Kenneth S. Norris Rancho Marino Reserve

Description:
Kenneth S. Norris Rancho Marino Reserve hosts a diversity of habitat types in close proximity: Monterey pine/coast live oak forest, California coastal prairie, northern coastal sage scrub, freshwater ponds, and marine subtidal and intertidal areas. The reserve is located 80 miles north of Point Conception, the most significant biogeographical transition zone in coastal California, and just south of the town of Cambria. Lands include 2 miles of coastline approximately 1 km (0.6 mi.) wide, and covers approximately 500 acres. Reserve lands extend from the sea to a 700 ft. ridge.
Logo:
UN Geographic Region: North America
Country: United States
City: Cambria
State / Province: CA
ZIP Code: 93428
Latitude: 35
Longitude: 121
FSML E-mail Address: nrs-ranchomarino@ucsb.edu
FSML Web Address: https://ranchomarino.nrs.ucsb.edu/
FSML Year Founded: 2001
Year joined OBFS: 2025
Contact Name: Keith Seydel
Contact Email: seydel@ucsb.edu
Contact Position: Reserve Director
Contact Phone Number:
Station Director Name: Keith Seydel
Station Director Email: seydel@ucsb.edu
Billing Contact Name: Keith Seydel
Billing Contact Email: seydel@ucsb.edu
Size of Field Station: 101-500
Federal, state, or local governmental partners?: No
Community College users: Yes
Year Round Staff: 1-2
Seasonal Staff: 0
Overnight housing facilities: 1-10
Conference space: 1-25
Electricity: On Grid
Distance to emergency services?: 0-20 minutes
Classes: Graduate
Biome Type: Terrestrial
Marine Biomes: Intertidal - rocky
Terrestrial Biomes: Temperate Forest
Minimum Elevation: 0-100 meters
Maximum Elevation: 0-100 meters
Köppen climate classification: C (temperate)
Urban/Rural: Rural
Research and/or graduate student training: 34
Formal education: 66

Year Founded: 2001

Year Joined OBFS: 2025

Size of Field Station (hectares): 101-500

FSML Web Address: https://ranchomarino.nrs.ucsb.edu/

Additional Info

Private nonprofit organization?: No

Universities affiliated / Parent Organization

Federal, state, or local governmental partners?: No

Member of the Virtual Field: No

Visting Our Site

Open to the Public: No

Overnight housing facilities/# of beds: 1-10

Conference space: 1-25

Food service or catering available?: No

ADA accessibility: No

Electricity: On Grid

Internet Access: Yes

Library: Yes

Classes Offered: Undergraduate and Graduate

Hiking trails

Access to public transportation: No

Distance to emergency services: 0-20 minutes

Artists in Residence Program: No

Internship employment: Yes

Environmental Information

Research Facilities

Additional Information

Private nonprofit organization?

Names of Universities affilated: 0

Federal, state, or local governmental partners?: No

Name of partner

Tribal partners/users: Yes

MSI/HBCU users: Yes

Community College users

Member of the Virtual Field: No

Visiting a FS/ML

Open to the Public: No

Year round staff: 1-2

Seasonal staff: 0

Overnight housing facilities/# of beds: 1-10

Distance to emergency services: 0-20 minutes

Library: Yes

Hiking trails

Internship employment: Yes

Environmental Information

Biomes: Intertidal - rocky

Minimum Elevation: 0-100 meters

Maximum Elevation: 0-100 meters

Köppen climate classification: C (temperate)

Freshwater habitats: Yes

Urban or rural

Agricultural fields: Yes

Research

REU host station: No

Dry lab space: No

Wet Lab space

Research vessels available: No

GIS capacity on site

Long term data sets: Yes

On site herbarium or voucher species

Formal Data Management Plan

Mesocosms, plots, stream diversions, or other sets ups for outdoor manipulative experiments: Yes

Date Joined OBFS: October 20, 2025

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