White Mountain Research Station closing forestalled

Recently the White Mountain Research Station, which is part of the state university system, was the victim of mid-year state budget cuts that were thought to be enough to close much of the facility for the coming spring/summer/fall season. However, according to WMRS Scheduling Coordinator Denise Waterbury, it appears that the facility has dodged a bullet.

“We are still in transition of moving over from UCSD to UCLA. The good news is that the Owens Valley facility WILL be open for this season from late May until the end of October. This is the station that gets the most use, especially from different universities and colleges doing their geological field camp classes. However, once UCLA does take over, they will have their own operational plan and thus far we don’t have a clue of what that will entail.”

Yet undecided is where the Open House will be held this year.

Waterbury added that the funding issue is a hard one to explain. “It’s all about transition into the UC Natural Reserve System and the transition of UCLA taking over,” she said.