At the heart of Deep Canyon, which stretches from the source of its tributaries high on Toro Peak to its outflow in the Coachella Valley, is the the Philip L. Boyd Deep Canyon Desert Research Center, a 6,597-hectare (16,301-acre) reserve that is part of the University of California Natural Reserve System. Deep Canyon is one of the largest NRS reserves, containing a major portion of an entire drainage system on the north side of the Santa Rosa Plateau fronting Palm Desert, spanning montane forest to Sonoran desert scrublands.

Cut into the plain, dry streambeds mark a history of floods. Centuries-old barrel cacti stand on slopes, long protected from floods and illegal collectors. Farther up, the canyon narrows to a steep-walled gorge, water trickles intermittently from pool to pool along the polished streambed that forms the upper canyon floor. Above the gorge, steep slopes open to a rolling plateau, cut by a series of shallow canyons and ridges. Higher still, the Santa Rosas form a dark backdrop to the landscape.

The foresight of its founders made the research center possible years ago when more than twenty kilometers separated this pristine canyon from the scattered development of Palm Springs. Today development has spread close to the boundaries of the reserve, and real estate values in the area have skyrocketed. Philip Boyd and a handful of scientists recognized in 1958 that the need for long-term environmental research would increase and the number of possible research sites would decline. Thanks to their vision, the Boyd Deep Canyon Desert Research Center now protects a full spectrum of desert habitats for research and teaching for generations to come.

The Boyd Deep Canyon Desert Research Center has proved to be an ideal site for research. Less than a two-hour drive from the UC Riverside campus, the center provides access to otherwise remote desert habitats. Scientists working at Deep Canyon during the 1960's expanded their field observations up to the peaks of the Santa Rosa Mountains and down to the floor of the Coachella Valley. This study area, know as the Deep Canyon Transect, was standardized by Dr. W. W. Mayhew in 1979.

Thirty-one smaller-scale line transects and several study plots have been permanently established in order to ensure comparable results from different investigators. The result has been an effective and well-used tool for monitoring long-term patterns in desert ecosystems.

To further aid field research, Deep Canyon boasts an extensive long-term database including a complete herbarium and other synoptic collections, abundant archeological remains, data from 6 weather stations, aerial photos and topographical maps. A reference library contains a bibliography of reserve-based research including more than 425 books, journal articles, and theses.

The reserve is open to qualified users for teaching and research use only. The highest use is for long-term research projects on plant and animal ecophysiology (e.g., adaptation to water and heat stress), with teaching use moderate and public use only occasional due to the very high research value of the site. Applications for use should be submitted to resident director several weeks before a planned visit. You may download the appropriate use application from this website.

Selected Research

Population biology of the Coachella Valley fringe-toed lizard (Uma inornata), a state-endangered and federally threatened species.

Health and demography of the peninsular bighorn sheep (Ovis canadensis cremnobates), a state-threatened and federally proposed-endangered species.

Mountain lion ecology.

Rattlesnake ecology.

Physiology of succulents.

Hybridization of quail species

Special Programs

Fire-recovery monitoring: The long-term recovery of piñon-juniper woodland is monitored using permanent transects established in burned and unburned areas after the 1994 fire.

Exotic species removal: A tamarisk and fountain grass management program was initiated in 1996.

Field courses: Site visits by university courses in ornithology, ecology, botany, plant physiological ecology, biology of ants, conservation biology, cactus and succulents, and others.

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Last Updated 04/05/04