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wenty-three years ago, a group of University of California professors and administrators founded the Natural Reserve System (NRS), a collection of littledisturbed natural lands and waters. The system was intended to preserve research and teaching opportunities in the natural environment for all interested and qualified individuals, whether or not they are associated with the University of California. The founders reasoned that a centralized comprehensive plan could overcome provincialism and disparate efforts on the widespread University of California campuses and that the revolution of environmental awareness in the 1960s made evident the imperative of preserving remnant natural areas (Norris 1968). Today the NRS, with 27 reserves (3 more are in progress), is near the completion of its acquisition phase and is beginning the difficult process of developing and operating its reserves. This article examines the NRS The system is completing its acquisition phase and

At many universities nationwide, the new discipline of conservation biology has sparked broad interest. Recently developed courses, like the field of conservation biology itself, have successfully brought together biologists from many disciplines, not just in one classroom, but united by an urgent goal–nature conservation.