Sagehen Plant and Animal Monitoring with iNaturalist
Ongoing in 2019

Sagehen Art
Ongoing in 2019

- Why have art at natural reserves?
- See our art blog for information about specific projects at Sagehen.
- Future Forests connects art, science, management, business, and policy-making efforts to solve the California wildfire crisis.
5th Annual BioBlitz with Family Activities hosted by SWEP
Saturday Aug 3, 2019: 8:30am-12:30pm

You bring your smartphone and enthusiasm, and together we’ll look for birds, mammals, reptiles, butterflies, insects, spiders, trees, and flowers within the Sagehen Creek Field Station.
A BioBlitz is a detailed study of biodiversity in a specific location over a specified period of time, bringing experts and volunteers together. People of all ages and skill levels are welcome! Participants will work in small groups and be guided by expert ornithologists, entomologists, botanists, biologists, and naturalists to different search zones within the Sagehen Creek Field Station to identify the flora and fauna of that area.
We’ll enter our observations in iNaturalist and maintain eBird lists. To check out some of the cool stuff we may see click here. Don’t have an iNat account yet? No problem! Sign up for an iNaturalist account, then download the app for iPhone or Android. Want a little more help? Check out these videos. iNaturalist.org Video Tutorials.
Please be sure to have iNaturalist downloaded to your smartphone prior to arrival!! Wireless bandwidth is limited at the field station. It is also recommended that participants have made several observations using iNaturalist prior to participation, and are somewhat familiar with the application.
**NEW in 2018: Family Activity Session with Sierra Watershed Education Partnerships!! SWEP educators will guide elementary-aged children and their families on an exploration of Sagehen Creek’s macroinvertebrates. SWEP staff will have nets, scopes, identifcation keys, art supplies and more to guide the exploration of bugs that make their home in Sagehen Creek. Children and their families will have fun while learning more about these important bugs and how they help us understand the health of our watershed.
Full Event Details
- Date: Saturday, Aug 3, 2019
- Time: 8:30am-12:30pm
- Location: UC Berkeley’s Sagehen Creek Field Station. (11 miles of north of Truckee, off highway 89).
- Who: People of all ages and naturalist skill level are welcome! **Children must be accompanied by an adult!
- How: All participants, regardless of age, need to register. Registered participants will receive a follow up email with more details and logistics for the event.
What to Bring:
- Smart phone or tablet with camera capabilities, installed iNaturalist application, and website account.
- Sierra Nevada Field Guide (or download one or more of our mobile Sagehen Basin field guides to your smart phone).
- Camera (optional)
- Sturdy walking shoes & appropriate clothing for working outdoors
- Sunscreen
- Waterbottle
- Snacks & Lunch
- A friend or several!
- Contact Lynn Hori at: lynnhori@gmail.com
- More info on this year’s BioBlitz page.
- You can also read about the event in 2017 and 2018. Let’s beat those numbers this summer!
Natural Discourse at Sagehen
August 10, 2019

- Introductory talk about experimental forestry and fire research at Sagehen by Jeff Brown, Director
- Reception with the artists
- Catered dinner
- Performance by Sasha Petrenko
- Projections and other art installations at the field station
Get tickets here.
More information (or contact Shirley Watts). https://naturaldiscourse.org/GEOMORPHIC AND ECOLOGICAL FUNDAMENTALS FOR RIVER AND STREAM RESTORATION
August 12-16, 2019
Sagehen Creek Field Station near Lake Tahoe, CaliforniaWhy take this course?
River restoration has become big business in the US, with well over $17b spent on over 40 thousand projects since 1990. Despite strong public support and the magnitude of the investment, the field has not advanced as quickly as one might expect, because learning through post-project evaluation is rare, and insights from current research are often not effectively incorporated in planning and design. River restoration can be more effective when it is designed with an understanding of processes and the larger context, when it benefits from systematic learning from previous built projects, and when it is based on predictive connections between objectives and actions. This shortcourse emphasizes sustainable river restoration through:- understanding geomorphic and ecological processes in rivers
- watershed-scale and longer-time scale context
- incorporating insights from recent research in fluvial geomorphology and ecology
- developing predictive connections between objectives and actions
- analyses of effectiveness of built restoration projects
- strategies to restore (where possible) physical and ecological processes in rivers
- setting goals in the context of a continuum from urban-to-wilderness settings
- developing restoration strategies and innovative management approaches based on understanding of underlying causes of channel or ecosystem change, rather than prescriptive approaches
- knowing when to intervene and when the river can heal itself without meddling

Sagehen California Naturalist Program
July 28-Aug 4, 2019 (1-week Adult Immersion course)
“University of California Cooperative Extension developed California Naturalist to foster a committed corps of volunteer naturalists and citizen scientists trained and ready to take an active role in natural resource conservation, education, and restoration.”

