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 April 2017 newsletter announces the start of the main part of the project and includes updates on planned grading and fence installation and the anticipated timeline for public access. The feature story focuses on the reasons behind the restoration, including the ecological importance of salt marshes and the ecosystem services they provide. Community photos include UCSB interns setting up a trap for a flying insect study.