Hopland Research and Extension Center

The Hopland Research and Extension Center (HREC) is the University of California's principal field research facility for agriculture and natural resources in the North Coast region. A diversity of soils, plant and animal communities, and elevations makes HREC representative of many parts of the Coast Range in northwestern California.

About the Hopland Research and Extension Center

Welcome to Hopland REC, a multi-disciplinary research and education facility in California’s north coast region. We are stewards of more than 5,300 acres of oak woodland, grassland, chaparral, and riparian environments. Studies conducted here since 1951 have led to over 2,000 scientific publications focusing on natural resources and agriculture.

Join our public programs for youth and adults including: school field trips, summer camps, Mendocino California Naturalist classes, sheep shearing and care workshops, public hikes, and more! Keep an eye on our calendar of events below to find out what is coming up and sign up to our e-mail newsletter to keep up to date. 

Research and Wildlife

The Center's property supports more than 215 species of wild birds, 50 mammals, 15 reptiles, 12 amphibians, and 10 fish. The Center's Columbian black-tailed deer (Odocoileus hemionus columbianus) are one of the most intensively studied deer populations on the West Coast. Other species that have received significant research attention include meadow voles (Microtus californicus), deer mice (Peromyscus maniculatus), and coyotes (Canis latrans). The study of ranching alongside predators such as coyotes has been an important area of focus. In addition, insect and other arthropods of medical and veterinary importance have been a main focus of field studies, with particular emphasis on mosquitoes and ticks and their epidemiological roles.

The Center maintains a research sheep flock of around 340 breeding ewes that graze the majority of the Center's rangelands. Lambing generally occurs between November and February, and shearing takes place in April. Many of the Center's sheep are involved in animal science or veterinary research projects.

Our Mission and Values

Our mission is to maintain and enhance ecosystem integrity through applied research, adaptive management, and educational activities, while also supporting working landscapes.

Land Acknowledgement

We at the Hopland Research and Extension Center, first and foremost acknowledge with honor the Shóqowa and Hopland People on whose traditional, ancestral, and unceded lands we work, educate and learn, and whose historical and spiritual relationship with these lands continues to this day and beyond.

For more information on the Indigenous and colonial history of this land please see this Land History Story Map.

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