Californiachaparral.com Website Review

Your best source of accurate information about native shrubland communities and California's most extensive ecosystem.. Welcome Natural History Enthusiasts, Students, Teachers, Scientists Of all the distinct, natural communities in California, only one is found throughout and only one can be said to represent the state's Mediterranean-type climate (summer drought, winter rain), and threatened by too many fires. It is within the chaparral where California will find its best and perhaps last chance to reclaim its wildness and preserve the quality of life made possible by the THIS SITE IS BEING UPDATED FREQUENTLY, so please return from time to time. THE CHAPARRAL INSTITUTE is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit educational and research organization dedicated to the preservation of the chaparral, California's most extensive ecosystem, and supporting the creative spirit as inspired by nature. Every dime we obtain through donations helps us defray costs for publications, education programs, and research. With no financial attachments to any formal institutions or economic interests we can afford to be the voice of the chaparral without concern over future SO PLEASE JOIN US to help support our mission by becoming a member at one of the following four levels: To promote an understanding of and appreciation for the chaparral and the Mediterranean-type climate in which it thrives in order to: Sign up for our mailing list, like our Facebook page, and subscribe to our YouTu*e channel The California Chaparral Institute was established shortly after the 2003 Cedar Fire in San Diego County, the 273,000 acre wildfire that marked the beginning of the California's new era of catastrophic mega fires. During and after the Cedar Fire, chaparral was inaccurately blamed by some as the cause of the fire’s devastation. San Diego County responded to this misperception by proposing a program to clear 300 square miles of backcountry habitat. After six years of involvement by the Institute and others to help the county develop a new fire risk reduction plan based on science, the county proceeded with their