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Open Access Publications from the University of California
Cover page of Food Web Lesson Cards

Food Web Lesson Cards

(2022)

These printable cards feature images of organisms native to the central coast of California along with fun facts and accompant the Food Web Lesson Plans.

Cover page of Food Web Lesson Parasite Cards

Food Web Lesson Parasite Cards

(2022)

These cards featuring images of ticks native to California accompany the Food Web Lesson Cards and the Food Web/Parasites Lesson Plan.

Cover page of Food Web Lesson Plan/Parasites

Food Web Lesson Plan/Parasites

(2022)

This lesson plan/activity teaching about food webs, trophic levels, and parasites was designed for Kids in Nature's small group settings during field trips to the UCSB Lagoon or North Campus Open Space but could be adapted to any outdoor environment.

Cover page of Ant Dichotomous Key

Ant Dichotomous Key

(2021)

This dichotomous key featuring images and facts was created to help students easily identify some of the ant species found in and around UCSB's North Campus Open Space but can be used by anyone in the region where these 10 species are distributed.

Cover page of Coal Oil Point Reserve Birds Lesson

Coal Oil Point Reserve Birds Lesson

(2021)

This activity lesson aims to introduce 4-6th grade students to the endangered Western Snowy Plover and other shorebirds. This lesson was developed for Kids in Nature visits to Coal Oil Point Reserve, but may be adapted to other shorelines with Western Snowy Plovers and shorebirds or to older audiences. Students learn to observe birds on and around the beach and become familiar with the concept of endangered species. The Kids in Nature (KIN) Environmental Education Program promotes the aspirations and achievements of students in underserved schools in Santa Barbara and Goleta, California by providing quality environmental science education and experiences through place-based field trips, mentored by UCSB students in the Nature and Science Education Practicum, utilizing hands-on activities to bring K-12 students outdoors and to UCSB. The Kids in Nature program is supported by the UCSB Coastal FundUCSB Office of Education Partnerships Faculty Outreach Grants (FOG) Program and the Mosher Foundation.

Cover page of Marine Algae Lesson

Marine Algae Lesson

(2021)

This activity lesson aims to introduce 4-6th grade students to marine algae, or seaweed, and was developed for Kids in Nature visits to Coal Oil Point Reserve, but can be adapted to any shoreline with beach wrack or to older audiences. Students learn to classify algae and learn the role of seaweed in marine and intertidal ecosystems. The Kids in Nature (KIN) Environmental Education Program promotes the aspirations and achievements of students in underserved schools in Santa Barbara and Goleta, California by providing quality environmental science education and experiences through place-based field trips, mentored by UC students in the Nature and Science Education Practicum, utilizing hands-on activities to bring K-12 students outdoors and to UCSB. The Kids in Nature program is supported by the UCSB Coastal FundUCSB Office of Education Partnerships Faculty Outreach Grants (FOG) Program and the Mosher Foundation.

Cover page of Coal Oil Point Reserve Dune Plant Adaptations Lesson

Coal Oil Point Reserve Dune Plant Adaptations Lesson

(2021)

This activity lesson aims to introduce 4-6th grade students to plant adaptations and specific characteristics of the dune plant community. This lesson was developed for Kids in Nature visits to Coal Oil Point Reserve but may be adapted to another coastal dune habitat with a diversity of plants. Students explore to discover what factors shape the dunes and how dune plants have evolved to survive. The Kids in Nature (KIN) Environmental Education Program promotes the aspirations and achievements of students in underserved schools in Santa Barbara and Goleta, California by providing quality environmental science education and experiences through place-based field trips, mentored by UCSB students in the Nature and Science Education Practicum, utilizing hands-on activities to bring K-12 students outdoors and to UCSB. The Kids in Nature program is supported by the UCSB Coastal FundUCSB Office of Education Partnerships Faculty Outreach Grants (FOG) Program, National Science Foundation project "Capturing California's Flowers: using digital images to investigate phenological change in a biodiversity hotspot" (DBI:1802301) and the Mosher Foundation.

Cover page of Coal Oil Point Reserve Animal Tracks Lesson

Coal Oil Point Reserve Animal Tracks Lesson

(2021)

This activity lesson aims to introduce 4-6th grade students to the animals of the dune community. This lesson was developed for Kids in Nature visits to Coal Oil Point Reserve, but may be adapted to any dune or other habitat with mammal and bird activity. Students learn to observe animal tracks and signs in the dune habitat. The Kids in Nature (KIN) Environmental Education Program promotes the aspirations and achievements of students in underserved schools in Santa Barbara and Goleta, Californaia by providing quality environmental science education and experiences through place-based field trips, mentored by UCSB students in the Nature and Science Education Practicum, utilizing hands-on activities to bring K-12 students outdoors and to UCSB. The Kids in Nature program is supported by the UCSB Coastal FundUCSB Office of Education Partnerships Faculty Outreach Grants (FOG) Program and the Mosher Foundation.

Cover page of Insect Collection Databasing using Symbiota

Insect Collection Databasing using Symbiota

(2020)

This guide was developed at UC Santa Barbara as a general guide for how to database invertebrate zoology specimens using a Symbiota natural history collection specimen database (http://symbiota.org). The UCSB Invertebrate Zoology Collection is a small collection with taxonomic strengths in Hymenoptera and Diptera. Originally used as a teaching collection for a general entomology course taught from 1961 to 1993, this collection's diversity (9,000 insects in 21 orders and 246 families) makes it a valuable historical record of insects in endangered coastal California habitats. This report was developed as part of the Institute of Museum Library Services Grant (award #MA-30-16-0387-16) to curate and digitize the Adrian Wenner Historic Insect Collection at University of California, Santa Barbara.

The general workflow in this guide starts with images and labels of images taken and uploaded to the Symbiota database. Specimen information is transcribed directly from the images. How to create specimen image reports are also available through the Cheadle Center for Biodiversity and Ecological Restoration online eScholarship publication venue for open access publications and reports (https://escholarship.org/uc/ccber).

Cover page of North Campus Open Space Walking Tour 2020

North Campus Open Space Walking Tour 2020

(2020)

This is a self-guided walking tour of the UC Santa Barbara North Campus Open Space, a 136-acre ecosystem restoration project. This walking tour was created for the 21st Santa Barbara Creek Week in September 2020.