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 March 2018 newsletter includes updates on bridge and crossing construction, management of litter in the creeks, and pickleweed (Salicornia) planting. The feature story focuses on the Kids in Nature 2 (KIN2) program, which gives K-12 students from several local schools the opportunity to visit NCOS and participate in birdwatching, restoration planting, and other hands-on educational activities. Community photos include Greater White-Fronted Geese (Anser albifrons), Least Sandpiper (Calidris minutilla), and Western Sandpiper (Calidris mauri).