Cheadle Center for Biodiversity and Ecological Restoration

The Cheadle Center at UCSB manages the North Campus Open Space (NCOS), which is a project that has restored 136 acres of upland and wetland habitats that existed before the area was converted into the Ocean Meadows Golf Course in the 1960s. The NCOS restoration project began in 2017 with a fine-scale grading of the site in order to recreate the salt marsh and use the excavated soil to rebuild the upland habitats to the southwest, which are now called the NCOS Mesa. In addition to re-establishing native biodiversity, a key goal of the restoration is to utilize the site as an educational, scientific, and recreational resource. This archived version of the June 2018 newsletter includes updates on guided tours and endowment opportunities. The feature story highlights some of the student research taking place at the open space, such as aquatic invertebrate sampling, soil studies, and camera monitoring of habitat features. Community photos include the endangered Belding’s Savannah Sparrow (Passerculus sandwichensis) as well as a Great-Horned Owl (Bubo virginianus), Turkey Vulture (Cathartes aura), and Canada Goose (Branta canadensis) caught on motion detecting cameras.