Cupertino residents can now tour one of the city’s most historic nature preserves using augmented reality — a unique blend of a city known for its cutting-edge technology and agricultural roots.
Cupertino recently soft-launched an augmented reality app, Cupertino McClellan Ranch, with the goal of teaching users about the 18-acre historic McClellan Ranch Preserve. The free app takes visitors on a quarter-mile walk. Visitors use the app’s map of the preserve to find its landmarks, such as the bee hives. Once users reach a location, the app accesses their phone camera to overlay Cooper, a 3D virtual robot, on the screen. The robot teaches them about local flora, fauna and history through animations.
Visitors can use the app — available in Apple and Google app stores — on their own or pay for a guided tour with a ranger versed in its tools. The app, which has had more than 100 downloads, is available in English, Mandarin and Hindi. It took about a year and a half to build through a collaboration with the city and Balance Studios. Cupertino is planning a more robust launch this spring.
City spokesperson Samantha LoCurto said Cupertino chose McClellan Ranch Preserve for the experience because of its blend of rich history and nature. The preserve used to be a horse ranch in the 1930s and 40s, with many of the ranch’s buildings still standing.
“The city aims to help visitors explore parts of the preserve that aren’t easily visible to the naked eye, while also attracting new visitors to this hidden gem,” LoCurto told San José Spotlight.
The preservation is home to towering oak trees, mule deer and great blue herons, as well as a community garden and 4-H program that houses chickens, ducks, alpacas and goats. It’s also home to Baer’s Blacksmith Shop, the Environmental Education Center and the Santa Clara Valley Bird Alliance.
Matthew Dodder, executive director of the Santa Clara Valley Bird Alliance, said the more tools to illuminate the preserve’s beauty, the better.
“You don’t need a docent. You don’t need someone to guide you through it,” he told San José Spotlight. “You can come here even when the shop is closed or when the nature center’s closed and still get the information, so that’s wonderful.”
Estrella Risinger, executive director of the California Association for Environmental and Outdoor Education, said the app’s potential to connect children with nature is significant. She said it’s a perfect combination of nature and technology.
“Being able to marry these two worlds by giving young people access to a tool which they’re probably very familiar with to really help foster and deepen this connection to the natural world is really critical,” Risinger told San José Spotlight.
Cupertino has experimented with augmented reality before with ARTour. The experience guides residents through a local art walk throughout the city using augmented reality and Cooper the robot.
Risinger said the app and outdoor education opportunities go beyond what people may learn about plants and animals.
“Seeing humanity’s place within the larger context is so necessary for a more just and sustainable world,” she said. “By providing experiences in nature, we help to deepen those connections.”
Contact Annalise Freimarck at [email protected] or follow @annalise_ellen on X.
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