UC Irvine's Anza-Borrego Desert State Park research center just got a $2.8-million windfall, according to a news release from the university.
The California Wildlife Conservation Board awarded the facility the Proposition 84 funds for new construction.
Biologists, astronomers, anthropologists and other scientists use the center in eastern San Diego County.
The money matches another $2.8 million UCI spent on seismic upgrades at the facility. The Conservation Board grant will fund a new lab building, a dormitory for 24 students, a long-term apartment complex for researchers, a locker room, storage, lighting and parking.
Proposition 84, approved by voters in 2006, provided matching grants for university facilities researching — among other topics — water and natural resource protection.
