Valentine Reserve became part of the University of California Natural Reserve System in 1972 and is managed by UC Santa Barbara. It is located on the eastern slope of the Sierra Nevada in the town of Mammoth Lakes. Mrs. Edward R. Valentine donated Valentine Reserve to the University in 1972 and provided a generous endowment fund for its support.
Valentine Reserve, comprised of 156 acres, has been protected from entry and grazing since the early 1900s. The site contains an unusually diverse sample of Eastern Sierran habitats on the climatic ecotone between the sagebrush desert of the Great Basin and the Coniferous forests of the Sierra Nevada. The reserve features remarkably pristine sub-alpine habitat including montane forest, montane chaparral, Great Basin sagebrush, high montane riparian vegetation, wet montane meadow, and seep and spring vegetation.
Valentine Reserve has housing for 16 in three renovated log cabins constructed in the 1920s. Each cabin has modern cooking, sleeping, and bathroom facilities; electricity; spring water; and limited parking/storage space. There is no food or custodial service.
The Reserve Director has an office and residence at Valentine’s sister site, the Sierra Nevada Aquatic Research Laboratory. A resident caretaker lives at Valentine Reserve.
Selected Research Projects
Fire Ecology
A fire management plan will be developed using studies of past fires at Valentine Camp, analysis of the age of stands of trees, and maps of fuel loads.
Wetland Mapping Project
Identification and delineation of wetlands in Long Valley.
Plant Ecology
The reserve is home to research on plant population ecology, ecophysiology, and the genetics of mountain brome grass.
Avian Ecology
Artificial nest boxes are used to attract house wrens for studies of breeding behavior and endocrinology.