Cheadle Center for Biodiversity and Ecological Restoration

The Cheadle Center at UCSB manages more than 340 acres of open space between Ellwood Mesa and Goleta Slough, carrying out ecological restoration, research, and education projects at these sites. Characterized by a rich complex of oak woodland, coastal sage scrub, grassland, and wetland ecosystems, the area is known for its relatively high level of biodiversity. The Cheadle Center’s project sites and management areas serve to protect and strengthen the region’s ecology and ecosystems through habitat conservation, upland restoration, wetland creation and enhancement, and the implementation of sustainable stormwater management solutions. Through careful integration with local watersheds and surrounding natural areas, The Cheadle Center's management areas provide an important corridor and refuge for wildlife, ensure the long term preservation of the region's natural resources, and serve as outdoor classrooms, research sites, and recreational areas for the campus community and the public. The UCSB Restoration Register is a bimonthly newsletter released by the Cheadle Center that provides ecological restoration updates, a feature story, and community photos taken at management areas. This archived version of the May 2023 newsletter includes updates on a screening of the documentary Bringing Back Our Wetland and water level and salinity fluctuations in Devereux Slough. The feature story focuses on controlled burning and wildflower seeding on Lagoon Island to convert nonnative grassland to native coastal sage scrub. Community photos include red fox (Vulpes vulpes), reddish egret (Egretta rufescens), cattle egret (Bubulcus ibis), ash-throated flycatcher (Myiarchus cinerascens), desert cottontail (Sylvilagus audubonii), and great horned owl (Bubo virginianus).