View source for Rancho Marino Reserve

Kenneth S. Norris Rancho Marino Reserve is part of the University of California Natural Reserve System, located along the coast of San Luis Obispo County near Cambria, California. Named after Kenneth S. Norris, a UC professor and naturalist, the reserve is privately owned and funded, with no public access. Historically, Native Californians used the area for food gathering 5,000 years ago, and later, it was part of the Rancho Santa Rosa land grant given to Julian Estrada in 1841. Swiss dairymen grazed cattle there, and Chinese seaweed farmers lived on the site from 1900 to 1960, practicing sustainable practices like burning rocks to promote sea lettuce growth. The reserve joined the UC system in 2001. Geographically, the reserve lies within the San Andreas Fault Zone, near the Cambria and San Gregorio-Hosgri faults. It features an uplifted marine terrace with a steep sea cliff and elevations reaching 700 feet. Nine coastal drainage systems flow through the property, with two dammed to provide water for cattle and habitat for fish and frogs. Two streams are designated as blue line streams by the Army Corps of Engineers. The reserve encompasses 225 acres of Monterey pine forest, one of three remaining original stands in California. It also includes coastal terrace prairies, scrub habitats, and kelp beds supporting southern sea otters, fish, and rocky intertidal species. Active cattle grazing is part of the land management. Scientific research at the reserve includes monitoring by the Partnership for Interdisciplinary Studies of Coastal Oceans (PISCO) and the Multi-Agency ...