Taking Nature's Pulse

Pepperwood serves as a Sentinel Site for Nature (CA SSN) in our North Bay region. We are dedicated to tracking the health of our ecosystem over time. In addition to being a leading host site for CA SSN monitoring activities, we also support a comprehensive and extensive network of monitoring efforts that extend beyond the CA SSN protocol. As one of the longest-running sentinel sites in the North Bay, we systematically track various factors, including weather, soil moisture, stream flow, and the diversity and well-being of local plant and animal populations.

Currently, there are over 80 projects on-site, run by a combination of staff, citizen scientists, visiting scholars, and university partners. Pepperwood's sentinel site has over 20 individual weather stations and numerous research plot networks spread throughout the reserve.

There are over 700 data streams collecting climate data and reporting in real-time to a central location. Several other sentinel sites report to the same data portal, and our collective long-term monitoring efforts have immediate benefits for land and water managers. These data are vital for evaluating climate impacts in our Mediterranean ecosystems and informing best resource management practices over time.

An early warning station at Pepperwood, instrumented with ALERTCalifornia wildfire camera, solar-powered radio telemetry network for real-time continous reporting, and air quality sensors.

An early warning station at Pepperwood, instrumented with ALERTCalifornia wildfire camera, solar-powered radio telemetry network for real-time continous reporting, and air quality sensors.

Program Details

Data & Research Inquiries

Contact Us: research@pepperwoodpreserve.org

Visiting Scholarship Opportunities

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Publications

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What is a Sentinel Site?

How can regional sentinel sites like Pepperwood's protect us against climate change and extreme disasters?

Research Highlights

Climate, Soil, & Hydrology

stream flow enhancement project flux tower

Wildlife Monitoring

Vegetation Monitoring

ecosystem monitoring

Public Safety & Health

Fire Ecology

Spring after the Tubbs Fire in 2017, Dwight Center in the center of the burn scar with green grassland surrounding.

Landscape Connectivity

Maps from the Mayacamas to Berryessa landscape connectivity proposal for a climate-wise corridor.

 

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Regional long-term scientific monitoring for climate change resilience.

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