- SMER is now part of NOAA's Climate Reference Network
Thursday, May 8th 2008
The U.S. Climate Reference Network (USCRN) is a network of climate stations now being developed as part of a National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) initiative. Its primary goal is to provide future long-term homogeneous observations of temperature and precipitation that can be coupled to long-term historical observations for the detection and attribution of present and future climate change.
Santa Margarita Ecological Reserve is now part of that network.
- Technology helps researchers at Santa Margarita Ecological Preserve
Monday, May 5th 2008
Press-Enterprise writer Jeff Horseman visited SMER to find out more about our sensor network and remote monitoring technology.
Read the article, and see the video on the Press Enterprise website. - Explore SDSU Open House
Friday, February 1st 2008
The Explore SDSU Open House is coming up on Saturday, March 15th from 10am-2pm. Come visit the Field Stations Program booth on the San Diego State University main campus to learn more about our research, education, scholarship, volunteer, and outreach opportunities. Call (619) 594-0580 for more information on this exciting event - Jordan Dale Covin Memorial Travel Scholarship
Friday, February 1st 2008
The SDSU Financial Aid and Scholarship Office is now accepting applications for the Jordan Dale Covin Memorial Travel Scholarship. A maximum of $3,500 will be awarded to qualified students who will be traveling to a scientific meeting to present or display original research. The intent of the scholarship is to pay for the travel costs of graduate students who wish to share their original research at a recognized scientific meeting. Preference will be given to those giving an oral presentation, however, students presenting posters, or attending as guests can also receive awards. The deadline is Friday, February 29th. Please see the Office of Financial Aid and Scholarships for application materials and requirements. - Scholarship applications
Wednesday, January 30th 2008
The SDSU Field Stations Program is now accepting applications for the 2008-2009 Graduate Student Research Award.
The GSRA grants one student a maximum of $2,500 for research that occurs on or includes sites at one of the four SDSU Field Stations: Santa Margarita Ecological Reserve, Tijuana River National Estuarine Research Reserve, Fortuna Mountain (Mission Trails Regional Park), or Sky Oaks Ecological Reserve. Please see our Student Support section for information on how to apply. Applications are due by Tuesday, April 1st, 5pm. For more information call (619) 594-0580 or e-mail us at: fspinfo@sciences.sdsu.edu. - Sussman Scholarships
Monday, January 28th 2008
We are now accepting applications for the 2008 Edna Bailey Sussman Environmental Internship. Please see our Student Support section for information on how to apply. The Sussman Foundation will be offering 4 scholarships at a maximum of $5880 each for the 2008 granting period. The application deadline is Friday, February 15th, 2008 at 5pm. Please call the FSP main office for more information (619) 594-0580. - Graduate Student Research Award
Thursday, December 13th 2007
The Field Stations Program is offering a Graduate Student Research Award.
1 award given for up to $2,500. The research must involve the Field Stations Program.
Application due date: January 2nd, 5pm
More details available here
- Rice Canyon Fire burns near Santa Margarita Ecological Reserve
Monday, October 29th 2007
Rice Canyon Fire started in the morning of Oct 22 at the 1500 block of Rice Canyon in eastern Fallbrook. The fire crossed the I-15 Freeway and came to the southern boundary of Santa Margarita Ecological Reserve (SMER). All SMER staff and visitors have been evacuated, and the reserve is currently closed. Firefighters and CHP have been using SMER webcameras to monitor the fire.
More pictures and information available here - Covin Memorial Lecture - 2007
Monday, October 15th 2007
Please join us for the 8th Annual Jordan Dale Covin Memorial Lecture
Featuring speaker: Dr. Kevin Crooks
Connectivity and Wildlife Conservation in Urbanizing Landscapes
- The Santa Margarita Ecological Reserve Is Recruiting Docents In The Fallbrook And Temecula Areas
Thursday, October 4th 2007
The Santa Margarita Ecological Reserve (SMER), in conjunction with San Diego State University Field Stations Program, is offering an eight-week course for volunteers interested in the natural history of Southern California. SMER is usually closed to the public in order to protect the sensitive habitats and research experiments found throughout the property. The docent program helps provide general access and education via a nature hike and other programs geared toward the public.
The course will cover topics such as: the Santa Margarita River, native plant and animals, area geology, local history, and Native American lore. The cost of the course is $25 for materials and a basic commitment to participate in the docent program upon completion of the course.
To become a docent, volunteers will be required to attend eight (8) Saturday morning classes, from 10:00 to 1:00 each day. The course will be held weekly from October 20th through December 15th 2007, with a 1 week recess for the Thanksgiving holiday. Participants must be at least 18 years of age.
For more information please contact: Dave Bailey (Research Coordinator),
(760) 728-9446 - SDSU Field Stations Program is sponsoring a corridor design workshop
Wednesday, September 12th 2007
Due to the recent wildfires, this event has been cancelled
Please contact Kelcey for more information.
The workshop, presented by CorridorDesign.org, offers workshops that provide an overview of current ecological knowledge and practice regarding corridor design, and provide attendees hands-on experience designing corridors for real species in real landscapes using ArcGIS tools.
Learn more >> - Pala Native Americans Take a Virtual Trip to Santa Margarita Ecological Reserve via HPWREN LIVE and TDVNet
Monday, July 30th 2007
Pala Native American's youngest community members recently took their second science adventure via the HPWREN LIVE pilot project. That is, students from Pala Native American Reservation's Learning Center participated in a Live Interactive Virtual Exploration (LIVE) activity with a biologist at the Santa Margarita Ecological Reserve
Read more on the HPWREN website - Environmental Sciences Program
Thursday, April 5th 2007
Field Stations Program is now partners with the
Environmental Sciences Program at SDSU - FSP and HPWREN Technology Demonstration at AAAS
Tuesday, February 27th 2007
SMER and HPWREN collaborated on another L.I.V.E (Live Interactive Virtual Exploration) event during the American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS) 2007 conference. The demonstration was given by Spring Strahm and Pablo Bryant, and broadcast live to the National Science Foundation booth at the AAAS conference. Read Spring's notes about this fascinating event - Educational Tour of SMER, Saturday March 17th
Tuesday, January 2nd 2007
The Santa Margarita Ecological Reserve (SMER), located between Temecula and Fallbrook, will be holding a docent-led educational tour on Saturday, March 17th at 8:30 AM. This tour begins at the South gate of SMER (in Fallbrook), and traverses the reserve to the Temecula Gorge. This is a 6-mile roundtrip, strenuous hike. Join us to view the beautiful natural habitat and learn about some of the cutting edge research that is occurring in this protected outdoor laboratory. A $5 donation is suggested to support our docent program. Hikes have a 12 person limit so please contact Spring Strahm at 760-728-9446 for reservations, directions and further information. - Tours at SMER
Friday, September 1st 2006
Tours of the Santa Margarita Ecological Reserve are open to the public.
These informative tours are led by Dr. Matt Rahn, the Field Stations Program Director.
The tours are held every first and third Friday of the month. Space is limited, so please make a reservation now. - GCRG and PASI
Wednesday, August 30th 2006
The Global Change Research Group will be co-hosting a Pan-American Advanced Studies Institute conference about Global Change in the Americas.
