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 January 2022 newsletter includes updates on completion of the Cliff Swallow nesting structure and vernal pools filling up. The feature story focuses on storms and their effect on slough hydrology and biodiversity. Community photos include Tropical Kingbird (Tyrannus melancholicus), Ruby-crowned Kinglet (Regulus calendula), Least Sandpiper (Calidris minutilla), American Coot (Fulica americana), Double-Crested Cormorant (Phalacrocorax auritus), Black-Necked Stilt (Himantopus mexicanus), and Red-Shouldered Hawk (Buteo lineatus).