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 December 2021 newsletter includes updates on restoration of a new wetland area, Cheadle Center Director of Ecosystem Management Lisa Stratton being named a Local Hero, and outdoor classroom and parking lot construction. The feature story highlights several student field research projects. Community photos include White-crowned Sparrow (Zonotrichia leucophrys), Black Phoebe (Sayornis nigricans), Blue-eyed Darner (Aeshna multicolor), American Bittern (Botaurus lentiginosus), Northern Shoveler (Spatula clypeata), Ruddy Duck (Oxyura jamaicensis), and Northern Pintail (Anas acuta).