Younger Lagoon Reserve is a 72-acre University of California Natural Reserve System site on Monterey Bay at Santa Cruz, combining a pocket beach, seasonal lagoon, wetlands, coastal prairie, tidepools, sea caves, and a sea stack in one compact coastal landscape. Created from a 1972 donation by Donald and Marion Younger and added to the reserve system in 1987, it was expanded in 2008 with adjacent fields at Terrace Point. The lagoon’s seasonal cycle reflects the marine terraces and wave-cut bluffs of the Santa Cruz coast. The reserve also supports endangered tidewater gobies and other wildlife while serving as a living laboratory for restoration and drought research.