The University of California’s Hopland Research and Extension Center will mark its 75th anniversary with an open house for the community on May 17. The event, scheduled from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m., aims to showcase ongoing research and educational programs at the center.
The celebration highlights the center’s role as a primary field research facility for agriculture and natural resources in Northern California. The public is invited to tour the grounds, meet scientists, participate in hands-on activities, and learn about local research efforts. According to John Bailey, director of Hopland REC, “Being a little off the beaten track in the hills east of Hopland in Mendocino County, many people in the region may not know about what we are doing here, so we are having an open house where anyone can come to learn and enjoy springtime among the oaks.” Bailey also said, “We would love to see both familiar and new faces so we can celebrate both our impacts and our supporters, while welcoming our broad and diverse communities.”
The center covers over 5,000 acres of oak woodland, grassland, and chaparral that have served as a learning landscape for scientists since its founding in 1951. Over its history it has supported more than 2,000 scientific publications spanning topics such as sheep biology, rangeland management, fire science, vegetation management and soil fertility. Notably, studies conducted at Hopland REC led by UC Berkeley Professor Bob Lane have advanced understanding of Lyme disease transmission by revealing how western black-legged ticks inhabit leaf litter—a finding that has informed public health guidance.
Research at Hopland REC also uncovered that western fence lizards play a role in reducing Lyme disease risk because their blood contains proteins lethal to bacteria carried by ticks. In addition to scientific work with livestock—such as maintaining over 200 breeding ewes for veterinary medicine research—the site offers vocational classes like sheep shearing along with annual events including “Barn to Yarn” workshops.
Education is central at Hopland REC; annual programming includes UC California Naturalist certification courses and guided hikes for all ages. School field trips allow students from kindergarten through high school to observe wildlife or learn about wildfire ecology firsthand. Since becoming a host site for GrizzlyCorps fellows—a program placing recent graduates into rural communities—Hopland REC has expanded outreach through Spanish-language materials and new educational resources.
University of California Agriculture and Natural Resources secures funding through public contributions according to its official website. The organization promotes sustainable practices aimed at strengthening resilient ecosystems while supporting economic vitality according to its official website. It operates nine research centers representing California’s diverse environments according to its official website, manages Cooperative Extension services within the University of California system according to its official website, conducts more than thirty-three thousand educational events annually engaging over eighteen thousand volunteers according to its official website, and is recognized for linking academic research directly with community needs according to its official website.
Bailey said: “We here at Hopland REC are dedicated to – and love – working with our local communities to provide the best information possible about how to thrive in our beautiful rural area. From youth field trips to vocational training programs, from citizen science to multi-year intensive studies, our local partners have been essential in supporting our efforts.”