernmost mountains of the Transverse Ranges, the Stunt Ranch Santa Monica Mountains Reserve is located in the Cold Creek watershed of Malibu Creek, perhaps the most pristine and biologically diverse watershed n the Santa Monica Mountains. Cold Creek itself flows year-round through the reserve. Smaller tributaries of Cold Creek additionally provide the reserve with a well-developed corridor of riparian habitat. Primary habitats include chaparral, coast live oak woodland, and annual grasslands. Overall there are more than 300 vascular plant species, including the state-endangered Pentachaeta lyonii, a rare member of the sunflower family. The reserve also harbors an abundance of fauna, particularly birds, and two rare reptile species: the San Diego horned lizard and the San Diego Mountain kingsnake. All of Stunt Ranch burned in 1993, but the site's natural diversity remains undiminished and continues to provide excellent educational and research opportunities.
Hours open: Depends upon use permit. All potential users must: 1) First contact the reserve manager to check for time and space availability - Carol Felixson (above) 2) Download a use application from web site or call (510) 987-0150; 3) Complete and submit the application via e-mail, fax, or US Mail. 4) See Rules on web site Cost of admission: N/A Handicap access: Yes Restrooms: An outhouse is available but is poorly maintained. Telephones: None. Food availability: None. Water: Best to bring your own drinking water. Equipment needed at site: None provided at site. All equipment must be procured by your school or checked out first from the Van Nuys MST Center. Check each protocol for a specific list of necessary equipment. What you should know before you go: Teachers should adequately familiarize their students with the protocols in class and teach the ecological big picture for each protocol attempted. Pitfalls: There is no hazardous chemical dump at the site so be prepared to take your chemical waste back to your school to dispose of in the appropriate manner (use a polyethylene bottle to store your liquid waste that is clearly marked WASTE). Stunt Ranch is a Nature Reserve. If teachers prepare and educate each student to Leave No Trace, the reserve will be kept as a quality research field site for many years to come. Extreme summer temperatures may occasionally reach 111 ° F (40 ° C) or higher. In general, however, temperature conditions are moderated by the close proximity of the Pacific Ocean. Frosts occur occasionally in winter. Safety precautions: There is Poison Oak in some areas. Toxicodendron diversilobum, a dicot in the family Anacardiaceae, is a shrub that is native to California and is also found outside of California, but is confined to western North America. Site profile by Dan McDonnell 8/99
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