Environment: The Natural Setting
SLAC occupies 426 acres of oak grassland; among the diverse native flora here are 4 of California's 18 species of oak trees. A wide variety of animal life co-exists here as well, including mule deer, red-tailed hawks, gopher snakes, and the occasional mountain lion.
To help preserve this natural diversity, SLAC is committed to maintaining its lands and monitoring its programs in a responsible manner.
SLAC has a special responsibility to its neighbors, in particular the 900-acre Jasper Ridge Biological Preserve (a local treasure) and San Francisquito Creek (a regional treasure). Both SLAC and Jasper Ridge are founding members of the creek's watershed management consortium.
The Environment, Safety, and Health Division works to ensure that SLAC operations do not harm these irreplaceable resources, and to ensure the safety of all on-site personnel and all our neighbors in the surrounding community.
View individual images of our natural setting or take a photo tour of the natural diversity at SLAC. Photos courtesy of Peter LaTourrette of Los Altos.
