The McLaughlin Reserve is one of 41 units within the University of California, Natural Reserve System. The reserve's mosaic of serpentine, sedimentary, and volcanic soil types has become a model ecosystem for studies of plant evolution and ecology.
The mission of the the McLaughlin Reserve is to protect the ecological values of the site and to support creative and academic endeavors that require a natural environment, including art and writing, field research in the environmental sciences, teaching, and public outreach. Visits to the reserve are by appointment only.
