The Pitzer Outback Preserve

Located in the northeast section of campus, The Outback Preserve occupies just over three acres of the John Rodman Arboretum. The Preserve is home to one of the rarest ecosystems in the world: Alluvial Sage Scrub. In the Preserve, you will discover many plants indigenous to Southern California, native wildlife and restorative solitude.

Undergoing ecological restoration as part of the Outback Restoration Project, the Preserve is a living-learning laboratory for students, faculty, staff, and the larger community to engage in discussion and exploration of endangered ecosystems and human interaction with the natural world. 

The project seeks to restore the Outback Preserve to a more intact alluvial sage scrub ecosystem, removing invasive plants and ensuring the success of native species.
 

Visiting the Outback

The main entrance to the Outback Preserve is located just north of East and West Halls. 

  • During your visit to the Preserve, please be mindful to stay on the trail to help care for this rare environment. 
  • Please respect the no smoking policy and remember to remove any trash that you bring. 
  • Most importantly, enjoy your visit. As a community space, it takes all of us to protect the Outback.

Courses Utilizing the Outback Preserve

Each semester at Pitzer, there are a small number of courses utilizing the Outback Preserve. Courses are open to all students at The Claremont Colleges.

If you are interested in the academic use of the Preserve, please enroll in:

EA 131: Restoring Nature: The Pitzer Outback

This course focuses on designing and implementing a restoration plan for the Pitzer Outback as a resource and developing a restoration strategy and management plan. The science and practice of ecological restoration is explored and social perspectives that encompass the restoration project are examined.

EA 107: Design Workshop: Fostering a Sense of Place

Through scholarly, artistic, and technical explications of place, our individual and interpersonal relationships with Nature and with one another are enhanced, and our perceptions of the environment are nurtured. We explore critical reflections, creative expressions, and expressive responses that provide strategies for creating ecologically sustainable communities in harmony with the regenerative nature of ecosystems.

EA 132/Art 132: Practicum in Exhibiting Nature: The Pitzer Outback

This course focuses on designing and implementing an exhibition plan for the Pitzer Outback.
Students will assess the Outback as a resource and develop an exhibit strategy and management plan. Walking paths and interpretive signage will be constructed and students will work in teams to design and develop the appropriate infrastructure.