Program Goals
- To promote environmental literacy and stewardship of California’s natural resources
- To increase participation in resource conservation and citizen science projects throughout the state
- To develop a core constituency of committed and educated citizens willing and able to participate in resource conservation, preservation, and restoration efforts
- To provide participants with the knowledge, skills and confidence they need to educate others and participate in many aspects of resource management, such as public education, resource planning and public decision-making
- To provide the communication experience and critical thinking skills necessary to grow a citizen base that supports environmental protection and sustainable growth in California
- To support partner organizations as they implement the program
Benefits to the Participant
- A new appreciation for and knowledge of California’s unique ecology and natural history
- Opportunities for personal and professional growth
- New skills for volunteer and professional enrichment
- Special knowledge of and access to local resources, ecology and natural areas
- Access to new venues for creative and hobby activities such as bird watching, sketching, photography, etc.
- Fellowship from other California Naturalist participants throughout the state
- The excitement of being part of the venerable tradition of naturalists throughout history and an innovative new program for natural resource stewardship.
Course Format
This summer, Sagehen will offer our California Naturalist training as a One-Week Adult Immersion Course: a residential week at the Field Station.Course Fee & Registration
$1200*. Includes station accommodations, meals, course instruction, graduation certificate and pin, registration with California Naturalist, and website support. Please pay by check to reserve your place and begin receiving pre-course communications. We will hold your check until June 30, 2018 (the course go/no go date) when–if you prefer–we can tear up your check and charge a credit card instead. After that date, there are no refunds. Make checks payable to “UC Regents” and mail with completed registration form (including signed liability waiver and photo release) to the Course Coordinator:Sagehen Cal Nat | Andy Rost | 10427 Jeffrey Way | Truckee, CA | 96161
* Early registration price. For registrations occurring after June 15, 2018, there is an additional $50 fee. For a small additional fee, 4 Continuing Education Units/Credits (CEUs) are available through UC Davis Extension to teachers and undergraduate students who successfully complete the course.Other Housing Options
There are no private rooms at the field station, but course participants may camp on site if preferred. There is no discount for camping, since you will still be using all other station facilities. Course participants may not cook for themselves, nor opt out of catering. Please note dietary preferences on the registration form. Hotels in nearby Truckee, CA are an option for participants who require more amenities, but travel time of at least 1/2-hour each way will take away from valuable informal networking and field experience, not to mention sleep. The course consists of very full days and summer road work delays are always a factor, so we discourage this option.Pack list
In addition to course materials described below, see our list of what you need to bring for your stay at Sagehen.Course Textbook and Other Required Materials
Students need to purchase a field journal and the course text: The California Naturalist Handbook (30% discount code here). Please complete pre-course reading assignments: there will not be enough free time during the course to catch up from behind! Students should bring their textbook and a nature journal to every class and field trip session. Please bring your smartphone with the iNaturalist app installed and activated with your account. Participants may also find a small 10x hand lens and binoculars useful, but they are not required.Questions?
More info about the Sagehen course offering
Culture of Fire: a collaborative art and community engagement project
TBA Fall, 2019 in Vallejo and the Tahoe National Forest

Ritual burning is a common practice across time and cultures. Fire has the power to bring people together and to transform landscapes and lives. It regenerates even as it consumes.
Indigenous cultures understand this, and it is a central element of community co-creation festivals like Burning Man. Contemporary society, however, is largely disconnected from ecological processes and has been negatively influenced by the perception (and reality) of “catastrophic” wildfire. Culture of Fire is a community-oriented project that raises awareness about the critical role of fire in California’s forests and grasslands. It is a model for re-imagining our collective relationship with fire. The idea is simple and anyone can participate. It starts with creating an object from a locally collected natural material (wood or clay). This is placed by our team inside a section of forest that will be burned using prescribed fire. Before the burn, the objects will be publicly displayed in a gallery or as an installation in the forest. The burn will then become a ritual to be witnessed live or in a video presentation. Finally, the objects will be recovered from the fire zone and displayed again. They may be destroyed, radically changed in form, or remain largely intact. The variable outcomes help us understand the critical role of low intensity fire in our forests.