River Ridge is a 300 ha fully protected reserve on the North Fork of the Tule River in Tulare county, CA. Elevations range between 300m and 900m and encompass 2.4 km of river bank on 8 ha of riparian corridor, 50 ha of old field experimental area and 240 ha of blue oak woodland and chaparral.
River Ridge borders the 13,000 ha Giant Sequoia National Monument and is 45′ drive from sequoia groves and 1.5 h from Sequoia and Kings Canyon National Parks.
The reserve has a fully enclosed watershed and several seasonal streams, in addition to the North Fork Tule.
We are the type locality for Clarkia springvillensis and have abundant flora and fauna. River Ridge has partners with the Tule River Indian Reservation, the Native Star Foundation, Circle J Norris Ranch, Blue Oak Ranch, Sequoia Riverlands Trust, Cal Fire, and the Tulare county Office of Education’s SCICON campus. Researchers have worked on all these sites.
The Reserve has MOUs with the Geography Department at California State University, Long Beach and the Native Star Foundation and an MOU with the UC Merced NRS is pending. This robust network provides access and support to a large area and numerous facilities.
The climate is Mediterranean and summers are prolonged and hot; winters are wet and mild, averaging 500mm precipitation.
- Year Founded
- 1999
- Year Joined OBFS
- 2023
- Size of Field Station (hectares)
- 101-500
- FSML Web Address
- https://www.river-ridge.net
- Private nonprofit organization?
- Yes
- Universities affiliated / Parent Organization
- No
- Federal, state, or local governmental partners?
-
Other: USFWS, CSULB, UC Merced, Porterville College, Tulare Co. Office of Ed, Cal Fire, CNPS, Tulare Co. Audubon, Sequoia Riverlands Trust, Alianza Ecologista, Native Star Foundatiion
- Member of the Virtual Field
- No