A Vision Realized in the Sierra Nevada Foothills
The SCICON Field Station, nestled in the Sierra Nevada foothills, was born from a shared vision between the University of California, Merced and the Clemmie Gill School of Science and Conservation (SCICON).The idea emerged from a shared goal to support hands-on learning, scientific research, and environmental education in a meaningful outdoor setting. It was made possible through the vision and advocacy of leaders from both institutions.
The partnership formally began in 2018 when UC Merced Chancellor Dorothy Leland and Tulare County Superintendent of Schools Jim Vidak signed a Memorandum of Understanding to establish the field station. The effort was championed by long-time supporters Fred Ruiz and Ross Gentry, members of the UC Merced Foundation Board of Trustees, who helped connect SCICON’s legacy in outdoor education with UC Merced’s growing natural sciences programs.The partnership also plans to work with other land management agencies, including the National Park Service and neighboring Sequoia-Kings Canyon National Park.
Today, the field station serves as a gateway to research, outreach, and education in the southern Sierra Nevada and San Joaquin Valley. It provides students, faculty, and community partners with access to an ecologically and culturally rich location that supports both K–12 and university-level programs. With UC Merced managing usage and TCOE maintaining the facilities, the station continues to grow as a hub for science, learning, and community engagement.
A Gift of Land and Vision: Dr. Donna FitzRoy Hardy
Before its development as a field station, the property was privately owned by Dr. Donna FitzRoy Hardy, a zoologist and emeritus professor of psychology at California State University, Northridge. Deeply committed to education and conservation, Dr. Hardy generously donated the equity she held in the property to the Tulare County Office of Education. Her contribution made it possible for the land to become part of the SCICON program and ultimately serve as the site for the UC Merced SCICON Field Station.
Dr. Hardy’s gift reflects the same values that guide the field station today: a dedication to environmental stewardship, scientific inquiry, and educational access. Her generosity laid the groundwork for future generations of students and researchers to explore and learn in the Sierra Nevada foothills.
Research and Education in Action
Since its establishment, the SCICON Field Station has continued to grow as a platform for research, education, and student opportunity. With access to both SCICON’s extensive outdoor campus and newly renovated facilities, the field station supports university field courses, research projects, and community programs.
The station includes a laboratory and classroom space, an upstairs apartment that can house multiple researchers, and an ADA-accessible restroom and shower facility funded in part by SCICON community donors. Additional lodging and conference spaces are available through SCICON when school is not in session, making the site suitable for workshops and weekend programming.
UC Merced and SCICON staff have also worked to create new educational pathways for local students. The Research Technician Summer Internship, launched in 2019, gives Tulare County high school students hands-on experience in ecological research, including monitoring long-term oak forest plots. Supported by UC Merced faculty and staff, this program strengthens science literacy and encourages students to pursue higher education and careers in conservation and research.
The station has also served as a site for Field Curious, a UC Merced weekend-long field immersion experience designed to improve students’ sense of belonging in fieldwork, build confidence in research skills, and support idea development. Field Curious introduces undergraduate students, especially those with limited field experience, to multiple natural reserves through hands-on training in field techniques, outdoor wellness practices, and research exploration. SCICON’s location and facilities make it an ideal environment for students to take their first steps into scientific fieldwork in a supportive and inclusive setting.
In addition to education-focused programming, the field station supports ongoing scientific research. Passive and active bioaerosol sampling units have been installed at the site to monitor long-term trends in airborne biological particles. This work is part of a research initiative led by Dr. Estrella Herrera, an environmental engineer and Ph.D. researcher at UC Merced. Through the Health Sciences Research Institute, Dr. Herrera studies the health impacts of dust and bioaerosols in rural communities across the San Joaquin Valley. Her research aims to better understand the exposure risks and to develop strategies that mitigate the health effects of airborne particles in regions affected by agriculture, drought, and wildfire.
Land Use History
The Yokut—including 30 or more subtribes of the Yokut—and the Mono peoples were the first humans to live in the North Fork Tule River Valley and its surrounding foothills. The Yokut and the Mono peoples shaped and managed the landscape by collecting culturally significant plant species, using fire, and building villages. Signs of historic indigenous land management include bedrock mortars and former encampment sites. Today, the descendants of the Yokut and Mono peoples form the Tule River Indian Tribe of California. These communities continue to manage reservation lands south of Circle-J Norris ranch with goals of increased biodiversity, sustainable livestock grazing, and cultural youth education.
In the 19th century, White settlers arrived in this region and harvested timber from Giant Sequoia Groves in the Sierra Nevada. Settlers also came to an area north of this region to participate in the growing mining industry. In response to the growing mining industry, settlers in the North Fork Tule River Valley began grazing cattle and sheep. The cattle and sheep markets complimented growing mining communities and an increased demand for food and resources.
Since the 19th century, grazing has continued to support livelihoods in this region. Marion and Julia Anderson first purchased Circle J-Norris Ranch and began keeping cattle with the Circle J brand in the 1920s. In the late 1940s Norman Norris and Cora Anderson Norris moved to the ranch permanently and continued the tradition grazing cattle with the Circle J brand. In 1997, Circle J-Norris Ranch began to serve as an outdoor classroom for Tulare County students. Then, in 2004, Norman and Cora Norris’ daughter Eleanor Norris sold the ranch to the Tulare County Office of Education to act as a secondary campus of nearby SCICON. Students of all ages visit the ranch year-round to conduct research, learn about grazing and blue oak woodland management, and enjoy the natural beauty of this special landscape.
Historically, the Norris and Corzine families have had at least sixty years of managing the Circle J Ranch. Circle J has primarily operated as a cattle ranch, with the exception of raising turkeys in the 1940s and 1950s. As noted in a recent 2019 NRCS grazing plan done in association with a recent EQUIP Contract the ranch will support year round grazing on years with “normal” rainfall with 60 cow/calf pairs, but cattle numbers would have to be lowered in years with inadequate precipitation to leave the necessary residual dry matter of at least 700 lbs per acre.
