You can find a summary of the specific research ABF has supported each year in our annual Desert Research Magazine. This publication is included in your ABF membership – sign up for membership today to receive a copy of the digital magazine!
ABF supports citizen science programs like the Park’s annual Bighorn Sheep Count to UCI Sheep Count Results) and the San Diego Tracking Team.
ABF administers and awards grants that encourage research in Anza-Borrego Desert State Park and the Colorado Desert.
Our grants support:
Archaeological research
Paleontological research
Field studies in ecology and biology
Each year, ABF hosts at least one symposium focusing on the resources in Anza-Borrego Desert State Park and the Colorado Desert region. Our symposia may include lectures, workshops poster sessions, field trips into the Park, and professional collaboration with researchers in all fields. Visit our Calendar of Events to find an upcoming symposium.
Anza-Borrego Foundation and Anza-Borrego Desert State Park have partnered with the University of California, Irvine to establish a field research center in Borrego Springs: the Steele/Burnand Anza-Borrego Desert Research Center. A primary goal of the partnership is to coordinate access to Anza-Borrego Desert State Park for researchers and students from the University of California, U.S., and International institutions.
This beautiful facility boasts 24 dorm beds, four private guest rooms, a full kitchen, a large meeting / presentation room, a classroom, a state of the art research laboratory, locker rooms, and a patio courtyard. The center was made possible by a substantial donation from longtime Borrego Springs benefactor Audrey Steele Burnand in early 2011. The gift enabled UC Irvine to purchase the former Desert Club and fund the necessary renovations to the aging structure. In July 2011, the UC Natural Reserve System formally accepted the Steele/Burnand Anza-Borrego Desert Research Center as its 37th (and largest) site. To date, the facility has housed researchers and classes from across the United States and internationally!
The Research Center sits on approximately 80 acres of biodiversity reserve, provided by ABF, and set aside for research activities and managed by UCI. This partnership encourages research within Anza-Borrego Desert State Park and its environs to foster management of the Park’s natural and cultural resources informed by high-quality science.
