Locals call the Merced Vernal Pools and Grassland Reserve “UC Merced’s backyard,” and it’s a backyard unlike any other.

Picture a 6,500-acre stretch of land that has thousands of vernal pools in the winter, blankets of vibrant flowers in the spring, the Sierra Nevada mountain range in the distance, and countless animals to watch, including the famously-elusive “fairy shrimp.”

Established in 2001 and located just north of Merced, the reserve protects the sensitive vernal pool habitats and grasslands. It was originally part of the Virginia Smith Trust, a 7,030-acre portion of land, part of which was used to build the University of California, Merced campus.

During a recent tour, a group of at least 20 community members hiked along a dirt road surrounded by the high grasslands and patches of yellow and white flowers.

“It’s a biodiversity hotspot,” said Joy Baccei, the director of the Vernal Pools and Grassland Reserve. “We have over 400 species of plants and animals out here on this reserve, and that list is growing all the time – every time we have researchers or educators out here.”

A Consistent Admiration of Fairy Shrimp

Vernal pools are small pond-like dips in the ground that fill up during the rainy season. They only appear in Mediterranean climates.

Jasmine Salazar, a graduate student assistant and tour guide for the reserve, told community members on the recent tour that vernal pools are very rare to California now, but they’ve been around for centuries.

“In the Central Valley, we used to have a ton, a ton of vernal pools. But because of infrastructure and urbanization, we’ve lost 99% of them,” Salazar, 20, said.

Merced’s Vernal Pools and Grassland Reserve has over 6,000 vernal pools. It is now used as a place for preservation, education and research. But the presence of the pools also means they are home to an ecosystem and animals that are imperiled.

Most notably are the threatened crustaceans called “fairy shrimp,” which hatch in the vernal pools shortly after the first rainfall on the reserve.

Fairy shrimp are about the size of a pen cap, with elongated bodies and swimming legs. They are prey to a lot of other wildlife seen on the reserve, including birds and tiger salamanders.

Female fairy shrimp leave behind a sack full of eggs, called a cyst. The cyst will burrow itself down into the soil and wait for the next rainfall to come. The eggs can stay in the cyst for thousands of years.

The shrimp have become fan favorites to many locals in the Merced area and to students on campus.

Alex Hernandez, who works in the IT department at UC Merced, was among the guests on the recent tour. He brought his 10-year-old son, Noah, and 8-year-old daughter, Hailey, to give them a chance to explore the reserve.

“[I want to] give them a different perspective on life,” Hernandez told KVPR. “[Noah] loves to study, and he loves animals. He actually read about the vernal pools, so now for him to actually see it, it’s a great thing.”

Noah and Hailey were hoping to spot some fairy shrimp swimming around in the vernal pools, but it was already too late in the season, Salazar said.

Moving From Spring to a Dry Summer

Vernal pools follow a series of phases.

When it rains, they enter the wet phase. Shortly after rainfall, if the fairy shrimp don’t get eaten, they dry up and die during the “flowering” phase – when flowers start to bloom around the vernal pools – and into the “dry” phase during summer, when the pools evaporate.

Hernandez’s family visited the reserve during the flowering phase. The shrinking vernal pools were decorated by white and yellow flowers, leaving flourishing patches among the high grass. Surrounding scenery showed snowy mountains in the distance and cows grazing on the land.

An Up-Close Research Opportunity for UC Merced

What’s occurring now will likely only last until the end of April. During the dry phase, the pools fully dry up and adapt to the San Joaquin Valley’s hot climate.

Sarah Boyle, another UC Merced employee and a Merced City Council member, came to the tour to take photos of the blooms.

“UC Merced might have that [reputation] of it’s in the middle of nowhere …but this is where our students get to do research,” Boyle said. “I think it’s pretty neat and very unique for them to have the opportunities to come out here and work in this environment.

“I think it’s beautiful,” Boyle said.

The University of California system has 41 reserve sites belonging to its nine campuses, and it’s considered the largest university-administered reserve system in the world. The wetlands reserve is much closer to a physical campus than any other site — it’s a short walk away.

The adaptability of the Merced reserve, with an ever-changing climate, is good for a growing education.

Baccei told KVPR there are several research projects in the works that study vernal pool plant phenology, specifically the “timing of plant flowering in the vernal pools in relation to climate change.” There’s also research being done on plant pollinator interactions and cattle behavior, she said.

President Donald Trump recently cut federal funding from research involving climate change at some universities, but the reserve has not been affected, Baccei said.

“There has been some talk of federal funding that’s been pulled and the campus is trying to navigate the impacts of that,” Baccei told KVPR. “But here our research continues strong.”

To that end, the university is building a $4.8 million field education and research center for the reserve. Construction is expected to wrap up by summer.

Even with the new building and research, locals and students like to go out just to witness the beauty and fascinating way nature works for the vernal pools.

Salazar also thinks preservation is important so students and educators can discover how nature will evolve with climate change.

“Humans love beautiful things, and the vernal pools are beautiful,” Salazar said. “They’re not only brimming with life, but they bring peace, and I think it’s always good to protect our peace.”

About the Author

Rachel Livinal is the Higher Education Reporter for The Merced Focus.