Field Education and Research Center
Connecting people with the Central Valley’s living landscapes
At the entrance to the 6,561-acre Merced Vernal Pools and Grassland Reserve (MVPGR), the Field Education and Research Center (FERC) is a year-round hub for field research, outdoor education, and community engagement.
The 2,000-square-foot, open-air, off-grid Field Center gives UC Merced students and researchers, K–12 students, educators, and community members a place to learn, gather, and experience the reserve’s extraordinary vernal pools, grasslands, and seasonal wetlands.
Designed to Work with the Land
The Field Center features solar power, rainwater harvesting, composting restrooms, flexible indoor/outdoor learning space, and accessible facilities.
Research. Education. Community.
The open-air classroom style layout of the Field Center, combined with field-based learning, connects students and researchers directly with the landscapes and ecosystems they study.
The Field Center creates opportunities to:
- Advance research in conservation, ecology, rangeland science, watershed science, climate resilience, and related fields.
- Connect students with nature through hands-on K–12 field learning.
- Prepare future leaders through immersive experiences in environmental science, conservation, and sustainable technologies.
- Engage the community through place-based programs exploring the Central Valley’s natural and cultural landscapes.
Experience the MVPGR
Experience the MVPGR as a living classroom. Visits are by reservation and must support approved research, education, or public-service activities.
Interested in bringing a class, research project, field program, or other approved activity to the Field Center? Contact the Reserve Director to discuss your plans.
Looking ahead: FERC II
The Field Center is the first step toward a larger field station and outdoor learning destination. FERC II will expand opportunities for field-based teaching, research, conservation training, and community engagement while celebrating the Central Valley’s agrarian and ranching heritage and Indigenous perspectives.
Planned elements include outdoor classrooms and skills areas, a research barn and livestock facilities, an outdoor amphitheater, and a dark-sky-compliant night-sky viewing area.
The project will emphasize flexible use, environmental stewardship, and green, off-grid technologies—creating a distinctive place where scientific discovery, conservation, and the region’s cultural heritage come together.
The vision is simple: bring people closer to the land, expand what we can learn from it, and inspire the next generation to care for it.
Photos
