Bodega Marine Reserve, Marine reserve on the Pacific coast in Bodega Bay, US

Bodega Marine Reserve is a protected coastal area in Sonoma County featuring high cliffs, sandy beaches, and grasslands that span approximately 362 acres along the Pacific Ocean. The shoreline contains different habitats including rocky areas, tide pools, and salt marshes that together form a complex ecosystem.

The reserve was established by the University of California to protect and study the diverse coastal ecosystems of Northern California. This decision allowed researchers to observe long-term environmental changes in this region over many years.

The reserve is the only marine area on California's north central coast protected specifically for research and education, managed by UC Davis through the University of California Natural Reserve System. Its proximity to the Bodega Marine Laboratory lets visiting researchers and students study the adjacent Pacific and Bodega Bay without leaving the site.

Access is limited to approved research and education; arrange permission with UC Davis in advance. The terrain includes high cliffs and sleeper waves, and poison oak, skunks, ticks carrying Lyme disease, and hantavirus are present. Mountain lions and white sharks also occur in the area.

Along California's north-central coast, this is the only marine area protected specifically for research and education, a unit of the University of California Natural Reserve System run by UC Davis. Its 362 acres lie on a rural peninsula beside Bodega Bay and the open Pacific, next to the Bodega Marine Laboratory on Bodega Head.