Dear Friends of the UCSB NRS,
As the new Executive Director of the UC Santa Barbara Natural Reserve System (UCSB NRS), I am tremendously excited to join this team. Wherever we look, we see the natural world is comprised of teams. Teams of atoms create molecules – teams of cells create our vital organs – teams of people create societies – teams of societies create entire civilizations. It is many individual parts operating as a team that results in something bigger than itself – the old adage that the whole is greater than the sum of its parts.
Working as a team is what makes our reserves so special. Teams of scientists and students, neighbors and supporters, plants and animals, staff and volunteers, and lands and infrastructure are the many vital individual parts that create a single reserve. It’s then a team of seven incredible reserves that create the UCSB NRS. With a shared love of nature and of these special places, we’re united as a team to champion our UCSB reserves, to advance understanding of the world around us, and to protect these environments that provide us the food we eat, the water we drink, and the air we breathe.
Together as the UCSB NRS team we can continue to understand and protect these living laboratories through research, teaching, conservation, and public service – from Cambria to Carpinteria and Santa Cruz Island to the Eastern Sierras. The UCSB NRS is an incredible catalyst for the research needed to understand our changing world, and the outdoor education and public engagement needed to inspire the next generation of environmental stewards.
Last year alone, over 8,000 people visited at least one of our UCSB reserves. To date, the UCSB NRS has enabled over 5,300 publications, and 500 students have shaped their theses on work done at our seven reserves. This means the UCSB NRS has the most use and produces the most research of any campus reserve network in the world. Of course, these are metrics we can quantify. We can’t quantify the number of students who fell in love with nature and the outdoors, or the number of visitors who have a new appreciation for science and conservation, because of their visit to one of our reserves.
Executive Director, UCSB NRS
I’ve made a career out of studying and leading teams. For my PhD in Ecology & Evolutionary Biology at UCLA I studied teams of marmots challenged by the harsh environments of the Rocky Mountains. I received an MBA certificate from UCSD by learning how businesses and organizations operate as a team to navigate complex challenges. I also help lead teams of field stations and reserves across the world through my roles as a Board Member of the Organization of Biological Field Stations. By way of these experiences, I recognize, understand, and appreciate both the extensive effort and great value required to operate effectively as a team.
The challenges the natural world faces are immense and rapidly changing. Yet, I have optimism that despite the gravity of these challenges, our collaborative approach through the UCSB NRS will help shape a brighter future for our environment. I look forward to meeting, learning from, and working with you as we build off the incredible research, learning, and stewardship already taking place at our reserves – highlighted by the UCSB NRS being the #1 most used and #1 most published campus natural reserve network in the world.
I am immensely appreciative of your contributions to this team, I am honored to join you, and I am very eager for our accomplishments ahead, together.
Sincerely,
Conner Philson, PhD
Executive Director, UCSB NRS
Support the UCSB NRS
Your generous contribution is vital for the UCSB NRS’s operation and service to research and education. By supporting the UCSB NRS you play a direct and important role in helping maintain these seven beautiful places that serve over 8,000 scientists and students each year.