Hastings Education Science Center |
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Site: Hastings Natural History Reservation
Facility: Public education/science center
Status: Planning complete
Purpose: Meeting and housing space for educational programs and storage for reserve collections
Funding: Fundraising underway
Total Cost: $3.5 million |
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| For almost 70 years, the Hastings Natural History Reservation has been a center for the study of oak woodland and grassland savanna ecosystems. The reserve’s long-term data sets, publications, and collections, which date back to 1937, are an irreplaceable resource for both researchers and teachers. The proposed Science/Education Center will protect these valuable collections, while also providing housing, living, teaching, and meeting space for up to thirty students on overnight stays. The building’s central meeting room will be designed to hold groups of up to 100 for public lectures and open houses. |
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| This facility will dramatically enhance an already-extensive outreach program that links UC Berkeley’s Natural History Museums and graduate students with students in underserved elementary schools. The center will also enable the expansion of the reserve’s role in the Carmel Unified School District’s very successful “Habitat” program and provide a base for its active program of docent-lead hikes and outdoor education. |
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| The new Center will feature passive solar heating and incorporate features that promote energy and water independence, as well as low maintenance costs. With an estimated construction cost of $3.5 million, the building will serve as an educational, architectural and energy-use model for private homes being built throughout Monterey County. |
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