UCSD Keeps Coastal Reserve Closed to Public Despite Pleas

University cites environmental concerns, but critics say it's keeping out students and the public from affluent neighborhood

Published on Feb. 11, 2026

Got story updates? Submit your updates here. ›

For years, the University of California San Diego has restricted public access to the Scripps Coastal Reserve, a nearly 1,000-acre nature preserve along the San Diego coastline. Despite pleas from former students and professors, UCSD has maintained the closure, citing environmental concerns. However, critics argue the real reason is to keep the public, especially UCSD students, out of the affluent La Jolla Farms Road neighborhood where the reserve is located.

Why it matters

The Scripps Coastal Reserve is a valuable natural resource that should be accessible to the public, including UCSD students who have long used the site as a place of respite and connection with nature. The university's continued closure of the reserve raises questions about equitable access to public lands, the balance between environmental protection and public use, and whether UCSD is prioritizing the interests of wealthy residents over the broader community.

The details

UCSD has restricted public access to the Scripps Coastal Reserve, known as "the Knoll", since 2020 due to the COVID-19 pandemic. The university claims this has allowed sensitive wildlife to return and invasive species to be removed, but an UCSD ecology professor argues the opposite is true - that the lack of regular volunteer access has been more detrimental to the environment. The university does allow limited public access through docent-led tours and volunteer opportunities, but former students and professors say this is not enough and that the Knoll was a beloved tradition and right of passage for UCSD freshmen.

  • The Scripps Coastal Reserve has been closed to the public since 2020 due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
  • In 2024, UCSD began submitting permit applications for a managed access plan to the California Coastal Commission, but these have been repeatedly extended, withdrawn, and resubmitted.
  • The latest managed access plan was slated for a public hearing in February 2026, but was withdrawn and resubmitted, resetting the clock for a new public hearing now set for July 11, 2026.

The players

Ghalia Mohder

A 2006 graduate of UCSD who has been raising the alarm over the closure of the Scripps Coastal Reserve for the last few years.

David Lebowitz

A La Jolla resident who first visited the Scripps Coastal Reserve during his freshman year at UCSD in 1999 and has continued to petition for its reopening.

Carolyn Kurle

A UCSD ecology professor who argues that the inability to freely bring environmental volunteers to the Scripps Coastal Reserve has been more detrimental to the ecology than increased public access.

Melinda Battenberg

A spokeswoman for UCSD who says the university's proposed managed access plan would continue the current level of limited public access in order to more effectively steward the resources on the Knoll.

California Coastal Commission

The state agency responsible for maximizing public access to California's coastline, which has been trying to bring UCSD's plans for the Scripps Coastal Reserve to a public hearing.

Got photos? Submit your photos here. ›

What they’re saying

“To be honest, ever since then I was hooked. You could always go to La Jolla Shores and it's a big public place, there was partying going on. This place was different. The people who went there, went there to enjoy the scenery.”

— Ghalia Mohder, 2006 UCSD graduate (Courthouse News)

“The power of nature there is so much more intense than anything I had ever experienced. Sitting up there, you can see dolphins jumping through the water. It was just a very peaceful place. It's not as heavily used as Torrey Pines State Natural Reserve.”

— David Lebowitz, La Jolla resident (Courthouse News)

“The improvements to the [reserve] were presumably because conservation activities performed by committed and regular volunteers were likely much higher during the time when access was more open simply because there were many more opportunities for restoration volunteerism. Thus, the more open access actually appears to have improved the Knoll and contributed positively to its wildlife conservation.”

— Carolyn Kurle, UCSD ecology professor (Courthouse News)

What’s next

The California Coastal Commission has a new deadline of July 11, 2026 to hold a public hearing on UCSD's latest managed access plan for the Scripps Coastal Reserve. The commission could potentially extend the deadline by another 90 days, or UCSD could withdraw and resubmit the application again, resetting the clock.

The takeaway

This case highlights the ongoing tension between environmental protection, public access, and the interests of wealthy communities. While UCSD cites ecological concerns, critics argue the university is prioritizing the exclusivity of the affluent La Jolla Farms Road neighborhood over the broader public's right to enjoy this natural coastal resource. The prolonged closure of the Scripps Coastal Reserve raises questions about equitable access to public lands and the role of universities in balancing environmental stewardship with community engagement.