Cheadle Center for Biodiversity and Ecological Restoration

The University of Santa Barbara’s (UCSB) North Campus Open Space (NCOS) 100 acre restoration project has restored more than 40 acres of estuarine and palustrine wetlands that historically comprised the upper portion of Devereux Slough that was filled in the mid-1960s to create the Ocean Meadows golf course. Led by the Cheadle Center for Biodiversity and Ecological Restoration (CCBER) the project is also restoring more than 60 acres of upland habitats that include native grassland, coastal sage scrub, riparian, oak chaparral woodland, vernal pools and seasonal wetlands. In addition to wetland and upland habitat restoration, goals of the NCOS project include flood reduction, support for threatened and endangered species, public access and the provision of educational opportunities.

This report presents monitoring results from the past 4 years with more emphasis on the fourth year (2021) of monitoring. This report documents the efforts and results of monitoring that include monthly bird surveys, yearly vegetation surveys, water quality and hydrology sampling, well depth monitoring, rodent, reptile and amphibian monitoring, aquatic arthropod monitoring and much more. The project is meeting key success criteria with variation in bird composition, vernal pool hydrology, and native cover associated with the extreme drought conditions of 2021.