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 July 2022 newsletter includes updates on Kids in Nature field trips and the installation of new interpretive signs on Chumash ethnobotany and the importance of leashing dogs. The feature story focuses on breeding birds at NCOS. Community photos include Black-crowned Night Heron (Nycticorax nyctocorax), Barn Swallow (Hirundo rustica), Greater Yellowlegs (Tringa melanoleuca), Crotch’s bumblebee (Bombus crotchii), and Ventura Marsh Milk Vetch (Astragalus pycnostachyus var. lanosissimus).

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 August 2021 newsletter includes updates on tidewater goby (Eucyclogobius newberryi) surveys, Mesa Trail construction, drought conditions at the slough, and iNaturalist. The feature story focuses on community members’ experiences being involved with NCOS. Community photos include Mallard (Anas platyrhynchos), American Kestrel (Falco sparverius), Canada Goose (Branta canadensis), Red-tailed Hawk (Buteo jamaicensis), and Black-crowned Night Heron (Nycticorax nycticorax).

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 May 2022 newsletter includes updates on the grand opening of the Mesa Trail and restoration of Dwarf Brodiaea (Brodiaea terrestris). The feature story highlights the experiences of student workers. Community photos include Great Horned Owl (Bubo virginianus), Green Heron (Butorides virescens), Western Bluebird (Sialia mexicana), Red-tailed Hawk (Buteo jamaicensis), and Yellow-headed Blackbird (Xanthocephalus xanthocephalus). 

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 July 2021 newsletter includes updates on acquisition of an all-terrain wheelchair for accessibility, success of the Ventura Marsh Milk-Vetch (Astragalus pycnostachyus var. lanosissimus), volunteer nature guides, and parking lot and outdoor classroom construction. The feature story focuses on invertebrates’ roles in the NCOS food web. Community photos include Mallard (Anas platyrhynchos), American Kestrel (Falco sparverius), Canada Goose (Branta canadensis), Red-tailed Hawk (Buteo jamaicensis), and Black-crowned Night Heron (Nycticorax nycticorax).