On Saturday, May 5, the HPWREN team will be participating in a wireless demonstration at the Santa Margarita Ecological Reserve, located in the local Santa Ana mountains. The activity will connect four points within the 4344-acre reserve to demonstrate several new techniques for gathering environmental data via wireless technology.

Open to the public, the demo will be held in conjunction with San Diego State University's Field Station Program's Spring Celebration, which kicks off at 10am and lasts until 6pm.

In addition to the wireless demonstration, the event will showcase the myriad of research activities conducted at SDSU's living laboratories. The celebration will include an array of research displays, guided tours, hands-on science activities, natural history displays, real-time meteorological databases, and scientific specimens.

"The May 5 event will provide researchers an opportunity to learn about the new wireless techniques being used to gather data, and the general public will be provided a unique opportunity to learn about the natural world from researchers who are unveiling its secrets," says SDSU Field Station Program Interim Director Sedra Shapiro. "Activities like these allow everyone to gain a greater understanding of our South Coast Ecoregion."

The May 5 Santa Margarita Spring Celebration Schedule is as follows:

10am-3:30pm:
Tours and Displays: Research displays, guided tours, hands-on science activities, natural history displays, real-time meteorological displays, amphibian traps, and scientific specimens.

3:30-4pm
Social: Refreshments & beverages

4-5:30pm
Program: Habitat islands and corridors: the value of environmental research in a fragmenting landscape. Featuring guest speakers:
• Dr. Tom Scott - SDSU Dean of the College of Sciences
• Dr. Jay Savage - Emeritus faculty from University of Miami
• Dr. Robert Fisher - U.S. Geological Survey
• Bill Tippits - California Department of Fish and Game
• Dr. Walt Oechel - SDSU Global Change Research Group
• Dr. Paul Ganster - SDSU Institute for Regional Studies of the Californias

Directions to Event (Shuttle Location):
• I-15 to Rancho California Road West (left) 0.7 miles on Rancho California Road to Business Park Drive. (This is a looped road take the second Business Park Drive.)
• North (right) 0.1 miles on Business Park Drive to Single Oak Drive.
• East (right) 0.1 miles on Single Oak Drive to first parking lot entrance on southside (right).
• Parking space available at the MuniFinancial Business Park parking lot (28765 Single Oak Drive).

Call 619-594-0580 for additional information about the event.

Additional photographs regarding the Santa Margarita Ecological Reserve are available at https://cdn.hpwren.ucsd.edu/images/sites.html#SMER.

-KMB