Stunt Ranch offers university faculty a beautiful setting to engage students in a variety of learning activities, including fieldwork techniques, landscape photography training, and the observation of ecological processes. Moreover, the field station’s classroom comes fully equipped with all the necessary supplies for instructors to conduct preliminary lectures before embarking on trail-based activities.
Planning a Class Visit to Stunt Ranch Reserve
- Examples of previous classes held at Stunt Ranch Reserve.
- Information about our field station that can be reserved for course use.
- Biota observations at Stunt Ranch Reserve
- Data from the UC Nature weather station onsite at Stunt Ranch Reserve
- Bibliography of research conducted at Stunt Ranch since its establishment.
- If you are unsure of whether your class is feasible and appropriate for a UCUC Nature site, review the UC Nature Use and Guidelines.
- Our staff are knowledgeable about the reserve and its resources. Please reach out to reserve management with your questions.
- Course leads are highly encouraged to creating a Field Safety Plan and review the Stunt Ranch Emergency Protocol.
Understanding Projects vs Visits in RAMS
New classes require an Project. An individual field trip within a course is submitted as Visit linked to the Project. Please allow up to 3 business days for review of Visits.
When to file a new Project
- Any time a new class is proposed at Stunt Ranch Reserve.
- If a previously approved class is expanded, altered, significantly revised or extended beyond the period stated in the approved proposal.
- When multiple classes are proposed (distinct Projects must be submitted for each course).
When to file a new Visit
- Any time you plan to go to Stunt Ranch Reserve as part of an approved class Project.
- You may submit your first Visit at the same time as your Project.
Submitting a Project
The first step to using Stunt Ranch is to create an Project in our Research Access Management System (RAMS).
During the Project process, your class visit will be reviewed for suitability based on a number of factors including natural resources, permits, other ongoing projects, infrastructure, environmental conditions, and staff resources (if required). We will make every effort to work with applicants and welcome new classes.
Be sure to record the username and log-in password you used when submitting your original application.
Stunt Ranch staff will reach out to you via email with any questions or foreseen issues with your Project submission.
What information should I provide in the Project?
- Course title and number.
- Purpose of the field trip and specific activities planned.
- Environmental manipulations including collecting specimens, removing soil, or installing long-term equipment.
- Approximate dates of the proposed class Visit(s). The Project will require you to provide dates and an activity summary (i.e., what you are going to be doing on those dates).
- Number of students anticipated.
- Contact information for a primary instructor who will be on-site
during the field trip.
Submitting a Visit
Make a Visit for every visit to the reserve. Coordination is essential for our reserve as it assures that instructor’s needs are met, and conflicting uses are avoided. Your adherence to the online reservation process provides this essential coordination.
Reservation Protocol
- Create a reservation in RAMS every time you plan to come to Stunt Ranch.
- Staff will review your Visit and notify you as to whether you have been approved. During the Visit review process, staff are looking at availability, road and weather conditions, fire risk, personnel, and other activities on the reserve.
- Part of our job is to help you conduct a successful class trip, so let us know how we can help. However, beyond basic administrative and field support, we may need to bill you for our time helping you get your project started. This would be discussed before billing.
Visiting Stunt Ranch Reserve
Hours of Operation
Stunt Ranch Reserve staff are available Monday-Friday from 8am-5pm. Staff are generally not available on University Holidays. Users may submit a Visit for anytime between 5am – 10pm on weekdays and weekends (how early/late you are permitted to visit is up to the discretion of reserve management). While we are working on making camping an option, at this time we cannot allow users to stay overnight at the reserve. The reserve operates with limited staff, thus, unless requested ahead of time, a staff member may not be on-site during your visit.
Liability Wavier(s)
Each UC Nature siterequire both Non-UC faculty and students to sign a liability wavier before stepping onto the property. Once your Visit is approved, reserve staff will contact you and provide you with a liability waivers for you (and your class) to sign and return. Waivers are also available in Resources. Students under the age of 18 are required to have a parent/guardian signature.
UC employees and supervised UC students (by the faculty/instructor) are exempt from signing waivers. Specifically, “Supervision” meaning the faculty/instructor must accompany his/her class to the reserve. Although UC Nature waivers are not required, UC faculty/instructors are responsible for obtaining campus waivers from students and forwarding them to the appropriate campus administrators (not the Reserve Manager) prior to visiting the reserve.
Guidelines for University Course Visitors
- Once your Visit is approved, you will provide with codes to access the reserve and the main gate.
- Instructors are responsible for ensuring the safety and conduct of all students under their direction. Please review our code of conduct.
- Charge and carry a cell phone. While cell phone reception can be spotty,
Wi-Fi is available at the field station and should allow you to make a call. - Review Stunts Emergency Instructions before your visit. If your planning multiple class field trips, management may require you complete a Field Safety Plan.
- Keep vehicles on established roadways. Ensure you have the proper vehicle for the locations you plan to go to. Large vehicles (e.g. trucks, buses, etc.) must be approved by management before driving down the driveway as these vehicles may be at risk of clipping overhanging oak tree branches.
- Leave gates as you find them (e.g., if closed and locked, close and lock it after passing).
- Let reserve staff know if you see anything broken or unusual out in the reserve.
- At least one adult chaperone affiliated with the home institution must accompany undergraduate classes.
- DO NOT visit without having made an advanced Visit and receiving Reserve staff approval. Requests for personal or purely recreational visits to the Reserve will not be approved.
- DO NOT drive off the roads or park in tall grass. Your car’s catalytic converters can start a fire.
- DO NOT smoke, bring dogs, collect, hunt, or ride mountain bikes, horses, or ATVs on the Reserve.
- DO NOT disturb reserve visitors, animals, or experiments.