What will you do in your retirement? How will you spend your 83rd birthday? Can you imagine spending it advocating for environmental conservation and supporting student research? If you have lived the life of Frank Maurer, you probably couldn’t think of doing anything else. “Frank lives and breathes conservation and helping student-led research. He is tireless in these pursuits,” said Paul Havemann, Stebbins Cold Canyon Reserve director.
Born in Boston on Aug. 25, 1941, Maurer was exposed to experiential learning and connections with the world at Antioch College. He received his Ph.
D. in vertebrate zoology and ecology at Cornell University and left the U.S.
to teach in Istanbul. While overseas, he conducted research in Uppsala, Sweden, and spent four years in the mountain kingdom of Lesotho, Southern Africa. Frank’s arrival at his Central Valley farm outside of Davis in 1978 signified the end of his academic career and pivoted to developing ecological approaches to farming vegetables, flowers, catfish, sheep, emus, turkeys and ducks for the Davis and Sacramento areas.
In 1989, Maurer and his late wife, UC Davis Professor Lenora Timm, founded the Quail Ridge Wilderness Conservancy, which is dedicated to wilderness preservation, the promotion of biological diversity, native habitat research, and education about environmental stewardship. Originally exploring the area as a potential retirement destination, Maurer and Timm refocused their attention and affection to the preservation of the natural beauty and biological richness of the peninsula. Beginning with their first purchase in 1983, they spearheaded the purchase of more than 1,000 acres and were pivotal in the establishment of the 2,500-acre Quail Ridge Reserve, part of the UC Natural Reserve System.
“Without their vision, the Quail Ridge peninsula would have been developed into ranches and houses instead of preserved for research on the Coast Range habitat and the global impacts effecting the species there,” said Ross Brennan, Quail Ridge Reserve Director. A key feature of the biological richness that attracted Maurer and Timm was the abundance of native grasses on the Quail Ridge peninsula. This passion led him to sponsor the legislation that resulted in the designation of Purple Needlegrass, formerly Nassella pulchra , now Stipa pulchra , as the official California State Grass.
From the 2004 Senate Bill No. 1226, “Purple needlegrass is the most extensive and widespread native perennial bunchgrass found in the state. The seed of this grass species was one of several used by many California Native American communities as a food source.
It remains an important food source for wildlife. With new species of exotic grasses and weeds emerging every day, it is important to recognize Nassella pulchra as a symbol of the heritage, splendor, and natural diversity found in the early days of California. Nassella pulchra is used as a teaching tool as a symbol of the natural environment of early California, and protecting the history of Nassella pulchra is essential to safeguarding this precious resource and enhancing grassland heritage throughout the state.
” In 2019, UC Davis worked with Maurer to establish an Endowment to honor his late wife and his efforts in protecting lands at the Quail Ridge Reserve. The Endowment provides annual grants to graduate students to work at the Quail Ridge and Stebbins Cold Canyon Reserves. The fund is open to all university disciplines, from the arts and humanities to engineering and the sciences.
Over the past four years, the endowment has supported 14 students who have studied a wide range of topics, including native trapdoor spiders, solitary bees, pipevine swallowtail butterflies, drought effects on oak seedlings, plant pathogens, tick-borne bacteria, local frog reproduction, and wildfire impacts on dark-eyed Juncos. “The expansion of the endowment is a testament to the tenacity and persistence in which Frank continues to drive this effort,” said Gary Bucciarelli, UC Davis Natural Reserves Strategic Engagement Director. Maurer’s theoretical rocking chair consists of working on the farm and soliciting a steady stream of gifts to support the endowment.
The endowment serves as a legacy to Maurer’s ongoing work protecting lands and support students. Donations to the Frank Maurer and Lenora Timm Quail Ridge Endowment can be made through Give UC Davis ( https://give.ucdavis.
edu/NRSD/124588 )..
